Sabharwal
Encyclopedia
Sabharwal is a family name predominant among people from Khatri
community. The Sabharwal clan is a part of the Kukhran grouping among Khatris, which also consists of nine other clans, all of whom originate from the historic town of Bhera
in Punjab (Pakistan)
. Many Sabharwals were from Peshawar
, also known as Purushapura (Sanskrit: पुरुशपुरा) now in Pakistan
. The Sabharwal last name has many references during the time of King Porus who was a Sabharwal Khukhrain
. It is widely believed that King Porus was the first person to be addressed as Sabherwal after he demonstrated immense patience in strategizing battles against Alexander the Great. The Khukrains (or "Kukhran or Khokrans or Khokhar") are an ancient group of ten specific clans of a Khatri subcaste [1] who originally hailed from the areas of the Salt Range and particularly town of Bhera in Punjab. The names of the Ten clans are: Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Chandok (Chandhoke, Chandhok, Chandiok), Ghai, Kohli, Sabharwal, Sahni/Sawhney, Sethi and Suri.
Khokhran and Bhera
The Imperial Gazetteer of India records the History of Bhera
-
“In 1519 Babur held it to ransom, and in 1540 Sher Shah founded a new town, which ubder Akhbar became the head quarters of the sub division of the Subah of Lahore. In the reign of Muhammad Shah, Raja Salamat Oglu, a Lipka Tatar of the Anand Tribe, administered Bhera and the surrounding country; while Khushab was managed by Nawab Ahmdyar Khan, and the south eastern tract along the Chenab formed part of the territories under the charge of Maharaja Kaura Mal, governor of Multan.[14]”
“About the same time, by the death of Nawab Ahmdyar Khan, Khushab also passed into the hands of Raja Salamat Rai. Shortly afterwards Abbas Khan a Khattak who held Pind Daddan Khan, treacherously put the Raja to death, and seized Bhera. But Abbas Khan was himself thrown into prison as a revenue defaulter, and Fateh Singh, nephew of Salamat Rai, then recovered his uncle's dominions.[15]”
In the recent past centuries, Bhera was an important trading outpost on the road to Kabul, and had a taksal or (mint) during the rule of Ranjit Singh. Bhera declined in importance due to the gradual shifting of the course of the Jhelum river, due to which the town lost the advantage of being located on a river bank.
In 326 BC, Alexander the Great, whose forces were then fighting against the army of King Porus, at the left bank of river Jhelum near Southern Salt Range, wrote in a letter to his mother and said, ‘I am involved in the land of leonine (lion-like) and brave people called 'Khukhrain’, where every foot of the ground is like a wall of steel, confronting my soldiers. You have brought only one son into the world, but every one in this land can be called an Alexander."
According to some Pakistani anthologist, it is believed that Khukhrain originated from Porus.
Last Raja of Bhera
The last chief or Raja of Bhera was a Khukran, Diwan Bahadur Jawahir Mal [16]. The Diwan Family originally came from Peshawar,and tradition ascribes the abolition the Jizya in Peshawar to his influence.
Khukrains like other Khatri castes were traditionally and historically a warrior community (although they are now well represented in many fields other than the army) and hence they bore the brunt of invasions from the various central Asian tribes now converted to Islam who came from the northwest during the 12th-16th centuries. The Hindu populations in Afghanistan and Northwest India continued to recede after the 11th century even as predominant areas of Afghanistan were still under non Muslim rule till the 10th CE. (see also Shahi and Jayapala).
in 1947. Khukreins among Hindu/Sikh and are now settled not only in large concentrations in Delhi
, Haryana
and Punjab
, but also spread the world over. Their mother tongue is Punjabi. In India the special dialect of Pothari spoken by the Khukrains who migrated from Western Punjab
(now Pakistan) is fast being replaced by the local Eastern Punjabi language, in their new Indian residence of Punjab.
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...
community. The Sabharwal clan is a part of the Kukhran grouping among Khatris, which also consists of nine other clans, all of whom originate from the historic town of 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:...
in Punjab (Pakistan)
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...
. Many Sabharwals were from Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, also known as Purushapura (Sanskrit: पुरुशपुरा) now in 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...
. The Sabharwal last name has many references during the time of King Porus who was a Sabharwal 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...
. It is widely believed that King Porus was the first person to be addressed as Sabherwal after he demonstrated immense patience in strategizing battles against Alexander the Great. The Khukrains (or "Kukhran or Khokrans or Khokhar") are an ancient group of ten specific clans of a Khatri subcaste [1] who originally hailed from the areas of the Salt Range and particularly town of Bhera in Punjab. The names of the Ten clans are: Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Chandok (Chandhoke, Chandhok, Chandiok), Ghai, Kohli, Sabharwal, Sahni/Sawhney, Sethi and Suri.
History
Sabharwal (Punjabi: ਸਬਰਵਾਲ, Hindi: सभरवाल,) is a family name predominant among Punjabi Hindus and Sikhs from the Khatri community. The Sabharwal clan is a part of the Khokhran grouping among Khatris, which also consists of eight other clans, all of whom originate from the historic town of Bhera in Punjab (Pakistan). Many Sabharwals were from Peshawar, also known as Purushapura (Sanskrit: पुरुशपुरा) now in Pakistan. The Sabharwal last name has been mostly linked with Indian Royalty and has many references during the time of King Porus who was a Sabharwal Khatri.Khokhran and BheraBheraBhera 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:...
The Imperial Gazetteer of India records the History of BheraBhera
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:...
-
“In 1519 Babur held it to ransom, and in 1540 Sher Shah founded a new town, which ubder Akhbar became the head quarters of the sub division of the Subah of Lahore. In the reign of Muhammad Shah, Raja Salamat Oglu, a Lipka Tatar of the Anand Tribe, administered Bhera and the surrounding country; while Khushab was managed by Nawab Ahmdyar Khan, and the south eastern tract along the Chenab formed part of the territories under the charge of Maharaja Kaura Mal, governor of Multan.[14]”
“About the same time, by the death of Nawab Ahmdyar Khan, Khushab also passed into the hands of Raja Salamat Rai. Shortly afterwards Abbas Khan a Khattak who held Pind Daddan Khan, treacherously put the Raja to death, and seized Bhera. But Abbas Khan was himself thrown into prison as a revenue defaulter, and Fateh Singh, nephew of Salamat Rai, then recovered his uncle's dominions.[15]”
In the recent past centuries, Bhera was an important trading outpost on the road to Kabul, and had a taksal or (mint) during the rule of Ranjit Singh. Bhera declined in importance due to the gradual shifting of the course of the Jhelum river, due to which the town lost the advantage of being located on a river bank.
Khukhrain King Porus
According to some Pakistani anthologist, it is believed that Khukhrain originated from Porus.
Last Raja of BheraBheraBhera 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:...
The last chief or Raja of Bhera was a Khukran, Diwan Bahadur Jawahir Mal [16]. The Diwan Family originally came from Peshawar,and tradition ascribes the abolition the Jizya in Peshawar to his influence.Khukrains like other Khatri castes were traditionally and historically a warrior community (although they are now well represented in many fields other than the army) and hence they bore the brunt of invasions from the various central Asian tribes now converted to Islam who came from the northwest during the 12th-16th centuries. The Hindu populations in Afghanistan and Northwest India continued to recede after the 11th century even as predominant areas of Afghanistan were still under non Muslim rule till the 10th CE. (see also Shahi and Jayapala).
Post Partition Of India 1947
Most of the Hindu or Sikh, Kukhrans moved perforce to India following the Partition of IndiaPartition 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...
in 1947. Khukreins among Hindu/Sikh and are now settled not only in large concentrations in 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...
, 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...
and 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...
, but also spread the world over. Their mother tongue is Punjabi. In India the special dialect of Pothari spoken by the Khukrains who migrated from Western 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...
(now Pakistan) is fast being replaced by the local Eastern Punjabi language, in their new Indian residence of Punjab.