Chadhar

Chadhar is a Punjabi tribe in India and Pakistan. They are both Rajputs and Jats, and are Aryan mixed with former native people.

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Pronunciation and transliteration

Chadhar (Shahmukhi and Urdu: 'ﭽﺩﮪﮌ', Gurmukhi: 'ਚਧੜ') is commonly pronounced Chadhar but in some areas of the Punjab, like the cities of Jhang and other nearby districts, it is pronounced Chadhrar, while in the Majha, Doaba and Malwa areas it is pronounced as Chandhar.

Other transliterations from the Hindi include 'Chadarh', 'Chadharh', 'Chandhar', 'Chandarh', 'Chandar' and 'Chander'.

Origin

Chadhars claim descent from Chandarh, the son of Raja Ravilan of the lineage of king Pandu of the Mahabharata. They are Chandra Vanshis. It is widely believed that they are a branch of the Tomaras. This belief has been confirmed by the claim of the Chadhars of Jhang that they are the descendants of Raja Toor, that they migrated into the Punjab from Rajputana.

In 1193 AD, when Mohammad Shahabuddin Ghauri invaded India, the clan moved from Rajasthan to the Punjab. Some went to Bahawalpur, where they were converted to Islam by Pir Shershah (Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari) of Uch Sharif. From Bahawalpur, they migrated north, along the course of the Ravi River and the River Chenab, where they clashed many times with Kharal, Haral and Sial tribes over the possession of essential water resources. The Chadhars settled new lands and built new towns along the left side of the River Chenab.

Monckton recorded that "the royal clan was called Khanna -Chadhar, a caste of Muhammadans converted from Hinduism. The Khanna is a Khatri section [1]

Geographical distribution

Chadhars occupy a large area of land on the left bank of the Chenab, in the Jhang District, starting from Khiwa (along the boundaries of the Sials) to the adjoining areas of Sayyids of Rajoea Sadaat. Their main village is Tahli Mangeeni which is said to be their throne or Takht.Nialyka is also popular village of chadhar's which have only chadhar's cast in it.

The Chadhars are found in Tehsil Kamalia, districts of Jhang,Tehsil [[Bhowana in District Chiniot.Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Sheikhupura, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Lahore, Khanewal, Multan, Bhakkar, Bahawalpur, Okara and also in some parts of Sindh. There is also a village named Chadhrar near Tank, NWFP. An important Chadhar village in Sargodha District is Jalpana.Mohsin Chadhar is famous personality of Bhowana city.

Some of the Chadhars settled in the Firozpur District in the Indian Punjab and founded their villages of Chandarh near Mudki. Others settled in Nakodar near Jalandhar. Most of the Chadhar Jats moved from Ferozepur to Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Lahore. They founded many villages in the Doabs of the Chenab and the Ravi.

Welfare organization of Chadhars

Under the patronage of a leading figure of the tribe, Chaudhry Ahmed Khan Chadhar of Sargodha, an effort of organizing the tribe was started in the year 1988. At a meeting held in Lahore more than a dozen prominent chadhars gathered and decided to launch the Chadhar Welfare Association of Pakistan.Azhar yousaf chadhar donation group.

Chadhar sub clans

According to Chadhar genealogists, the caste is divided into many sub-clans, most of which are found in Jhang and Chiniot. These include:

  1. Kulla
  2. Aasi
  3. Wejhwe
  4. Wijhalke
  5. Warbhu
  6. Koli (Jat)
  7. Kaloke
  8. Jappa
  9. Gadhal
  10. Lune
  11. Sajanke
  12. Nalere (Lalere)
  13. Kangar
  14. Rajoka
  15. Kamoke (Jat)
  16. Ludyana
  17. Paroke
  18. Jatoke
  19. Deoke
  20. Moona
  21. Balarke
  22. Waroka
  23. Chookhia
  24. Wallara (Jat)
  25. Maloke
  26. Herya

There are also villages in the names of these sub-tribes, including Wijhalke, Kaloke, Chak Sajanke, Chak Loone and Mauza Wllara, on the right and left banks of the Chenab in the Chiniot tehsil of the Jhang district.

Another well known relating cast is "Gadhal". Most Gadhals live in Kandiwal, Loley Sharif and other nearby areas. Nazeer Hussain Zahid (Late) also belonged this cast. He was an inspector in ASF in Karachi. Ch. Ahmad Khan, who was a famous horse rider, living in Loley Sharif, is a Gadhal. He is a well known personality of the area.

Well known villages of Chandarhs in other areas of Punjab include Chandarh, Rajeana, Dhaaban, Awan and Rampur.

Rajputs or Jats?

Jhang Chadhars claim that they are Rajputs, while Chadhars of some areas of Punjab claim to be Jats. According to the Census of 1881, 26,404 Chadhars recorded themselves as Jats and 177,746 recorded themselves as Rajputs.

According to the Gazetteer of Jhang District (1881 - 1884), Chadhars were considered to be good farmers and rarely indulged in cattle rustling or theft (unlike their neighbours).

See also

References

  1. ^ Denzil Ibbetson, Edward MacLagan, H.A. Rose A Glossary of The Tribes & Casts of The Punjab & North-West Frontier Province, 1911, Page 418, Vol III