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Revision as of 11:25, 26 February 2006

The Tarkhan tribe inhabits the Punjab area of Northwest India. Some scholar's (e.g. H.A. Rose) believe that they are descended from Sakas. According to the Manu Smriti they (Saka's) are originally of Kshatriya descent, who fell to the status of Shudra. Hindu Tarkhans are regarded to be of the Vaishya caste (as they are artisan's) and follow the Vaishya-Hindu creator deity Vishwakarma.[1] This is namely due to following the traditional Vaishya occupation of carpentry. They have in effect raised their status as degraded Kshatriyas, by following a profession that other Vaishyas will not follow. However, due to the economic condition of rural Tarkhans they have been listed on the List of Backward Classes in India.

Sikh Tarkhans are more commonly known as Ramgarhias because of their reverence to the famous Sikh Misl leader Jassa Singh Ramgharia who was a Tarkhan. Other famous Sikhs of Tarkhan origin are: Bhai Lalo (with whom Guru Nanak Dev ji stayed); Bhai Sukha Singh Kalsi, who helped behead Massa Rangar; Bhai Roop Chand Ji Khokar, trusted warrior of Guru Hargobind ji; Giani Zail Singh, Chief Minister of Panjab and President of India. American personalities from the Tarkhan community include the late Senator Dalip Singh Saund, the first Sikh Senator in the United States, who fought for Sikh land owning rights for in California. UK personalities include Judge Mota Singh, first non-white and Sikh Law Lord. A very proud and fiercly independent people, they are amongst the wealthiest and most educated clans of India. Historically, their occupations have included carpentry, landowning, farming, engineering, politics, science, medicine, and soldiering.[2]

Tarkhan - Lohar (Jat and Rajput) Connection

Lohar's are known as blacksmiths. According to HA Rose and Denzil Ibbeston, Lohars are descended from Rajput's and Jatt's.

Although considered a lower caste than Tarkhan's, Lohar's have been accepted into Tarkhan tribal affiliation's.

Page 312 from Punjab Castes -Denzil Ibbeston

In Hushyarpur They are said to form a single caste called Lohar-Tarkhan, and the son of a blacksmith will often take to carpentry and vice versa; but it appears that the two castes were originally seperate, for the joint caste is still divided into two sections who will not intermarry or even eat or smoke together, the Dhaman, from dhamna "to blow", and the Khatti from khat "wood". In Gujranwala the same two castes exist; and they are the two great Tarkhan tribes also (see section 627). In Karnal a sort of connection seems to be admitted, but the castes are now distinct. In Sirsa the Lohars may be divided into three main sections; the first, men undoubted and recent Jat and even Rajput origin who have generaly by reason of poverty, taken to work as blacksmiths; secondly the Suthar Lohar or memebers of the Suthar tribe of carpenters who have similarly changed their original occupation; and thirdly, the Gadya Lohar, a class of wandering blacksmith not uncommon throughout the east and south east of the Province, who come up from Rajputana and the North West Provinces and travel about with their families and implements in carts from village to village, doing the finer sorts of iron work which are beyond the capacity of the village artisan. The tradition runs that Suthar Lohars, who are now Musalman, were originally Hindu Tarkhans of the Suthar tribe (see section 627); and that Akhbar took 12,000 of them from Jodhpur to Delhi, forcibily circumcised them, and obliged them to work in iron instead of wood. The story is admitted by a section of the Lohars themselves, and probably has some substratum of truth. These men came to Sirsa from the direction of Sindh, where they say they formerly held land, and are commonly known as Multani Lohars.

Tarkhan Tribes

According to Denzil Ibbetson (Panjab Castes), the Tribes of Tarkhans are as follows:

  • 1) Jhangra - found in Delhi and Hissar
  • 2) Dhaman - found in Karnal, Ambala, Jalandahar, Sialkot, Patiala, Nabha, Faridhkot and Firozpur.
  • 3) Khattia - found in Karnal, Ambala, Jalandahar, Sialkot, Patiala, Nabha, Faridhkot and Firozpur.
  • 4) Siawan - Jallandhar and Sialkot
  • 5) Gade - Amritsar
  • 6) Matharu - Ludhiana, Amritsar and Lahore.
  • 7) Netal - Hoshiarpur
  • 8) Janjua - Rawalpindi
  • 9) Tharu - Gurdaspur and Sialkot
  • 10) Khokar - Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan
  • 11) Bhatti - Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan
  • 12) Begi Khel - Hazara.

Ibbeston further says on page 313

The carpenters of Sirsa are divided into two great sections; the Dhaman and Khati proper, and the two will not intermarry. These are two great tribes of the Lohars (q.v.). The Dhamans again include a tribe of Hindu Tarkhans called Suthar, who are almost entirely agricultural, seldom working in wood, and who look down upon those artisan sections of their caste. They say they came from Jodhpur, and that their tribe still holds villages and revenue free grants in Bikaner. It should be noted that the Artisan Section of Tarkhans look down upon the Agricultural sections of their tribe too.


Tarkhan/Ramgarhia Gotras (Clans)

A :

B : Bansal, Bhambra, Bhamra, Bahra/Bhara/Bara, Bhogal

C : Channa

D : Devgun, Dhiman

E :

F :

G : Ghir, Gill

H : Hunjoon, Hunjan

I :

J : Jandu

K : Khalsi/Kalsi

L :

M : Matharu Maan

N :

O :

P : Panesar

Q :

R : Ramgarhia/Ramgharia Riat/Riyat

S : Sagoo, Saggu, Saund, Seehra, Sehra, Sokhi, Sund

T :

U :

V : Verdi, Virdee, Virdy

W :

X :

Y :

Z :

Tarkhan - Ramgharia Personalities

References

  1. ^ see H.A. Rose. A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province; Manu Smriti
  2. ^ Patwant Singh. The Sikhs.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tarkhan_(Punjab)&oldid=41301842"