Kohli
Encyclopedia
'Kohli' koɦliː is a well-known Khatri
surname originating from Punjab
in north-western India
.
The Khukhrain
are a group of eight specific clans of the Khatri
sub-caste. The names of the eight clans are: Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Kohli, Sabharwal, Sahni, Sethi and Suri,
region of Punjab
Pakistan
. One majority of the Kohli clan migrated to the towns of Nurmahal
and Jamsher in the doaba region (Distt Jalandhar), about 700 years ago. The town of Nurmahal
till date, has a 'Kohlian da Mohala' (the Kohli boulevard). Nurmahal
and Kohli's are also famous for their hospitality, a common phrase referenced to is “ye ghar hai ya nurmahal di sarai” (is this an individual’s home or the Sarai Nurmahal).
Other Kohli's hail from what is currently called the Salt Range
in erstwhile Pakistan
.
As part of the Khatri
Khukhrain
ancestry, with the advent of the Sikh (see Sikhism
) warrior movement in Punjab
, Kohli's too traditionally brought up one son as a Keshdhari Sikh. Today, this manifests with the Kohli surname also surfacing amongst those who follow Sikhism today. Predominately, the Kohli clan continues to follows dual religious traditions of both Hindu Arya Samaj
and Sikh mores. As far as is known, the Kohli clan migrated from Pakistan
to Punjab
and then to Uttar Pradesh
and the northern New Delhi
part of India
. Both Hinduism
as well as Sikhism
are seen practiced throughout the Kohli clan, although the probability of finding a Sikh
member of the Kohli clan is higher.
In recent times, thousands of Kohlis are still situated in Punjab, Pakistan, living peacefully amongst others.
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...
surname originating from Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
in north-western 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...
.
The Khukhrain
Khukhrain
The Khukhrain are an ancient group of eight specific clans of the Khatri caste who originally hailed from the areas of the Salt Range and particularly the town of Bhera in Punjab...
are a group of eight specific clans of the 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...
sub-caste. The names of the eight clans are: Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Kohli, Sabharwal, Sahni, Sethi and Suri,
History
The Kohli clan originated in the GujratGujrat
Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
region of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. One majority of the Kohli clan migrated to the towns of Nurmahal
Nurmahal
NurMahal or Noor Mahal is a city and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian State of Punjab. It is a small town located near the Lohian Khas-Nakodar -Ludhiana line in Punjab. This town is also connected with its sister towns of Phillaur and Nakodar by a road which goes side by...
and Jamsher in the doaba region (Distt Jalandhar), about 700 years ago. The town of Nurmahal
Nurmahal
NurMahal or Noor Mahal is a city and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian State of Punjab. It is a small town located near the Lohian Khas-Nakodar -Ludhiana line in Punjab. This town is also connected with its sister towns of Phillaur and Nakodar by a road which goes side by...
till date, has a 'Kohlian da Mohala' (the Kohli boulevard). Nurmahal
Nurmahal
NurMahal or Noor Mahal is a city and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian State of Punjab. It is a small town located near the Lohian Khas-Nakodar -Ludhiana line in Punjab. This town is also connected with its sister towns of Phillaur and Nakodar by a road which goes side by...
and Kohli's are also famous for their hospitality, a common phrase referenced to is “ye ghar hai ya nurmahal di sarai” (is this an individual’s home or the Sarai Nurmahal).
Other Kohli's hail from what is currently called 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 erstwhile Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
As part of the 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...
Khukhrain
Khukhrain
The Khukhrain are an ancient group of eight specific clans of the Khatri caste who originally hailed from the areas of the Salt Range and particularly the town of Bhera in Punjab...
ancestry, with the advent of the Sikh (see Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
) warrior movement in Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, Kohli's too traditionally brought up one son as a Keshdhari Sikh. Today, this manifests with the Kohli surname also surfacing amongst those who follow Sikhism today. Predominately, the Kohli clan continues to follows dual religious traditions of both Hindu Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
and Sikh mores. As far as is known, the Kohli clan migrated from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
to Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
and then to 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 the northern New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
part of 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...
. Both Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
as well as Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
are seen practiced throughout the Kohli clan, although the probability of finding a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
member of the Kohli clan is higher.
In recent times, thousands of Kohlis are still situated in Punjab, Pakistan, living peacefully amongst others.
Notable Kohli people
- Manmohan SinghManmohan SinghManmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
(Kohli clan), Prime Minister of India (2004–Present) - Fakir Chand KohliFakir Chand KohliFaqir Chand Kohli is an Indian businessman. He is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Indian Software Industry". He was the first General Manager of Tata Consultancy Services, a leading Indian software consultancy company. He has also worked as the Deputy General Manager of the Tata Power...
, Father of Indian Software Industry - Gurbux Singh KohliGurbux SinghGurbux Singh is a former field hockey player from India who was a member of the India national field hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Four years later he captured the bronze...
, Olympic gold medalist in field hockey 1964, Captain of Indian Hockey team - Dewam Ram Dayal Kohli, General of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army
- Admiral S.N. Kohli, ex-Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy
- Wg.Cdr. R. C. Kohli (retd) VrC, war hero and Vir Chakra gallantry awarded in the 1971 India-Pakistan war, of the 5-Squadron and former commander of Rajajhansi Airbase.
- D.P. KohliD.P. KohliD.P. Kohli was the founder of the CBI, India's Central Investigation Agency....
, founder director of the Central Bureau of InvestigationCentral Bureau of InvestigationThe Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
(1963–1968) - Krishan KantKrishan KantKrishan Kant was the tenth Vice President of India from 1997 until his death.Kant's first brush with politics came when he plunged into the Quit India movement, while he was still a student in Lahore. He took part in the Indian Independence Movement as a youth and continued to be involved in...
Kohli, Vice President of India (1997–2002) - Madan Mohan (director): one of the most respected Hindi film composers belonged to Kohli clan, full name Madan mohan Kohli
- Rajkumar KohliRajkumar KohliRajkumar Kohli is an Indian film director. He was famous for directing several popular Bollywood films in the 1970s and 1980s with ensemble casts such as Nagin , Jaani Dushman , Naukar Biwi Ka and Raaj Tilak...
, director BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
for movies like Nagin (1976), Jaani Dushman (1979), Naukar Biwi Ka, and Raj Tilak (1984). - Capt. Rondev Kohli, MD/Chairman of Mogul Lines Ltd., Managing Director of Scindia Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., one of founding members and ED of Shipping Corporation of India, President of INSA (Indian National Shipowners Association 1985-87), received Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
- Mohammad Aslam KohliMohammad Aslam KohliMohammad Aslam Kohli is a political leader from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. He is the head of the Gujjar and Bakerwal Tehreek-e-Insaf, an organization representing Gujjar and Bakarwal interests, such as ensuring continuation of statewide job reservations for Gujjars under the Scheduled...
, politician from Jammu and Kashmir - Virat KohliVirat KohliVirat Kohli ,born 5 November 1988 in Delhi) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a middle order batsman, who can also open the batting. He can also bowl right arm medium pace. Kohli was the captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia...
, Indian cricketer - Taruwar KohliTaruwar Kohli]Taruwar Sushil Kohli is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler. He was born in Jalandhar. Kohli comes from a sport family. His father,Sushil Kohli, brought honour to India in many swimming and water polo matches.His mother is Mrs. Meenu Kohli...
, Indian cricketer - Ajay Kohli, CEO of Malhotra Tyres
- Adhiraj Kohli, Engineer and Gadget aficionado