In this post, I will look at the Tarar tribe of Jats. They have much in common with other Jat clans of the Chaj and Rechna Doab such as the Gondal, Ranjha and Warriach. They were largely a pastoralist tribe till the arrival of the British in the mid-19th Century. The Tarars consider themselves and are considered as Jat by others. So, who exactly are these Tarars? According to their tribal traditions, their ancestor was Tarar, a Rajput originally from Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, who took service with Mahmud of Ghazna, and converted to Islam. His elder son Lohi is said to have stayed behind in Bhatner (now Hanumangarh in Rajasthan), inheriting the family lands, while Tarar settled in what is now Gujrat district. As in most posts, I will start off first by looking at British sources, then look at tribal traditions.
British Sources
The earliest reference in British sources to the Tarar occurs in the Report on the Revised Settlement of Gujranwala District 1860 by J. H Morris. He writes to the following about them:
This followed by their description in the Report on the Revision of Land Revenue Settlement of Gujranwala District 1874 by R. P Nisbett. Nisbett describes them as:
His description is more detailed, although he does not mention the three division of the Gujranwala Tarar, namely Gokul, Kalo and Ratta, referred to by Morris. The river Chenab divided the Tarar territory into half, with those in what is now Mandi Bahauddin having slightly different origin story. The current Mandi Bahauddin District was historically part of Gujrat. Captain W. G. Waterfield, author of the Report on the Second Regular Settlement of Gujrat District, describes the Tarar as follows:
In Waterfield’s account, Banni referred to by Nisbett becomes Bhatti, but in this account, the Tarar’s original homeland remains Bhatner (now Hanumangarh). It also acknowledges that one of the sons remained in Bhatner, which may the likely ancestor of the Hindu Tarar of Rajasthan.
The most detailed account appears in H. A Rose, an early 20th Century British colonial official who co-authored A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, which is one of the most comprehensive glossaries on the tribes of Punjab, and a good source on many Punjabi tribes.
Jat tribe which often claims Rajput status, especially in Gujranwala and Shahpur. It claims Solar Rajput origin, apparently from the Bhatti of Bhatner. They say that their ancestor Tarar took service with Mahmud Ghaznavi and returned with him to Ghazni; but that his son Lohi, from whom they are descended, moved from Bhatner to Gujrat whence the tribe spread. Another story dates their settlement from the time of Humayun. They intermarry with Gondal, Variach, Gill, Virk, and other leading Jat tribes of the neighbourhood; and they have lately begun to intermarry within the tribe. Some of them are still Hindus. They hold land on both sides of the Upper Chenab about the junction mid within the boundaries of the districts of Gujrat, Gujranwala and, Shahpur.
The account current in Gujranwala adds that their ancestor was Tarar, whose great-grandson Banni came from Bhatner (in the Patiala territory), with his sons, and settled in Gujrat. One of his sons Amrah, however, recrossed the Chenab, and founded the village of Amrah, and his descendants have now formed a colony of 62 villages in this district. The 7 sub-divisions of the tribe are named after the sons of Banni.
The custom of pagri-vand prevails. Adoption is not usually recognized among them, nor can an adopted son inherit ancestral property, although in a few instances this rule has been broken. The Gujrat account makes the Tarar descendants of Rajah Karan. Lohi’s descendant Bhatti had nine sons, Dhirak, Shahna, Amra, Uppal, Buta, Lakhanpal, Atra, Salmani and Gondra, Bhalli and they came to Gujrat.
Rose, Horace Arthur; MacLagan, Edward Douglas. A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. Volume 2, Lahore: Samuel T. Weston at the Civil and Military Gazette Press.
Rose simply tries to pull together the various accounts. The various tribal genealogies in Punjab are based on bardic traditions of the Punjab, which classifies every Jat clan within the three sub-divisions of the Rajputs, the Suryavansh, Chandravanshi and Agnivanshi. From the British sources, it is clear, that the Tarar claim to be of the Suryavanshi branch. I will now look at some other sources, and then what the tribal traditions say.
Other Sources
In histories written by local historians of the Punjab, the British account is usually confirmed. Asad Salim Shaikh, author of Dulleh ki Bar, says that the tribe gets its name from Tarar, who was a soldier in the army of Mahmud of Ghazna. It was Tarar’s grandson Banni who first settled in Jokalian, from whom all the present Tarar descend. This account is identical to Rose’s. He only adds that the village of Vanike, or Banike Tarar in Hafizabad is named after Banni. This is said to be their original settlement in Hafizabad.
Tribal Traditions
Tribal traditions generally refer to the Tarar first settling in Mandi Bahaudin. They agree that their ancestor was called Tarar, but there is some confusion as to the name of his son, some traditions call him Bhatti, while others Banni. Banni settled in Jokalian, it is possible that Bani and Bhatti are one and the same person. However, the real progenitor of the tribe is Lohi, who, with his ten sons, settled at Jokalian. Three sons are said to have disappeared, going south; the remaining seven founded many villages south of Jokalian, in the Phalia tehsil of Mandi Bahaudin and in the Hafizabad district. The seven subdivisions of the Tarar claim descent from the seven sons. There are said to be a total of 83 Tarar villages in this region.
The Hafizabad Tarars have slightly different origin story, who claim direct descent from Banni or Vanni, third in descent from Tarar, and not Lohi. One of his sons, Amrah left Phalia and settled in what is now Hafizabad district, founding the village of Amrah. In Hafizabad, they are now found in sixty two villages, all whom claim descent from Amrah. This origin myth does seem to suggest that the Tarars are certainly one of the oldest of the settled Jat tribes. Most of their villages are found near the banks of the Chenab river, which does suggest a pastoral background.
Baba Bajwa, using mirasi records give the following genealogy:
Wacha (ancestor of the Surayvanshi tribes)
↓
Bhoj Raj (20th in descent from Wacha, and ancestor of most the Punjab Suryavanshi)
↓
Mulraj (10th in descent from Bhoj Raj, ancestor of the several tribes such as Dhudhi, Lak and Waseer)
↓
Unner Raj
↓
Unnar
↓
Lohi
Tarar
↓
Taka + Tatri + Tobah + Turna + Turka
This genealogy makes Lohi not the grandson, but the father of Tarar. However, as the various British accounts state, as well as tribal traditions, Lohi it seems was the grandson on Tarar. Also the sons given in this family tree don’t correspond with the other traditions. Kaula, for example was said to descend from Amra, who was the son of Lohi.
Recent History
The Tarar had remained Hindu until the time of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (October 1542– 27 October 1605). According to a local tradition common among the Gujranwala Tarar, Akbar sent a military expedition against them as a condequence of thir constant challenges to the Mughal ruler., The Tarar were defeated and Kaulo Tarar, the head of the Tarar Jat tribe was killed. His wife was pregnant, at that time fled to the jungles of his area, where she took refuge. Here she met a Fakir, who said that she was destined to bear a son and would be well, but advised her to bring him up in the true faith, he was named Mohammed Mirza. With the passage of time the Tarar Jat clans, descendants of Kaulo Tarar grew in numbers, and their possessions increased. The district flourished during Mughal rule, from the days of Akbar. The authorities built wells which were scattered over the whole country, and villages lay thickly dotted about the southern plateau, now a barren waste of grass land and scrub jungle. Their remains may still be found in the wildest and most solitary reaches of the Bar. With the breakdown of Mughal Empire, Sultan Muhammad a Tarar chieftain created a mini state that was destroyed by Ranjit Singh in the late 18th Century.
Distribution
In Hafizabad District, Tarar villages include Beri Wala, Vanike Tarar, Kolo Tarar, Sindhowan Tarar, Raja Tarar, Rasoolpur Tarar, and Muzaffar Tarar.
While in Mandi Bahauddin district, most Tarar villages are found in Mandi Bahauddin and Phali tehsils. In Phalia Tehsil there villages include Adda Pahrianwali, Agroya, Bahri, Bhagat, Bhekho, Bherowal, Bhoa Hassan, Bumbi, Burj Ghanian, Chak Abdulla, Chak Kamal, Chak Mitha, Charound, Chayto, Dhaboola, Dhal, Dharekan Kalan, Dhola Khurd, Dhunni Kalan, Dhunni Khurd, Ghanian, Ghoghanwali, Gujjan, Haigerwala, Jago Kalan, Jokalian, Haigerwala, Kala Shadian, Kot Hamid Shah, Kot Sattar Sharqi, Kuthiala Sheikhan, Ladher, Lakhia, Mailu Kohna, Mangat, Mano Chak, Melu, Mureed, Pejo Kot, Pindi Kaloo, Raike, Randiyali, Saida Sharif, Sainthal, Sarang, Sohawa Dilowana, Sulaiman, Tariqabad, Thatha Alia, Thathi Mureed, and Thatti Shah Muhammad. In Mandi Bauddin Tehsil and include Balhar, Chak Basawa, Chak Shabaz, Chak Mano, Barri Tarar, Kala Shadian, Kot Pundiwala, Lak, Ghanian, Rattowal, , Shaheedanwali, Takhat Mal Tarar and Wasu.
Outside the core Tarar area, there are also several Tarar villages in Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil of Jhelum District such as Dhudhi Thal, Kot Umer and Sherpur. In Chakwal District they are found in Dhok Virk.
Distribution of Tarar by District According to 1911 Census of India
| District | Population |
| Gujrat | 14,365 |
| Gujranwala | 4,841 |
| Shahpur (Sargodha) | 1,716 |
| Jhelum | 745 |
| Lyalpur (Faisalabad) | 514 |
| Lahore | 170 |
| Total Population | 22,351 |
The Tarar of Lyalpur were largely settlers from Phalia, brought in by the British to settle the Bars of Punjab in the late 19th Century, while those of Lahore claimed descent from an ancestor who left Amrah in last days of Mughal rule (around 1700s).
newpakhistorian 