Gill clan
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| Jat Clan: Gill | |
| Distribution | Mostly in Patiala District, Ludhiana District , Barnala District, Moga District, Ferozepur District, Amritsar District, Ganganagar District |
| Religion |  Sikhism and Islam |
| Languages | Punjabi, Urdu, English |
Gill is a gotra/surname of the Jat ethnicity found in Punjab. Though, to westerners, Gill seems like a familiar given name (derived from versions of William), the Gill surname does not have the same etymological origins. "Gill" stands out to be one of the most popular surnames of the Jat race, with population of Gills being resided in all districts of Punjab. Many Gills also use the surname Shergill as the Shergills have descended from the Gill clan of Jats.
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[edit] South Asia
Gill (Gurmukhi: ਗਿੱਲ), (Punjabi: ਗਿੱਲ,Urdu: گيل)is a tribe of the Jat clan found in the Punjab region straddling eastern Pakistan and north western India. It is considered to be one of the largest Jat tribes. In the 1881 British Punjab Census, there were 124,172 Gills.[1] The Gill clan is mainly found in the Malwa area, certain villages in Doaba, and some parts of the Majha belt.there are 22 villages of Gills in Mahilpur some famous village like Chella,kharar achrowal,mekhsuspor etc.most Gills of this area they setteld in abroad.
[edit] Gills in Punjab
The Gills lived along the Satluj and Beas rivers, and further in the foothills up to Sialkot. Gills and Dhaliwals are also settled in the Jagdev Kalan village in district Amritsar in Majha.
GillS around Moga, Ferozpur are one of the two most prominent clans of the Punjab, the other being the Sidhus .
It is historically noted that the Shergill was born to a Jat Rani of Ragho Vanshi (family)Raja Pithipal, who ruled Ferozepore around 12-13 centuries. One of his descenant Moga came to be known as Moga Btaalia (42). Reason being that his descent had established 42 villages around the city of Moga.
During the early 1720s writer's maternal ascendants had left the village of Gill near Moga for mahja to take part in the up-rise of Khalasa Raj, after the partition of 1947 came back to settle again in the Moga area.
[edit] Religion
[edit] Sikh Gills
Most Gills converted to Sikhism during the period of the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Har Gobind. The Gills of this region are famous for their courage, honesty and bravery. The Gills also sided with him in the "Battle of Mehraj". The descendants of Shergill, one of the eight sons of the Great Gillpal, settled in the Zira area located in Malwa, and gave rise to the elite Shergill (i.e. Singh Gill) Jat clan of the Punjab.
The Rulers/Maharajas of the Nishanwalia Misl, Sukha Singh and Mehar Singh were Shergills. The Majithia Rulers/Maharajas of Majha were also Shergills.
Some Gills had settled in Assam in 1505 during the time of Guru Nanak Dev.
[edit] Muslim
Muslim Gills are found throughout the central districts of Punjab, Pakistan. According to the Census of India 1911, there were 18,390 Gills of the Muslim faith. They were concenterated in Lahore, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Gujranwala, Sahiwal and Sialkot districts. Muslim Gills had also became settled in the Canal colony districts of Shahpur, Lyalpur and Montgomery. Most Gills were converted in to two periods, the Majha Gills converted during the time of the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th Century, while the Sialkot Gills converted during the rule of Aurangzeb.Gills are also found in hoshiarpur district of punjab such as makhsuspur, chella , ispur and pandori.
[edit] Gill today
[edit] India
As most Gills originated from areas in what is now Pakistan, small pockets of non-Muslim Gills who left at the time of independence can be found near the border in North Western India. Today, most Gills are settled in the Malwa and Majha regions of the state of Punjab in India. There are forty villages of Gills in the Jagraon area of Ludhiana. The famous Majithia Sirdars (families) of Amritsar district are in fact Shergills. Many have also emigrated to various countries.
The newly formed district of Tarn Taran in Malwa contains many villages of Gills, such as Dhotian and Pheloke. There is also one village Rohtak.
[edit] Pakistan
Gills are found throughout central Punjab, with several villages near the city of Lahore.
In the former canal colony areas of Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Khanewal, they form an important element in the Jat population. There are also old established communities in Gujranwala and Sialkot in the northern end of the Rachna Doab.
Sher in Persian means 'Lion' or 'Tiger'
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ History of the Jatt Clans - H.S Duleh.
