Dogar

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Dogar (Urdu: ڈوگر) is a Muslim, Punjabi tribe in the Punjab region of Pakistan. It is also used as a family name. A very, very small number of unrelated Sikhs and Hindus in Haryana and East Punjab (India) also use the surname Dogar.

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[edit] Ethnography

The Dogars [distinct from the Dogra of Jammu and Kashmir, India] are an agricultural tribe of Central Punjab. They are overwhelmingly Muslim whereas the Dogras of Jammu are overwhelmingly Hindu and have distinct rituals customs and language which are not shared. The two groups are unrelated but they are often confused with one another because of their similar sounding name and their similar martial tradition. Additionally, the Dogras of J&K are named after the area DUGGAR which they inhabit whereas the Dogars of Punjab have never been to that area in their known history.

The Dogars were generally agricultural people settled along the riversides in Punjab (see Ibbetson, Denzil; A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883; Nirmal Publishers and Distributors (1997)).

84% of the total population of this tribe was residing in the areas which are now part of India e.g Amritsar District, Gurdaspur District, Jalandhar District, Ludhiana District, Hoshiarpur District, Ambala District, Karnal District, Kapurthala State, Malerkotla State, Nabha State, Jind State, Kalsia State, Patiala State, Faridkot State, Ferozepur District.

16% of the population was residing in the areas which are now part of Pakistan e.g Sialkot District, Gujranwala District, Sheikhupura District, Lahore District, Kasur District, Sahiwal District, Okara District, Pakpattan District, Lyallpur District. However, the larger part of this population was from Ferozpur, Patiala and and Hoshiarpur Districts. Most of the Dogars of Gujranwala came from Ferozepur almost 2 centuries ago while almos all 14 local villages of the Dogar tribe in Sialkot dist.Thehsil Pasrur ,migrated from east Punjab: Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur. For example,Mr.Rao Dogar ,sub cast Mandar, the founder of village Kot Roy Dogran, Tehsil Pasrur District Sialkot, came from the village Vallah Vehrka near Amritsar city (now in India ), approximately three centuries ago.

Dogars who migrated in 1947 settled in the areas of Faisalabad, Kasur, Sahiwal, Sheikhupura and Burewala. While most of the Ferozepur Dogars settled in Sahiwal (Montgomery), the Dogars from Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur migrated to Faisalabad (Lyallpur), Burewala, Sialkot and Chichawatni.

As a social class, the Dogars are viewed as farmers, (zamindars) on par with the Jatts and Rajputs - depending on the region.

There are several theories regarding the origins of Dogars. Some have claimed a Rajput origin (disputed by Denzil Ibbetson based upon the Semitic Dogar features). Others have claimed a Kashmiri origin. An alternative theory is a Turko-Kurdish origin based on the emigration of a scion of Oghuz Han.

“ 'The Dogars of the Punjab are found in the upper valley of the Sutlej and Beas above the lower border of the Lahore district , and have also spread westwards along the foot of the hills into Sialkot . There are also considerable colonies of them an Hissar and Karnal . The Dogars of Ferozpur , where they hold the riverside almost exclsively from 20 milesabove the headquarters of that district , were thus described by Mr Brandeth :-
" In my account of the Ferozepur ilaqaI have already alluded to the Dogars , who are supposed to be converted Chauhan* Rajputs from the neighbourhood of Delhi . They migrated first to the neighbourhood of Pak Pattan , whence they spread gradually along the banks of the Satluj and entered Ferozpur district 100 years ago .[1]		 ”
“ '*Francis (Ferozpur Gazetteer 1888-9 pp 15-16) gives a full account of the Dogar history in that district and on p56 he says that the Dogar claim to be Punwar as well as Chauhan , and are probably a section of the Bhatti tribe and closely allied to the Naipal . The Manj traditions say that the Dogars are descended from Lumra (fox?)who , like Naipal was one of Rana Bhuti's 24 sons . They thrust aside the Wattus to the West and the Naipals to the east and probably subdued the Machhis,Mallas and other inferior tribes , assuming the position of social superiors rather than of actual cultivators , and affecting the title Sirdar .[2] ”
“ 'The Ferozepur Dogars are all descended from a common ancestor named Bahlol, but they are called Mahu Dogars , from Mahu the grandfather of of Bahlol . Bahlol had three sons **, Bambu Langar and Sammu . The Dogars of Ferozpur and Mullanwala are the descendents of Bambu ;those of Khai the descendents of Langar ;the descendents of Sammu live in Kasur . There are many other sub-castes of the Dogars in other districts along the banks of the Satluj , as the Parchats , the Topuras , the Chopuras etc . The Chopura Dogars occupy Mamdot ***.[3] ”

Other Dogar clans of pre-partition Amritsar were Badhar [4] Benaich [5] Chani [6] Chohar [7] Dalel[8]

Other sub-clans of the Dogar tribe include "Mattar, China, Tagra, Mahu, Chokra" [9]

[edit] Excerpt from Heer Waris Shah

In literature, Dogars were mentioned in the 18th century Punjabi epic Heer Ranjha by Waris Shah in the scene where Heer praises Ranjah to her father:

And Heer replied subtly, ‘My father, he is as learned as Solomon, and he can shave the very beard of Plato. He has cunning to trace out thefts and he speaks with wisdom in the assembly of the elders. He can decide thousands of disputes and he is as learned in wisdom as the Dogar Jats.'

[edit] Patiala State

Patiala State was established by Muslim Dogars and Sidhu Sikhs.

Patiala state was established by two friends, Ala Sing Sidhu Jat and Lakhna Dogar, in about 1721. Initially, they captured 24 villages and then enhanced further by conquering more and more adjacent areas. From the beginning of Patiala State until 1857, the Raja was a Sikh, from the family of Ala Sing Sidhu and the Army Commander was a Muslim, from the family of Lakhna Dogar--most likely because of an oral understanding and agreement of the two founders.

The renown commanders (Sipah Salar) of Patiala State, from Lakhna Dogar's family were Lakhna Dogar, Sadar Deen Dogar, Shera Dogar, Kaima Dogar, Saida Dogar, Karim-Buksh Dogar and Kala Dogar.

The residence of the Lakhna family was Daska town in Patiala State. In 1947 all of the Lakhna Dogar family, suffering heavy casualities, migrated to Pakistan. The Sardar Shakir Dogar family settled in Muzaffar Gharh. The Sardar Makhdoom Dogar family (ex-MPA) settled in Khanghah Dogran and Kakar strict near Lahore.


[edit] Famous Dogars

  • Brig Yasub Ali Dogar, Sitara-i-Basalat, Sitara-i-Esaar, Sitara-i-Imtiaz has been Commander Siachin Sector, Lord Mayor of Lahore and Advisor to the Governor on Public Affairs.
  • Vice Admiral Mahmood Ali was Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Pakistan Navy.
  • Justice Sardar Muhammad Dogar of the Lahore High Court is from the Chotali Dogars of District Hoshiarpur and now hails from Sheikhupura.
  • Muhammad Rafiq Dogar is a famous journalist and columnist. He is also the author of a famous Islamic book "Al-Ameen", written on the life of Hazrat Muhammad(SAW).
  • Mustapha Dogar, Author of the book (four-volume series) on the history of the Dogar tribe in the Subcontinent.
  • Lt Col Sardar Mohammed Dogar: The first Dogar to be enlisted in British Army as an Officer under the name of Dogar.
  • Brig Abdul Hamid Dogar: Served as Director General of Armoured Corps.