Harni

The Harni are a Muslim community found in the province of Punjab, Pakistan.^[1]

Origin

Historically, the Harni were found in what is now Indian Punjab, in particular on the districts of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Hoshiarpur. In Jalandhar District, the Harni were found in the villages of Mari Harnian and Sadachak. According to their traditions, the Harni are descended from Najaf Khan, a Pathan, who with his eight sons accompanied Mahmud of Ghazna on his attacks on India. The sons took Hindu Rajput wives, and as such became part of the Rajput community. Their initial settlement was in Bikaner in Rajasthan, and from their they spread to Bhatner and Uch. Famine drove the Harni from Rajasthan to Kapurthala, where they were granted land by the Bhatti Nawabs. With the rise of Ahluwalia Sikhs, the harni were expelled from Kapurthala and settled in Jallandhar and Ludhiana. The word Harni is derived from the word Hindi heri meaning a huntsman, which was their traditional occupation. In the Colonial period, Harni were listed under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, as being a tribe "addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences."^[2]

The Harni are further divided into clans, called gots derived from the Sanskrit word gotra meaning clan. There main gots are the Bhatti Sejpal, Bhatti Bharipal, Bhatti Rahmasurke, Bhatti Rahdir, Naru, Dhadda, Bhanas, Chauhan, Walha, Sangri, Mori, Jitang, Tur, Mandanar, Pawanr, Ladhar, Padhasr and Shadiwal. Historically, the gots were important, as marriages were forbidden within the clan, but this is no longer the case. There customs are similar to other Punjabi Muslims, and the Harni are now found mainly in Faisalabad and Gujranwala district of Pakistani Punjab. They are entirely Sunni, and were historically cultivators.^[3]

References