Godara (clan)
Encyclopedia
Godara is a clan
or gotra
of Jats
and Bishnois
found in Rajasthan
, Haryana
, Uttar Pradesh
and Delhi
in India
. Many have also migrated to Western regions such as Gujarat or Pakistan. They are the descendants of Goha Dutta, a prince of the Mewar
dynasty who was adopted by a Brahmin to fight against the Mohala Rajput
s and his descendants come to be called Godara. Godara were the rulers in Jangladesh
. They also controlled large areas of formerly princely state
of Bikaner. Chieftains of Shekhsar
and Radanvan belong to this gotra.
. At that time Godara were ruling in about 1700 villages and towns in Jangladesh. Still, their rule was of more than of 600 villages and towns. Pandu was the patriarchal head of the Godaras; his residence was at Shekhsar
. The important towns in their territory were: Poondrasir, Gosensir (great), Shelihsir, Gursisir, Garibdesir, Rungaysir, Kaloo etc. The people of this clan were known as great and ambitious warriors and great military leaders.
In samvat 1515 (1459 AD) Joda transferred the seat of government from Mundore to Jodhpur
. His son Bika, under the guidance of his uncle Kandul, led three hundred of the sons of Seoji to enlarge the boundaries of Rathore dominion amidst the sands of Maroo. Bika was stimulated to the attempt by the success of his brother Bida, who had recently subjugated the territory inhabited by the Mohil
s for ages. Bika, with his band of three hundred, fell upon the Sanklas of Jangladesh whom they massacred.
Bika now approximated to the settlements, who had for ages been established in these arid
abodes; and as the lands they held form a considerable portion of the state of Bikaner.
The Jats and Johiya
s of these regions, who extended overall the northern desert
even to the Garah, led a pastoral life, their wealth consisting in their cattle, which they reared in great numbers, disposing of the superfluity, and of the ghee and wool, through the medium of Sarasvat Brahmins (who, in these regions, devote themselves to traffic), receiving in return grain and other conveniences or necessaries of life.
Although the success of his brother Bida over the Mohils in some degree paved the way, his bloodless conquest could never have happened but for the opresence of a vice which has dissolved all the republics of the world. The jealousy of the Johiyas and Godaras, the two most powerful of the six Jat cantons, was the immediate motive to the propitiation of the ' son of Joda ' ; besides which, the communities found the band of Bida, which had extirpated the ancient Mohils when living with them in amity, most troublesome neighbours. Further, they were desirous to place between them and the Bhattis of Jaisalmer, a more powerful barrier ; and last, not least, they dreaded the hot valour and ‘thirst for land’ which characterised Bika's retainers, now contiguous to them at Jangladesh. For these weighty reasons, at a meeting of the ‘ciders’ of the Godaras, it was resolved to conciliate the Rathore
.
The ‘elder’ of Roneah was next in rank and estimation to Pandu, in communities where equality was as absolute as the proprietary right to the lands which each individually held: that of pasture be common.
The elders of Shekhsir and Roneah were deputed to enter into terms with the Rajput prince, and to invest him with supremacy over the community, on the following conditions :-
(1) To make common cause with them, against the Johiyas and other cantons, with whom they were then at variance.
(2) To guard the western frontier against the irruption of Bhattis.
(3) To hold the rights and privileges of the comniunity inviolable.
On the fulfilment of these conditions, they relinquished to Bika and his descendants the supreme power over the Godaras; assigning to him, in perpetuity, the power to levy dhooa, or a ‘hearth tax’ of one rupee on each house in the canton, and a land tax of two rupees on each hundred beegas of cultivated land within their limits.
Apprehensive, however, that Bika or his descendants might encroach upon their rights, they asked what security he could offer against such a contingency ? The Rajput chief replied that, in order to dissipate their fears on this head, as well as to perpetuate the remertlbrance of the supremacy thus voluntarily conferred, he would solemnly bind himself and his successors to receive the tika of inauguration from the hands of the descendants of the elders of Shekhsir and Roneah, and that the gadi Should be deemed vacant until such rite was administered.
To this day, the descendant of Pandu applies the unguent of royalty to the forehead of the successors of Bika ; on which occasion, the prince places ‘the fine of relief’, consisting of twenty-five pieces of gold, in the hand of the Godara Jat.
Moreover, the spot which he selected for his capital, was the birthright of a Jat who would only concede it for this purpose on the condition that his name should be linked in perpetuity with its surrender. Nehra
was the name of the proprietor, which Bika added to his own, thus composing that of the future capital, Bikaner.
The Distribution of Godara clan in India in various states, districts and villages in them is as under:
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
or gotra
Gotra
In 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"...
of Jats
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,...
and Bishnois
Bishnois
The Bishnois are known as the conservationists to whom the preservation of animal and vegetable life is a religion and has been so from the early 15th century. Their spiritual mentor, Guru Jambheshwar was a wise ecologist. He formulated Bis + noi = Bisnoi tenets from which the community derives...
found in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Many have also migrated to Western regions such as Gujarat or Pakistan. They are the descendants of Goha Dutta, a prince of the Mewar
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
dynasty who was adopted by a Brahmin to fight against the Mohala 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...
s and his descendants come to be called Godara. Godara were the rulers in Jangladesh
Jangladesh
Jangladesh also known as Jangal Pradesh was a historical region in north, north-western and north-eastern Rajasthan state in northern India. It included the present-day districts of Bikaner, Churu, Ganganagar, and Hanumangarh....
. They also controlled large areas of formerly princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Bikaner. Chieftains of Shekhsar
Shekhsar
Shekhsar is a village in Lunkaransar tehsil of Bikaner district in Rajasthan, India. It is situated on the north-east border of the district adjoining Churu and Hanumangarh district boundaries. The village has a population of 5820 out of them are Scheduled Caste 1182 and Scheduled Tribe ...
and Radanvan belong to this gotra.
History
Rathores under the leadership of Bika were spreading their rule in JangladeshJangladesh
Jangladesh also known as Jangal Pradesh was a historical region in north, north-western and north-eastern Rajasthan state in northern India. It included the present-day districts of Bikaner, Churu, Ganganagar, and Hanumangarh....
. At that time Godara were ruling in about 1700 villages and towns in Jangladesh. Still, their rule was of more than of 600 villages and towns. Pandu was the patriarchal head of the Godaras; his residence was at Shekhsar
Shekhsar
Shekhsar is a village in Lunkaransar tehsil of Bikaner district in Rajasthan, India. It is situated on the north-east border of the district adjoining Churu and Hanumangarh district boundaries. The village has a population of 5820 out of them are Scheduled Caste 1182 and Scheduled Tribe ...
. The important towns in their territory were: Poondrasir, Gosensir (great), Shelihsir, Gursisir, Garibdesir, Rungaysir, Kaloo etc. The people of this clan were known as great and ambitious warriors and great military leaders.
In samvat 1515 (1459 AD) Joda transferred the seat of government from Mundore to Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
. His son Bika, under the guidance of his uncle Kandul, led three hundred of the sons of Seoji to enlarge the boundaries of Rathore dominion amidst the sands of Maroo. Bika was stimulated to the attempt by the success of his brother Bida, who had recently subjugated the territory inhabited by the Mohil
Mohil
Mohil, Mial or Mohal is a branch of Chauhan Rajputs. Mohils are also one of the gotras of Yadavas. British Historians H.A. Rose, Ibbetson and Maclagan have stated Mohals as a gotra of Yaduvanshi Ahirs...
s for ages. Bika, with his band of three hundred, fell upon the Sanklas of Jangladesh whom they massacred.
Bika now approximated to the settlements, who had for ages been established in these arid
Arid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
abodes; and as the lands they held form a considerable portion of the state of Bikaner.
The Jats and Johiya
Johiya
Johiya , also known as Joia, Joiya, Joyia, Joya, Joyea, and Joeya, is a Chandravanshi Rajput clan in Northern India and Pakistan. The Johiyas are one of the twenty-four undivided Rajput clans or eka. In ancient chronicles, they are described as "Lords of Jangladesh", a region that included Haryana,...
s of these regions, who extended overall the northern desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
even to the Garah, led a pastoral life, their wealth consisting in their cattle, which they reared in great numbers, disposing of the superfluity, and of the ghee and wool, through the medium of Sarasvat Brahmins (who, in these regions, devote themselves to traffic), receiving in return grain and other conveniences or necessaries of life.
Although the success of his brother Bida over the Mohils in some degree paved the way, his bloodless conquest could never have happened but for the opresence of a vice which has dissolved all the republics of the world. The jealousy of the Johiyas and Godaras, the two most powerful of the six Jat cantons, was the immediate motive to the propitiation of the ' son of Joda ' ; besides which, the communities found the band of Bida, which had extirpated the ancient Mohils when living with them in amity, most troublesome neighbours. Further, they were desirous to place between them and the Bhattis of Jaisalmer, a more powerful barrier ; and last, not least, they dreaded the hot valour and ‘thirst for land’ which characterised Bika's retainers, now contiguous to them at Jangladesh. For these weighty reasons, at a meeting of the ‘ciders’ of the Godaras, it was resolved to conciliate the Rathore
Rathore
The Rathore is a Suryavanshi Rajput clan same caste as Lohana. Their Kuldevi is Nagnechiya Mata and "Karani Mata". Rathores are originally from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. Rathores are historically considered the samurais of India...
.
The ‘elder’ of Roneah was next in rank and estimation to Pandu, in communities where equality was as absolute as the proprietary right to the lands which each individually held: that of pasture be common.
The elders of Shekhsir and Roneah were deputed to enter into terms with the Rajput prince, and to invest him with supremacy over the community, on the following conditions :-
(1) To make common cause with them, against the Johiyas and other cantons, with whom they were then at variance.
(2) To guard the western frontier against the irruption of Bhattis.
(3) To hold the rights and privileges of the comniunity inviolable.
On the fulfilment of these conditions, they relinquished to Bika and his descendants the supreme power over the Godaras; assigning to him, in perpetuity, the power to levy dhooa, or a ‘hearth tax’ of one rupee on each house in the canton, and a land tax of two rupees on each hundred beegas of cultivated land within their limits.
Apprehensive, however, that Bika or his descendants might encroach upon their rights, they asked what security he could offer against such a contingency ? The Rajput chief replied that, in order to dissipate their fears on this head, as well as to perpetuate the remertlbrance of the supremacy thus voluntarily conferred, he would solemnly bind himself and his successors to receive the tika of inauguration from the hands of the descendants of the elders of Shekhsir and Roneah, and that the gadi Should be deemed vacant until such rite was administered.
To this day, the descendant of Pandu applies the unguent of royalty to the forehead of the successors of Bika ; on which occasion, the prince places ‘the fine of relief’, consisting of twenty-five pieces of gold, in the hand of the Godara Jat.
Moreover, the spot which he selected for his capital, was the birthright of a Jat who would only concede it for this purpose on the condition that his name should be linked in perpetuity with its surrender. Nehra
Nehra
Nehra is an Indian Jat surname. It is based on gotra Nehra. Nehra gotra Jats are found in Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in India. The origin of Nehra is derived from Nehra mount in Sindh where they were the rulers. Nehras are descendant of Narishyanta , son of Vaivasvata Manu and...
was the name of the proprietor, which Bika added to his own, thus composing that of the future capital, Bikaner.
The Distribution of Godara clan in India in various states, districts and villages in them is as under: