Mahton or Mehton is a caste. They were enlisted as "Rajput Mahta Sikh" by the British in 1892. Mahtam is also another separate caste, the two castes are distinct [1]
In Kapurthala Mahton tradition is that of the Mahton's Raja Jai Singh Sawai had two sons, of whom one, Raja Jagna having quarrelled with his father came to Punjab and founded Banga in Jalandhar and Bajaura in Hoshiarpur, Panchhat in Kapurthala being subsequently founded by five of his descendants, while Mahia his eldest son founded Mayopati in these parts. The shrine of Mahton ancestor in Banga was built by rocks from Dharanagri.
The tradition in Adampur says that two brothers Ratiji and Matiji came from Shakargarh to Bajaura, where the Brahmins invoked their aid against the Muslims. The latter were defeated in a desperate encounter near Jalandhar. Matiji was slain but Ratiji founded five villages.
Similarly from Sailkot came Mian Mota, who first settled in Jaswan-Kopti near Gurdaspur and then in Rajpur near Hoshiarpur, whence he founded Narur in Kapurthala, naming it after the elder of his two sons Nar Chand and Zahir Chand .
On the other Thakkarwal (also called Randhirgarh) in Hoshiarpur was founded by an ancestor from Kasur and thence a village of a samename was founded in Phagwara tahsil of Kapurthala . At one period Mahtons also appear to have been settled in the Bit Manaswal plateau in Hoshiarpur Shiwaliks from where they left when the Rana's occupied it.
Religion - Originally Hindus, most Matons have adopted Sikhism, in one form or another, and a certain number have accepted Islam.
H.A.Rose after writing about Mahtams said - At the same time I should note that the MAHTON of Hoshiarpur and the neighborhood appear to hold a much higher social position than the MAHTAMS of Sutlej, and it may be that the two are really distinct. The Mahton of Hoshiarpur are of good Rajput blood, though they have lost their caste by taking to ploughing and practicing widow remarriage but their social standing is not much below the Rajputs. The name is derived from Mahta, which is a title of honour among the Rajputs. The late Mr. A.Anderson also gave the Hoshiarpur Mahtons high social standing.