Datt
Datt or Dutt is a famous Brahmin clan from the Punjab. They are one of the seven clans of the Mohyals who are Saraswat Brahmins of the Punjab. The six other clans are Bali, Bhimwal, Chhibber, Lau, Mohan and Vaid. Most Datts are Hindus, but like most Mohyals, many follow Sikhism and other religions as well.
Gotra
Datts claim descent from Rishi Bharadwaja and derive their gotra from his name. Some consider Gaj Bhavan, the grandson of Bharadwaj to be the real founder of their clan.
Etymology
The word Datt is derived from the Hindi word daata meaning a charitable person. Some interpreted it as a corruption of the word Aditya which means 'sun' in Sanskrit. There is a surname Datta amongst Bengali Kayasthas, and are not considered Mohyal Brahmins. Traditionally Mohyals of the Datt Clan have the last name 'Datt', whilst the name 'Dutt' is considered to be a closely related derivative of 'Datt'.
Chief Datt and Alexander the Great
The origin of the Datts is also traced to a chieftain named 'Datt' who accompanied Alexander the Great as an envoy of Porus. However on the way, Alexander fell seriously ill and died at Babylon. Datt along with his followers drifted to Arabia and settled at Harya Bunder. With the passage of time, there emerged a viable community of Datts in Arabia and in the subsequent era, they became rulers of small dominions in that country.
Rahib Datt and Imam Hussain
At the time of the war at Karbala, fought in 681 AD, which led to a schism amongst the Muslim community into Sunnis and Shias, Rahib Sidh Datt was a highly esteemed figure of Arabia due to his close relations with the family of Mohammed. When Ali ibn Abu Talib, the fourth Caliph and son-in-law of Muhammad was murdered, his younger son, Hussain, came out to oppose the new Caliph,Yazid ibn Muawiyah. The vastly superior forces of Yazid, at Karbala surrounded his force consisting of two hundred men. In the war, when no Muslim king came to his help, Rahib fought on the side of Hussain and sacrificed his seven sons in the bloody war. Hussain was fatally wounded by Shamer, the commander of Yazid, and died of thirst in the desert on the tenth day of Muharram (Today observed as the Day of Ashura). Rahib chased the murderers as they ran with the severed head of Hussain, up to Kufa. Later, the head was carried to Damascus and finally buried with the rest of the body at Karbala. The Shia disciples of Imam Hussain and the valiant Datts did not lay down their arms till they saw the end of Yazid who could rule for just forty days. Later on, when an orgy of vendetta was let loose on the Shias and the followers of Rahib, the latter who was already overwhelmed with grief due to the slaughter of his seven sons, left Arabia in 728 AD and migrated to Afghanistan via Iran and Turkistan.
Shiv Datt and Pir Wahun
The kith and kin of Rahib on their arrival in India, were received with great hospitality by the native Mohyals. After wandering over places, they settled near Nankana Sahib in the district of Sheikhupura in present-day Pakistan. It was here that in the closing decades of the tenth centuty an interesting incident took place involving a Pir called Wahun - a trickster chess player, and Shiv Datt - the chief of the Datts. Wahun was known for his knack of invariably winning the games. According to a bet fixed by him, the loser would either pay the price with his head or embrace Islam. In this way, he converted a large number of Hindus to the Muslim faith until he met his match in Shiv Datt. He challenged the Pir to a game of chess and defeated him three times in a row, thereby claiming the heads of his wife and two sons as per the stakes. However out of sheer magnanimity, Shiv Datt pardoned their life. When Wahun came to know that one of the ancestors of Shiv Datt had sacrificed his seven sons for the sake of Muhammad in the battle of Karbala, he took a solemn vow that in the future he would never convert any Hindu by coercion to Islam. It was on this occasion that the Pir echoed the famous words: Wah Datt Sultan, Hindu ka Dharam Musalman ka Iman(Hail, O King Datt for Thou are endowed with the Dharma of the Hindu and the Iman of the Muslim).
The Datts and Mahmud Ghaznavi
After some time, Shiv Datt along with a long number of followers left Nankana Sahib and moved to Dipalpur, where they lived in peace and harmony until Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked Dipalpur in 1001 AD and uprooted them from there. The Datts migrated to the Shahi kingdom of Raja Anandpal in Lahore. When Anandpal and his successor passed away, Mahmud Ghaznavi captured Lahore.
The Mughal Period: The Massacre of Paniad
For almost five centuries, the Datts led a maverick life. It was in 1527 AD, during the reign of the Mughal emperor Babar, that Rai Pun Dewan, who was an offspring of Shiv Datt, defeated and killed Rai Meen, and after capturing the territory of Pathankot, founded his capital at Paniad, situated between Gurdaspur and Dina Nagar.
Provoked by this daring victory of Rai Pun, Babar incited the governor of Lahore to attack Puniad and provided him with the troops of royal army. The governor had his own grouse against the Datts as he had fallen in love with a Marwah girl and wanted to marry her but she had sought the protection of the Datts. A large force was deployed to attack Puniad, but they were thrice repulsed and routed by the Datt defenders. Ultimately, due to the trechory of a cook who had been bribed by the invaders, the whole Datt garrison was caught unawares. They were taking meals on a cotton field and were completely unarmed when the army swooped on them. In the ensuing battle, the men were slaughtered while the women committed Sati.
In this tragic war, the Datt clan was annihilated to the last man. Only two infant boys named Shah Swarup and Dholan, escaped because they had gone to live with their maternal grandparents at Samba near Jammu.The horrible episode of Paniad so touched the suscepibilities of the Datts that their future generations never touched any food at Paniad, nor spent a night there. As the carnage took place on a Thursday, that day of the week is considered inauspicious by the Datts and they do not wash clothes or start any new project on that day.
When Babar’s son Humayun fell mortally ill in 1530 and the physicians declared him beyond cure, astrologers were summoned to the royal court. They unanimously declared that the prince was under a curse of retribution due to the bloodshed of the Datts of Paniad and his life could only be saved by propitiating the surviving members of the exterminated clan for divine mercy. After a long search, Shah Sarup and Dholan, were traced at Samba. They were brought to the presence of the dying Humayun and implored to pray for his life. In return, they were offered the gift of land covered by their running horses in a period of twenty-four hours. Shah Swarup got thirteen villages in the district of Gurdaspur while Dholan received some villages in the district of Sialkot. In course of time, Kanjrur and Zaffarwal became strongholds of the Datts.
True to the prediction of the fortune tellers, Humayun's life was also saved.
Mai Karmo
Like the Marathas who had Rani Lakshmi Bai, the Mohyals too had their heroine in Karmu Mai Dattani. Shortly before the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1783-1839), Jai Singh was the head of the Kanhaiya Misl in Amritsar. The Misls were later consolidated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh into the army of the Sikh Kingdom of the Punjab, when he became the Maharja of the province after capturing Lahore in 1799. Jai Singh appointed Mai Karmo as the chief of the Katra branch of the Kanhaiya Misl. The intrepid lady held her court in the open, in a jostling market square in Amritsar which is known by her name till today: Karmo Ki Deod. She was a terror to local ruffians and used to administer justice without any fear or favour. She once took part in a battle wearing the coat of arms. The seal of her high office is believed to be still in the possession of her progeny.
Famous Datts/Dutts
- Sunil Dutt
- Nargis
- Sanjay Dutt
- Barkha Dutt
- Kamla Dutt
- Nirupama Dutt
- Vikas Datt
References