Burdak

Burdak is a clan of the Jat people and Bishnois.

History

Burdak is a surname of the Jat community in India, found primarily in northwest Rajasthan, which indicates membership in the Burdak Gotra. Burdak Jats are considered to be the descendants of Maharaja Bahuka,^[1] who was a Suryavanshi King, son of Vrika. Bahuka had been 33 generations earlier than Rama of Ramayana in the ancestry of Suryavansha.^[2] Burdak is an Agni kula ("Fire Born") lineage Jat clan included in Chauhans.^[3] They write Burdok in the north-east region of India.

Nanak Burdak (1259-1319)

Burdak branch of Chauhans moved from Sambhar to Ajmer to Dadrewa and finally to Sarnau. They built a fort there and settled at Sarnau located near Harsh and Jeenmata and ruled from 975 AD - 1258 AD. Sarnau was made Jagirdari of Burdaks under Raja Mahi Pal of Delhi in samvat 1032 (975 AD). Burdaks survived at Sarnau till 1258 AD when they were exterminated by Dhakas under the rule of Delhi Badashah Nasir-ud-din Mahmud (1246–1266). They grew from sole survivor Nanak Burdak (1259–1319) and spread to other parts of Rajasthan.^{[citation needed]}

According to Dr Mahendra Singh Arya and others,^[4] they are considered to be the descendants of Maharaja Wardak (वरडक). The records of Kushan ruler Huvishka (140-183 CE) have been unearthed at Wardak, to the west of Kabul.^[5]

Hathigumpha inscription is about king Kharavela at Bhubaneswar. At the same place there is one minor inscription in "Manchapuri cave inscription 'B' (Lower storey)" . This inscription has been engraved on the right wall of Veranda, to the :right of the entrance to the right-hand side chamber of the main wing, consisting of one line. This inscription is probably about a Burdak prince. The text is presented below in Devanagari script:

कुमारो वडुखस लेणं. Translation - [This is] the cave of Prince Vaḍukha.

Alexander Cunningham found a sculpture of Virudhaka at Bharhut stupa in Satna district in Madhya Pradesh.^[6] There is an inscription in a scene at Bharhut which reads as under:

Vadukokatha dohati nadode pavate - This long label inscription shows a curious scene but could not be made out by historians.^{[citation needed]}

The name "Burdak" derives from a legend of Parashurama. Upon this deity's apparent destruction of the entire Kshatriya varna, a single boy-child survived as a result of a Jat woman's hiding the boy by burying him, covering him in sand. The boy's name in Hindi, "Burdak", derives from a combination of the words "Bura" and "Dhaka", meaning "buried" and "covered", respectively. All Burdaks are said to descend from this single male.^{[citation needed]}

With the defeat of Prithiviraj Chauhan in the Second Battle of Tarain (1192) and establishment of Muslim rule in North India in the form of the Delhi Sultanate, Jats moved to the countryside and started tilling the land. As part of this Jat exodus, Burdaks moved out from Delhi with 50 horses and founded the village of Sarnau near Jeenmata in Sikar Rajasthan. All modern-day Burdaks in Rajasthan are descendants of a single child born of a Kharra Gotra woman, the sole survivor of the massacre of Burdaks by members of Dhakas Gotra in Sarnau.^{[citation needed]}

Burdak in tree protection movement

Maharaja Abhay Singh, Ruler of Marwar (Jodhpur) state wanted to fell green Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) trees at village Khejarli to burn lime for the construction of his new palace. Since, there was a lot of greenery in the Bishnoi villages even in the middle of Thar desert, they protested to protect the trees and 363 Bishnois were massacred in the process. Out of these martyrs 3 persons were from Burdak clan. This incidence is considered to be the origin of Chipko movement. It was on Tuesday 10th day of the bright fortnight of the month Bhadrapad (Indian lunar Calendar) in 1730 A.D. The brave Bishnoi lady Amrita Devi played a historical role in this incidence.

Gotra wise number of these martyrs was as under: Achara (1), Badaderi (1), Badiyani (1), Chotiya (1), Degipal (1), Dudan (1), Geela (1), Goyal (1), Janwar (1), Javalia (1), Juriya (1), Kalirani (1), Khavi (1), Khichar (1), Kupasiya (1), Lamba (1), Maal (1), Rinwa (1), Seegar (1) Tadi (1), Vaasu (1), Adeena (2), Bhadiawas (2), Bola (2), Jhangu (2), Manjhu (2), Punia (2), Thalod (2), Bhanwal (3), Burdak (3), Chahar (3), Dhatarwal (3), Potalia (3), Rahad (3), Siyol (3), Badiya (4), Dhayal (4), Isram (4), Karhwasra (4), Bhangarwas (5), Dukia (5), Khava (6), Khileri (6), Lol (6), Nain (6), Sahu (6), Sinwar (6), Dhaka (8), Dara (10), Dudi (10), Kaswan (10), Khod (10), Khokhar (10), Panwar (10), Sihag (13), Not clear (22), Jani (15), Saran (18), Babal (22), Beniwal (25),

Distribution of Burdaks in Rajasthan

Palthana, Mandeta and Gothra (Tagalan) villages in Sikar district are the main villages of Burdaks in Rajasthan. Major concentration of Burdak population is in Danta Ramgarh tahsil in Sikar district in Rajasthan. Presently there are about 400 families of Burdaks in village Gothra (Tagalan) of Sikar district which is the epicentre of all Burdaks. Many Burdak families moved from Gothra (Tagalan) village to Mandeta village in Sikar district. There are about 400 families of Burdaks in village Mandeta. Palthana village is inhabited with about 250 Burdak families, 50 families in Ghirania Bara.

Notable persons from this clan

• Hari Singh Burdak - Freedom fighter and leader of Jat movement in Shekhawati.
• Harji Ram Burdak - Politician and leader of Indian National Congress
• Narayan Singh Burdak - Politician and leader of Indian National Congress

References

External links

Look up burdak in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.