In this post, I will look at a tribe of Jats found mainly in the Thal Desert, the Uttra, sometimes spelt Utra, and occasionally Atra. They are a Jat clan, found mainly in villages near the towns of Quaidabad and Noorpur Thal. They are sometimes confused with the Uttera, but the two tribes are distinct, but have common ancestry. The Uttra tribe is said to be the earliest inhabitants of the portion of the Thal near the town of Kallur Kot, and the word uttra means a northerner.
Tribal Origin
According to their own traditions, the tribe claims descent from a Bhatti Rajput nobleman named Rana Rajwadhan. H. A Rose, the early 20th Century British colonial ethnographer describes their background as such:
Kulyar was a son of Rana Raj Wadhan, who had four other sons:
(1) Uttera, (2) Nun, (3) Kanju, (4) Hatar. The tradition is that the ancestors of Rajah Rajwadhan lived in ancient times near Ghajni, whence they migrated to Delhi, which after a time they left for Bhatner.
All these four are well known tribes, please read my articles on them.
In the 7th century of the Hijra Raj Wadhan together with his tribe left Bhatner and settled near Chhanb Kulyar (now in the Lodhran tehsil of Multan), which in those days lay on the southern bank of the Sutlej and formed part of the dominions of Rai Bhutta, the ruler of a city, the greater part of which was destroyed by the Sutlej flowing over it ; but parts of its ruins are still to be seen on the right bank of the Ghara (in tehsil Lodhran), Rana Raj Wadhan had a beautiful daughter whom Rai Bhutta desired to marry. The request was refused by Kalyar, the eldest son of Raj Wadhan ; and the result was that a sanguinary battle took place in which Rai Bhutta was slain. The tract of the country thus conquered by the Kulyars became known as Chhamb Kalyar, which name it still retains. At this time Sher Shah Sayyid Jalal was living in Uch, where Rana Raj Wadhan and his sons went to see him and embraced Islam. Raj Wadhan remained at Uch, Uttera occupied the ‘Viah’ (the Beas), Nun began to live on the Ravi, (and that, tribe is now dominant in Shujabad tehsil), Kanju at the Donari Mari (place unknown), and Kalyar made Chhamb Kalyar his residence. Hatar was deprived of his share of the inheritance.
Rose further adds:
UTTRA an agricultural clan found in Shahpur and in the Lower Derajat where it affects the title of Rana.
Baba Bajwa, of the YouTube Baba Bajwa channel gives the following genealogy:
Chandar Mal (ancestor of the Chandravanshi tribes)
↓
Krishna the Hindu deity 4th in descent from Chandar Mal
↓
Bhati (10th in descent from Krishna, ancestor of all the Bhati or Bhatti Rajputs)
Kaylar (ancestor of the tribe) + Kanju (ancestor of the Kanju) + Noon (ancestor of the Noon) + Hattar (ancestor of the Hattar) + Uttra (ancestor of the Uttra)
Thiss geneology directly connects the Uttra with the Bhatti Rajput rulers of Jaisalmer. Most Uttra traditions connects the tribe with the Bhattis, and they belong to the Chandravanshi division. The various tribal genealogies 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
According to Uttra tribal traditions, Rana Raj Wadhan lived in Ghazni, in what is now Afghanistan and then moved to Delhi in India. After some time, he moved to Bhatner (now known as Hanumangarh) in what is now northern Rajasthan. The town of Bhatner was an important centre of the Bhatti tribe. In the 13th Century, the Rana and his family are said to have moved to Chamb Kalyar, in what is now the Lodhran District, in Punjab. As described by Rose, they then had their confrontation with Rai Bhutta, the then ruler of Multan. Where there tradition differs from Rose, is that according to the Uttra, Rana Raj Wadhan had two wives, one of which was a Bhatti Rajput, from whom he had the four sons, while Uttra was born from a second wife. They and Uttera tribe have a common ancestry, the Uttera remaining in Lodhran, while Uttra moved north settling in the Thal desert.
The Uttra are a tribe found almost entirely in the Sindh Sagar Doab. They are said to left the valley of the Sutlej, and accompanied the Kalhora chief Mian Adam Shah in his conquest of the Sindh Sagar Doab. This was a period when Mughal authority had collapsed in Punjab, and the Kalhora rulers of Sindh were in conflict with the Pathan rulers of Multan, over the Sindh Sagar Doab. The Uttra chief, Rana Bhakku is said to have founded the town of Bhakkar.
Distribution
Map of Bhakkar District source Election Commission of Pakistan
Uttra villages are found in Bhakkar, Khushab Layyah and Mianwali districts. Important Uttra villages in Mianwali include Rustamwala, Uttra kalan and Uttra khurd. While in Bhakkar, Basti Dhudianwala and Chak 43/ML (near Kallurkot) are important villages. There are several Uttra villages near the town of Chaubara in Bhakkar District. In Dera Ghazi Khan District they are found in the villages of Haji Kamand, Jhok Uttra and Uttra near Taunsa. And finally, in Khushab District, they are found in Utra and Mitha Kooh. Like other Thal tribes, they were formerly pastoral, but are now entirely settled.
In this post, I will look at the Kanyal or sometimes spelt Kanial,a tribe of both Jats and Rajputs status. They are found mainly in Gujarkhan, Jhelum, Gujrat and Mirpur districts. An interesting thing about the various tribes in the Potohar region is that there name often ends in al, which is patronymic, for example, the sons of Kals, are the Kalyal and so on, very similar to the Arabic bin or Slavic ovich or ov. The aals started off as clans of a larger tribe, so in the case of the Kanyal, according to some traditions, they are an aal of the Chauhan tribe, which overtime grew in numbers, leading separation from the parent stock. This article received considerable assistance from Awais from the Facebook page Mirpur and Dadyal Heritage Society (accessible through mirpurheritage.com), which has quite a lot of information on the Kanyal and other Jats of the Mirpur region.
Tribal Origin
Like most Pothohar tribes, very little has been written about them by the British. H. A Rose, the early 20th Century wrote the following about them:
Kanial, a tribe which belongs, according to the late Mr. E. B. Steedman, to that miscellaneous body of men who call themselves Rajputs, hold a large portion of the south-eastern corner of the Rawalpindi district, and are of much the same class as the Budhal and Bhakral. They also appear to stretch along the sub-montane as far east as Gujrat.
The information is incredibly basic in the above paragraph, however Rose is right that the Kanyal have very similar customs as the Budhal and Bhakral. According to the traditions of the Gujarkhan Kanyal, they originate from the town of Jammu and trace their descent to Jambu Loachon, the founder of the city of Jammu. He had a son named Raja Puran Karan, from whom the tribe claims descent. They are thus descended from the Manhas Rajput tribe. Other traditions however make the Kanyal a clan of Chauhan Rajputs. There are various stories about the emergence of the Kanyal or Kanial tribes, in the Rawalpindi District and they have always been considered as a high ranking clan of the Rajput tribe. Like the Kalyal, the Kanyal started off as a tribe settled in the Chibhal region, making their way to the Pathohar plateu sometime in the Middle Ages. Groups of Kanyal have immigrated as far south as Darya Khan in the heart of the Thal desert, which makes them far more geographically widespread then the other tribes discussed.
In Mirpur, the Kanyal also claim Minhas Rajput ancestry, but with a slifghtly different genealogy. The Minhas belong to the Suryavanshi branch of the Rajput caste, and claim descent from Rama a legendary king of Ayodhya. According to Kanyal traditions, Rama is said to have visited the Jammu region, leaving behind several sons. His descendants in the Jammu region are said to have founded several small principalities, and were constantly involved in warfare. A descendent of Ram by the name of Diya Karan was invited by the various chiefs to rule over them in what became the Chibhal territory. Some traditions make Diya Karan the son of the same Jambu Loachon, referenced in the Gujarkhan Kanyal family tree. Diya Karan and his successors established their rule of a territory stretching from Gujarkhan to Jammu. There were then said to be 25 kings of the Jammu kingdom, before Rajah Karam Pal became king. It is Karam Pal from which the Kanyal trace their ancestory.
During the rule of Rajah Karam Pal, one of his sons Uday Pal converted to Islam. His Islamic name was Sultan Mohammed Aslam Khan who left the Jammu state after his conversion, and settled near the village of Onnah Rajgan. Seven generations after him, came Kanait Khan who was the forefather of the Kanyal according to this tradition. The word Kanyal is shortened version of Kanait aal, or the family of Kanait. Kanait is said to have first settled in Gujarkhan, and all the Mirpur Kanyal claim to have come from that region. They first settled in Mohra Kanyal and Mohra Malkan, and Onah (near Dadyal). Most Kanyal in Mirpur connect themselves with Onah. The following is a family tree of the Onah Rajgan Kanyals:
Jambu Loachan
↓
Daya Karan
↓
Dharam Karan
↓
Hari Pal
↓
Saisans Pal
↓
Haran Pal
↓
Karam Pal
↓
Vikram Pal
↓
Udai Pal known as Sultan Aslam Khan
↓
10th in descent Kanait Khan, ancestor of the Kanyal tribe
There are now several Kanyal families in Mirpur District, each with their traditions and origin stories. The Kanyal family in Mohra Kanyal, Kheri Bala, near Khadimabad and Kandor, are descended from an elder called Baba Kagg. Baba Kagg had three sons from whom all the Kanyal of this region claim as their ancestors. It is uncertain where he came from but some say there is a connection to Kashmir. There is another Kanyal family in Palaak, which may have originated from the above Onah family given their proximity to Onah (the village being across the river). There are also a few households of Kanyal in Gindian-na-Mohra / Mohra Gindian in Pind Khurd, which comes between Palaak and Chakswari.
Distribution
Kanyal Population of Punjab According to the 1911 Census
District
Rajput
Jat
Total
Rawalpindi
2,317
149
2,466
Jhelum
2,603
2,603
Mianwali
785
785
Other Districts
403
335
738
Total
2,720
3,872
6,592
Kanyal in Punjab
Perhaps there densest settlement are in the Gujar Khan Tehsil, with important villages including Arazi Hasnal, Arif Kanial, Atit Kanial, Chak Bagwal, Dhera Kanial (especially Mohra Malkan), Dhok Kanyal, Dhaia Kanial, Dhok Manna, Ghik Budhal, Habib Kanial, Kanial, Mohra Kanial (near Bewal), Mohri Rajgan, Narali Mirzian, Ramial, Sahot Kanyal, Sui Chemian and Wasla Bangyal are all part of a cluster of Kanial villages. In neighbouring Rawalpindi Tehsil their villages include Dhera Kanial and Mohra Kanial, while in Kallar Syedan Tehsil they are found in the villages of Jocha Mamdot, Khambli Sadiq, Khoi Las, Par, Chakyal Hardo and Tirkhi. In Jhelum District, they are found in Dhok Kanial, Mohra Kanial and Rohtas and in Chakwal in Nachindi. Finally, in Attock District they are found in Kanial village. There are also Kanyal village in Bhakkar District, and in 1911 there were 785 Kanyal in the then Bhakkar Tehsil of Mianwali.
Kanyal in Azad Kashmir
There are still large communities of Kanyal in neighbouring Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir. Their villages in that district include Mohra Kanyal, Mohra Nangyal, Mohra Malkan, Mohra Sher Shah, Mohar, Nakota, Palaak and Onah Rajgan.
In this post, I will look at a tribe of Jats called the Kalyal. They are one of the larger Jat clans of the Pothohar region, and neighbouring Mirpur Division of Pakistani Kashmir. This article received considerable assistance from Awais from the Facebook page Mirpur and Dadyal Heritage Society (accessible through mirpurheritage.com), which has quite a lot of information on the Kalyal and other Jats of the Mirpur region.
The Kalyal of Gujarkhan and Jhelum
Like most Jats of the Jhelum / Mirpur region, very little has been written about them. The early 20th Century British ethnologist, H. A Rose has simply a line on them.
Sombanai descent and Rajput ancestry i.e., a last status as Rajput— are claimed by the Kalial,
Rose is correct, the tribe claims descent from Kala Khan or Mal Khan, a Chandravanshi Rajput, who settled in the Potohar region in the 15th Century. However, as I will explore, some Kalial lineages claim Suryavanshi ancestry.
There are also a widespread tradition that make Kal to be a Bhatti Rajput, which would make the Kalyal a clan of the Bhatti tribe. Therefore, the Kal aal are the descendants of Kals. The Kalyal are essentially a tribe of the Chibhal, a region between the Tawi and Jhelum rivers, now divided by the line of control, forming the districts of Mirpur and Bhimber in Azad Kashmir, and Rajouri, Reasi and parts of Jammu district west of the river Tawi in Indian administered Kashmir. From Chibhal, groups of Kalyal began immigrating to the Punjab plains, initially settling in around Dina, and Sahowa and then spreading to Gujar Khan, which is home to the greatest concentrations of Kalyal. Most of the Gujarkhan Kalyal claim to a be a clan of the Bhatti Rajputs. Other groups moved southeast, settling in Gujrat District, where they are still an important Jat clan. There is a single Kalyal village in Kharian Tehsil of Gujrat District.
Kalyal Jats in Mirpur District
The majority of the Kalyal population is found east and north of the Jhelum River in Mirpur District. Often, the various Kalyal families have contradictory origin stories. I will look at the origin stories of each branch of the Kalyal family. The various tribal genealogies 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. In this case of the Kalyal, some tradition put them in the Suryavanshi category, while others in the Chandravanshi category. The raah of The Kalyal, a group of hereditary genealogists similar to the mirasi in the Punjab plains, state that the Kalyal are Kalyal Rajput kasab Jatt and that they are from Suryavanshi branch of the Rajputs. Among their ancestors were 95 men, who were rulers in Delhi, India, the last of whom was called Sri Karpal who became Muslim, giving an azaan on the throne and then abdicating. He is said to have migrated to Bihar India, and after a while went to Sialkot and founded Dhok Kalyal and Dhok Jaal in Sialkot. He was known for giving to the poor and destitute there. After some time, some descendants came to Gujarkhan and Rawat. From there, they spread to the Mirpur region.
There is another tradition which says four brothers who were converted from Hinduism to Islam in India, and three of the brothers migrated to Gujrat and from there, one went to Bihar, one to Kotli Sarsawa (next to Palaak) and one settled in Baratt. According to another genealogy, given by the raah, is that before coming to Sialkot, they were Arabs, descended from Abu Jahl. Abu Jahl’s real name was Amr ibn Hishām al-Makhzumi, and he was pagan leaders from Quraysh known for his opposition towards the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the early Muslims in Mecca. This origin story is similar to the Ranjah Jats, and it’s interesting the same character also appears in the Kalyal story.
In all the Kalyal origin stories in Mirpur, the original place of settlement seems to be Sialkot. The city is one of the ancient settlements in Punjab, and may therefore a possible origin point. Although the Gujarkhan Kalyal often point to the Chibhal, so its possible that groups of Kalyal left Sialkot first settling in the Mirpur region, then crossing the Jhelum river to settle in Jhelum and Gujarkhan.
The Baba Chanda Kalyal
One of the larger Kalyal lineage is that of the Baba Chanda Kalyal. This family is found in the villages of Bughoar, Mera Pind Kalan, Mohra Moqadam, Thothal Dheri Phalli, Thothal Pind Kalan, Mera Pind Kalan, and Theekrian Chakswari. This branch gets its name from its common ancester Baba Chanda. He is said to have originated from Gujarkhan and came to Pind Kalan (near Chakswari). This region used to be known as Chanda-na-Mohra after him but now is known as Dheri Phalli after his grandson Chaudhary Phalli Zaildar who passed away around 150 years ago.
The Baba Rakha Kalyal
Another large branch of the Kalyal is found in Tehsil Dadyal, in the villages of Siakh, Potha Sher, Potha Bangash, and Chhatroh. They are said to originate from Sialkot in northern Punjab. After leaving Sialkot, they first settled in Saranda (Tehsil Kotli) and from there, an elder by the name of Rakha came to the Siakh region and married into a Nagyal family residing nearby in Battli. His descendants form the bulk of the Kalyal population in Potha Sher, Potha Bangash, Siakh (their various mohallas such as Mohalla Qazian, Bara Garaan, Ningrian etc etc) and some have also moved to Thaathi in the Pothohar.
Other Branches
There also a number of other branches of the Kalyal in Mirpur. One the lineage is said to have come from Kot Dhamiak in Jhelum District and settled in Muria-na-Mohra-na-Mohra / Mohra Mundian and Pind Kalan villages. Another branch of the Kalyal are found in the village of Kalyal, near Chakswari, a very influential family. They are also found in Add-ne-Plai, Laddar and Domal (now inundated by the Mangla Dam), and also Gaderi (now inundated by the Mangla Dam), while another branch is in Palaak, Tarnot, and Arnoh, near Panyam.
Yet another branch migrated from Sialkot to Gujrat Gorsian, from there to the Mirpur region and settleeage d in the villages of Panyam (Moohri Panyam / Baavaya-ni-Moohri – these have largely moved to New Abadi Kalyal Chakswari due to the Dam); Essar, Pind Kalan; Gowanda and Prahi (near Chok Sahiban); and Mera Kandi.
There is a Kalyal village near Panyam in Kalyal, Panyam, also known as Sarr-wala-Mohra, and they originate in Tope Mankiala near Rawalpindi. Finally, there is also a lineage found in the village of Kalyal Sheru.
Villages
Gujarkhan Tehsil
Map of Gujarkhan region
In Punjab, most Kalyal are still found in Gujarkhan, and following are there villages in the tehsil:
In Jhelum District, the Kalyal villages are still found near the towns of Dina and Sahowa, and important ones include Boharian, Boura Pindi, Dalyal, Dandi, Dhok Rajju, Dhok Kalyal, Domeli, Hon Kalyal, Janjil, Johda, Kalyal, Mal, Mohra Kalyal (near Sohawa), and Sidh Tajpur Alia. In neighbouring Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil, there main village is Kahana. While in Chakwal District they are found in Chak Kharak, Dhok Qutab Din, Dhoke Wadhan, Kalyal and Kotla Kalyal. The village of Katha Saghral (largely Janjua) in Khushab District is also home to several Kalyal families.
Azad Kashmir
Map of Mirpur District source Planing and Development Department Azad Jammu and Kashmir Government
In Azad Kashmir, important Kalyal villages in Mirpur District include Bughoar, Kas Kalyal also known as Kalyal Sherou, Mera Pind Kalan, Mohra Moqadam, Potha Sher, Potha Bangash, Siakh, Thothal Dheri Phalli, Thothal Pind Kalan, Mera Pind Kalan, and Theekrian Chakswari. Kalyal, Kotla Sehnsa, Sehnsa and Chhatrahn Sehnsa in Kotli District, and in Poonch, there main settlememt is Sehra in Tehsil Hajira.
Kalyal Population in Punjab According to the 1911 Census
In this post I will look at a tribe of Jats, the Kallu. The Kallu are tribe of the Thal desert, and I would ask the reader to look at my post on the Bhachar, which gives some background to the Thal region, and the tribes that inhabit it. The majority of the Kallu are found mainly in the borders of Khushab and Bhakkar districts, although they are related to the Kahlon tribe of Jats, who are found throughout central Punjab. Just a point of clarification, the Kallu and Kalru are distinct tribes, although both are found in the Thal.
Tribal History
Like most Punjabi tribes, there are a number of traditions as to the origin of the tribe. British sources give very little information on the Kallu. H. A Rose, the early 20th Century British colonial ethnologist simply has a line on them.
Kallu, a Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar, in Montgomery (where it is Musalman), and also in Shahpur.
Ghulam Akbar Malik, author of the History of the Jats adds that Kallu get their name from the Kulu region in Himachal Pradesh. There ancestor Sidh Singh, was exiled from his kingdom, and sought refuge in Kangra, where he was granted a jagir, and later became an independent rajah. His family then ruled over Kulu for five hundred years. The kingdom was then conquered by the Sikhs in the 18th Century. Members of the Kullu royal family were then forced to settle in Batala in the plains of Punjab and intermarried with other Jat tribes. Over time, they too became a Jat tribe.
According to a tribal tradition, the name kallu is said to mean someone who does not speak, given to an ancestor as nickname, as he was a faqir, who had taken a vow of silence. Over time the name was extended to his family as well. However, the most widespread tradition connects the Kallu to the Kahlon tribe of Jats. Kallu is said to be a son of Kahlawn Pal, the ancestor of Kahlon. Kahlawn Pal was said to descend from Raja Vikramajit, the famous Chandravanshi Rajput, through Raja Jagdev of Daranagar. In my post on the Bangial Jats, I give greater information on the semi-legendary figure Jagdev. In one of the stories, concerning Vikramajit, who was known for his generosity, he promised his sister whatsoever she might ask. She claimed his head and he fulfilled his promise but was miraculously restored to life. The ancestor of the tribe, Kahlawn Pal or Kahlwan was a supposed great grandson of Raja Jagdev. It was his great grandson, who is said to have left Dharanagri and settled in Punjab. Below is a family tree of the tribe narrated by Mirasis, the hereditary genealogists of the Kallu.
Kaalu (ancestor of the Kahlon Jats) + Kallu (ancestor of the Kallu) + Kaala (ancestor of the Kalasra Jats) + Kalra + Kurar (ancestor of the Kurar Jats)
Kallu
↓
Kallu Kohr + Kallur + Bedi + Dhing
Kallu was said to be the second son of Kahlawn Pal, and ancestor of the Kallu tribe. Most of the Kallu families of Khushab and Bhakkar claim descent from Dhing, while the Kallu of Sialkot and Gurdaspur are the descendants of Bedi. The Kallu branch of the Kahlon left Sialkot, which is centre of the tribe in the Punjab, and arrived in the area of the Thal Desert between Pillo Waince, Roda and Nootpur Thal.
In the Thal, the Kallu maintained their independence until the arrival of the British in the 19th Century. Almost all the Kallu villages in the Thal had a family of maliks, who were the local rulers. Located between Tiwana in Khushab to the north, the Baloch in Mankera to the south-west, and Sial in the south-east, the Kallu territory formed an independent neutral zone. There was a number of Kallu villages located near the town of Noorpur Thal.
Distribution
Kallu population according to the 1911 Census of India
District / State
Population
Mianwali
1,582
Gurdaspur
821
Total Punjab
2,403
Almost all the Kallu population in Mianwali was in Bhakkar tehsil, now Bhakkar district. After Bhakkar was given district status in 1985, the Kallu were now found mainly in Noorpur Thal tehsil. Their larger villages are Warisabad, Roda and Buland. Other important Kallu villages in Bhakkar District include Dera Khwaja Kallu, Rangpur Baghoor and Noon Kallu. Further west in Bhakkar District, they are found in Mahni Thal. In Layyah District, they are found in Karlowala, Ghulam Hyder Kalluwala and Hyder Shahwala village. North of the Thal Desert, there a two Kallu villages in Chakwal, namely Kallu, and Kallu near Kallar Kahar. While in Dera Ghazi Khan District, there are several Kallu villages such Dhoraywala and Khakilwala.
Kallu Jats of the Sikh faith are found in East Punjab, in particular in Jalandhar District. In that district Muslim Kallu Jats were found in the village of Pachranga, while Sikh Kallu Jats were found in Mutadallur in Philaur Tehsil. The Muslim of Pachranga immigrated to Pakistan at the time of partition, settling in Raichand village in Sheikhupura District. It is not entirely clear how these Jalandhar Kallu relate to those of the Thal.
In this post, I will look at a very interesting tribe, that of the Kharal (Punjabi: کھرل), sometimes also spelt Kharral, who are a Muslim Jat and Rajput tribe found in Pakistan. The Kharals were the effective rulers of the Ravi valley south of Lahore and north of Multan in the 18th Century. From the town of Kamalia, they ruled a state that resisted both the Sikhs and later the British. Like most of my posts on the Punjab tribes, I will first look at what the British sources are saying, then delve into their tribal genealogy . The Kharal are branch of the Panwar Rajput, sometimes spelt as Parmar, Puar, or Ponwar. The Parmar belongs to the Agnivansha of Rajputs. They are aMaha Ravi, or great Ravi tribe, and I will ask the reader to look at my post on the Kathia, which gives more information on the Maha Ravi tribes.
British Sources
The information recorded on the Kharals by the British is extensive, partly because of the important position of the Lakhera Kharals. I will start off with early 20th Century British colonial ethnologist H. A Rose, who writes:
The Kharrals would appear to be a true Rajput tribe, though a very considerable portion of them are styled Jat. The Rajput Kharrals of Bahawalpur return their main tribe as Bhatti. The few Kharrals in Jalandhar are there recognised as Rajputs and those of Montgomery claim descent from Raja Karan. The Kharrals are found in large numbers only along the valley of the Ravi, from its junction with the Chenab to the boundary between Lahore and Montgomery; while a few have spread up the Deg river into the Lahore and Gujranwala bar, and smaller numbers are found all along the Sutlej valley as high up as Firozpur. The tribes of this portion of the Ravi, are divided into two classes, the Great Ravi tribes and the Nikki or Little Ravi tribes. Among the former tribes the Kharrals are the most northerly and one of the most important. They are themselves divided into two factions, the upper Ravi and lower Ravi, the headquarters of the latter being at Kot Kamalia. The two are at bitter feud, and the only tie between them is their hatred of their common enemy, the Sial Raputs of Jhang. The Kamalia Kharrals rose to some prominence in the time of Alamgir, and still hold remains of grants then made them, but the upper Kharrals are now the more powerful branch of the two. They trace their origin from one Bhupa, a descendant of Raja Karan, who settled at Uch and was there converted by Makhdum Shah Jahanian. From Uch they moved on to their present territory. There are now very few in the Multan district; but the fact of their being found along the Sutlej, though in small numbers only, lends some support to the story of their having travelled upwards from below.
Rose then directly quotes Captain Elphinstone, who described the Kharals in his Gugera Settlement Report as follows:
The Kharal are the most northerly of the ‘ Great Ravi ’ tribes. They occupy a great portion of the land between Gugera and the Lahore district, on both sides of the river, and extend some distance into the Gujranwala district. In turbulence and courage, they have been always considered to excel all the others except the Kathia the tract occupied by them has been gradually denuded by the rapid extension of cultivation, of what formerly constituted their greatest strength the heavy jungle. In case of disturbances, therefore, they have had at more recent periods, to evacuate their own lands on the approach of large military forces, thus sustaining much damage by the destruction of their villages. Their most celebrated loader, Ahmad Khan, who was killed in September 1857 by a detachment under Captain Black, headed the combined tribes, however, in no less than five insurrections, which to a certain extent all proved successful, their chief object—the plunder of the Khatris and Hindus—having usually been accomplished at the expense of n moderate fine imposed on them under the name of nazarana, after the conclusion of peace. This success had spread his renown far and wide and had given him a great influence over the whole of the Great Ravi, as was proved by the outbreak of 1857, which appears to have boon mainly planned and organized by him. In stature the Kharal are generally above the average height, their features are very marked, and their activity and endurance are remarkable. Like all the other Jats they pretend to a descent from the Rajputs, and like that class look down with some contempt upon men who handle the plough. The cultivation in their villages is, therefore, almost exclusively left to the Wisiwans and inferior castes, the Kharral proprietors contenting themselves with realizing t heir share of the produce. They only possess land in tracts inundated by the rivers, mere well cultivation, being too laborious a task even for their dependants.
In essence, both these sources are referring to the extent of Kharal power and influence, Elphinstone carried out his survey in the 1850s, just after the British conquest of Punjab. The Kharal were still resisting the British at this point, hence Elphinstone’s negative tone. But we can establish that the Kharal have always claimed to be Agnivanshi Rajputs, and a branch of the Panwar Rajputs. Rose then adds the following about them:
From notes, collected by Mr. E, D. Maclagan in Jhang it appears that the Kharral in that District claim to be Panwars and connected with Raja Jagdeo, not Karan. They say they have been on the Ravi from time immemorial. They practise karewa (widow remarriage) which accounts for their being ranked as Jat and give wives only to Khichis and Awans, but take them from Chaddrars, Kamokes, Harrals and even Sials. Butta or Butti Sultan was a Kharral chief in the time of Mohammad of Ghor, and was converted to Islam by Pir Sher Shah Sayyid Jalal.
The Kharrals have several clans. The Lakhera, which has its headquarters at Kot Kamalia, an ancient town re-founded by Kamal Khan, its chief in the 14th century, was never numerically strong as a clan but it attained some importance under Saadatyar Khan of Kamliaa who obtained a jagir in the reign of Alamgir. The Lakhera were, however, at feud with the Upera Kharrals of the upper Rev, and succumbed to the Sial even in Saddatydr Khan’s lifetime. They regained their independence, but only to be conquered by the Nakkai Sikhs and had in recent times largely lost all control over the Bar only a few Baloch tribes, with their old adherents, the Kathia, Waghelas and Wahniwals, standing by them. Most of the Kharrals in the Colony belong to the Upera clan
These accounts makes reference to Saadatyar Khan, the first Kharal chief of importance who lived around the 1680s and 90s. He laid the foundation what would become an independent Kharal state in the 1700s, when Mughal authority collapsed in Punjab.
F. B. Wace and F. O. Bourne, authors of the Montgomery Gazetteer 1933 edition describe the tribe as follows:
The Kharrals were Rajputs. Their ancestor was Raja a Karan of Hastinapur. His descendant Bhupa left that place and came to Uch, where he and his son Kharral were converted by Makhdum Jahania Shah. From Uch the Kharrals spread over the country about the Ravi. They appear to have settled first in the Sandal Bar (Lyallpur District), no doubt with a view to having plenty of pasture for their cattle. Ranjit Singh is said to have induced or compelled them to move to villages nearer to the river, possibly with a view to exercising more effective control over them.
I now look at how the Kharal have described themselves.
Tribal Genealogy
Kharal claim to be a Panwar Rajputs, and claim descent from Raja Karan of the Mahabharata.. Kharal was grandson of Raja Karan and one of the off springs Bhopa, Raja Karan’s son, left Neshapur and migrated to Punjab and reached to Uch Sharif with his son Kharal in the 13th century, where he and his son were inspired by the preachings of Hazrat Makhdoom Jahanian Shah and converted to Islam by Hazrat Makhdoom Jahanian Shah. Kharal is said to have 12 sons. Rose gives the following genealogy:
This geneology shows Rajah Jagdev Parmar, and not Karan as the tribes ancestor. I will ask the reader to look at my post on the Bangyal which gives some background to this semi-historical figure. According to another tribal tradition, their ancestor was Rajah Karan, and below is this geneology:
Okara (from him the Ravi Kharal claim descent) + Khar (ancestor of the Khar Jats) + Karihar (ancestor of the Sindh Kharals) + Jabo + Jaangra (the Sutlej Kharals of Bahawalpur and Firozpur) + Angra (ancestor of the Angra Jats) + Aassu + Dhudhi + Chuni
These various genealogies 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. In this case of the Kharal, according to some tradition put them in the Agnivanshi category.
Kharal Clans
The Kharal tribe is divided into many clans, called muhin. F. B. Wace and F. O. Bourne, authors of the Montgomery Gazetteer 1933 edition could the following description of their clans:
Their principal muhins or clans in the Montgomery District are the—
Rabera with headquarters at Fatehpur.
Gogairah with headquarters at Gugera.
Ransinh with headquarters at Pinch Cheri and Pir Ali.
The Bahawalpur Gazetteer gives following additional information on the clans of the Kharal.
The Kharals have the following septs in this State:-
i. Jag-sin, ii. Salar-sin, iii. Gugera, iv. Tughera, v. Mamkhera, vi. Chuharera, vii. Sahi, viii. Bhandara, ix. Ran-sin, x. Jagwera, xi. Fatwera, xii. Jaswera, xiii. Darwesha, xiv. Chahlak, xv. Gaddan, and four small muhins or sub-septs Kakla, Jameka, Paropia, and Miana.
Kharal genealogists give the following clans:
Bashera
Bhandara
Budhayke
Chakarke
Chera
Dheeroke
Gugera
Jagera
Jalabke
Jaloke
Kalera
Khabaira
Lai
Lakhwera
Lodike
Madhool
Mangera
Nuweke
Peroke
Purbera
Ramke
Ransinh
Rehmanaike
Rubera
Saboke
Sahi Shameerke
Sherke
Uppera
Veroana
Each of these clans is supposed to be descended from one of Kharal’s sons. The Uppera and Lakhwera Kharal rose to the status of rulers, and the next section deals with the political history of the Kharals.
Political History
The Kharals played an important role in the history of Sandal Bar and the Ravi river valley as a whole. T. B. Wace and F. O. Bourne in the Montgomery Gazetteer describe the rise of the Kharals as follows:
It was in the time of Alamgir that the Kot Kamalia Kharrals rose to some importance. The fact of their chief still drawing considerable taluqdari allowances and occupying a position of some dignity, seems to show that they must have been powerful once. According to their own accounts, their leader was much superior to the princes of the royal family, though not quite as great a man as the emperor. But, from the facts incidentally ascertained, they appear to have had no power at all, and to have been at the mercy of all the neighbouring tribes. Saadat Yar Khan was the son of one of the Kharral chiefs, who held some post at the court of Delhi.
The story of the rise of the Kharal starts with Saadat Yar Khan, who their chief during the latter half of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s rule. Bourne and Wace describe his rise as such:
Then Saadat Yar Khan was called to account, arrested and sent to Delhi. Here his witty excuses resulted in his obtaining honorary dresses, a jagit worth Rs. 1,09,000 per annum, and being sent with 12,000 men to punish some rebellious Afghans at Pind Dadan Khan. This rebellion seems to have been that which occurred in 1672, in which prince Sultan led the Imperial forces. He is probably the prince who insulted the Sials by proposing that Ghazi Khan the eight Sial chief, should betrothed his daughter Saadat Yar Khan. The fact of this proposal being considered insulting, makes one suspect that Saadat Yar Khan’s jagir cannot have been so large as it is said to be. He succeeded his father Mahabbat Khan, who was murdered at the instigation of a Multan Kureshi in 1706. He again went to Delhi, and was sent by Alamgir with prince Muiz-ud-din to put down the Leghari Biloches, who had revolted under one Rugha. Just then Alamgir died, Muiz-ud-din went off post haste to Lahore, leaving Saadat Yar Khan to bring up the baggage behind. On the return of the latter, coming down the Ravi in boats, he got involved in a quarrel with the Upera Kharrals, and a great battle was fought at Danabad, in which the Uperas were totally defeated
After this the Kamalia or Lakhera Kharrals with their allies Wahniwals, and other lower Ravi tribes, appear to have been engaged in constant quarrels with the Kharrals of the upper Ravi, and desperate battles took place at Waliwala, Pindi Khai, and elsewhere. Sometimes one party succeeded in carrying off the stolen cattle, and sometimes the other succeeded In spite of his court influence, experience in war and valuable jagir, Saadat Yar Khan could not protect his country against Walidad Khan, the Sial chief of Jhang. The Sials held the country till the death of Walidad Khan in 1747. This chief effected great improvements.
However, on the death of Walidad Khan, Sial power contracted back to Jhang, and the Kamalia Kharrals regained their independence until they were conquered by the Nakkai Sikhs. During the first half of the 18th Century, there was four way struggle between the Kharals, the Hans tribe, the Chishti Diwans of Pakpattan and the Nakkai Sikhs, over the lands of the Ravi. It was the Nakkai who were victorious, before they two were conquered by Ranjit Singh at the end of the 18th Century. In 1849, the region fell to the British, although the British would shortly see large scale rebellion to their rule.
1857 and Ahmed Khan Kharal
The Sandal Bar was one of few regions of Punjab that saw resistsnce, and much of this was because of the Kharal chief Ahmad Khan. Born in 1803, Ahmed Khan Kharal had very cordial relations with Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who left the chief of Kamalia as semi-independent. This change with the coming of the British in 1849, and when an uprising began against the British in 1857, Ahmed Khan took its leadership in the Sandal Bar. Envoys were sent to Punjab by July of 1857 in a bid to recruit Punjabi men into the British Colonial Army. One of these envoys headed by Lord Berkley, the Deputy Commissioner of Gugera District, met with Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal. When Berkley asked for his support, he is claimed to have said:
“Kharals do not share wife, horse and land with anyone”.
This was seen as a serious challenge to British authority in Punjab and fearing the same would occur in other parts of Punjab, the British ordered Lord Berkley, Martin and Hamilton of Gogera, Sahiwal and Multan to crush any act of defiance harshly and penalize every single person who refused to pay taxes. Berkley did just that, and began arresting all men in Sahiwal who refused to pay taxes, along with their wives and children, and incarcerated them at Gogera Jail. This was seen as completely unacceptable to Rai Ahmed Khan Kharal, who viewed the arresting of children and women as hostages of the British. On 26th July 1857, Ahmed Khan went with a force to attack the Gogera Jail (now in Sahiwal District) to release some of his companions arrested by the enemy, but was ambushed by them and their local allies. Ahmed Khan Kharal and his deputy, Sarang, were both killed, fighting bravely.
Mirza Sahiban
The tale of Mirza Sahiban is one of the four popular tragic romances of Punjab, in which Mirza the main character is a Kharal. T. B. Wace and F. O. Bourne also describe the famous story of Mirza Sahiban as follows:
The Kharrals are traditionally quarrelsome among themselves, but they are supposed to have a bond of union in enmity to the Sials. There is an old story how a Kharral called Mirza fell in love with his cousin Sahiban, the daughter of the chief man of Khewa in the Jhang District. Her parents betrothed her to a youth of the Chadhar tribe, but before the marriage took place Mirza ran away with her. He was pursued and slain. Her relations strangled Sahiban. These murders were the cause of such bloody feuds between the clans that it at length was thought inauspicious to have daughters and as soon as they were born, they were strangled as Sahiban had been. It does not appear whether Sahiban’s father was a Sial or a Kharral. If he was a Sial, this story will explain the enmity entertained by the Kharrals for the Sials.
The popular story was said to be written by Pilu. Mirza and Sahiban were lovers who lived in Khewa (Kheiwa), a town in Sial Territory in the Jhang District, which was Sahiban’s ancestral village. They loved each other and ran away together to live with each other and marry against Sahiban’s parents wishes. While eloping Mirza stopped under a jand tree and rested and fell asleep. Sahiban did not want to begin her new life with her brothers’ bloodshed . She decided to break all the arrows of Mirza thinking she will beg her brothers for their acceptance so that nobody would get hurt. When Sahiban’s brothers reached them, Mirza woke up but discovered his arrows were broken and then he was killed by Sahiban’s brothers. Sahiban couldn’t bear this loss and chose to end her own life by stabbing herself with an arrow.
Distribution
The Kharal homeland is Kamalia tehsil, now in Toba Tek Singh District, which is southern end of the Kharal region, and northern end is Gogera Tehsil, in Okara District. Prior to partition of India, the Chimna Kharals had several villages in Fazilka Tehsil of Firozpur and Sirsa Tehsil of Hisar. Like other Punjabi Muslims, they moved to Pakistan in 1947. In the 1911 census, about 24,784 Kharals declared themselves as Jats, while about 34,625 simply declared themselves as Kharals. Most of the Kharals in Lahore and Gujranwala, which was their northern territories declared themselves as Jat, in a region that is dominated by Jats. In southern regions, such as Montgomery (modern Sahiwal and Okara), Bahawalpur (mainly in Bahawalnagar) and Multan (in Khanewal), they simply called themselves as Kharals. In the newly created district of Lyallpur, the Kamalia Kharal almost all declared themselves as Jats.
Jat Kharal Population According to 1911 Census of India
District / State
Population
Gujranwala
12,077
Lyallpur
4,985
Lahore
2,064
Jhang
1,792
Bahawalpur
1,770
Montgomery
735
Shahpur
715
Mianwali
646
Total Punjab
24,784
Kharal Population According to the 1911 Census of India
In this post, I will look at an important Jat clan, the Mangat, also written as Mawngat or Mongat. The Mangat are found mainly in central Punjab, with Gujrat and Sargodha their westmost territory, and Sangrur and Patiala in the east. They are either Muslim or Sikh, and although prior to partition, Muslim Mangat had a presence in Jalandhar and Ambala (mainly in Rupnagar district). As in most of my posts, I first look at the British sources, then the tribal genealogy.
British Sources
British sources on the Mangat are extremely scarce. H. A Rose states the following:
MANGAT a, Jat clan (agricultural) found in Amritsar, and also found in Ludhiana and the adjoining portion of Patiala.
He then adds:
Sombansi descent and Rajput ancestry are claimed by the Mangat
Neither is entirely correct, as about 20% of Mangat were concentrated in what was then Gujrat, Gujranwala and Shahpur (Sargodha) districts. Rose is also only partialy correct to say that according to some Mangat traditions, they are of Sombansi or Chandravanshi descent. However, in other traditions, they are seen to be of Suryavanshi origin.The 1904 Patiala State Gazetteer also has a brief reference:
The Mangats are only found in tehsil Sahibgarh, where they hold six villages
As very little has been written by the colonial sources, I will focus on the tribal genealogy.
Tribal Genealogy
The various tribal genealogies 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. In this case of the Mangat, according to some tradition put them in the Suryavanshi category, while others in the Chandravanshi category. The Mangat traces their descent from Rajah Godraj, a Chandravanshi (Sombansi) Rajput, whose kingdom was said to exist between Attock and Delhi. The Rajah had two sons, Balwal and Salvahan. Rajah Salvahan is a semi-mythical figure in the history of Punjab and seen as the ancestor of many of the Jat tribes, for example both Basra and Serah connect themselves with the Rajah. Rajah Salvahan is also believed to have founded the fort (later a city) of Sialkot. He is said to have had 16 sons, of which his 15th son was called Mangat, from whom the tribe gets its name. Mangat was said to his son from his second wife, Rani Loona. The word mangat, from the route maan means someone who is respected. Mangat had seven sons, one of whom founded the village of Mangat in Mandi Bahaudin District.
According to another tradition, the Mangat are descended from Saroya tribe. I would ask the reader to look at my post on the Basra that gives some history of that tribe. This would make the Mangat a Suryavanshi clan. Below is a family tree that starts with Maan, a descendent of Saroya.
Maan Rai (ancestor of the Maan)
↓
Mangat + Sindhu (ancestor of the Sindhu Jats) + Bhinder + Aahir + Malan Hans (ancestor of the Minhas)
↓
Mankera + Miniya + Mal + Malha + Jesu + Toor
The Mangat were originally settled in Sindh, and first settled in Mankera, named after Mankera. The Mangat then settled in Mangat, in Mandi Bahaudin. Over time the clan expended eastwards towards Malwa region, where overtime, became home to the majority of the tribe.
When Mughal authority was collapsing in Punjab in the 18th Century, the Mangat of the village of Mangat in Mandi Bahauddin were briefly independent. They united with other tribes of the Gondal Bar, an area which falls in the modern districts of Mandi Bahauddin and Sargodha in Pakistan Punjab and defended the region against the invasions from Afghanistan, Central Asia and Persia who entered through Khyber Pass for loot, pilferage and plunder. No invader was allowed passage through that region. Nader Shah was forced to follow a different route to raid Delhi and never transgressed Mandi Bahauddin and Sargodha.
Mangat Jat population according to the 1901
Tribe / State
Hindu
Sikh
Muslim
Total
Patiala
989
2,906
616
4,511
Ludhiana
1,523
1,177
847
3,547
Gujrat
1,031
1,031
Gujranwala
80
84
826
990
Ambala
310
178
255
743
Gurdaspur
48
366
414
Jalandhar
34
117
164
315
Chenab Colony (Lyallpur)
60
76
139
275
Hoshiarpur
183
13
41
237
Amritsar
230
230
Shahpur
226
226
Firozpur
47
140
22
209
Sialkot
25
27
157
209
Other Districts
415
Total Province
3,408
5,450
4,494
13,352
The above distribution shows two groups of Mangat, those of Gujrat, Gujranwala and Shahpur, who were entirely Muslim, and lived mainly in the Gondal Bar, and across the river Chenab in what is now Hafizabad District. However, two-thirds of the Mangat lived in the Malwa region, at that time comprising Ludhiana, parts of Patiala State and parts of Ambala. About one-fifth of the Mangat of the Malwa were Muslim, while the remainder were Sikh, with a few Hindu Mangats. Like in other posts on the Jat, the Hindu Mangat were followers of Sakhi Sarwar and known as Sultani. This community was steadily converting to Sikhism, as can be seen by the 1911 census figures for the Mangat. In 1911, the total Mangat population had fallen slightly and was 11,122, of which Hindus now only 535, Sikhs were now 6,838 and Muslims 3,743.
Distribution of Mangat in East Punjab
In Ludhiana District, Mangats are found in Begowal, Chandran, Dholewal, Ghulal, Jattana, Katani, Kubbe, Laton, Lall Kalan, Mahdudan, Mangat, Neelon, Ramgarh, and Rampur. In Patiala District, they are found in Deeva Jarg, Julajan Murthala, and Rurdki
Distribution of Mangat in West Punjab
In Gujranwala District, Mangat are found in Mangat Kalar near Wahndo. In Hafizabad District, they are found in the village of Mangat Kalan. In Mandi Bahuaddin District, which was part of Gujrat District in 1911 and where all the Mangat villages are located, they are now found in the villages of Adda Pahrianwali, Chahrke, Chak Dwaka, Mangat, Sanda and Sarang (in Dera Mangat a part of the village which is located near village Agroya). There are several Mangat families in Pillow Waince in Khushab District, which was part of Shahpur in 1911.
In this post, I will look at the Bangial, sometimes spelt Bangyal, tribe of the Potohar region of Pakistan. A few Bangyal are also found in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir. The Bangyal claim ancestry from the Panwar, and I will start off with a brief note of the Panwar, or sometimes pronounced as Parmar or Puar. In the Pothohar region, the correct pronunciation is Panwar. I would also refer the reader to the Facebook page Mirpur and Dadyal Heritage Society (accessible through mirpurheritage.com), which has some excellent information on these tribes.
Rajah Jagdev and the Panwar Rajputs
The Panwar were dynasty that in early medieval India ruled over the Malwa region in central India. Like the Chauhans, the Panwar are from the fire born or Agnivansh branch of the Rajputs. Quite a number of tribes in Pothohar and neighbouring Chibhal region claim descent from the Panwars, all having some tradition of migration from central India, followed by conversion to Islam at the hands of a particular Sufi saint. Many of these tribes also have traditions of initially settling in the region known as Chibhal. The key figure that appears in the origin story of Chibhali Panwar is Raja Jagdev Panwar, who has an almost semi-mythical. According to tribal myths of, he became the ruler of Malwa after death of his father Udayaditya, but he handed over the throne to his brother owing to family-dispute and settled at Jarg, somewhere in present day Okara District. He is said to have slain a demon who used to eat a human-being daily in a fort near Dipalpur, also in Okara. The local king Raja Kankhar bestowed upon him half his kingdom and gave his daughter in marriage. He is said to have struck off his own head on the demand of a witch-wife of the court-bard of Raja Jai Chand of Lambargaon but this was miraculously restored. Jagdev then migrated to the Chibhal territory, where he founded Akhnoor State, ruled by Panwar Dynasty of his descendants for over six centuries. Many of the local Dogra clans claim descent from the Raja such as the Ambarai.
Akhnoor lies in the heart of Chibhal located on the banks of the Chenab River. The territory of Chibhal lies between Tawi River and Jhelum rivers, with the Pir Panjal Mountains forming its northern boundary and gets its name from the Chib tribe. Presently, Chibhal is divided by the line of control, with Mirpur and Bhimber districts within Pakistani Kashmir, and districts of Rajauri, Reasi, and parts of Jammu (including Akhnur) west of the Manawar Tawi in Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir. The Bangial have traditions of leaving the region and settling in plains territory of northern Punjab in Gujarkhan, Jhelum, and Kharian. Rajah Jagdev Panwar is also seen as a common ancester of the Panwars of this region, such as the Hon and Sahnsral.
Bangial
So who are the Bangial, sometimes written as Bangyal, and we have go back to my first post on the Pothohar tribes. The word al means son of in number of dialects that fall within Lahnda, such as Pothohari and Pahari. J. M Wikely, author of the army recruitment guide Punjab Musalmans describes them as such:
Male population: Approximately 2,000 (Census 1931).
Locality: The tribe is found chiefly in the Rawalpindi district, where they occupy five villages in the Gujar Khan tehsil. There appear to be a few also in the Jhelum, Gujrat and Gujranwala districts
Particular: Bangial and Baghial appear to be the same tribe, those members of it which are in the Rawalpindi district are classed as Rajputs, while in Gujrat, Gujranwala and Jhelum they are Jats. They describe themselves as being Panwar Rajputs. The first ancestor of Musalman faith was Bangash Khan.
Other then this brief mention, British sources have been quite on the Bangial. According to the Bangials themselves, they are descended from a Rajah Bangash Khan, a Panwar Rajput, who arrived in the Pothohar region from central India, hence the name Bangash al, shortened to Bangyal. According to other traditions, the Raja came from Delhi. This Bangash Khan is also seen as ancestor by the closely related Baghial tribe. Changa Bangial in Gujarkhan Tehsil is said to be their first settlement in the region, and according to some traditions Changa was a son of Bangash Khan.
A bit more detail description of the comes largely from the book Tazkira Pothohar by Mohammad Artsab. Bangash Khan is said to come from the lineage of Raja Jagdev Panwar, who had three sons, Rokha Khan, Chhanga Khan and Sanbar Khan. The Bangial all claim decent from one of these three brothers, and generally consider the town of Changa Bangyal as there first settlement. The brothers were said to have come from Sialkot, during the period of Gakhar rule, which could be anything between the 14th and 18th Century. Most Bangial generally connect themselves with Changa Bangial as their ancestral village. In Mirpur, the Bangyal claim descent from two brothers, Raj Khan and Shahu Khan, who are said to have come from Changa Bangial.
Like many of their neighbours such as the Kalyal, some groups of Bangial consider themselves as Jats, while other see themselves as Rajputs. In Gujranwala, Gujrat and Jhelum districts of Punjab, and Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, the Bangial strongly identify themselves as Jat, and intermarry with tribes of Jat status, such as the Warriach and Tarar. But as we move towards Dina and neighbouring Gujar Khan tehsils, almost all the Bangial claim Rajput ancestry, so briefly we can summarize, that the Jhelum River divides these two groups.
Bangial Population According 1911 Census
District
Population
Jhelum
1,869
Gujrat
1,679
Rawalpindi
1,204
Total
4,752
Looking at major Bangial villages in Rawalpindi District by tehsil:
Gujarkhan Tehsil
1) Changa Bangial (now actually a fair sized town)
2) Chehari Bangial
3) Dhok Bangial
4) Dhok Chaudrian
5) Khalabat
6) Jhanji Gangaal
7) Kor Nasib
8) Narali Jabbar
9) Pharwal Bangial
10) Pandori Gakhran
11) Sandal Bangial
12) Sangni
13) Wasla Bangial
Rawalpindi Tehsil:
1) Bajnial
2) Bura Bangial
3) Darihala Bangial
4) Kala Bangial
5) Marri Bangial
6) Pind Dara
Kahuta Tehsil
1) Maira Khurd
2) Suhot Bangial
Kallar Syedan Tehsil
1) Choa Khalsa
2) Dhok Bangial
3) Nala Musalmanan,
4) Pehr Hali,
5) Sahib Dhamial
6) Sahote Bangyal
7) Tamhali
Outside Rawalpindi
In the neighbouring Islamabad Capital territory, they have two villages, namely Jhanga Bangial and Bora Bangial. Outside this core area, Bangial are found in several villages near the town of Sohawa in Jhelum District, such as Bains Qassim, Kandyari, Khorakha, Mohra Kanyal and Mohra Alya. They are also found in the village of Nambal near Kallar Kahar, Gora Bangial in Attock District, and Bangial in Gujrat District. In addition to Bangial, they occupy a further 11 villages in Gujrat District. A small cluster of Bangial villages, such Bangialabad are found near the town of Darya Khan in Bhakkar District.
Bangial Jatt in Mirpur District
There are a number of Bangial villages in Mirpur District, which borders Gujarkhan tehsil, the two divided by the river Jhelum.
In Tehsil Mirpur:
The Bangyal Jatts are found in Bangyal, Panyam (affected by the Mangla Dam), who descend from Baba Kallu who migrated from Changa Bangyal. There is also a Bangyal / Bangyalay in Mirpur near Nathia, and there are also a few households in Palaak.
In Tehsil Dadyal:
These Bangial also claim to have come from Changa Bangyal, with one branch migrated to Jawaya near Bal Peeran (went under the Mangla Dam) and from there to Kandore and Sehnsa, Kotli. The Bangyal in Kandore claim descent from the Panwar Rajputs. Another branch went to Thara (Thara Haji Bagh Ali) as well as Chanaar near Thub, and Sehnsa too.
The branch in Nakka, Ratta are descended from an elder called baba Manji who came from Changar in the Pothohar, and before that from old Hill/Baghaam (alsp now under the Mangla Dam).
In this post, I will look at a well-known Jat tribe, that of the Chatha (Shahmukhi: چٹھہ , Gurmukhi: ਚੱਠਾ)) (also spelt as Chattha). I shall first look at the various British sources, and then look at the various tribal legends about their origin.
Origin: British Sources
The Chatha tribe were originally settled Gujranwala District, in which district they still hold 184 villages. They claim to be descended from Chattha, a grandson of Prithvi Rai Chauhan, the Chauhan King of Delhi, and brother (from a different mother) of the ancestor of the Cheema. In British colonial writings, their earliest description occurs in J.H Morris’s 1860 Settlement Report Gujranwala. He writes:
Chatta, said to have formerly been Chauhan Rajputs, now classed as a got of the Jats, entirely Musalman. Dheroo, the founder of the tribe came from Delhi some 500 years, and settled in Nadala Kham (Nadala Pakka) in the Ramnagar pergunah, whence his decedents spread over the country. They were once a very powerful tribe, but their power and influence were greatly reduced by Ranjit Singh. They now possess 78 villages, chiefly in the vicinity of Ramnagar, in the two tehsils of Wazirabad and Hafizabad. The old perganah Ramnagar was in imperial times known by the name perganah Chattha Cheema, from the great preponderance of the two clans in it.
Here I will slightly disagree with Morris, the Chatha are largely Muslim, but there is a minority who follow Sikhism. R. P Nisbet, author of the 1874 Settlement Report adds:
A powerful tribe, claiming to be Chauhan Rajputs and descended from Raja Rrithi Rai, whose grandson was Chatta from whom they their name. In the 10th from Chatta was Dehru, who came from Sambhal in Hindustan and settled for a time in Mauza Sankhatra, district Sialkot, where he married a girl of the Deo clan; he then went to Mauza Jarkotli, and married another wife of the Kahlon tribe, and afterwards came to reside in Mauza Jagowali in this district, and gave his daughter in marriage to a zamindar of the Sarai tribe, and with her as a dowry his estates in the Sialkot District, and himself occupied land in Jagowala. He had 11 sons, four by his first wife; and seven by his second wife, of all these one died childless (Maipal), and another (Jaggu) went beyond the Chenab, and founded a village after his own name; the remaining nine sons founded villages in this district. So the colony rapidly spread, and their descendants now occupy 81 villages. The tribe are chiefly Musalman; there are no recognized sub-divisions; all other tribes esteem marriages with them; the Musalman of the tribe make marriages of very close affinity amongst themselves, but not so the Hindus. This tribe has enjoyed considerable political importance in the persons of Nur Muhammad Ahmad Khan, Jan Muhammad,, powerful chiefs and brave soldiers, the last of whom was final reduced by Ranjit Singh, and the power of the Chattas for ever destroyed.
Here there is a slight change in the British account, in that Dheroo or Dehru, no longer comes from Delhi, but the city of Sambhal in what is now Uttar Pradesh. This city also occurs in the account of the Chauhan Ranghars, as a place their ancestors sought refuge after the Chauhan kingdom was conquered by the Muslim Turks. Lepel Griffin, in his book Punjab Chiefs describes them as such:
The Chatas are a numerous Mahomedan tribe, chiefly inhabiting the Hafizabad and “Wazirabad parganas of the Gujranwala district, where they hold seventy-eight villages. They claim to be by origin Chauhan Rajput and to have emigrated to the Punjab from the Delhi district. The date of the emigration is not exactly known, but it was probably about three hundred years ago. They rapidly increased in numbers, spreading along the banks of the Chenab, and founded Nadala, Manohar, Bangli, Pandorian and other villages. One Gagu seems to have been the first to adopt the Islamic faith, about the year 1600, and his example was followed by the remainder of the tribe
In his account, we revert back to Delhi, and not Sambhal. Both cities at different times were centre of Chauhan power. H. A Rose, writing some 10 years later, has described the tribe as such:
Jat tribe apparently confined to Gujranwala, in which district they hold 81 villages. They claim to be descended from Chatta, a grandson of Prithi Rai, the Chauhan King of Delhi, and brother of the ancestor of the Cheema. In the 10th generation from Chatta or, as otherwise stated, some 500 years ago, Dahru came from Sambhal in Moradabad, where the bards of the Karnal Chauhans still live, to the banks of the Chenab and married among the Jat tribes of Gujranwala. They were converted to Islam about 1600 A.D. They rose to considerable political importance under the Sikhs; and the history of their leading family is told by Sir Lepel Griffin at pages 402 ff of his Punjab Chiefs.
Rose once again refers to Sambhal as their place of origin, and connects them with the Cheemas, a well-known tribe of Jats, who are also their neighbours. Finally, Edward H. Lincoln, author of the 1936 Gujranwala District Gazetteer adds:
The Chathas own 108 estates equally distributed over the western part of Wazirabad and eastern part of Hafizabad. Like the Cheemas they are mainly Musalmans and lay claim to Rajput origin. During the last century they were independent rulers of a large portion of the district. Their brave struggle against the Sikhs has been described in Chapter I-B., and they are now prone rather to recall their former glories than to endeavour to improve their present condition. The men of most influence among them are Chaudhri Nasirud- Din, Retired Extra Assistant Commissioner, Zaildar and Chairman, District Board, of Ahmadnagar, Khan Sahib Chaudhri Ryasat Ali, Advocate and Member of the Legislative Council, of Ahmadnagar, Chaudhri Ghulam Qadir, Zaildar of Kot Bhaga and Chaudhri Daswandi Khan, Zaildar of Kot Panah.
Lincoln acknowledges that they are mainly Muslim, and as well repeating the claim to Rajput ancestry. From all these accounts, it is clear that the Chatha have claimed that they came from outside, and are of Chauhan Rajput ancestry. I will now look at their own tribal origin stories.
Tribal Genealogy
The Chatha have various genealogies, that 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. In this case of the Chatha, it puts them in the Agnivanshi category, and indeed they claim descent from the Chauhan Rajputs. The tribe gets its name from their ancestor Chatha. who had six sons being Chatkha, Nagara, Narga, Nekoara, Nirpal and Saharan. Most Chatha tribal traditions however start with Dehru, tenth in descent from Chatta, who was said to be a son of Chauhan Rajput nobleman with lands were near the town of Sambhal in present day Uttar Pradesh. He had a fall out with his family, and as per the description by R. P Nisbett, left for Punjab, and settled in Sialkot. Dehru had eleven sons and two daughters. Four by his first wife who belonged to the Deo clan, were Kaan, Kaalu, Kairu, and Chimoo. The seven by his second wife included Dulleh, Ram, Jaggu, Lakhan, Maipal, Chaku and Raan. He them had a fall out with his daughter’s Sarai in-laws and left Sialkot and settled in the village of Nokhar in Gujranwala District. This region was already occupied by Hanjra and Tarar Jats, with whom Dehru and his family had to fight off successfully, but he lost his sons Chaku and Kalu. Of all the remaining nine, one Maipal died childless and from the rest, from whom most of the present-day Chatha claim descent. The nine brothers founded the village of Nadala Pakkan, and the Chatha of Gujranwala acknowledge it as their ancestral village. Jaggu and children of the slain Chaku left Gujranwala, and settled in Rawalpindi, from whom descend the Chatha Rajputs of the Pothohar. Their descendants are now found in the villages of Dharjal Chatha, Mandar Chatha, Hakim Chatha and Chatha Bakhtawar.
Political History
The Chatha rose to become an important power in Rechna Doaba after the collapse of Mughal power in Punjab, had it not been for the rise of the Sikhs, they might have carved a principality. Their rise to power starts with Noor Muhammad, who rose to prominence during the period of Taimur’s invasion of India. The Chatha tribe under the warlord Pir Mohammad Khan of Rasulnagar and Alipur Chatha held considerable tracts of land under his control until he lost these lands to Ranjit Singh of Sukerchakia Sikhs, who later became Maharaja of Punjab. Edward H. Lincoln, author of the 1936 Gujranwala District Gazetteer describes there rise and fall as follows:
The decaying power of the Mughals at the beginning of the last century had given the Chatha tribe the opportunity of making a bold push for political ascendency in this part of the Rechna Doab. Under Nur Muhammad, the first leader of note amongst them, and Pir Muhammad and Ahmad Khan, his more famous sons, they built and fortified the strongholds of Manchar, Alipur (Akalgarh) and Rasulnagar (Ramnagar), and about 1750 raised the standard of independence by refusing to pay tribute to the Mughal governor at Lahore. The Mughals were unable to exact allegiance or revenue, but Mir Mannu, the representative of Ahmad Shah Durrani, who had now seized the empire, laid siege to Manchar in 1764. The siege was ineffectual, and soon afterwards the Mughal Emperor recognised the Chatha chiefs and confirmed them in their possessions, probably as a counterpoise to the rising power of the Sikh confederacies in Gujranwala. At this time, they held sway over 150 villages or more than half of the Wazirabad tahsil, and their increasing power soon brought them into collusion with Charat Singh, the head of the Sukarchakia confederacy, who was extending his possession in Gujranwala.
Charat Singh, after the occupation of Gujranwala, had found himself strong enough to turn his arms against the Chathas. The struggle was carried on with varying success for 10 years between Charat Singh and Ahmad Khan. On the death of the former in 1773 and of the latter in 1775, it was continued by their sons Mahan Singh and Ghulam Muhammad, the bravest and ablest of the Chatha chiefs. Under his leadership the Chathas gamed several successes over the Sikhs, in one of which they captured the famous Bhangi gun, and it at one time looked as if the progress of the Sikh arms had been arrested and their dominion in the Doab annihilated. Mahan Singh at this crisis strengthened himself by an alliance with his rival, Sahib Singh, the son of Gujar Singh Bhangi, to whom he gave his sister, Raj Kaur, in marriage and the combined forces of the two Sikh chiefs proved too strong for the raw levies of brave but untrained peasants of the Chathas opposed to them. Ghulam Muhammad was driven back into his fortress at Manchar to which siege was laid by the Sikhs, and seeing that further resistance was ineffectual he offered to surrender on promise of permission to retire in safety to Mecca. The promise was given but basely broken; most of the garrison was put to the sword; Ghulam Muhammad himself was shot at the instigation of Mahan Singh; the fortress was razed to the ground, and the possessions of the Chatha chiefs were appropriated by Mahan Singh, or distributed as rewards among his followers Dal Singh, Kalianwala, of Akalgarh, who had married the sister of Charat Singh, Jowahir Singh Bastani, Sohel Singh Bhangi, who had married the sister of Mahan Singh and Jai Singh Maan, who had married his daughter to the Sukarchakia chief. To mark the overthrow of the Muhammadan chiefs and the triumph of the Sikhs, the names of Rasulpur and Alipur were altered to Ramnagar and Akalgarh, but the old names are sometimes used by Muhammadans in this part of the Doab, and the heroic resistance of Ghulam Muhammad and his treacherous end are celebrated in many a local ballad
The local Musalman tribes had still to be reduced, the rival Sikh chieftains had to be overcome or conciliated. The Chathas made another struggle for independence, Jan Muhammad, the son of Ghulam Muhammad, had fled to Kabul after the fall of Manchar, and returning in 1799 with aid from Zaman Shah— the Afghan king. Ranjit Singh being then occupied with the Bhatti and Tarar tribes of Hafizabad—the country rose in his favour, the Sikh garrisons were expelled, and Jan Muhammad re-established himself in Ramnagar. His success was, however, short lived. Ranjit Singh took the independence till his death in A. D. 1801, when his possession were forcibly annexed by Ranjit Singh, who, took the field with a large army and laid siege to Ramnagar. Jan Muhammad was killed in the siege, the garrisons surrendered, the power of the Chatha tribe which had played so prominent a role in the politics of the 18th century was broken, and their villages quietly submitted to the Maharaja’s sway.
While Lepel Griffin, author of the Punjab Chiefs describes their fall like this:
Nur Mahomed was born in 1704. When he grew up his friendship was sought by Raja Ranjit Deo of Jammu and by the Chiefs of Multan; for the Chathas had now grown powerful, and Nur Mahomed was their acknowledged Chief. When Nur Mahomed grew old, Ahmad Khan, his younger son, a brave and skilful soldier, led the Chathas to battle. The great enemies of the tribe were the Sukarchakia Chiefs of Gujranwala, who were ever striving to extend their possessions. In the time of Sardar Charat Singh the Chathas held their own, and Ahmad Khan in 1765 captured the celebrated Bhangi gun which Charat Singh had placed in Gujranwala. Soon after this, Ahmad Khan arid his brother Pir Mahomed quarrelled, and fought for some time with varying success ; and among the killed were Bahram Khan and Kadar Bakhsh, sons of Ahmad Khan and Fateh Mahomed his nephew. At last, Pir Mahomed sought help from Gujar Singh and Sahib Singh Bhangi, who invited Ahmad Khan to a conference, captured him, and shut him up without water till he agreed to resign the great gun, which was carried to the fort of Gujrat.
The towns founded in the Gujranwala district by these chiefs are neither few nor unimportant. Among those founded by Nur Mahomed were Ahmadnagar, Garhi Gul Muhommed, and Rasulnagar, re-named Ramnagar by the Sikhs while Pir Mahomed built three different forts called after his own name; also Kot Mian Khan, Alipur, re-named by the Sikhs Akalgarh ; Kaiwala, Kot Salim, Kot Ali Mahomed and Fatehpur. Ghulam Mahomed, who succeeded to the estate, succeeded also to the hatred of the Sukarchakias. Both Sardar Mahan Singh, son of Charat Singh, and Ghulam Mahomed were able and brave men, and it was clear that peace could only result from the death of one or the other. For a longtime the advantage lay with the Chatas, and Mahan Singh was defeated on several occasions. Once he besieged Jokian, held by Mian Khan, uncle of Ghulam Mahomed, who came down in haste to relieve it
The history of the family contains little worthy of notice after the fall of Rasulnagar. The sons of Jan Mahomed received a small jagir from Ranjit Singh, and were employed by him in the irregular cavalry. Several members of the family have served under the English Government both in 1849 and 1857. Karam Ilahi, grandnephew of Kadar Bakhsh and Bahram Khan, at the head of the family, holds a small muafi, yielding Rs. 52 per annum, and his patrimony in Ahmadnagar brings in about a thousand rupees a year. He is a member of the District Board, Zaildar of Ahmadnagar, Gujranwala, and receives a chair, in Provincial Darbars.
Although Ranjit Singh ended their independence, under his rule, the Chathas rose to considerable political importance. Chaudhary Khuda Buksh Chattha and Chaudhary Nawab Khan Chattha were generals in the army of Ranjit Singh. The Chatha’s remained important landowners throughout the hundred year period of British from 1848 to 1947.
Chatha Population According to the 1901 Census of India
District / State
Muslim
Sikh
Hindu
Total
Gujranwala
8,630
521
1,043
10,194
Patiala
1,138
921
2,059
Gujrat
812
15
11
838
Chenab Colony
692
19
65
776
Jalandhar
682
69
751
Muzaffargarh
554
554
Malerkotla
453
453
Amritsar
59
199
82
340
Ludhiana
28
283
311
Sialkot
280
20
300
Nabha
214
21
235
Gurdaspur
52
157
10
219
Firozpur
71
136
207
Hisar
172
172
Lahore
119
45
164
Ambala
119
32
151
Total Province
11,483
3,978
3,048
18,009
Historically Chathas have been concentrated in the Gujranwala District, in which they have 108 villages. As the 1901 Census shows, about 56% were found in that district. The only region which had a large Chatha population was Patiala State, which was home to about 11%. In terms of religious, most of the Hindu Chatha in 1901 were followers of the Sultani sect, who were steadily converting to Sikhism. Generally in the western part of the province the Chatha were Muslim, and in the east Sikh.
Sikh Chathas
About one-third of the Chatha Jats follow the Sikh faith are found mainly in the districts of Malerkotla, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala. In Jalandhar, there main village is Dhandowal in Nakodar tehsil. These Chatha are immigrants from Gujranwala, and are entirely Sikh In Malerkotla, there were two Sikh Chatha villages, Bhigiwal and Balewal. In Sirsa District, part of old Hisar District, Sikh Chatha were found in Raghuana. In Sangrur district, we have the villages of Chatha Nakta, Chatha Nanhera and Chatha Sekhwan.
Prior to partition, in Gujranwala District, Sikh Chathas were found mainly in villages near Wazirabad and Hafizabad, such as Saharan Chatha and Virpal Chatha.
Geography
The majority of the Chathas are concentrated in Gujranwala district, in which they have 84 villages. Edward H. Lincoln, author of the 1936 Gujranwala District Gazetteer, described their distribution in the district as follows:
In Wazirabad the eastern or more fertile portion of the tehsil is held by Cheemas; the western and less fertile by Chathas ; there are no other tribes holding 10 villages or over. The Cheemas and Chathas are almost exclusively, and the other Jats mainly, Musalaman.
The majority of the Chatha villages remain in the western part of Wazirabad Tehsil. The most important villages include Ahmednagar, Kot Kara, Pindorian, Virpal Chatha, Salhokre and Ramke. Other villages include Ajitke Chattha, Alipur Chatha, Burj Tasha, Bucha Chatha, Dehla Chatha, Dera Chatha, Fatehpur Chatha, Gajar Gola, Jalalpur Chattha, Jamke Chatha, Jhokian, Kot Hara, Kot Jan Bakhsh, Kot Mian Khan, Kot Salim, Kot Ali Mahomed Naurian, Mahay Chattha, Madan Chak, Madrassa Chattha, Manchar Chatha, Manga, Naiwala, Saharan Chatha, Salojkian, Sooianwala and Wazirke Chatha.
As a result of the migration by Jaggu and Chaku’s sons, the Chatha clan is also found south-east of Rawalpindi District, with Mandar Chatha, Hakim Chatha and Chatha Bakhtawar being the most important. Most of the Rawlpindi Chatha claim to be Rajputs. In neighbouring Jhelum District, they are found in the villages of Chatha and Chak Chatha, and in Gujrat District they are found in the village of Chatha. Chatha are also found in the village of Long in Mandi Bahauddin District.
Chatha villages in the Canal Colonies
The group of six Chatha villages of Faisalabad is situated near the town of Chak Jhumra. People of these villages are peculiar in the sense that they are not direct migrants from Gujranwala. They come from Gurdaspur and are the progeny of a Chatha person who migrated from Chatha village, near Batala in Gurdaspur District. When the Rakh Branch canal was dug they were allocated agricultural land by the British Indian Government. They came to Faisalabad in 1888 from Gurdaspur. The Rakh Branch canal is the same canal that irrigates much of the Tehsil Samundri passes from Abdullahpur in Faisalabad, and also irrigates the six Chatha villages. The canal originates at Head Khanki. The towns of Sangla Hill and Salarwala are also situated along this canal.
In this post, I will look at a well-known Jat tribe, that of the Ranjha. They are famous on account of the fact that Deedo Ranjha, the hero of the famous Punjabi legend of Heer Ranjha belonged to this tribe. Despite being referred to as Ranjha, the actual name of this folk hero was Deedo, with Ranjha being the name of the tribe. I also have a separate post on the Khamb, who are a branch of the Ranjha.
Origins
So, who exactly are these Ranjhas. The answer is far from simple, with several traditions. Early British writers on Punjab ethnography such Sir Denzil Ibbetson classified them as Bhatti Rajputs. However, others such Horace Arthur Rose did note claims to Arab or even Qureshi ancestry. His accounts is as follows:
a tribe of Rajput status, chiefly found in the eastern uplands of Shahpur and Gujrat between the Jhelum and Chenab, though they have, in small numbers, crossed both rivers into the Jhelum and Gujranwala districts. They are for the most part returned as Jats except in Shahpur and might with equal accuracy, be described as of Jat status. They are, however, Bhatti Rajputs; and though they are said in Gujrat to have laid claim of late years to Qureshi origin as descendants of Abu JahI, uncle of the Prophet, whose son died at Ghazni, whence hie lineage emigrated to the Kirana bar, yet they still retain many of their Hindu customs. They were described by colonel Davies as ” a peaceable and well-disposed section of the population, subsisting chiefly by agriculture. In physique they resemble their neighbours the Gondals, with whom they intermarry freely.
The confusion over their origin was well established, over whether they were of Bhatti origin or Qureshi, as can be seen by Captain Hector Mackenzie, who Settlement Report 1861 of Gujrat District.
The Ranjhas trace their descent in a very indistinct and unsatisfactory matter. Some repute them Qureshi, but their custom attesr their Hindy origin, and they might b ranked as Jats. They do not allow themselves however to be Jats; I have therefore ranged them under the head of Rajputs.
This confusion was also seen in the description of Captain S.P Davies, author of the Gujrat Gazetteer 1892-93.
The Ranjha clan is chiefly found in the eastern uplands of Shahpur and Gujrat, between the Jhelum and Chenab. In Gujrat they own 31 villages, mostly situated iu the south-west corner of the district. They trace their descent in a very indistinct and unsatisfactory manner. Some repute them Koreshis, but their customs attest their Hindu origin. They say they are descended from Abu Jahl, uncle of the Prophet, whose son Ikramah adopted the faith, and his son Jagis came to Ghazni and died there. His son, Duranah, with his own 11 sons (one of whom was Ranjah), immigrated with their cattle to the Kirana bar in Jhang and Shahpur, located themselves, and are still there. Ranjah moved up the Chenab and found Nasirpur (Shahpur); three clans are known, Khamb, Chuha and Jhal.
From all these early British accounts, we can see that although the Ranjahs were either considered Jat or Rajput, their tribal traditions pointed to an origin from historic Quraish tribe of Arabia.
Tribal History and Genealogy
Like most Jat tribes, the Ranjha have a number of origin stories. According to one such tradition, the Ranjha are descended from Abu Jahl, uncle of the Prophet Mohammed, as such are of Qureshi ancestry. The tribe claims descent the son of Abu Jahl Ikrama. Tribal tradition claims he had a son by name of Jagis is said to have settled in Ghazna, in Afghanistan. Abu Jahl belonged to the Banu Makhzum clan of the larger Quraysh tribal grouping which dominated Mecca. The Ranjhas therefore claim affiliation with this clan. The Makhzum were allied to Ali in his conflict with Muawiya, and after the victory of Muawiya, the Makhzum were hunted down by the victorious Umayyads, and many fled to what is now Afghanistan. A descendent of Jagis by the name of Duranah accompanied Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna to the Kirana Bar. Ranjah, the son of Durranah founded the town of Nasirpur, near present day Sargodha. Ranjah and his three sons Khamb (said to be the ancestor of the Khamb tribe), Chuha and Jhal, divided the Bar among themselves. When the Gondal are said to have arrived, a hundred years later, both the tribes co-operated in pushing the Gujars out of the Kirana Bar. There he settled, and by marrying other Jat clans, the Ranjha became Jat.
A second tradition refers to a Sultan Sanda, who came to Sindh with Mohammad Bin Qassim. Sultan Sanda is said to have a married into local Sindhi Jats, and he settled in Sindh. A descendent by the name Jagis then migrated with his tribesmen to the Kirana Bar, during the rule of Sultan Mahmud, and drove out the Gujjars. By the early 20th Century, traditions of descent from Abu Jahl were dropped in favour of emphasising his son Ikrama bin Abi Jahl. Ranjha writers began to refer to a Sultan Mohammad, with Sanda simply being a nickname, who was now said to be a commander in the army Muhammad Bin Qasim, the Arab conqueror of Sindh. While Mohammad Bin Qasim was recalled back to Damascus, Sultan Mohammad stayed on in Sindh, marrying a local girl. The only problem with this legend is that Ranjha are seen by others as Jats, and indeed intermarry with other Jat tribes such as the Gondal and Tarrars, their neighbours. While groups claiming Qureshi descent very rarely marry Jats.
There is also another tradition that connects the Ranjha with the region of Rajputana, now Rajasthan, especially Bhattiana region. Their ancestor Ranjha, came from family of Jaisal Bhati, the founder of Jaisalmer. Most Bhatti Rajputs of Punjab, and related Joiya, Wattu and Mahaar tribe claim descent from Dusal, the brother of Jaisal. The Ranjha are unique in Punjab in claiming their ancestry from Jaisal. Jaisal had three sons Ranjha, Traggar and Baland. Ranjha had three sons Karalla, Rajmal, Takhtmal, and Samatr Mal. After leaving Bhattiana, their ancestor Ranjha and his sons first settled in Phalia and founded the village of Daur Ranjha. Over time their territory extended to the village of Behak Ranjha.
Distribution
In addition to the Ranjha proper, the Chuha, Gudgor and Khamb are branches of the Ranjhas, that have now evolved into distinct clans. However, as I say on the post on the Khamb, they also have separate origin myths. The Ranjha are found in the eastern uplands of Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat districts, with a smaller number are also found in Jhelum and Gujranwala districts.
In 1901, the Ranjha population was found in the following districts:
District
Population
Shahpur
8,907
Gujranwala
1,367
Jhelum
869
Chenab Colony
376
Jhang
143
Total
11,662
Villages Kirana Bar Mandi Bahaudin District
In Mandi Bahauddin District, the Ranjha are found in the villages of Bhindar Kalan, Bohat, Bosaal, Chak Fateh Shah, Dhok Jori Madhre, Ratowal, Khamb Khurd, Mianwal, Pandowal, Kotali Mastani, Nain Ranjha, Ghang, Sajan, Sahbowal, Bhojuwal, Khairewal, Burg Agar, Bhukh, Ghanni Ghanna, Chak Mian,Kot Sher Muhammad, Musa Kalan, Kot Hast Khan, Musa Kurd, Hamber, Walayt wala, Ghut Kurd, Chut Kalan, Noorpur Kehna, Khamb Alam, Ghar Lakhan, Chak chut, Burg Hassan, Burg Ghanian, Raan, Bherowal, Takhar Miana, Fatehwala, Wariyaam and Wasu. Thatha Hust, and Thatha Ameer. In Malakwal Tehsil, Ranjha are found in Ajjowal, Khai, Kot Pindiwala and Makkewal. While in Phalia Tehsil, they are found in Agroya, Anhay Sharif, Bhinder Kalan, Chayto, Dhal. Dharekan Kalan, Dhola Khurd, Dhoul Bala, Dhoul Zairen, Furkhpur Kohna, Ghoghanwali, Kadher Gharbi, Khamb Kalan, Khamb Khurd, Kot Rehm Shah, Lakha, Madhary, Mianwal Ranjha, Thakkar Kalan, Thatti Bawa, Thatti Shah Muhammad and Noorpur Katvi
Villages Kirana Bar Sargodha District
While in Sargodha, District, their villages include Badar (in Bhera Tehsil), Ran, Rahimpur, Garhi Kala, Mela, Kot Sher Mohammad, Wah Miana, Midh Ranjha, Buccha Kalan, Mela, Dhingran-aali, Chak 88SB, Kot Fazal Ahmed and Jholpur.
Villages Jhelum/ Chakwal
Outside the Kirana Bar, opposite the bank of the Jhelum River, are several Ranjha villages in Jhelum and Chakwal districts. Almost all the Ranjha villages in Jhelum are found in Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil, which situated across the river Jhelum from Sargodha. There main villages are Baghanwala, Daulatpur, Chak Mujahid Shumali, Dhudi Thal, Ghowra, Maira Ranjha, Pinanwal, Sial, Sammanwal and Thil. Outside Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil, Ranjha are also found in the village of Ranjha near Dina. In Chakwal District, the Ranjha are found in the villages of Munday, Ranjha and Sutwal.
Other Ranjha Villages
Kot Ranjha in Gujrat District, Ado Rai and in Kamoke in Gujranwala District. In Dera Ghazi Khan District, the Ranjha are found in Basti Ranjha and Rakh Ranjha.
In this post I will look at the Khagga (کھگہ) who claim a Hashmi Qureshi background. I would ask the reader to look at my post on the Bodla tribe, which gives some background to the Neeli Bar, the region that is also home to the Khagga. Like the Bodlas, the Khagga are considered as a semi-sacred tribe
Origin
F. B. Wace and F. O. Bourne, authors of the Montgomery Gazetteer 1933 edition describe the tribe as such:
The Khaggas on the Ravi and the Chishtis on the Sutlej are two of the tribes in the district claiming peculiar sanctity. Others are of course the Sayyids together with Bodlas and Udasi Fakirs. of the Dipalpur Tahsil. The Khaggas came to the district after the conquest of Multan by Ranjit Singh. They claim to be Kureshis; and name as the first Khagga Jalal-ul-Din, disciple of Muhammad Irak. Khagga is said to mean a peculiar kind of fish; and the name was given to Jalal-ud-Din by his spiritual teacher on the occasion of his rescuing a boat overtaken by a storm.
While H. A Rose, the early 20th Century British colonial ethnographer wrote the following about them:
Khagga, a semi-sacred tribe found in the south-west Punjab. Mr. Purser thus described them: “The Khaggas came to the Montgomery district after the conquest of Mutan by Ranjit Singh. They claim to be Qureshi. And name as the first Khagga, Jalal-ul-din, disciple of Muhammad Iraq. Khagga is said to mean a peculiar kind of fish; and the name was given to Jala-ul-din by his spiritual teacher on the occasion of his rescuing a boat overtaken by a storm. In Multan the Khaggas own land in Multan and Mailsi tahsils and are still regarded with a certain amount of respect. In the troubled days before Sawan Mai if anyone was distressed he took refuge with a Khagga, and if a marauder entered a Khagga’s house he was miraculously struck blind.
From both British account, certain facts emerged, namely that the tribe gets its name from Jalal-ul-din nicknamed khagga, and were seen to be of a sacred status.
Tribal Genealogy
According to their traditions, they are descended from Khawaja Shah Jalal Din Muhammad Awais Jaafri Quraishi Hashmi also known as Khawaja Awais Khagga. He was a disciple of Shaikh Muhammad Iraqi, a saint of the Awaisi chain of Sufis. He is believed to have arrived in Multan during the times of Hazrat Sadruddin (son of famous Sufi Hazrat Baha-ud-Din Zakariya) and died in the year 700AH/1300AD. The sufi, Shah Rukne Alam is said to have led his funeral prayers. He was buried in the graveyard of Basti Daira which was then known as Basti Shah Jalal. According to tribal traditions, the foundation stone of this tomb was laid by Shah Rukne Alam. He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather Bahauddin Zakriya Multani, according to his own will, after some time, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum.
Shrine of Khawaja Jalal-ul-din Source Wikepedia
From here their accounts converge with that of the British writers. Khagga is said to mean a particular kind of fish; and the name was given to Shah Jalal-ud-Din by his spiritual teacher on the occasion of his rescuing a boat overtaken by a storm. During the period when Mughal authority collapsed in Punjab in the 18th Century, a number of Khagga migrated from Multan and settled in Sahiwal, and were seen as peacemakers by the feuding tribes of the Neeli Bar. There is also a tradition, that during the period of Sikh rule (late 18th and early 19th Century), if anyone was distressed they could take refuge in the home of any Khagga. One has to understand that this was a time of great number of tribal feuds as well as the breakdown of authority, and it was almost necessary to have someone who could be brought in as an arbitrator.
Distribution
The Khagga are mostly found in south-west Punjab, with concentrations in Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Vehari, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Khanewal, Sahiwal and Pakpattan districts. In Sahiwal and Pakpattan districts, they are said to have come from Multan in the 19th century after the invasion of Ranjit Singh. In Maili tehsil of Multan, the Khagga are still large landowners.
Important Khagga villages include Moza Ahmad Shah Khagga, Moza Akbar Shah and Moza Noor Shah Khagga in Sahiwal, Chak Shahana, Bherowal, Pakka Majeed (near Mian Channu) and Vehniwal in Khanewal. Other Khaga villages include Moza Allam Shah Khagga in Faisalabad District, Chak 418 TDA in Layyah District, Chak Shah Khagga in Pakpatan District and Basti Patal, Basti Kot Saleemwala and Basti Shahwala, all near the town of Kot Addu in Muzaffargarh District and Moza Shah Quddos Khagga in Vehari District.
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