Puniya

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Punia or Poonia or Puniya (IAST: Pūniā) is a clan or gotra of Jats in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in India. They are the descendants of Chandravanshi king Paunbhadra, son of Virabhadra. ^[1]

1 Origin
2 History
3 Notable persons from this clan
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Origin

The historian Ram Swarup Joon has given the chronology of Virabhadra, obtained from the records of the Bards of Dholpur, in his book ‘History of the Jats’ (1938, 1967) as under: ^[2]

In the branch of Puru there was ‘Sanyati’ whose son was Virabhadra. Virabhadra had four sons 1. Pon Bhadra 2. Kalhan bhadra 3. Atisur Bhadra and 4. Jakh Bhadra. Ponbhadra is the originator of Punia gotra. Pon Bhadra’s descendants Punias moved to Haryana, Brij, Gwalior and Punjab. Two villages, 'Padhi' in Hoshiarpur and 'Gurdaspura' in Sangrur district are inhabited by Punias and they are Sikhs.

Village Mirzapur & Satrod in Hisar District are inhabited by Poonias.

Poonias are also migrated to Delhi

[edit] History

According to Hukam Singh Pawar (Pauria) ^[3], In all probability the Punia or Pauniyas belong to the followers of Panis leader Bribu. It is possible that a branch of Panis or Puni migrated from Sapta Sindhu to south India where they were known as Pani ^[4] or Paunika ^[5], identified ^[6], ^[7], ^[8] with the Punaka-Visaya of Talegaon inscription i.e. modern Poona or Pune, which may be their earlier settlement. The Punaiyyas or Panayyas of the South also betray their ancestry from the Panis. While Sivis, Mallavas etc. migrated from the Indus Valley after Alexander’s invasion to Rajasthan where they still survive in the Sivis, Shivranas, Mall or Malli Jats, the Punia or Pauniya Jats of Rajasthan, are likely to be the descendants ^[9] of the Panis, who were deprived of their wealth ^[10] by their brethren Aryan opponents, and were compelled ^[11] to settle down in their new home from the valley much earlier. The Punias were allowed by Aryans to remain in their Indian home in return for liberal donations by Bribu ^[12], ^[13], ^[14] to the Aryans (the Bharatas) for which he was held in high esteem by them where as the rest of Panis, who refused to donate likewise, were chased ^[15], ^[16] to the western lands. Babylonia, known as Brbyru to the Vedic Indians, is said to be the city of Bribu, (a wealthy leader of the Panis), by Weber, (Kalyanaramana, 1969, 112). It is interesting to note that the leaders of Panis who migrated ^[17], ^[18] to America in the pre-Aztec times from India, are depicted as robust, standing erect with folded hands, having Rajasthani features, with their head adorned with Marwari pagrees. ^[19]

As per Hisar Gazetteer they are considered to be of Shiva or Shivi gotra. The philosophy of their origin from the locks of Shiva indicates that they belong to the Nagavanshi race. Shivi and Taxak were neighbourers. After the attack of Alexander the Great the Shivi and Taxak people moved down Punjab and occupied Jangladesh. Punia Gotra Jats were one of them to occupy parts of Jangladesh, that corresponds to the former princely state of Bikaner. They reached here in early period of Christian era and ruled till 15th century when Rathores occupied the Jangladesh. ^[20]

Rathores under the leadership of Bika and Kandal were spreading their rule in Jangladesh in late fifteenth century. At that time Punia Jats were ruling six states and about 360 villages. The major towns in their rule were Bahaderan, Ajitpura, Sidhmukh, Rajgarh, Dadrewa, Sankoo, etc. Their king was Kanhadev.^[21]

The extent of rule of Punias spread from Jhansal, which was their capital, to Marod. Marod town is situated at a distance of about 40 km from present Rajgarh, Rajasthan town in Rajasthan. Godara Jats had aligned with Rathores due to which Punias faced a defeat and moved to Uttar Pradesh. Punias had strongly retaliated and were able to kill Rathore Raja Rai Singh. ^[22]

James Todd writes that Beeka, the founder of Rathore supremacy in Bikaner, died in S. 1551 (1495 AD). Kalyan Singh succeeded in S. 1603. He had three sons, 1, Rae Singh; 2, Ram Singh ; and 3, Pirthi Singh. Rae Singh succeeded in S. 1630 (a.d. 1573). Until this reign, the Jats had, in a great degree, preserved their ancient privileges. Ram Singh, at the same time, completely subjugated the Johyas, who, always troublesome, had recently attempted to regain their ancient independence. Ram Singh, having destroyed the power of future resistance in the Johyas, turned his arms against the Puniya Jats, the last who preserved their ancient liberty. They were vanquished, and the Rajpoots were inducted into their most valuable possessions. But the conqueror paid the penalty of his life for the glory of colonising the lands of the Puniyas. He was slain in their expiring effort to shake off the yoke of the stranger ; and though the Ramsingotes add to the numerical strength, and enlarge the territory of the heirs of Beeka, they, like the Kandulotes, little increase the power of the state, to which their obedience is nominal. Sidhmukh and Sankhoo are the two chief places of the Ramsingotes. Thus, with the subjugation of the Puniyas, the political annihilation of the six Jat cantons of the desert was accomplished. ^[23]

The period of Rahtore domination over these patriarchal communities was intermediate between Timur's and Baber's invasion of India,. The former, who was the founder of the Chagatai dynasty, boasts of the myriads of Jat souls he " consigned to perdition " on the desert plains of India, as well as in Transoxiana so we may conclude that successive migrations of these people from the great " storehouse of nations " went to the lands east of the Indus and that the Jat communities who elected Beeka as their sovereign, had been established therein for ages. The extent of their possessions justifies this conclusion ; for nearly the whole of the territory forming the boundaries of Bikaner was possessed by the six Jat cantons namely^[24]:—

1. Poonia, 2. Godara, 3. Saran 4. Asiagh 5. Beniwal 6. Johiya, or Joweya

[edit] Notable persons from this clan

Sepoy Raj Kumar Punia - Martyr of Kargil War
Vijay Punia - Leader and Social worker
Satyadeep Singh Punia - Journalist
Gurdial Singh Punia - AVM Indian Air Force
Jaibir Singh Punia - fought corruption in IAF and dragged them to Supreme Court of india 1995
Surender Punia, MD - Physician
Baljit Singh Punia - Pharmaceuticals, USA. (Grandson of Daya Singh Punia).

Ishwar Singh Punia - Rustam-E-Hind Pahalwan, Surheti Jakhal, Haryana

[edit] References

^ Dr Mahendra Singh Arya, Dharmpal Singh Dudi, Kishan Singh Faujdar & Vijendra Singh Narwar, Adhunik Jat Itihasa (The modern history of Jats), Agra 1998
^ RS Joon: History of the Jats’ (1938, 1967)
^ The Jats: Their Origin, Antiquity and Migration, Rohtak, 1993, ISBN 81-85235-22-8, p. 353
^ Vayu Purans, 1.45.127
^ ibid, 45.127
^ M R Singh, A critical study of the Geog. Data in Ear. Purs., Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, 1972, p. 286
^ Cf. G. Yazdani, Early history of Deccan, p. 36
^ Cunningham, Historical Geog. of Ancient India, p. 184
^ D D Kosambi, The Culture and Civilization of Ancient India, Vikas Publishing House, Delhi, 1976, p. 80
^ ibid
^ Jain, op. cit, pp. 99-100
^ RV, 6.4.2.31
^ Jain, op. cit., p. 48
^ RV VI 45.31
^ Nripendra Kumar Dutta, op. cit., p. 96
^ RV VII 63
^ Ram Chandra Jain, The most ancient Aryan society, Varanasi, 1964, p. 72
^ His. of Mexico, Maxican Government Pbn. q. by Chaman Lal, Hindu America, 1956, p. 256
^ DA Mackenzie, Myths of Pre-Columbia America, pp. 2, 256, 265f
^ Thakur Deshraj: Jat Itihas (Hindi), Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi, 1934.
^ Thakur Deshraj: Jat Itihas (Hindi), Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi, 1934.
^ Thakur Deshraj: Jat Itihas (Hindi), Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi, 1934.
^ James Tod: "Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (1829)"
^ James Tod: Annals and antiquities of Rajasthan