Janjua

File:SpalapatiDeva.jpg

Coin of the Shahi king Spalapati Deva, circa 750-900

Origins

The Janjua Rajput is a branch of the ancient Vedic Aryans of India belonging to the Lunar Race or Chandra Vansh. They gain descendancy primarily from Kuru clan, a descendant of the the Puru Dynasty. Arjuna, the Pandava Kshatriya hero of the Mahabharata epic is the father of this dynasty. Another famous patriarch king within this branch is Raja Janamejaya who was the great grandson of Arjuna Pandav (through his father Raja Parikshit, son of Raja Abhimanyu son of Arjun Pandav.) [1]

After the Mahabharata, this branch of the Puru/Pauravas dynasty was recognised through this ancestor, King Janamejaya, and therefore from then on was known essentially as the Janamejayan Puru Dynasty. They have also been historically been referred to as Chandravashi, the Kuru[2] Dynasty and also Purus'. Puru was the originator of this Dynasty, then later this branched out through King Kuru, a famous noble and saintly King descendant of King Bharat [3]descendant of King Puru. [4] The famed landmark in India Kurukshetra still stands today and was originally named after him. [5] [6] Likewise Hastinapur was also a ancestral home of this line, being named after King Hastin, the son of King Bharat.

The descendants of Raja Janamejaya (also known as the 'Serpent Killer' after the famous mass revenge killing of all snakes and the 'Nagas' people - people possibly of Tibetan origin who were rulers of a nearby state responsible for the assassination of his father Raja Parikshit)[7] have always been known as Janamejayan by the historians of this dynasty. Historically they have also been referred to as the Pandava Dynasty, the Pururava Dynasty and the Pauravas. (It must be noted here that although the Janjua were also Pandavas, the known Jarral Rajput, a famous powerful Rajput dynasty who ruled Rajaur for for well over 600 years were also Pandavas by origin through Nanak Rao, the brother of 'Maharaja of the Kurus' Janamejaya.[8])

A known scion of the Pandava dynasty through Janamejaya became a very well known and recognised warrior king in his time. His name was Rai Janjua Paal. He was famous for his conquests and warlike temperament. He named his branch as Janjua henceforth and this name has now since remained in his dynasty.

Other Janjua descendants include Ranial/Dhamial Rajputs, Tanoli Rajputs (also spelt Tanaulis/ Tanawalis), Pulowal Rajputs, Hind-wal Rajputs and Khakha Rajputs who are essentially the descendants of Raja Bhir Janjua, Raja Tanoli Janjua and Raja Khakha Janjua respectively. Raja Bhir, Tanoli, Khakha, Jodh and Kala are all sons of the famous Janjua chief, Raja Mal Janjua.

Famous Historical Personalities

India's famous name Bharat or Bharat-Varsh is actually named after a forefather of the Puru dynasty King Bharat. Bharat-Varsh means 'Kingdom of Bharat'.[9] The Mahabharata epic is actually a record of the internal struggle and eventual war between the Purus/Kurus. This also believed to be the world's longest poem and Raja Janamejaya is responsible for the retelling of this epic. The hero of this epic, King/Raja Arjun Pandav, was himself first cousin to the famed Lord Krishna (believed by the Hindus to be an incarnate of Lord Vishnu) and Arjun also married Lord Krishna's sister Subhadra to extend his dynasty. It is also mentioned in the Mahabhrata epic, that at one point Parikshit, the posthumous still born son of Abhimanyu (the lone son of Arjun Pandav)was saved and revived by Lord Krishna himself thus saving the sole survivor of this dynasty. The epic inspires nobility and teaches many lessons regarding chivalry and righteousness. [10]

Famous personalities of this dynasty include the Hindu Shahi rulers from Raja Jayapala Shahi onwards. He was the son of Asatapala and his rule succeeded the last Brahmin Hindu Shahi Bhimdev of the Brahmin Hindu Shahis who first established the Hindu Shahi dynasty over the Turk Shahi dynasty (the last king of which was Lagatorman who was arrested by his Brahmin army Chief Commander Lalliya) this rule was not challenged by the Brahmins and the Janjua dynasty now ruled from Ghandar (Kanadahar of Afghanistan) to Punjab India. This was later challenged by the armies of Mahmud Ghazni and 3 generations of the Shahis (another name for kings) were defeated by the Ghaznavid armies (Jayapala, Anandpala and Tirlochanpala respectively). [11] The remaining descendants were settled in Kashmir temporarily and later gained the rule of Mathura state under Raja Dhrupet Dev Janjua. He was the father of a famous Janjua Sardaar (tribal Chief) Raja Ajmal Dev Shahi Janjua, who later embraced Islam in the 12th century and conquered the Salt Ranges of Punjab to re-establish the dominion which his forefathers lost almost 2 centuries earlier to the Ghaznavids. He was then renamed Raja Mal Khan Shahi Janjua in some records in recognition of his new found faith and was the first Muslim Rajput recorded in Indian history. This conversion was done before the armies of Shahabudin Ghauri entered into the Indian Plateau to conquer. Raja Mal was himself very rebellious to the new conquerors as recorded in the Tarikh-e-Alfi of the Ghorids who described a 'Rai Mal' (Rai also another name for Raja meaning King) who excited a rebellion against them and restricted communications from their homeland to Delhi, India. There is still today a major fort in Malot, Chakwal (originalled Shahghar or Rajghar- meaning home of the Kings but was later changed to Malot in recognition of its famous King Raja Mal according to 'The last 2 Dynasties of the Sahis' by Abdur Rehman) where it is inscribed that the last Hindu Shahi emporer Raja Mal embraced Islam at this place.[12]Raja Mal was also the first ruler to begin the mining of Salt in these Salt Ranges in Kallar Kahar. [13] [14] [15] [16]

It is also believed that the Janamejayan Purus also ruled Kekaya which was widely known as the Kingdom of the Puru/Pauravas Clan and it was Raja Purushottama (a title meaning 'best of the Purus')or more popularly known in the west as King Porus who fought Alexander the Great in 326BC in resistance of his rule by the river Hydaspes (now Jhelum, Pakistan) in the battle of the Hydaspes. [17] After being defeated, he allied with Alexander in other campaigns before himself being assasinated. His valour and fighting spirit much impressed Alexander who allowed the King of the Pauravas to retain his Kingdom and more.[18]

Historically during the Mughal Period, the rule of the Janjua was recorded by the great Mughal Emporer Babur in his 'Baburnama' (chronicles) as brotherly and friendly to their subjects and therefore they were left to continue their rule with tributary status. There is a handwritten 'Parwana' (letter of gratitude) by the great Tamerlane (Amir Timur) himself to the Janjua Sultan family of Watli, NWFP Pakistan for their service to his entourage, which is still held by them to this day. This formed the foundation for the later loyal alliance between Tamerlanes later descendants the Mughal Emporers and the Janjua. Babur accepted and honoured this record and allowed the Janjua to continue their rule in the respective Kingdoms. The record was brought to him by Raja Sangur Khan and Raja Malik Hast Asad. Babur also recorded in his famous Baburnama that the Janjua were rulers from old and lawful commanders of the peoples and hordes (ulus) of the Salt Range of the country between Bhira (right bank of river Jhelum) and Nilab (river Indus). (Source Baburnama and also ' Chronicles of Early Janjuas ' by Prof. Hussain Khan.)

According to Lepel H Griffin, in his famous book 'Chiefs and Families of note in the Punjab (Lahore, 1910, ii,p254) he writes that Raja Jodh and Raja Wir/Bhir (oldest sons of Rai Mal), ' divided the country, the Maluki Dhan, between them. Jodh took the Salt Range near about the Makroch and captured the town of Makshath...He changed it's name to Makhials and built there a fort and two tanks for rain water. Wir (also spelt Bhir), the second son of Raja Mal, took the possession of Kura (also spelt Khewra) near modern Pind Dadan Khan...' The descendants of Raja Jodh had continued to rule this region through various interruptions until the age of Raja Ranjit Singh. The fort of Garjaak in Makhiala was last ruled by Raja Bagha Khan Janjua. Raja Bhir meanwhile took over Malot (Rajghar) state from his father.

A famous descendant of Raja Jodh, Raja Derwish Khan Janjua (son of Tatar Khan Janjua, grandson of Raja Sangur Khan mentioned above) had faced a threat from a Hati Khan Kayani of Domeli (a Gakhar chief) for his territory. Raja Derwish Khan defeated the Gakhar chief famously in a decisive and courageous battle causing him to flee defeated. Raja Derwish Khan also took back the territory that was taken by this chief from his father Tatar Khan, who was assasinated by the Gakhar chief in a secret midnight raid. He and his progeny were never again troubled by the Gakhars.

Raja Tanoli (also spelt Tanawali/ Tanauli) the younger son of Raja Mal founded the Tanawal state in the NWFP corner of Hazara district. The Gazetteer of North-West Frontier Province (p138) records that ' Tanawal state also known as Amb-Darband after it's twin capitals, under it's founder Raja Tanawali extended it's tentacles across the Indus to Buner in Swat and Bajaur in Dir.....It's real rulers (tanolis) are divided into two steps, the Pul-al and Hando-al or Hind-wal. The former held the tract of the Siran, it's chief founded Bir when the Mughal empire was decaying, but internal dissensions led to intervention of Kashmir. Meanwhile the Hind-wal spet had gained power and it's chief Nawab Khan defied the Durranis, but met his death at the hands of Sardar Azim Khan in 1818. His son Painda Khan, played a considerable part in the history of his timeand vigirously opposed the Sikhs, but lost his territory except the tract around Amb. On his death in 1840 his son Jahandad Khan recovered part of it through favour of Gulab Singh of Kashmir and the British Govt. Thus the present semi-independant estate comprises the territory formerly held by the Hind-wal Tanawalis. It has an area of 204 square miles, with population of (1901) of 31,622.....on the east by the Mansehra tehsil of Hazara District'. Although many Tanolis today have some confusion about their origins and some believe to be Pashtun, they are in fact Janjua and the Hind-wal family records attest to this fact.

Raja Kala Khan (the younger son of Raja Mal) became the ruler of Kahuta district in present day Pakistan. It comprises of over 60 villages of various clans including Gakhars, Minhas Rajputs and Awan Rajputs. Raja Kala Khan's descendants are in abundance in Kahuta. A Mazhar (Large Tomb) was erected on his death and his descendants commemorate every year at this Mazhar to commemorate his life. He is referred to by his descendants as 'Dada Pir Kala'.

Nature and Characteristics

By nature Janjua are still characteristically Rajanya Kshatriyas and enjoy taking part in Martial occupations from Police to Army and hold esteemed positions in these fields. The Kshatriya class are the Martial Warrior caste of the Ancient Vedic social system and live by a code of chivalry, bravery and nobility. [19] However, the majority of Janjuas today are Muslim and have no difficulty in upholding their ancestral warrior path by adopting the Islamic ideal of a Mujahid which is a strenuous and noble holy warrior path of Islam. This transition was deemed easy by their ancestors who whole heartedly embraced Islam.

Their loyalty to each other is noteworthy and admirable when one reads and hears of accounts of when the Hindu Janjua were in trouble during the conquest of Ranjit Singh's armies, the Muslim Janjuas allied with their Hindu counterparts even when defeat was inevitable by the massive enemy armies. Local accounts of Chakwal and Jhelum record their respective families fighting to save the others families and dying fighting to protect the other. Other admirable accounts exist where soldiers of India were captured in Pakistani borders, being Janjuas of Hindu and Sikh faith. When the higher ranking Janjua officers finding out this fact of common blood between them, they were treated with much respect and freed to return home. This loyalty has always surpassed faith differences and has done so historically as Hindu and Muslim Janjuas have always lived together and the above conquests were undertaken together.

Janjuas Today

Janjuas are spread throughout Punjab both in India and Pakistan. There are Sikh, Muslim and Hindu Janjuas, the majority of Muslim Janjuas are in Pakistan and serve in the Pakistani Military in large numbers. They have spread into Potwar region of Northern Punjab in Pakistan (due to displacement during the Sikh wars), Mansehra, Hazara and also Rawalpindi with Jhelum holding primarily the largest numbers. They hold influential positions in both the Pakistani Govt. and army. The Janjua today are a proud martial Clan which continues it's martial tradition still to this day. They are hard working ambitious and loyal by nature and their sense of honour is characterised perfectly by the epic Mahabharata which is infact a story of their stand against injustice and sanctity of what was rightfully theirs.

A noteworthy point here is that many Janjua Rajputs have different suffixes/titles with their name depending on which area they are from. Many Hindu Janjuas use the title of 'Kunwar' with their names. Whereas Punjabi Muslim Janjuas use the title 'Rai' and 'Raja' with their names in recognition of their royal lineage and is mainly used by Jodh, Bhir and Kala descendants. Sikh Janjuas will simply use the surname Janjua and may not use the titles of Kunwar or Rai/Raja.

Notable Janjuas

Famous Generals of the Pakistani army Raja Asif Nawaz Khan Janjua and General Tikka Khan were both Janjuas. General Iftikhar Janjua, the hero of Runn Kutch who is known as the only General to have died on the front line is another noteworthy Janjua.

Mr. Muhammad Tariq Janjua Federal Secretary for Minorities, Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs (Pakistan) is also another Janjua who is currently involved in Pakistani Govt.

The famous politician Raja Zafar-ul-haq who is the Chairman of Pakistan Muslim League Party is a Janjua from Raja Kala Khan.

His excellency, Brigadier (retd) Amir Gulistan Janjua who was the Governor of the North Western Frontier Province and also Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE, Nepal and Saudia Arabia is a famous and very influential Janjua with a strong back ground in the Pakistani armed forces. [20][21]

A recent pro boxing lightweight sensation Amir Khan of the UK is also a Janjua from Raja Kala Khan.

The famous poet from Village Nambal in Kahuta district Rawalpindi Raja Mohammad Ibrahim is a Janjua from Raja Bhir Khan.

Yasin Janjua rising Pakistani economist contributed a background paper and chapter to 2002 report on Human Development in South Asia: Agriculture and Human development produced by Human Development Centre (HDC) Islamabad, Pakistan and Published by Oxford University Press.

The main character Munir of Chaman Nahal's (India) book Azadi (published 1979) is based on the fictionalised life of L.D. Janjua who later retired as Additional Joint Secretary, Establishment Division of the Government of Pakistan.

Books

Chronicles of Early Janjuas by Hussain Khan is the one of the best reference book on this topic. It is a paperback book with 52 pages. The publisher is iUniverse (June, 2003) and the ISBN is 059528096X.

See also

• Muslim Rajputs
• History of Rajputs
• Raja

External links

• Salt Range Temples, Pakistan
• Rajputs of Pakistan