Bal
Encyclopedia
The Bal surname, of differing origins, is common among several communities.
tribes. According to the Mahabharata
(Chapter -Adi Parva) they are the descendents of Bhagat Prahlada
's grandson Raja Bali (Mahabali
).
and Turkey
.
History and origin
Bals are descendents of Indo-AryanIndo-Aryans
Indo-Aryan is an ethno-linguistic term referring to the wide collection of peoples united as native speakers of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian family of Indo-European languages...
tribes. According to the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
(Chapter -Adi Parva) they are the descendents of Bhagat Prahlada
Prahlada
Prahlada is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, wherein he is famed for his exclusive devotion to Vishnu, despite attempts in the story by his father, Hiranyakashipu, to turn him to the contrary...
's grandson Raja Bali (Mahabali
Mahabali
Mahabali , also known as Bali or Māveli was a benevolent Asura King, and the grandson of Prahlada. The festival of Onam commemorates his yearly homecoming after being sent down to the underworld by Vamana, the fifth avatar of Vishnu.-Conquest of the Universe and banishment:Bali, an asura, was the...
).
Distribution in India
- Several people belonging to this Jat gotraGotraIn the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
can be found in Haryana. In Punjab the gotra can be found in the district of AmritsarAmritsarAmritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, JalandharJalandharJalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
, KapurthalaKapurthalaKapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic...
.
- An village of Bal's can also be found near Ajeetpur, Uttrakhand. According to them they moved from Amritsar around the time of partition.
- People belong to this gotra can also be found in MaharashtraMaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. They trace back their origins to the village of Ladghar which is located in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
- The Bal gotra can also be found in Northern Kashmir
- People having 'Bal' surname are also found in Orissa. They belong to Kshatriya community and mostly found in coastal belt of Orissa like Kendrapara,Jajpur,Cuttack, Bhadrak etcs.
Distribution in Pakistan
- Bal is one of the largest Jat tribe, found throughout the central districts of LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Kasur, SialkotSialkotSialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
, Narowal, GujranwalaGujranwalaGujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011...
, and Okara.
- Many have also settled in the canal colony districts of FaisalabadFaisalabadFaisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
, Sahiwal and Sargodha.
- Prior to partition, Muslim Bal were also found in AmritsarAmritsarAmritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, JalandharJalandharJalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
, KapurthalaKapurthalaKapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic...
.
Distribution elsewhere
The Arabic derived surname is also found in AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Prominent Bals
- Bülent BalBülent BalBülent Bal is a Turkish professional footballer who currently plays as a centre back for Karabükspor in the Süper Lig.-References:...
, Turkish footballer - Davinder Singh Bal, British-Indian entrepreneur and owner of The Sikh ChannelSikh ChannelThe Sikh Channel is a United Kingdom-based, free-to-air, Sikhi-focused satellite television channel. It broadcasts across Europe on satellite television and is also streamed live on the internet. The Sikh Channel began to broadcast on 13 April 2009 on Sky Digital channel 840, replacing Brit Hits...
- Duygu BalDuygu BalDuygu Bal is a Turkish volleyball player. She is 190 cm and plays as a middle blocker. She plays for Turkish giants Fenerbahçe....
, Turkish volleyball player - Harigopal BalHarigopal BalHarigopal Bal or Baul was a Bengali revolutionary who took part in revolutionary activities against British rule in India....
, Bengali revolutionary - Jagmeet BalJagmeet BalJagmeet Bal born December 13, 1972 is a popular music video director in India who is known for his traditional and religious Punjabi music videos.-Biography:...
, Indian music video director - Nanda Kishore BalNanda Kishore BalNanda Kishore Bal , was an Indian poet of the era of initial modernity in Oriya poetry. He was born at Kusupur village in the Cuttack district of Orissa...
, Indian poet - Rohit BalRohit BalRohit Bal is a fashion designer from New Delhi, India. He designs for men and women, and has bridal and evening collections in addition to day-wear and ready-to-wear.-Early Life:...
, Indian fashion designer - Sambit BalSambit BalSambit Bal is an Indian journalist. He spent 15 years in mainstream journalism working in some of India's leading publishing house before joining Wisden in 2001. He was the first editor of Wisden Asia Cricket and the Asian editor of wisden.com. In 2003, wisden.com acquired Cricinfo, and both the...
, Indian journalist - Vidya BalVidya BalVidya Bal is a Marathi writer/editor from Maharashtra, India. She has been a social activist particularly in the area of equalization of the social status of women vis-à-vis men in India....
, Indian writer/editor and social activist - Soni Bal, Awesome
Random facts
- Bal is derived from a Sanskrit word bala meaning strength
- In Turkish Bal means honey
- In Marathi Bal means a baby with a full head of hair