Bal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Bal (disambiguation).
The Bal (Hindi: बल) (Urdu: بعل) surname, of differing origins, is common among several communities.
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[edit] History and origin
Bals are descendents of Indo-Aryan tribes. According to the Mahabharata (Chapter -Adi Parva) they are the descendents of Bhagat Prahlada's grandson Raja Bali (Mahabali).[1][2]
[edit] Distribution in India
- Several people belonging to this Jat gotra can be found in Haryana. In Punjab the gotra can be found in the district of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala.
- An village of Bal's can also be found near Ajeetpur, Uttrakhand. According to them they moved from Amritsar around the time of partition.
- People belong to this gotra can also be found in Maharashtra. They trace back their origins to the village of Ladghar which is located in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.[3]
- The Bal gotra can also be found in Northern Kashmir [4]
- People having 'Bal' surname are also found in Orissa. They belong to Kshatriya community and mostly found in coastal belt of Orissa like Kendrapara,Jajpur,Cuttack, Bhadrak etcs.
[edit] Distribution in Pakistan
- Bal is one of the largest Jat tribe, found throughout the central districts of Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, and Okara.
- Many have also settled in the canal colony districts of Faisalabad, Sahiwal and Sargodha.
- Prior to partition, Muslim Bal were also found in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala.
[edit] Distribution elsewhere
The Arabic derived surname is also found in Afghanistan and Turkey.
[edit] Prominent Bals
- Bülent Bal, Turkish footballer
- Davinder Singh Bal, British-Indian entrepreneur and owner of The Sikh Channel
- Duygu Bal, Turkish volleyball player
- Harigopal Bal, Bengali revolutionary
- Jagmeet Bal, Indian music video director
- Nanda Kishore Bal, Indian poet
- Rohit Bal, Indian fashion designer
- Sambit Bal, Indian journalist
- Vidya Bal, Indian writer/editor and social activist
[edit] Random facts
- Bal is derived from a Sanskrit word bala meaning strength
- In Turkish Bal means honey
- In Marathi Bal means a baby with a full head of hair
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ H. A. Rose:Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province Vol III, 1911.
- ^ Dr Mahendra Singh Arya, Dharmpal Singh Dudi, Kishan Singh Faujdar & Vijendra Singh Narwar: Adhunik Jat Itihasa (The modern history of Jats), Agra 1998
- ^ http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=39&p=surnames.bal
- ^ http://kauls.net/surnames/Bal.htm
