Dogar

Dogar (Urdu: ڈوگر) is a Muslim, Punjabi tribe in the Punjab region of Pakistan. It is also used as a family name. A minuscule number of unrelated Sikh and Hindu in Haryana and Indian Punjab also use the surname Dogar. Dogars are also found in the Bulandshahr District of Uttar Pradesh state in North India. Like the Punjab Dogars, they are Muslim.

Ethnography

The Dogars (distinct from the Dogra of Jammu and Kashmir) are an agricultural tribe of Central Punjab. They are overwhelmingly Muslim whereas the Dogras of Jammu are overwhelmingly Hindu and have distinct rituals customs and language which are not shared. The two groups are unrelated but they are often confused with one another because of their similar sounding name and their similar martial tradition. Additionally, the Dogras of Jammu and Kashmir, are named after the area Duggar which they inhabit whereas the Dogars of Punjab have never been to that area in their known history.

The Dogars were generally agricultural people settled along the riversides in Punjab (see Ibbetson, Denzil; A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883; Nirmal Publishers and Distributors (1997)).

In the above referenced Ibbetson book, the author quotes Sir Henry Lawrence who said of the Dogars:

they are tall, handsome, and sinewy, and are remarkable for having, almost without exception, large acquiline(sic) noses; they are fanciful and violent, and tenacious of what they consider their rights, though susceptible to kindness, and not wanting in courage; they appear to have been always troublesome subjects, and too fond of their own free mode of life to willingly take service as soldiers.

84% of the total population of this tribe was residing in the areas which are now part of India e.g. Amritsar District, Gurdaspur District, Jalandhar District, Ludhiana District, Hoshiarpur District, Ambala District, Karnal District, Kapurthala State, Malerkotla State, Nabha State, Jind State, Kalsia State, Patiala State, Faridkot State, Ferozepur District.

16% of the population was residing in the areas which are now part of Pakistan e.g. Sialkot District, Gujranwala District, Sheikhupura District, Lahore District, Kasur District, Sahiwal District, Okara District, Pakpattan District, Faisalabd District. However, the larger part of this population was from Ferozpur, Patiala and Hoshiarpur Districts. Most of the Dogars of Gujranwala came from Ferozepur approximately 2 centuries ago while almost all 14 local villages (prior to 47) of the Dogar tribe in Sialkot District. Thehsil Pasrur, migrated from east Punjab: Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur. For example,Zohaib Ahmed Dogar from chak # 232 R.B baway wala Faisalabad(Grand son of Subedaar Abdul ghani)(Abdul Ghani was the subedar in India before partition) , Mr.Rao Dogar ,sub cast Mandar, the founder of village Kot Roy Dogran, Tehsil Pasrur District Sialkot, came from the village VALLAH VEHRKA near Amritsar city (now in India ), approximately three centuries ago.

Dogars who migrated in 1947 settled in the areas of Faisalabad, Kasur, Sahiwal, Sheikhupura and Burewala. While most of the Ferozepur Dogars settled in Sahiwal (Montgomery), the Dogars from Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur migrated to Faisalabad (Lyallpur), Burewala, Sialkot and Chichawatni.

As a social class, the Dogars are viewed as farmers, (zamindars) on par with the Jatts and Rajputs - depending on the region.

There is no credible reference or evidence linking Dogar tribes to Bhatti tribe or Bhatti caste system. Bhattis, however, time and again try to link their ancestors to the Dogar tribe.

One of the clan of Dogars is 'Naughajiya Dogar', derived from Nau(9) Ghaza(yards), meaning '9 yards', implying tall Dogars. This Dogar clan lays claim to 9 yard graves found all over South Asia, as the graves of their ancestors. Average height of Noghia male Dogars is still above six feet.

Origins

There are several theories regarding the origins of Dogars. Some have claimed a Rajput origin (disputed by Denzil Ibbetson based upon the Semitic Dogar features). Others have claimed a Kashmiri origin. An alternative theory is a Turko-Kurdish origin based on the emigration of a scion of Oghuz Han, known as the Döğer. In Turkey one of the towns named after their re-settlement from Central Asia is also written as Doker, Duger, Döker and Düğer.

'The Dogars of the Punjab are found in the upper valley of the Sutlej and Beas above the lower border of the Lahore district , and have also spread westwards along the foot of the hills into Sialkot. There are also considerable colonies of them an Hissar and Karnal . The Dogars of Ferozpur , where they hold the riverside almost exclusively from 20 miles above the headquarters of that district, were thus described by Mr Brandeth :-
" In my account of the Ferozepur ilaqaI have already alluded to the Dogars , who are supposed to be converted Chauhan* Rajputs from the neighbourhood of Delhi . They migrated first to the neighbourhood of Pak Pattan , whence they spread gradually along the banks of the Satluj and entered Ferozpur district 100 years ago .

'*Francis (Ferozpur Gazetteer 1888-9 pp 15-16) gives a full account of the Dogar history in that district and on p56 he says that the Dogar claim to be Punwar as well as Chauhan , and are probably a section of the Bhatti tribe and closely allied to the Naipal . The Manj traditions say that the Dogars are descended from Lumra (fox?)who , like Naipal was one of Rana Bhuti's 24 sons . They thrust aside the Wattus to the West and the Naipals to the east and probably subdued the Machhis, Mallas and other inferior tribes , assuming the position of social superiors rather than of actual cultivators , and affecting the title Sirdar .

'The Ferozepur Dogars are all descended from a common ancestor named Bahlol, but they are called Mahu Dogars, from Mahu the grandfather of Bahlol. Bahlol had three sons **, Bambu Langar and Sammu . The Dogars of Ferozpur and Mullanwala are the descendants of Bambu; those of Khai the descendants of Langar; the descendants of Sammu live in Kasur. There are many other sub-castes of the Dogars in other districts along the banks of the Satluj, as the Parchats, the Topuras, the Chopuras etc . The Chopura Dogars occupy Mamdot ***.

Other Dogar clans of pre-partition Amritsar were Badhar Benaich Chani Chohar Dalel

Other sub-clans of the Dogar tribe include "Mattar, China, Tagra, Mahu, Chokra"

Excerpt from Heer Waris Shah

In literature, Dogars were mentioned in the 18th century Punjabi epic Heer Ranjha by Waris Shah in the scene where Heer praises Ranjah to her father:

And Heer replied subtly, ‘My father, he is as learned as Solomon, and he can shave the very beard of Plato. He has cunning to trace out thefts and he speaks with wisdom in the assembly of the elders. He can decide thousands of disputes and he is as learned in wisdom as the Dogar Jats.'

Patiala State

Patiala State was established by Muslim Dogars and Sidhu Sikh Jats.

Patiala state was established by two friends, Ala Sing Sidhu, a Sikh Jat, and Lakhna Dogar, a Muslim, in about 1721. Initially, they captured 24 villages and then enhanced further by conquering more and more adjacent areas. From the beginning of Patiala State until 1857, the Raja used to be a Sikh, from the family of Ala Sing Sidhu and the Army Commander , a Muslim, from the family of Lakhna Dogar--most likely because of an oral understanding and agreement of the two founders.

The reknown commanders (Sipah Salar) of Patiala State, from Lakhna Dogar's family were: Lakhna Dogar, Sadar Deen Dogar, Shaira Dogar, Kaima Dogar, Saida Dogar, Karim-Buksh Dogar and Kala Dogar,who was commander-in-chief of patiala in sihk-English war foough at Mudhki.

The residence of the Lakhna family was Daska town in Patiala State. In 1947 all of the Lakhna Dogar family, suffering heavy casualties, migrated to Pakistan. The Sardar Shakir Dogar family settled in Muzaffar Gharh. The Sardar Makhdoom Dogar family (ex-MPA and sitting MNA Irfan Dogar) settled in village Kakar Gill near Khankah Dogran, Shiehkupura

Dogar in India

Bulandshahr District UP

In addition to the Dogars of Punjab, a small community of Muslim Dogars are also found in the Bulandshahr District of Uttar Pradesh. They emigrated from the Sirsa to escape the great famine of the 1780s. They now occupy four villages, not far the city of Bulandshahr. A few have also migrated to Pakistan, and are found among the Urdu speaking Muhajir community.

Famous Dogars

• Air Commodore Mukhtar Ahmad Dogar - was the first PAF recipient of the Sitara-i-Jurat for the events of November 4th, 1948.

• Sharon Dogar - Author of Waves.

• Rana (Dogar) Foroohar - Newsweek Senior Editor, Overseas Editions.