Chahal
Encyclopedia
The Chahal also Cháhal and Cháhiland Chál, are one of the largest tribes of Jat people
in the Punjab region
. The tribe is mostly located in Patiala, but many live in Ambala
, Amritsar
, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur
, and as far as Gujranwala
and Sialkot
.
Many Chahals have moved around the world, particularly to Canada and the United States. Some of the Chahals from Gujranwala
have also settled in Sialkot
and Sargodha
. Chahals in Faisalabad
migrated from India during the partition of India
.
Agarsen Súrajbansi had four children who all went on to form Jat tribes: Cháhil, Chhina
, Chíma
, and Sahi
. Although the four tribes originated in Malwa, they migrated to the Punjab region.
Jat people
The Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...
in the Punjab region
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. The tribe is mostly located in Patiala, but many live in Ambala
Ambala
Ambala is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India. Politically; Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantt and Ambala City, approximately 3 kilometers apart from each other...
, Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar 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...
, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur
Gurdaspur
Gurdaspur is a city in the state of Punjab, situated in the northwest part of the Republic of India. It is located in the center of and is the administrative head of Gurdaspur District. It was the location of a fort which was famous for the siege it sustained in 1712 from the Mughals...
, and as far as Gujranwala
Gujranwala
Gujranwala 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 Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot 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...
.
Many Chahals have moved around the world, particularly to Canada and the United States. Some of the Chahals from Gujranwala
Gujranwala
Gujranwala 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...
have also settled in Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot 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...
and Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
. Chahals in Faisalabad
Faisalabad
Faisalabad , 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...
migrated from India during the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
.
History
There are many stories regarding the origins of the Chahal. One story tells that RajaRaja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
Agarsen Súrajbansi had four children who all went on to form Jat tribes: Cháhil, Chhina
Chhina
Chhina is a Jat clan of India and Pakistan.-Traditional origin and history:According to Horace Rose, the Bahawalpur Chhina genealogy gives them common origin with the Wattu. They claim origin from Chhina, a descendant of Jaypal, the brother of Rajpal, from whom are descended the Wattu. The Muslim...
, Chíma
Cheema
Cheema is a Jatt of Jat ethnicity found inPunjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and also in Pakistan.Cheemas are one of the two major sub clans of Jats along with other Jat clans like Sandhu, Grewal, Pannu, Uppal etc.. .Historically, this tribe has held considerable tracts in the upper Rechna Doab since...
, and Sahi
Sahi
Sahi or Shahi is a clan of jat , Rajput,Bhumihar and Arain mulims.- History :Sahis are primarily agrarians and found on either sides of Punjab...
. Although the four tribes originated in Malwa, they migrated to the Punjab region.
People
- Randa ChahalRanda ChahalRanda Chahal Sabbag also written Sabbagh, , was a Lebanese film director, producer and screen-writer born to an Iraqi mother and Lebanese father....
, Lebanese film director, producer and screen-writer - Gurbaksh ChahalGurbaksh ChahalGurbaksh Singh Chahal is an Indian-American internet entrepreneur and a best-selling author. By the age of 25, he had founded and sold two advertising companies for a total of US$340 million.-Early life:...
, American entrepreneur and author