Bodla
Bodla is a surname of a Muslim family which is mostly living in various parts of Pakistan.
The Bodla are a clan of the Shaikh Siddiqui, found in Punjab, Pakistan.
History and origin
The Bodla are found in the lower and middle Sutlej valley in Pakistan. They were at one time an entirely pastoral tribe, and are said to have come from Multan through OKARA to Sahiwal.[1] They claim to have originally settled in Multan, at the time of Bahuaudin Zakariya, also a Qureshi by tribe) the famous Sufi saint. From Sahiwal, the Bodla spread to Sirsa, where they occupied the Bahak parganna, as a jagir.[2] Historically, they were found in Firozpur and Sirsa districts in modern day Indian Punjab and Haryana. In what became Pakistani territory, they were found in Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Dipalpur and Vehari Shuja Abad, Multan,Nagpal, Bahawalpur Bahawalnagar districts and Jaranwala Road in Mandi Faiz Abad. The Bodlas of the Punjab in India and Haryana moved to Pakistan, at the time of the partition of India. Now in the Modern day Bodla are not specified in any specific area.
According to some traditions, they had the power of curing disease by exorcism, dog bite and especially snake bites and hydrophobia. Their power of curing snake bites is associated with a historic fact. When the Prophet, and his companion Abu Bakar left Makkah, for Madinah, they concealed themselves in a cave. Abu Bakar(RA) is said to have torn his turban into rags and closed the holes with the pieces. One hole he stopped with his toe, and it was bitten by a snake. When the Prophet learned what had occurred, he cured it by applying his saliva on to the wound. There is this tradition among the Shaikh Siddiqui, as Bodlas are from the family of Hazrat Abu Bakar(RA)that they have the power to cure snakebite.[3]
Notable people
- Pir Aslam Bodla, Mianchannu, politician
- Saeed Ahmad Bodla, artist and calligrapher