Kholosi

The Kholosi are the people of two neighbouring mountain villages, Kholus and Gotav, in Bastak County, western Hormozgan, who speak Kholosi, an Indo-Aryan language of the Sindhic branch isolated more than 600 km from the nearest Indic language. First described by Anonby and Bahmani (published 2016), Kholosi keeps grammatical gender and core Indic vocabulary but has borrowed heavily from Persian, Larestani and Bandari, about one Iranian word for every two Indic ones. Their ancestors came from the Indian subcontinent long ago by an unknown route. Locals have called the language Hindi, Sindhi or Jadgali, while linguists treat it as a distinct language with no ISO code (Glottolog khol1241). The Kholosi are distinct from the surrounding Achomi of Bastak, but all are bilingual in Bastaki Achomi and Persian.

Kholosi households traditionally moved between the village and summer quarters (sarmodun), farming dates and grain and keeping small livestock. The community has lost its own songs and now tells Iranic tales such as Shah Abbas and Rostam and Sohrab in Persian or Bastaki rather than Kholosi. Young Kholosis promote their language online, and the villages attract curious visitors, including travellers from India.

The Kholosi are Sunni Muslims of the Shafi'i school, sharing the religious life of Sunni western Hormozgan and Larestan. No distinctive folk practices are documented.

No Scripture or recordings exist in Kholosi. All speakers know Bastaki Achomi, which has had a New Testament since 2024, and Persian. No believers are known.