Malhi

The Malhi is a Jat gotra from Punjab region of India and Pakistan. The Malhi are Hindus and Sikhs in India while Muslims in Pakistan. Earlier based in the region around Sialkot (now in West Punjab, Pakistan), the Malhis were often wealthy landlords living in North-East Punjab.

History

Malhis once controlled the city of Multan, its surrounding areas and parts of the Malwa region of Rajasthan. Their influence had dwindled to control only of Multan by the time that Alexander the Great arrived. He laid siege on the city after the Malhi refused his demand of unconditional surrender in return for their lives and birthrights, The siege was prolonged and bloody, ending in defeat for the Malhi and massacre of the city's inhabitants.^[1] After this battle Alexander's army refused to march deeper into the Indian subcontinent and headed toward Persia. A common theory is that an arrow injury sustained during the siege by Alexander later led to his death.^{[citation needed]}

After the defeat inflicted by Alexander, the Malhi numbers shrank significantly and the Malhi lost control over all their previous territories and faded from history and appeared very infrequently in recorded history. As the rivers in the Multan region began to dry up, the Malhi moved eastward for more fertile land and arrived in North-East Punjab like many other Jats. In the reign of Shahjahan, Rai Jani (being converted to Islam, called Muhammad Jani), an ancestor of the Badhomalhi family and a descendent of Baddo facilitating a large portion of Malhi to convert to Islam, and in turn were granted a Jagir by Shahjahan. This Jagir extended from Eminabad(Gujranwala district) to Naurangabad (tehsil Raya).^[2]

References

1. ↑ Rama Shankar Tripathi. History of Ancient India. 
2. ↑ Hukum Singh Panwar (Pauria). The Jats: Their Origin, Antiquity and Migrations.