Khokhar

The Khokhar or Khokar (Urdu: کھوکھر ) are the people of Pakistan and India, they are the Rajput/gotra of Rajput and Jat/Jaat. In Pakistan they are predominately Muslim and one of the largest Rajput clans in Punjab, they are also commonly found in Azad Kashmir. In India, where they are predominately Hindu or Sikh, they are mainly found in the Indian states of Punjab,haryana,rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Khokhars are mainly found among Muslims and Christians, Hindus and Sikhs. Before partition of British India, many Muslim Khokhar were found in the Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Jallandhar districts of East Punjab, most of these emigrated to West Punjab, now Pakistani Punjab, after the partition in 1947. In central Punjab, they were and are still found in Lahore, Gujranwala, Kasur, Sialkot and Gujrat districts. Hindu and Sikh Khokhars of India can be found in (Batala,Chandigarh,gurdaspur,ropar,patiala,fatehgarh sahib), Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat, many Hindu and Sikh Khokhars moved from Pakistan to India after independence.

Origins

Hindu and Sikh Khokhar trace their ancestry to Kshatriya origins. The common surname between Hindu and Muslim Khokhar is indicative also of a common north Indian Aryan ancestry. The Khokhars are Chandrabansi

' The origins of the Khokhars are as obscure as those of any Punjab tribe. Tradition appears to invariably to connect them with the Awans , making Khokhar one of Qutb Shah s sons and the Khokhar Qutb Shahis his descendants , who would thus be akin to the Juhans also . But this pedigree probably merely records the fact that the Awans and Khokhars owe their conversion to Islam to the saint Qutb Shah or his desciples , or that they both accepted his teachings

'That the Khokhars were originally Hindus appears hardly open to question .The Khokhars in Jhelum say they used to keep up certain Hindu customs and had parohits who were Datts, until recent times , but that this is no longer the case .They do not know whether they are connected with other Khokhars of the Punjab.

The Mohyal of whom the Datts are a sub clan were also purohits of the Khokhran in earlier times however

the Muhial having ceased to be Brahmans at all , no longer minister to the Khokharan-Khatris and so a special group of Khokharan-Brahmins has had to be formed . .

The Mohyal Brahmins associated to the Khokhars and Khokhran have a long history of not following the priesthood occupation that was usually associated with Brahmins in the past .

From the 1882 census

A quote from p. 97 in the Book A Glossary of the Tribes and castes of the Punjab and North -West Frontier Province compiled by H. A. Rose and based on the Census Report for the Punjab 1883, by Sir Denzil Ibbetson, and the census report for the Punjab 1892 by Sir Edward Maclagan. Published By the Asian Educational Services .

:"On the other hand in Shahpur the Bhat are divided into Bunjahis and Khokhars, the latter suggesting the Khokhrain group of the Khatris thus

Section of Khokhars - Gotra

Sigarre ------------ Kushab

Nadhipotre ---------- Bhardwaj

Apat -------------- Balash

Jain --------------- Vashisht" ,

Khokhars attacked by Balban

In 1246-7 Balban mounted an expedition as far as the Salt Range to chastise the Khokhars

Khokhar Khokhran and Ala-ud-din Khilji

"The Khokhran section is said to consist of the descendants of certain Khatris who joined the Khokhars in rebellion (against Ala-ud-din Khilji who ascended the throne of the Delhi Sultanate in AD 1296.);and with whom other Khatri families were afraid to intermarry ". The Khokhran were concentrated in the areas of the salt range and particularly Bhera

Khokhars attacked by Tamerlane

Apart from the recordings of Amir Khusrau (1253-1325),who refers to Khokhars as a non-Muslim tribe , and the way they were constantly attacked and killed by sultans like Iltutmish and Balban supports Khusrau’s contention that they were Hindus .

Then again

'In 1397 came Tamerlane himself , whose troops occupied Uch and Multan , sacked Tulamba , raided the Khokhars of the Ravi Valley and passed on across the Bias to Pakpattan and Delhi

'In Meantime Tamerlane marching from the north encamped outside Tulamba(October 13th , 1398).After chastising some zamindars in the neighourhood and seizing a large number of cattle he passed on leaving the fort uncaptured .He then halted at Jal (or may be at a 'chal'or lake on the Bias 'opposite Shahpur 'from which he marched out with a flying column to chastise Nusrat Khokhar who was encamped in swampy ground on the bank of the lake . The 'unsanctified Indians 'being defeated and the 'god forsaken being slain , the army moved to Shahnawaz ..

Malik

Malik is a title found among Khokhars and Khokhran

There are Khatri families in Multan which are addressed as Malik or Raizada .
Among Muhammadans the term Malik is applied to the chief men among the Khokhars .

Shaikha Khokhar

Shaikha or Shuja Khokhar was a chief of the Khokhars in the 13th century and contemporary of Taimur's (invasions into Punjab) . Shaikha is the usual form of his name

Geographical distribution

Khokhars are mainly found in the Punjab region. In Punjab areas(Batala, Chandigarh,gurdaspur,ropar,fatehgarh sahib), in Pakistan Khokars belonged to regions of Khanewal, Mianwali, Shahpur, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Bhera, Chiniot ,Gujrat, Gujar Khan,Sukkur and adjoining areas similar to areas where an ancient Hindu tribe, the Khokhran belonged.
khokhars are based also in Kashmir including mirpur. Khokhar are now based all around the world.

Lineage

See also

• List of Jat Clans of West Punjab
• Rajput
• Muslim Rajput

Digital South Asia Library

References