Sohlan Rajputs

In this post I will look at the Sohlan tribe of Rajputs. They are found mainly in Mirpur District in Azad Kashmir and Jhelum District in Punjab. I will start off by looking at references made by British sources, followed by Mohamad Din Fauq and finally tribal traditions.

British Sources

Horace Arthur Rose was 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 glossary on the tribes of Punjab, and a good source on many Punjabi tribes. He wrote the following on the Sohlan:

clan, generally recognised as Rajput, found in Jhelum tehsil the river and above the town of that name.

While J. M Wikeley, author of the British Indian military manual added the following:

The Sohlan is a Rajput tribe connected with the Narma. The Musalman section is found chiefly in the Mirpur district of Jammu. Their physique and characteristics are much the same as the Narma with whom they inter marry. The tribe is a small one.

The information provided by both the British writers is very sparse. But Wikely’s point that the tribe connected with the Narma, who are a well known branch of the Panwar or Parmar Rajput, also appears is tribal tradition. As I will discuss further, most sources connect the tribe with the Panwar. However, there is one exception, Mohamad Din Fauq.

Mohamad Din Fauq

However, Mohamad Din Fauq, author of the Tareekh Aqwan Poonch gives a more detailed description. Fauq was a historian of Kashmir, and adjacent regions such as Poonch, and wrote extensively on history, folklore and geography of the old Jammu and Kashmir State. According to Fauq, the Sohlan are descended from the Rajah Salvahan, and get their name from a Raja by the name of Raja Sosal. Salvahan, according to a number of traditions in Punjab, was son of Gaj Singh, the ruler of Jaisalmer. He said to have gone to Punjab after the death of his father, where he destroyed Lahore and rebuilt the town of Sialkot. Salvahan had sixteen sons, all of whom seem to have founded independent principalities, from whom many of the Punjab hill Rajas claim their descent. Sosal was said to be descended from one the Rajah’s son.

Fauq connects the tribe with the Chandravanshi branch of Rajputs, with Sialkot being their settlement. There first settlement was in Jhelum, from there they moved to Mirpur. According to Fauq, the town of Kotli was founded by the Sohlan Rajputs. Those Sohlan who are found in Mehnder Tensil of Poonch, Uri in the Kashmir all claim descent from the Mirpur branch. Fauq does not connect the tribe with the Panwar.

Sohlan traditions

The Sohlan themselves maintain a connection with the Panwar. According to the Sohlan, there ancesstor is said to have emigrated from Malwa in the middle ages, settling in the foothills of the Pir Panjal mountains, and converting to Islam. The Sohlan established a principality based on the town of the Khari Sharif and during the time of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals the reigning authorities never levied taxes in the Solhan ruled areas, in lieu of peaceful passage to Kabul. There are however other traditions which connect the Sohlan clan with the royal family from Kishtawar; with Raja Sohlan Singh quarrelling with his relations and settling in Khari and expelling the Gujjar population. Sohlan Singh was said to descend from the famous Panwar ruler Vikramajeet. Tribal traditions also make reference to the fact that Mangla Devi an ancestor of the tribe and after whom Mangla is named after was the first person from the tribe to convert to Islam. This site has now been inundated by the construction of the Mangla Dam in Mirpur District.

After the collapse of the Mughal Empire, the Sohlan areas came under the rule of the Sikhs. This rule lasted until 1846 when Sohlan inhabited areas north of the Jhelum river were handed over to the Gulab Singh Dogra in an agreement with the British as part of the Treaty of Amritsar. As result of this treaty, Sohlan territory was effectively partitioned, with Sohlan south of the Jhelum coming under direct British areas, in what became the district of Jhelum and sub-district of Gujar Khan. Despite this separation, both the Chibhal territory of Jammu State and British Pothohar continued to share common cultural traditions, with minor dialectial differences between Pothwari and Pahari languages.

 Sohlan Population According to the 1911 Census

District	Population
Jhelum	606
Other Districts	42
Total Punjab	648

From the 1911 Census of Punjab, it is clear that the great majority of the Sohlan were found in Jhelum, with a few families in Rawalpindi.

Distribution

Starting with Mirpur District, their villages include Bani (Mirpur), Dalyala, Ghaseetpur Sohalian, Khoi Ratta, Koonjarai Nawab, Mehmunpur, and Sahang. Sohlan villages in Mirpur are located mainly around the town of Khari Sharif which has historically been ruled by this clan. Since the development of the Mangla Dam, old Jabot Village, which was also an important Sohlan village was submerged underwater causing many families to move to Khari Sharif and establishing the village of New Jabot. The Sohlan villages in Jhelum District are located north of the city of Jhelum near the border with Mirpur, the principal settlement being Sohan. Other villages include Gatyali or Patan Gatalyan, Chak Khasa, Pakhwal Rajgan, Chitti Rajgan, Pind Ratwal Tahlianwala, Dhok Sohlnan, Piraghaib and Langerpur. They are closely connected to with both the Bhao and Chibs, who are their neighbours, and with whom they share good many customs and traditions. Outside this core area, Sohlan villages include Sahang and Dhok Sohlan in Tehsil Gujar Khan district, Morah Sohlan, Pehount in the Islamabad Capital Territory and Chak Mandi and Naar Mandho in Kotli District. In Poonch they are found in Dharana and Thakyala and in Sudhanoti District they are found in Dhamni. In Bagh District, they are found in Jag Lari.

In Uri District, they are found in Jabla village.

Rachyal tribe

In this post, I will look at the Rachyal, sometimes spelt Richyal, who are a Jat tribe, found mainly in the Kotli and Mirpur districts of Azad Kashmir. Rachyal are by origin a clan of Dogras, whose roots like in the Chamba region of what is now Himachal Pradesh. Like many Jat clans, the Rachyal have a number of origin stories. 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.

Tribal Origin

There ancestor was a Rachan Dev, a Hindu Rajput of the Kashyap gotra, from the region of Chamba, in modern day Himachal Pradesh. He is said to have converted to Islam in the 16th Century, and left Chamba eventually settling in Mirpur. Generally, among the Rajputs of the Himachal region, each clan was connected with a Hindu rishi, who was traditional spiritual ancestor. The rishi Kashyapa is one of Saptarishi, the seven famed rishis and considered to be author of many hymns and verses of the Rigveda (1500-1200 BCE). It is likely that the Rachyal are branch of the Katoch Rajputs, as they belonged to the Kashyap gotra. An interesting thing about the various tribes in the Pothahar and Chibhal region is that their name often ends in al, which is patronymic, therefore, the sons of Rachan, become the Rachyal and so on, very similar to the Arabic Bin or Slavic ovich or ov.

According to another tradition, the first member of the tribe to convert to Islam was Behram Chand, who was Ranchan Dev’s great grandson. After his conversion, Behram Chand took the name to Allah Bakhsh. Below is a tribal genealogy narrated by the raah, the traditional genealogists of the Mirpur region.

Rachan Dev

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Ram Chandar

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Bhao Chandar

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Bahram Chand also known as Allah Baksh, from whom the various Rachyal lineages trace their ancestry.

According to tribal folklore, once the Rachyals converted to Islam, they were forced out of Chamba and its surroundings and led by their Chaudhary, Allah Bakshs, we see them migrating through Sialkot, Sheikhupura, and Jhang areas of Punjab in Pakistan. The tribe then entered the Jammu state via Dhuki village through Sarai-Alamgir (near Kharian, Punjab, Pakistan) which lies in district of Gujrat, around three hundred years ago. They then moved to Mangla and eventually to a place called Ladna near now Chakswari. From here the Rachyals spread farther west and the estate of Panyam came into being. Below is a history of some of the larger Rachyal lineages.

The Panyam or Karam Deen Rachyal

The main Rachyal branch is found in Panyam, in the adjoining hamlets of Shahmdia-na-Mohra (named after ther ancestor Shahmad); Hatti-na-Mohra / Mohra Hatti; Moohri (on the boundaries of Panyam and Laddar); Baavaya-ni-Moohri, as well as the Mate family; some in Laddar; some in Rachyal, Chakswari (family of the well-known Ch Ghulam Nabi Rachyal); some in Gorsian Laddar; and in other areas of Panyam. A lot of this family descend from an elder called Karam Deen who had six sons.

The Baba Baala Rachyal

Another large Rachyal branch originally from Chamba descends from an elder called Baba Baala who settled in Mirpur. He had seven sons or seven brothers who migrated from Chamba to Mirpur. Two or three settled in the village Balah (named after him) and this covers the Upper and Lower Balah villages, Old Balah Gaala and Balah-na-Mera. A brother of the Baba came to Dolu-na-Mohra (named after their ancestor Baba Dowlu and from here some went to Chamba-Mohri, Mirpur); another went to Sangot (Rachyal, Sangot, Mirpur and from here some moved to Chhappran, Gurra Domal); and one founded Pothi, Mirpur (a prominent family, home village of the late Chaudary M Azam – Former Deputy Speaker AJK) and some moved to Chhappran, Panyam from these too. Another brother may have gone up to Rajdhani, in Kotli District.

Other Rachyal

In Rajdhani Union Council area, the Rachyal are also very large clan, and they are perhaps the majority in the region. They are spread over numerous villages such as Peeran-na-Mohra, Mocha, Ditwal, Karmal; Bindi, Lamman, Nakka, some in Mohalla Kanjal, Mohra Moqada, rarla and parla Andraal, and Thangri. Some from this branch have moved to Bihari (Tehsil Dadyal), and Naar.

In Tehsil Dadyal, there is another branch of Rachyal in the village of Kandore (such as in Dhok Khadda) but their origins are a bit dubious. There is another Rachyal family in Sandal near Thara, Dadyal.

Distribution

Most of the Rachyal are still found either in Chakswari or Panyam, where several of their villages are found such as Pothi,and Chamba, as well as several hamlets or mohri near Panyam. In Kotli District, they are are found in several hamlets near Rajdhani. Some Rachyals villages are found even further north in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Tribes of the Thal: Bhon / Bhoon, Ghanjera and Jaura/Jora Jats

This is my 216th post, and it has been eight years since I began this blog to give much needed information on the internet on the lesser known tribes of the Punjab. My very first post looked at a region in western Punjab, known as the Thal, and in particular some of the tribes that inhabit it. In this post, I return to the same region, looking at three tribes, namely the Bhon/ Bhaun, sometimes written as Bhoon, Ghanjera, and finaly the Jaura/Jora.

To give some background, the Thal is a large desert situated between the Jhelum and Sindh rivers just south of the Pothohar Plateau. Its total length from north to south is a 190 miles, and its widest is 70 miles (110 km) and narrowest is 20 miles. The Thal is all that remains of the semi-arid uplands that existed between rivers of western Punjab prior to the 19th Century constructions of canals by the British colonial authorities that led to the creation of what is now a largely irrigated region. This process also involved settlement of peasant colonists from what is now Indian Punjab.

This region was also home to a number of tribes that can be loosely grouped under the name Jat. In the Thal, the term refers to any tribal grouping that practiced pastoral nomadism. Each tribe historically occupied distinct areas where they enjoyed prerogatives to grazing, and often claimed descent from a common ancestor. So far in several blogs, I have already looked at the Aheer, Bhachar, Dhudhi, Jhammat, Mekan, Talokar, Tiwana, Uttra and Wahla tribes. Many of the tribes claim Khokhar ancestry, and I have explored this further in my post on the Bhachar.

Most of the tribes in the region also speak the distinctive Thalochi dialect of Punjabi.

Bhon / Bhoon

I shall start off by looking at the Bhaun tribe, sometimes written as Bhon or even Bhoon. H. A Rose has very little to say about except the single line below:

Jat clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur.

Rose is correct, the Bhon are found mainly Shahpur, as Sargodha district was known as. The Bhon claimed descent from Ram Chanderer. 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 Bhon, they fall within the Suryavanshi category. According to tribal traditions, they get their name from Bhon Seen, a son of the legendary Raja Karan of the Mahabharat. However, like many Jats tribes of Punjab, there is another traditions that connects the tribe with Ram Chander, and makes them of Suryavanshi tribe.

Ram Chander

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Hamsa Chaluk (tenth in descent from Ram)

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Amar Mal (tenth in descent from Hamsa Chaluk)

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Karan (fifth in descent from Amar Mal)

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Bhon Seen

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Buka Seen + Bopat Seen + Bambore Seen

The first two sons settled in the Thal desert, from which the Sargodha and Khushab Bhon trace their ancestry. According to the 1911 Census, there were 7,010 Bhon Jats and 133 Rajput Bhons. They are found mainly in Sargodha District, with a few villages in Khushab and Bhakkar districts.

Ghanjera

The Ghanjera are said to be the earliest settlers in the region located between Wan Bachran and Bandial. Like their neighbours in the Thal, the Bhachars and Bandial, the Ghanjera are Khokhars. Also like the Bhachar and Bandial, they are said to have arrived from the Chaj (Chenab Jhelum) Doab, in their case from the town of Shahpur in Sargodha District. Incidently, there is a large Ghanjera village near Shahpur called Tankiwala. They originally settled in Wan Bhachran, but when the town was occupied by the Bhachars, and the Ghanjera re-located to the village of Pakka Ghanjera. They are now found in nine villages, such Shikhali, Muzzafarpur, Pakka Ghanjera and Watto, which surround the town of Wan Bhachran. In neighbouring Khushab District, there most important village is Thathi Ghanjera.  The tribe has also produced the famous Sufi saint Khawaj Noor Muhammad Ghanjera.

Perhaps Ghanjera are really known for the legend of Aali Ghanjera, which is perhaps to the Thal what the legend of Heer Ranjha is to Bar. Aali was a cowherd from the village of Vijhara, along the banks of the Jhelum. Salman Rashid’s blog  gives a really good account of the legend. It also harks back to the time when the population was entirely pastoral in Thal Desert.

Jaura / Jora

The Jaura are a Jat clan found mainly in Sargodha, Khushab and Bhakkar districts. A few are also found in Sahiwal and Khanwal districts. Like most Jat tribes, there are a number of traditions as to their ancestry. In Punjab, the various tribal genealogies are based on bardic traditions, which classifies every Jat clan within the three sub-divisions of the Rajputs, the Suryavansh, Chandravanshi and Agnivanshi. In this case of the Jaura, some tradition put them in the Suryavanshi category, while others in the Chandravanshi category. n this case of the Jaura, some tradition put them in the Suryavanshi category, while others in the Chandravanshi category. H.A Rose, the early 20^th Century British colonial ethnographer described them as follows:

a Khokhar clan (agricultural) found in Shahpur.

However, although Rose initially connects the tribe with the Khokhars, in the following genealogy he connects the Jaura with the Chhina tribe:

This tradition connects the Jaura with the region of Bhatner (modern Hanumangarh), and the Bhatti tribes of the region. Their ancestor was the Krishna, and it makes them a Chandravashi lineage. The Chhina, Traggar, Uttra and Wattu tribes all connect themselves with this region, and claim to have come from Bhatner.

However, there is another tradition that makes them a Suryavanshi lineage. In this tradition, the tribe is connected with the Saroya tribe of Rajputs, from whom the Basra and Sara Jats also claim descent. Below is the genealogy:

Saroya

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Malhi (ancestor of the Malhi Jats)

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Naich

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Toor or Tomra (ancestor of the Tomar Rajputs)

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Dharpat

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Mal Pal

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Khakh Pal (ancestor of the Khakh Jats)

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Janjua (ancestor of the Janjua)

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Sapra (ancestor of the Sapra)

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Lali Pal (ancestor of the Lali Jats)

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Jara Pal

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Jaram + Jarham + Jairsi + Jarkam + Jaar

These brothers were the ancestors of the four clans of the tribe. In the Thal, they are said to have followed the Chhina, and settled in the vicinity of that tribe. In 1911, total Jora population was 10,166, most of whom were found in Shahpur, Mianwali, Muzaffargarh, Multan and Montgomery districts.