Bhawpal or sometime pronounced Bhopal, are a Rajput

Rajput

A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...

 clan that form part of group of tribes that form the Chibhali community. They are found mainly in a region known as Chibhal, that lies on the southern slopes of the Shivalik

Shivalik

Shivalik may refer to:* Shivalik class frigate* Siwalik Hills, a series of ranges of outer foothills of Himalaya crossing Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan....

 hills between the Chenab and Jhelum

Jhelum

Jhelum or Jehlum may refer to:* Jhelum, a city in Pakistan on the banks of the Jhelum River* Jhelum District, an administrative division in Punjab, Pakistan surrounding the city of Jhelum...

 rivers, in the Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...

 State.

History and origin

Dharam Chand Chib

Chib

The Chib Rajput , is a Chandravanshi Rajput clan found in the northern parts of India and Pakistan. They are mostly a Kashmiri or Punjabi tribe found in both India and Pakistan...

, the Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 Raja of the area converted to Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 in the 15th Century. As a result of his conversion, many other Rajput clans converted to Islam. The Bhawpal, like other Chibhali claims descent from the Katoch

Katoch

Katoch is the name of a Rajput clan belonging to the Chandervanshi kshatriya lineage. Their traditional areas of residence was Trigarta Kingdom, Jalandhar, Multan i.e...

 Rajputs of Kangra, in what is now Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

, India.

Distribution

In Pakistani Kashmir, they are found mainly in Kotli District

Kotli District

Kotli is one of the eight districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Kotli the chief town of the district, was originally a minor town between Mirpur and Muzaffarabad, but has recently seen major growth.- Administration :...

 and Bagh District

Bagh District

Bagh District is one of the eight districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The district, which had been part of Poonch District, was created in 1988...

, in villages near the line of control

Line of Control

The term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...

. In Indian administered Jammu & Kashmir, they are found in Rajauri

Rajauri

Rajouri is a town and a notified area committee in Rajouri district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.- Introduction :The District drives its name from Rajouri town which itself had been historically known as Rajapuri/Rajapura. Rajouri District had been part of Poonch district prior to 1967...

, Nawshera and Jammu

Jammu

Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...

tehsils.