Sohlan (tribe)
Encyclopedia
| Rajput Clan: Sohlan | |
| Vansh | Agnivanshi |
| Descended from: | Parmara |
| Branches: | None |
| Ruled in | Azad Kashmir Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir... |
| Princely states: | Kashtwar |
| Surnames: | Rajah or Khan |
The Sohlan are a 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...
tribe of Panhwar
Panhwar
Panhwar or Panwar are a Sindhi Muslim Rajput tribe found in Sindh, Punjab and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. The term Panwhar is used for the Parmar Rajputs clans that have converted to Islam, and are settled in what is now Pakistani territory.-History:...
Rajput descent which is a sub-branch of the Paramara
Paramara
Paramara is a Maratha, Gurjar,& Rajput clan of India.The Paramara clan belongs to the Agnivansha of Rajputs ancient Kshatriyas...
Raputs. They are connected with the Narma
Narma
The Narma are a Rajput tribe found in India and Pakistan.-References:*Glossary of tribes and castes by H.A.Rose*Punjabi Musalman, Lieut JM Wikeley*Narma Rajput Tribe...
as both are descended from Panhwar Rajputs.
The Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
section is found chiefly in the Mirpur District
Mirpur District
Mirpur District is a district in the disputed and divided state of [Jammu and Kashmir]. The district is named after the main city, Mirpur. The District of Mirpur has a population of 371,000 and covers an area of . The district is mainly mountainous with some plains...
of Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
, with small numbers found in Jhelum
Jhelum District
Jhelum District is in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According the 1998 census the district had a population of 936,957, of which 31.48% were urban. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as...
, in Pothohar (Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the largest tehsil of Punjab. It is approximately 55 kilometres southeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan and 220 km to the north west of Lahore, capital of Punjab...
, Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, Muree) and Gujrat
Gujrat District
Gujrat is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. It is an ancient district located in between two famous rivers, the Jhelum and Chenab. Because of its proximity with the rivers the land is good for cultivation with rice and sugar cane as main crops...
Districts.
They are culturally close to the Narma
Narma
The Narma are a Rajput tribe found in India and Pakistan.-References:*Glossary of tribes and castes by H.A.Rose*Punjabi Musalman, Lieut JM Wikeley*Narma Rajput Tribe...
Rajputs.
Sohlan in Azad Kashmir
Their areas include Bani (Mirpur)Bani (Mirpur)
Bani is a village in the Mirpur Tehsil of Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.- History :Like in many villages in the Mirpur region, many villagers have emigrated to the United Kingdom. The Sohlan clan of Rajputs makes up the bulk of the population....
, Dalyala
Dalyala
Dalyala is a village found in Azad Kashmir in the Khari Sharif area of Pakistan it is composed mostly of Sohlan Rajputs. The Sohlan are a Rajput tribe connected with the Narma. They are said to be of Panwar Rajput descent which is a sub-branch of the Paramara Rajputs. The village name is derived...
, Ghaseetpur Sohalian
Ghaseetpur Sohalian
Ghaseetpur Sohalian is a village in the Mirpur Tehsil of Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.- History :Ghaseetpur is an ancient village resided by Sohlan Rajputs in majority. The village gets its name from the Sohlan tribe, who form the majority of the population....
, Mehmunpur
Mehmunpur
Mehmunpur Rajgan is a village near Jatlan, Mirpur District, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.The village is situated between Jhelum River and the Upper Jhelum Canal,15 km from Mirpur city.-Demography:...
, New Jabot and Sahang
Sahang
Sahang is a town in Gujar Khan Tehsil, Punjab, Pakistan. Sahang is also chief town of Union Council Sahang which is an administrative subdivision of the TehsilSahang is one of the most biggest and important union council of tehsil gujar khan.The notable tribes of this union council are Pakhral...
which are the centres of the tribe in Mirpur District
Mirpur District
Mirpur District is a district in the disputed and divided state of [Jammu and Kashmir]. The district is named after the main city, Mirpur. The District of Mirpur has a population of 371,000 and covers an area of . The district is mainly mountainous with some plains...
. These mainly centre around Khari Sharif
Khari Sharif
Khari Sharif is an agricultural area in Mirpur District of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Broadly speaking, Alaqa-e-Khari refers to the fertile plains of Khari which exist between the hills of mirpur and the river Jhelum.Khari has some 80 small and large villages and one of the villages itself is known as...
which has historically been ruled by this family. Since the development of the Mangla Dam
Mangla Dam
The Mangla Dam is located on the Jhelum River in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is the sixteenth largest dam in the world. It was built from 1961 to 1967 with funding from the World Bank. The project was designed and supervised by Binnie & Partners of London, and it was built...
, old Jabot Village was submerged underwater causing many families to move back to Khari Sharif
Khari Sharif
Khari Sharif is an agricultural area in Mirpur District of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Broadly speaking, Alaqa-e-Khari refers to the fertile plains of Khari which exist between the hills of mirpur and the river Jhelum.Khari has some 80 small and large villages and one of the villages itself is known as...
, the ancestral area of the clan and to set up New Jabot.
During the time of the Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
and the Mughals the reigning authorities never levied taxes in the Solhan rules areas, in lieu of peaceful passage to Kabul. That is why you will find the Sohlan villages across the Jhelum River
Jhelum River
Jehlum River or Jhelum River , ) is a river that flows in India and Pakistan. It is the largest and most western of the five rivers of Punjab, and passes through Jhelum District...
. Sohlan areas came under the rule of the Sikhs during Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
's ascendancy whose armies captured Jammu and Kashmir in 1819. This rule lasted until 1857 when areas north of the Jhelum river were handed over to the Gulab Singh Dogra in an agreement with the British as part of the Treaty of Amritsar
Treaty of Amritsar
The Treaty of Amritsar was signed on March 16, 1846, to settle a dispute over territory in Kashmir after the First Sikh War with the United Kingdom, ceding some land to Maharaja Gulab Singh Dogra...
.
As the British viewed Rajputs as a martial caste
Martial Race
Martial Race was a designation created by Army officials of British India, where they classified each ethnic group into one of two categories: 'Martial' and 'Non-Martial'. A 'martial race' was typically considered brave and well built for fighting. The 'non-martial races' were those whom the...
, many members of the clan served in the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
in both World Wars seeing action in Egypt and Burma by travelling into British ruled Punjab and signing up at Jhelum. Joining the army was often the best way to supplement family incomes since most families lived off their land.
Many elders of this clan were rulers including Sardar
Sardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
, Zaildar
Zaildar
Zaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages....
s and lambardar
Lambardar
In Pakistan=The Land Revenue Act, 1967: -Section 4 :Village Officer means any person appointed under this Act whose duty is to collect, or to supervise the collection of, the revenue of an estate and include Kanungos, Patwaris, Service Centre Officials, Zabits, Kotars or Tapedars, Peons, Arbabs,...
s and were responsilbe of collecting taxes on behalf of the Dogra Maharajah of Kashmir who ruled the Azad Kashmir area. Raja Sajjawal Khan
Raja Sajjawal Khan
Zaildar Raja Sajjawal Khan of Mehmunpur was the son of Raja Diwan Khan. He was first Muslim Zaildar in his area. He had great political stature in all over Jammu Kashmir and northern Punjab. He was well known in elites of pre-partition erra with whom he had cordial relations...
was first Muslim and Sohlan
Sohlan
* Sohlan , tribe of Azad Kashmir and adjacent areas* Sohlan,, village of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan...
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...
grade one Zaildar
Zaildar
Zaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages....
in Khari Sharif
Khari Sharif
Khari Sharif is an agricultural area in Mirpur District of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Broadly speaking, Alaqa-e-Khari refers to the fertile plains of Khari which exist between the hills of mirpur and the river Jhelum.Khari has some 80 small and large villages and one of the villages itself is known as...
who defeated Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Zaildar
Zaildar
Zaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages....
Badrinath in elections.
Legend has that Mangla Devi an ancestor of the tribe and after whom Mangla is named after was the first person from the tribe to convert to Islam. Since then the family has been involved in religious affairs providing land on which the shrine of Pir-e Shah Ghazi and more famously Mian Muhammad Bakhsh
Mian Muhammad Bakhsh
Mīān Muhammad Bakhsh was a Sufi saint and a Punjabi/Pahari poet; he belonged to the Qadiri tariqah. He is especially renowned as the author of a book of poetry called Saiful Malūk. He was born in a village called Khari Sharif, situated near Mirpur, Azad Kashmir.-Lineage:He belonged to the Gujjar...
now stand.
The Sohlan clan are connected with Panwar Royal family from Kashtwar
Kishtwar
Kishtwar is a town and a notified area committee in Kishtwar District in Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of India.-Geography:Kishtwar is located at...
; Raja Sohlan Singh is said to be the ancestor of Sohlan Rajputs according to the history book called 'Tehreek e Jammu'. Raja Sohlan Singh was the 27th ruler of the Princely state of Kashtwar, conquered Surur and Bonjwah, adding them to his domains and founding the village of Salhana above Kandani.
In Azad Kashmir the term "Sohlan-Sulehria" is often used, though they are two different Rajput clans.
Sohlan in Punjab
The Sohlan are also found in Jhelum DistrictJhelum District
Jhelum District is in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According the 1998 census the district had a population of 936,957, of which 31.48% were urban. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as...
, and like those of Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
, claim descent from the Panwar 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. There villages are found north of the city of Jhelum
Jhelum
Jhelum or Jehlum may refer to:* Jhelum, a city in Pakistan on the banks of the Jhelum River* Jhelum District, an administrative division in Punjab, Pakistan surrounding the city of Jhelum...
, the principal settlement being Sohan
Sohan
Sohan is a village and union council of Jhelum District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is part of Jhelum Tehsil, and is located at 33°3'25N 73°26'30E with an altitude of 303 metres . Most of the population belong to the Sohlan....
. Other villages include Gatiali
Gatiali
Gatiali is a village in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan. is north of Jhelum City and South of Mangla Dam....
, Pakhwal Rajgan, Chitti Rajgan, Pind Ratwal Tahlianwala, Dhok Sohlnan, Piraghaib. They are closely connected to the Chib
Chib
The Chib Rajput , is a Chandravanshi Rajput clan found in the northern parts of India and Pakistan. They are mostly a Kashmiri or Punjabi tribe found in both India and Pakistan...
s, who are their neighbours.
Noted members
- Raja Saroop KhanRaja Saroop KhanLieutenant General Raja Saroop Khan is a career Pakistan Army officer who served as the Governor of Punjab from 1995 to 1996.Raja Saroop Khan of Jabot was commissioned in the 7th PMA Long Course from Pakistan Military Academy in 1953...
Former Governor of Punjab belongs to this tribe. - Raja Sajjawal KhanRaja Sajjawal KhanZaildar Raja Sajjawal Khan of Mehmunpur was the son of Raja Diwan Khan. He was first Muslim Zaildar in his area. He had great political stature in all over Jammu Kashmir and northern Punjab. He was well known in elites of pre-partition erra with whom he had cordial relations...
was a famous village elder who was the local Assessor ZaildarZaildarZaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages....
on behalf of the Dogra Maharajah of Kashmir.