Khokhar
Encyclopedia
The Khokhar or Khokar are a people of Punjab
region of Pakistan and north-western India. According to H. A. Rose they are the gotra (clan) of Rajput
, Jat, Arain
, Nai
, and Chura
h. According to Denzil Ibbetson
, they are also a gotra of the Tarkhan
and Khatri
tribes. The Khokhars were designated as an agricultural tribe.
, with the earliest certain record being in the first of these, written in 1205 AD. These ancient texts recount a rebellion against the Muslim governor of Sangwan
that occurred during the rule of Muhammad of Ghor
. There had been incorrect rumours that the Sultan had died and these led to uprisings, among which was that of the Khokhars. They joined in rebellion with Rai Sal, the ruler of the Salt Range
, but were heavily defeated. Rose makes it clear that there is uncertainty regarding whether Rai Sal was himself a Khokhar.
Rose believe that the origin of the Khokhar lay probably in a Hindu community but that they are "obscure" and some of their traditions of origin do not stand scrutiny. The tribal folklore claims a connection to the Awan
community through a son of Qutb Shah
, but Rose dismisses it as "this pedigree probably merely records the fact that the Awans and Khokhars owe their conversion to Islam to the saint Qutb Shah or his disciples, or that they both accepted his teachings." Rose is unconvinced by the Awan traditional lore regarding Qutb Shah which states that he ruled Herat
and came to India to fight with several of his sons, including one called Khokhar, when Mahmud of Ghazni
was invading an area which nowadays forms part of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India. Rose believes that the names of the descendants of Qutb Shah who came to settle in India are clearly not of Arabic origin and therefore the connection between those people and their alleged ancestor are unlikely.
Ahmed Abdulla has summarised this situation more recently
"in all probability" were the Khokhars.
Similarly, many campaigns were undertaken against the Khokhars by Sultan Shahabuddin Ghori
in the Punjab and ultimately he was killed by the Khokhars of the Salt Range
in March 1206. Any confusion which may once have existed regarding which tribe did what appears to have it origins in the works of Firishta
. Rose points out that historians prior to Firishta were in agreement that it was the Khokkars who had killed Ghori, that Sheika and Jasrat were not Gakkhars and that, generally, Firishta confused the two tribes on several occasions. He noted that Firishta plagiarised some content of an earlier historian - Ibn-i-Asir - but applied it to the wrong tribe, and he speculated that Firishta may even have had some grudge against the Gakkhars because of their ill treatment of one of Firishta's relatives.
Historical figures such as Sheikha and Jasrat are nowadays regarded as being Khokhar.
In 1240 AD, Razia
, the daughter of Shams-ud-din Iltutmish
marched with her husband Altunia
to recapture the throne from her brother Muizuddin Bahram Shah
, she is reported to have headed an army composed mostly of mercenaries from the Khokhar tribe of the Punjab
"In 1246-7 Balban
mounted an expedition as far as the Salt Range to chastise the Khokhars" "His last campaign was undertaken with the object of subjugating the turbulent Khokhars of the Salt Range."
According to Rose, "The Khokhran section [of the Khatri caste] is said to consist of the descendants of certain Khatri
s who joined the Khokhars in rebellion against Ala-ud-din Khilji
who ascended the throne of the Delhi Sultanate in AD 1296.;and with whom other Khatri families were afraid to intermarry ". The Khokhran were concentrated in the areas of the Salt Range and particularly Bhera
.
Although Lahore was reoccupied by Dehli, for the next twenty years Lahore remained in ruined condition, being sacked on several occasion by the Mongols or by their Khokhar allies.
Around the same time a Mongol commander named Hulechu occupied Lahore in alliance with Khokhar chief Gulchand, the one time ally of Muhammad's father,
. Shaikha occupied Lahore in 1393, and five years later Nusrat Khokhar was defeated by Tamerlane.
and Jullundur but was hampered by the seasonal rains in his attempt to take over Sirhind.
In 1428 AD , The Mughal armies, under Shaikh Ali of Kabul, invaded and a contingent of Khokhars headed by 'ain-ud-din and malik abu-l-khair joined them at Talwara to guide them onwards.
Akbar
, the Khokhars held portions of the Bari Doab, the Jullunder
and Rachna Doabs, Multan and portions of Jammu
and Sialkot, with a population estimated at 200,000.
, Dhaulka, Ganjial
, Jalap, Majoka
, Rawal
, and Denaar.
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...
region of Pakistan and north-western India. According to H. A. Rose they are the gotra (clan) of 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...
, Jat, Arain
Arain
The Arain , are a Muslim agricultural caste settled mainly in the Punjab, with significant numbers also in Sindh. They are chiefly associated with farming, traditionally being landlords or zamindars.- Origin :...
, Nai
Nai (caste)
The word Nai refers to a particular profession, that of cutting hair, running beauty salons, makeup or facelift clinics, beauty parlours, etc. among Hindus, Sikhs or Muslims in India. They are also referred to as Nai and Nai-Thakur, Sains. In Pakistan, the Nai or hairdresser were following it as a...
, and Chura
Chura
Chura is a caste in Punjab whose traditional occupation is sweeping. Churas are largely followers of Sikhism and secondly Christianity. A small minority practice Valmikism an off shoot or cult form of mainstream Hinduism which still incorporates elements of Sikhism in its practices...
h. According to Denzil Ibbetson
Denzil Ibbetson
Sir Denzil Charles Jelf Ibbetson KCSI was an administrator in British India and an author. He served as governor of the Central Provinces and Berar from 1900 to 1902....
, they are also a gotra of the Tarkhan
Tarkhan (Punjab)
The Tarkhan , तरख़ान tarkhān) are considered a Punjabi tribe in Pakistani Punjab while a caste in Indian Punjab. They are carpenters by occupation....
and Khatri
Khatri
Khatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
tribes. The Khokhars were designated as an agricultural tribe.
Origins
H. A. Rose finds early references to the Khokhars in the Taj-ul-Ma'asir, the Tabaqat-i-Nasir and the Ain-i-AkbariAin-i-Akbari
The Ain-i-Akbari or the "Institutes of Akbar", is a 16th century, detailed document recording the administration of emperor Akbar's empire, written by his vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak...
, with the earliest certain record being in the first of these, written in 1205 AD. These ancient texts recount a rebellion against the Muslim governor of Sangwan
Sangwan
Sangwan or sangwa is a clan or gotra of Jats found in Rajasthan, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh in India. The Sangwan clan is also settled in Punjab and Sindh in Pakistan...
that occurred during the rule of Muhammad of Ghor
Muhammad of Ghor
Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori , originally called Mu'izzuddīn Muḥammad Bin Sām , was a ruler of the Ghurid dynasty who reigned over a territory spanning present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India.Shahabuddin Ghori reconquered the city of Ghazna Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori...
. There had been incorrect rumours that the Sultan had died and these led to uprisings, among which was that of the Khokhars. They joined in rebellion with Rai Sal, the ruler of the Salt Range
Salt Range
The Salt Range is a hill system in the Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends from the Jhelum River to the Indus, across the northern portion of the Punjab province. The Salt Range contains the great mines of Mayo, Khewra, Warcha...
, but were heavily defeated. Rose makes it clear that there is uncertainty regarding whether Rai Sal was himself a Khokhar.
Rose believe that the origin of the Khokhar lay probably in a Hindu community but that they are "obscure" and some of their traditions of origin do not stand scrutiny. The tribal folklore claims a connection to the Awan
Awan (Pakistan)
Awan , is a South Asian Zamindar tribe, putatively of Arab origin, living predominantly in northern, central, and western parts of Punjab, Pakistan...
community through a son of Qutb Shah
Qutb Shah
Qutb Shah was the ruler of Herat and a general in the army of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi. Qutub Shah was a Hashemite descendant of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, son of Hazart Ali, and Imam of the Kaysanites Shia , who was the son of Ali, who in turn was the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet...
, but Rose dismisses it as "this pedigree probably merely records the fact that the Awans and Khokhars owe their conversion to Islam to the saint Qutb Shah or his disciples, or that they both accepted his teachings." Rose is unconvinced by the Awan traditional lore regarding Qutb Shah which states that he ruled Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
and came to India to fight with several of his sons, including one called Khokhar, when Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,...
was invading an area which nowadays forms part of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India. Rose believes that the names of the descendants of Qutb Shah who came to settle in India are clearly not of Arabic origin and therefore the connection between those people and their alleged ancestor are unlikely.
Ahmed Abdulla has summarised this situation more recently
Relationship to the Gakkhars
Aside from his work with the ancient texts, Rose also refers to an event of 1009 AD in which an infidel community known as the Gakkhars joined with Hindus to resist a Muslim invasion. He believes that these GakkharsGakhars
The Gakhars are an ancient warrior clan who have predominantly resided in what is present day northern Punjab and South-Western Kashmir, Pakistan. In particular in the cities of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and regions of Gilgit, Baltistan, Chitral, Khanpur and Mirpur, Pakistan...
"in all probability" were the Khokhars.
Similarly, many campaigns were undertaken against the Khokhars by Sultan Shahabuddin Ghori
Muhammad of Ghor
Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori , originally called Mu'izzuddīn Muḥammad Bin Sām , was a ruler of the Ghurid dynasty who reigned over a territory spanning present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India.Shahabuddin Ghori reconquered the city of Ghazna Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori...
in the Punjab and ultimately he was killed by the Khokhars of the Salt Range
Salt Range
The Salt Range is a hill system in the Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends from the Jhelum River to the Indus, across the northern portion of the Punjab province. The Salt Range contains the great mines of Mayo, Khewra, Warcha...
in March 1206. Any confusion which may once have existed regarding which tribe did what appears to have it origins in the works of Firishta
Firishta
Firishta or Ferishta, full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah , was born in 1560 and died in 1620 and he was a Persian historian. The name Firishta means angel or one who is sent in Persian.-Life:...
. Rose points out that historians prior to Firishta were in agreement that it was the Khokkars who had killed Ghori, that Sheika and Jasrat were not Gakkhars and that, generally, Firishta confused the two tribes on several occasions. He noted that Firishta plagiarised some content of an earlier historian - Ibn-i-Asir - but applied it to the wrong tribe, and he speculated that Firishta may even have had some grudge against the Gakkhars because of their ill treatment of one of Firishta's relatives.
Historical figures such as Sheikha and Jasrat are nowadays regarded as being Khokhar.
Historical records
Razia Sultana
Razia al-Din , throne name Jalâlat ud-Dîn Raziyâ , usually referred to in history as Razia Sultan, was the Sultan of Delhi in India from 1236 to May 1240. She was of Seljuq slave ancestry and like some other Muslim princesses of the time, she was trained to lead armies and administer kingdoms if...
, the daughter of Shams-ud-din Iltutmish
Iltutmish
Shams-ud-din Iltutmish was the third ruler of the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi of Turkic origin. He was a slave of Qutub-ud-din-Aybak and later became his son-in-law and close lieutenant. He was the Governor of Badaun when he deposed Qutub-ud-din's successor Aram Shah and acceeded to the throne of the...
marched with her husband Altunia
Malik Altunia
Malik Altunia was the governor of Bhatinda in India under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate under the Mamluk Sultanate. He led a revolt against Razia Sultana, the Sultana of Delhi and his childhood friend. To escape death, Razia agreed to marry Altunia...
to recapture the throne from her brother Muizuddin Bahram Shah
Muiz ud din Bahram
Muiz ud din Bahram was the sixth sultan of the Mamluk Dynasty . He was the son of Shams ud din Iltutmish and brother of Razia Sultan . While his sister was in Bathinda, he declared himself king with the support of forty chiefs...
, she is reported to have headed an army composed mostly of mercenaries from the Khokhar tribe of the Punjab
"In 1246-7 Balban
Ghiyas ud din Balban
Ghiyasuddin Balban was ninth sultan of the Mamluk dynasty who ruled from 1266 to 1287.-Biography:He was son of a Central Asian Turkic noble of the Ilbari tribe, but as a child he was captured by Mongols and sold as a slave at Ghazni...
mounted an expedition as far as the Salt Range to chastise the Khokhars" "His last campaign was undertaken with the object of subjugating the turbulent Khokhars of the Salt Range."
According to Rose, "The Khokhran section [of the Khatri caste] is said to consist of the descendants of certain Khatri
Khatri
Khatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
s who joined the Khokhars in rebellion against Ala-ud-din Khilji
Alauddin Khilji
Ali Gurshap Khan better known by his titular name as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji was the second ruler of the Turko-Afghan Khilji dynasty in India.He was a well and capable ruler. He belonged to the Afghanized Turkic tribe of the Khiljis...
who ascended the throne of the Delhi Sultanate in AD 1296.;and with whom other Khatri families were afraid to intermarry ". The Khokhran were concentrated in the areas of the Salt Range and particularly Bhera
Bhera
Bhera is a city on the Jhelum river in Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. It lies at latitude 32.48 N, longitude 72.92.-Location:...
.
Although Lahore was reoccupied by Dehli, for the next twenty years Lahore remained in ruined condition, being sacked on several occasion by the Mongols or by their Khokhar allies.
Around the same time a Mongol commander named Hulechu occupied Lahore in alliance with Khokhar chief Gulchand, the one time ally of Muhammad's father,
Shaikha Khokhar and Tamerlane
Shaikha Khokhar (sometimes Sheikha or Shuja) was a chief of the Khokhars in the 14th and early 15th centuries and a contemporary of Tamerlane's invasions into PunjabPunjab 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...
. Shaikha occupied Lahore in 1393, and five years later Nusrat Khokhar was defeated by Tamerlane.
Jasrath Khokhar
Jasrath Khokhar (sometimes Jasrat or Dashrath) was the son of Shaikha Khokhar. He became leader of the Khokhars upon the death of Tamerlane, escaping prison in order to do so. He supported Shahi Khan in the war for control of Kashmir against Ali Shah, and was rewarded when victory was achieved. Later, he attempted to conquer Delhi, taking advantage of the death of Khizr Khan. The scheme met with partial success, as he won campaigns at TalwandiTalwandi
Talwandi is a town and Union Council of Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Chunian Tehsil located at 30°53'60N 74°7'60E and has an altitude of 175 metres ....
and Jullundur but was hampered by the seasonal rains in his attempt to take over Sirhind.
Grand-nephew of Jasrath Khokhar aligned with Mughal Emperor Akbar
In the time of the Mughal EmperorMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Akbar
Akbar the Great
Akbar , also known as Shahanshah Akbar-e-Azam or Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal Emperor. He was of Timurid descent; the son of Emperor Humayun, and the grandson of the Mughal Emperor Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babur, the ruler who founded the Mughal dynasty in India...
, the Khokhars held portions of the Bari Doab, the Jullunder
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
and Rachna Doabs, Multan and portions of 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...
and Sialkot, with a population estimated at 200,000.
From the 1882 census
Rose says that:Titles
Malik is used by Khokhars and Khokhran, and refers to chiefs, primarily by those Khokhars who claim to be descendants of Qutb Shah. Chaudhry is used by Khokhars in parts of Punjab. Raja is used by many Khokhars, and is commonly used by Rajputs in Punjab. Rana is also commonly used by Rajputs in Punjab, and is used by Khokhars in central and eastern Punjab. Rai is also used.Divisions
There are several sub-divisions of the Khokhar tribe, such as the Bandial, BhacharBhachar
The Bhachar are a Awan tribe, found in Punjab, Pakistan. According to the Census of India, they numbered approximately 2,000.-Locality:They are found in the South East border of the Mianwali District...
, Dhaulka, Ganjial
Ganjial
Ganjial are a Rajput/Jatt tribe found in Gujrat, Khushab, and Jhelum districts of Punjab, Pakistan and a few are also found in Azad Kashmir...
, Jalap, Majoka
Majoka
Majoka Or Manjotha is the name of a tribe originating from the Indian Subcontinent. in the Rajasthan, India and Punjab, Pakistan. The main concentration of the tribe is in the village of Haveli Majoka on the river Jehlum in Pakistan and Khatlabana, District Sri Ganganagar Rajasthan, India...
, Rawal
Rawal
The Rawal is Rajput clan . Rawal is also a last name for in state of Gujarat, India-History and origin:Bappa Rawal's, a legendary figure in Rajput history, warlike temperament commended him to the attention of Maan Mori, a local chieftain who belonged to the Parmara clan of Rajputs; Maan Mori is...
, and Denaar.
List of Khokhar towns and villages
- Pind Dadan KhanPind Dadan KhanPind Dadan Khan is a town in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan, it is the capital of Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil, which is an administrative subdivision of the district...
(Jhelum) - KhokharKhokhar (Mirpur)Khokhar is a village in the Gujrat Tehsil of the Gujrat District, Punjab, Pakistan, located approximately 5 miles north of City Gujrat.-History:...
(Azad Kashmir) - TahliTahliTahli is a village in 5 km of begowal. dasuya is a tehsil in the city hoshiarpur of Indian state of Punjab.This village also named Khokharan.-About:Tahli lies on the begowal-tanda Road...
(Hoshiarpur, East Punjab, India)
Notable Khokhars
- Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan KhokharGhazanfar Ali KhanRaja Ghazanfar Ali Khan Khokhar was a leading member of the All India Muslim League who was a politician in British India, a trusted lieutenant of Muhammad Ali Jinnah who served in the Interim Government of India of 1946 and later became a minister in the government of Pakistan and finally a...
- Former Minister of Food, Agriculture and Health, AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
1948-1952, to TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
1952-1953, to India 1954-1956 and to ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
1956-1957. - Riaz KhokharRiaz KhokharRiaz Hussain Khokhar is the former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan serving from June 2002 to February 2005, when he was replaced by Riaz Mohammad Khan...
- Former Foreign Secretary of PakistanForeign Secretary of PakistanThe Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan is the bureaucratic head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Secretary, as in all other ministries of Government of Pakistan, works under the Minister who is the member of National Assembly...
, High CommissionerHigh CommissionerHigh Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to India 1992–1997, Ambassador to the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
1997–1999 and to ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
1999–2002. - M. Nawaz KhokharM. Nawaz KhokharHaji Muhammad Nawaz Khokhar was a politician from Punjab, Pakistan. Nawaz Khokhar was elected the deputy speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Minister of Science and Technology.- Corruption :...
- Former Deputy SpeakerSpeaker (politics)The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the National Assembly of PakistanNational Assembly of PakistanThe National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
. - Justice Faqir Muhammad KhokharFaqir Muhammad KhokharFaqir Muhammad Khokhar is a former judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.-Judicial career:He started off as a lawyer after doing his B.A./L.L.B. He was elevated to the High Court on December 10, 1996, and then to the...
- JudgeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, Supreme Court of PakistanSupreme Court of PakistanThe Supreme Court is the apex court in Pakistan's judicial hierarchy, the final arbiter of legal and constitutional disputes. The Supreme Court has a permanent seat in Islamabad. It has number of Branch Registries where cases are heard. It has a number of de jure powers which are outlined in the...