Centuries ago, thousands of Africans were brought to India as slaves. They made this country their own, and their descendants can be found mainly in coastal Gujarat and north-west Karnataka.
Siddis, whose ancestors are from Africa, have settled in large numbers in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district. Here, a few residents of Tottalagundi village in Yellapur taluk in the district. ▲
Nawab Siddi Mohammad Khan III and his mother, Kulsum Bibi. ▲
African guards for the royalty in Hyderabad, 1904. ▲
Siddi Mohammed Haider Khan, the nawab of Sachin (in modern-day Gujarat), in 1930. ▲
Yasmin, the African wife of Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Oudh. ▲
Sultan Muhammad Adil Shah of Bijapur and African courtiers, circa 1640. ▲
The Mughal emperor Jahangir "shooting" Malik Ambar, 1616. ▲
Nawab Siddi Ahmad Khan, the nawab of Janjira from 1879 to 1922. ▲
The fort of Janjira on the horizon as seen from the beach in Murud, a few hours south of Mumbai. ▲
Tourists alighting at the entrance to the fort. ▲
The remains of what was once a magnificent fort. ▲
A frieze at the entrance of the fort shows a tiger clawing six elephants. The tiger is said to represent Siddis and the elephants the various kingdoms in the region that tried in vain to capture the island fortress. ▲
Cannons overlook the sea from strategically located embrasures in the fort. ▲
Tombs of the nawabs of Janjira in Murud. ▲
A building in the Ibrahim Rauza complex in Bijapur (now Vijayapura) designed by the architect Malik Sandal, an Ethiopian eunuch. ▲
The residence in Murud of the current nawab of Janjira. ▲
At a Siddi home in Tottalagundi. ▲
Diog Siddi, 67, plays the damam, a traditional drum, in Tottalagundi. Fellow Siddis join in for an impromptu jig. ▲
Teenage athletes from the Siddi community at the sports ground of Loyola High School, Mundgod, Uttara Kannada. They are among the 14 students from the community that the SAI has selected so far for its Special Area Games Scheme. ▲
Kamala Mingel Siddi.She won medals for India at three SAF Games.
Photo: KIRAN BAKALE
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Teenage athletes from the Siddi community at the sports ground of Loyola High School, Mundgod, Uttara Kannada. They are among the 14 students from the community that the SAI has selected so far for its Special Area Games Scheme. ▲
Sobina Vishanti Bastanv, a talented sprinter, with her father, Vishanti Bastanv, in Mundgod. ▲
Siddi children returning home after school at Mingelpalya village in Yellapur taluk. ▲
Siddi women work on land on the edge of the forest, at Mingelpalya. ▲
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