Home7MOHIYALBRAHMINS:THEANCIENTRULERSOFPUNJAB&AFGHANISAN

MOHIYALBRAHMINS:THEANCIENTRULERSOFPUNJAB&AFGHANISAN

MOHIYAL BRAHMINS : THE ANCIENT RULERS OF PUNJAB &AFGHANISANMohiyaltheMilitantBrahminsofPunjabThere isasayingthat ifyouare to trace thehouseof theMohyal inaPunjabvillagelookforthecrowssittingontheedgeoftheroof.lfyoufindaflight,justgo aheadof thehouse it is likely to be ofMohyals. Traditionally theMohyalshavebeenknownasthemeateatersorJattBrahmansofPunjab.Theyhaveaveryverynobleheritagebehindthem.TheywerethesovereignsofthePunjabbeforetheadventofMuslimsemperors.TherearesomewhobelievethatevenPorus who faced Alexander the great was a Mohyal. They are known asBrahmins but they never took to ritualism of Brahminism neither did theyaccepted alms or Puja daan. Like his earlier famous articles on Khatris andJattsofPunjab,itisB.S.GorayaagainwhoturnsthepagesofhistoryandlinksthemtodateinhisavowedseriesonthecastesandtribesofthePunjab.TheMohyalortheMujhaalBrahminsofthePunjab is a community on which thePunjabis can take pride on. Unlike otherBrahmins they did not perform the priestlyservices likeperformanceofrituals for theirclients. Historically, they are the rulers ofancient Punjab and Afghanistan who heldsway up to Arabia and Persia. Faircomplexioned with sturdy physique, talltheseBrahmins today hold importantGovt.and business posts. lnterestingly thesesecular Brahmins are revered both byMuslims, Sikhs and of course Hindus fortheirmagnificentroleinthehourfcrisesinlslam and Sikhism.Many of usmight haveread about the battle of Karbala whereHussain the son of Hazret Mohammed

65peoplelikethis.SignUptoseewhatyourfriendslike.Like Share

BhaiMati Das was sawed in two pieces in 1675 A.D. while his othercompanion Sati Daswas boiled alive and the third BhaiDiala burntalivewhile buried in cotton fromall side. TheMughalCourt tried tofrieghtenGuruTegBahadurbeforehismartyrdom.TheChhibberswereleadingSikhs after thedemiseof 10thGuru.Howeverwhen theSikhStateofLahorewasannexedantiSikhismpropagandawaslaunchedbytheBritishonamassivescale.'Hindostanhasannexed'Punjab'(Thesewerethenthetermsinvogue)wasnowtheretoannexeitideologicallytoo.SwamiDayaNandwholaunchedhisideologyfromtheplatformofgurudwaras became hostile to Sikhism and sowed the first seeds ofdiscord, which were later irrigated by the Singh Sabhaites and theAkalis.TheresultisthepeoplewhobroughtupSikhismarenowawayfrom it. (lt will be interesting to note that the same British who hadopposedSikhismbecameitswellwisherslateron.TheearlierBritishpolicy was later to be consistently pursued by its successor theCongress)

FAMOURMOHYALSOFFILMINDUSTRYSUNILDUTTANDNARGISDUTT

sahib's daughter Fatima's was martyred onOct. 18, 680 AD by the forces of Yajid. OnthisoccasionRahibaMohyalrulerfoughtonthesideofHassanandHussainvaliantlyanddefended the survivors until the enemyforcescompelledhimtoretiretowardslndia.TheMohyals claim that it is for this reasontheyarerespectedbytheMuslimsalso.TheMohyals claim that their community hadbeen getting daughters even from thePathanswhile the otherHinduswere beinglookeddownupon.SimilarlywhenGuruTegBahadur the ninth Guru of Sikhs wasmartyred by the court of Aurangzeb alongwithhisthreecompaniesin1675AD,bothorhis two companion BhaiMati Das andBhaiSatiDas,MohyalwereBrahmins.ltissaidwhenMatiDaswasbeingsawedtheJapujiofGuruNanakwasonhis lipswhichstunned the courtiers. Bhai Sati Das wasboiled alive. Bhai Mati Das's son BhaiGurbaksh Singh was a brave Sikh in thearmy of Guru Gobind Singh who faced afighter elephant single handedly. Thepresent Governor of Punjab Mr. B.K.N.Chhiber and Bhai Mahavir ex M.P. are thedescendantsofBhaiSatiDasandMatiDas.The Mohyal or Munjhal are

'sarsut' Brahmins. About a 100years ,ago theywere confined to theSalt range (present Pakistan).FamoushistorianslikeDr.HariRamGupta identify the Shahi rulers ofiPunjab and Afghanistan withMohyals. The Shahis with theircapital at Nandana (present Sialkotin Pakistan) had givenstiff resistance toMehmudGazanviwho invadedandplundered lndia17times. According to one source theShahisheldawayfromLaghmanandWaziristan to Sirhand and from

KashmirtoMultanatthecloseof1OthCenturyAD.Mohyal,thesecularBrahmins,arequiteconsciousof theirhonourableandnobleheritageandhave theircommunityhistory in theform of poetry called the 'Kabbits'. (This writer however could not lay his hands on anyversionoftheKabbits.)Sikhism also owes a lot the Mohyals as at least two highlyrespected history sources of Sikhism written in 18th centurybelong to Mohyal Brahmins. Namely the Basanwalinama ofKesarSinghChhibberandRahitnamaofBhaiChaupaSingh.TheMohyal claim that they are the 'rajrishis' i.e. the saints withtemporal pursuits as opposed to the other brahmins the'Brahmrishis'wholedsecludedlife.

SANJAYDUTT

AccordingtoMohyallegendscenturiesagoPunjabwhichhaditsboundariesmuchbeyondPeshawarwasruledbyBrahminsandKhatris and the present Mohyals are the descendants of rulerBrahminsofthePunjab.TheBrahmindynastywhichruledfromKabulwasalsoMohyalone,itisbelieved.ln1911ADtheMohailsgot their history translated into English under the title : TheHistoryof theMohyals, themilitantBrahmanRaceof lndia'byP.T. Russel Stracey in Lahore. According to these sources theSarsut Brahmins with the following gotras or clan names aretheMohyals: Datt or Dutt, Vaid, Chhibber, Bali , Mohan,Lau, & Bhimwal, The Rai Sidh, Mohyal ruler, who helpedHussainatKarbalawasofDattgotraandit isanacknowledgedfactthattheDuttswerecalledthePathans.ThereisalegendthatwhenRaiSidhDuttreturnedfrombattleofKarbalaafterhavinglost all his seven sons he played chess with a Muslim Pir at

Nandana (Sialkot) Thestake in the game was losers head. The Pir had areputation of victories and invariably accepted losersconversiontolslaminlieuofhead.ltwasmiraculousthatRaiSidhDuttwonthreeheadsofthePir,hiswivesand the sonof thePir.But the 'Datta' or giveror thegenerous just forgave the Pir unconditionally. Duttasbelieve that they are thedescendantsof Dronacharyaof Mahabharata fame. Asthuthama the son ofDronacharya settled in Arabia with a large followingandthattheDuttasareAsthuthaofAsvathama.Duringthe days of Mughal emperor Babur Rai Midh adescendantofRaiSidh took thepossessionofareaofRajamin, around Pathankot which was under theprotection of Babur, andmade his capital at Paniarh(presentlyaprominentvillage8kmfromGurdaspur).lnfuriatedBaburdespatcheda forceagainst theDuttaandvirtuallyannihilatedthewholeDattpeopleat thebattleofPaniar.ltisforthisreasonthatonDattwould

takeaglassofwaterfromPaniarhandpassanightthereandneverforgettheirdefeat.Itissaid that Babur was impressed by the chivalry of the Datts. To the survivors of Dutts heassignedKanjrurwiththerevenueof15villages(KanjrurisinSialkotPakistan)andtoothersurvivorassignedZafarwalDattan(againinSialkotDistrict).BritishhistoriansremarkthatsomeDattsarestilldefinedasKhansfromthetitleofAlawalKhanwhichwasbestowedononeoftheirpredecessorswhowasthoughnotconvertedtolslam.This present writer is wonder struck to note a parallel legend in the Goraya Jatts of theGurdaspurandSialkotdistricts.AlmosteveryvillageofGorayagotrahasamemorialerectedinthenameofMidhandtheyclaimthatBabaMidhwasimprisonedby 'emperorAkbar.lmpressivemela in thememoryMidh isheld in theGorayavillages in themonthofKatik(October).ltissurprisingthatthenameofvillageofthepresentwriterisAlawalpur,maybeitisgivenafterAlwalKhan.TheMohyalsandSikhism:DuringtheinterviewsconductedbyusaMohyalwhenaskedtocommentupontheoriginalhomeofthesemartialbrahminshesaid,"GorhediKathiterambedimuthi"i.ethesaddleand the handle of the hoe are the two things theMohyals, have ever remained struck to,whichmeans fighting and cultivationwas theirmain profession in the ages.On the otherhandSikhismdenouncetheconceptofrenounciationorwithdrawalfromsocietyandlifeanditbelieves thatmanmustparticipate in thenaturalprocessesof life. ltwas for this regionthatthemilitantcasteswereattractedtowardsit.Nanakdidn'tbelieveinthetheoryof'pap

BhaiMahavir,GovernerMadhya,Pradesh (an old photo), BhaiSahib is the son of famousfreedom fighterBhai PermanandChhibberandnephewofBhaiBalMukand Chhibber who hadhurled a bombon lordHardinge

pun'i.esinandgood.SikhismbelievesthattheuniverseisadramaenactedbyGodhimselfinwhichanindividualshouldparticipate.GuruadviseshisSikhsthatinthisdramaofGodtheSikhshouldsidewiththeforcesofgoodopposingthevillainsofevilandshouldnothavefearofdeathasthesoulisimmortal.Duringarmedstruggleorperformanceofnoblecause'sewa'ifthisbodyislostthesoulwillstraightawaymergewiththesupremesoulandthemanwill be liberated from the circle of life anddeath. ln thisway theMohyalswayof lifewasapproved.SecondlytheSikhismdidnotparticularlyprohibitedeatingofmeatwhichagainsuitedtheMohyalhabit.It is believed that at one point of history theMohyals had a state of Bhadrawatiwith thecapitalatplacenearthepresentShahpurdistrict(Pakistan).AccordingtoanEnglishwritertheremnantsofthefortressarestilltraceableatChakQazinearthenewBhera.Thelegendhas it that one KingDahr defeated one of the Sultans even at the time of Bahlol Lodhi,Gautam one of the descendents of Dahr faced the Lodhi emperor losing his army andhimself.TheseuponBabaPiragasonofGautamafoundedKariala in theChakwal tehsilofJhelum(Pakistan).According to some sources Baba Piraga wis the first Chhibber to fell at the feet of GurtrNanakwiththeresultthatfuturegenerationsoftheChhibberswereintimatelylinkedtotheSikhism.ChaupaSingh the tutorofGuruGobindSingh,was the sonofBhaiPerha sonofGautam.Chaupa Singhwrote the important Sikh code of conductwhich is highly revereddocument.AccordingtoanotherSikhsourcetherewasonePiragewhowasaSikhoftheVlthNanakandlaiddownhis life inthebattleofRuhele in1621AD.Piraga'ssisterSarsutiwasmarriedtoAthuRamofKashmir.HersonKirpaRamwastheteacherofGuruGobindSinghwhoalsolaiddownhislifealongwithhisbrotherSanmukhSinghinthebattleofChamkaurwheretheGurulosthistwosons.TheywereagainfromthefamilyofBhaiMatiDasandSatiDasthefamousmartyrs.

DwarkaDasandhissonDargahMalwerealsofromthesame familywhoserved theVllandVlllgurus.Dargah Mal's son Bhai Dharam Chand was caretakerofGuruGobindSingh'scourtwhilethehouseholdscaretakerwasSahibChandsonofBhaiMatiDas Gurbaksh Singh son of Dharam Chandmanaged Golden Temple in the crises days (1727AD)Gurbaksh's son Kesar Singh ChhibberwroteBansawalinamaagainahighlyrespecteddocumentin Sikhism. Kesar Singh's brother Sant SinghChhibberwasalsoawriter'whowroteJanamSakhiGuruNanakShahibki'Kesar'ssonSewaSinghwasalso a poet and Sewa's two sonsMehar Singh andSahai Singh were also poets. Mehar Singh taughtPunjabitoEnglishofficers.A close study of Sikh history reveals thatMohyalswere not merely followers of Sikhism they wererathertheleadersofthefaithaftertheGurus.ManyoftheSikhcampaignsof18to19thcenturywereledby the Mohyals. Maharaja Ranjit Singh's manygenerals were Mohyals. Today you talk to anyMohyalandifheisconsciousabouthisfamilytreehewillnamehisancestorswhosenamesendupinSinghs.ThatshowshowalltheMuhialswereSikhssome100yearsago.

in 19I2 when Delhi was beinginaugurated as the capital ofIndia. They are descendents ofBhaiMatiDas.

Indias liquor tycoon Brigadier KapilMohan,MD,MohanMeakin Breweries Ltd.examining and testing his produce before itgoes down the palate of millions ofdrunkards.Mr.MohanisaMohiyalPunjabiand unfortunately his produce is beingconsumed by more in the Punjab than anyother state.Somuch so liquor consumptioninBathindadistrictismorethatthewholeofUttarPradeshstate.

HowtheMohyalsdriftedawayfromSikhism is a topic of deep interest. After the British hadannexedPunjabwithheavycasualitieseverfacedbythem any where in lndia they became highlysuspicious of the Sikhs .They knew that the Sikhsdrew inspiration from the strugglesome history ofthemand thus became envious of the religion.On the other handSwamiDayaNandhadstartedreclaimingHindusfromotherreligionsandhetreatedSikhismareligionhostiletothefaithofVedas.ThoughinitiallytheRishiwasnothostiletoSikhismandratherstartedhismissionary activities from the platform of gurudwaras.Many Sikhs were attracted by theRishi who in turn intensified further gathering of followers. Arya Samaj's influence hadgrowntoanimpressivenumbersinthePunjabcitieslikeLahore,Rawalpindietc.LatertheSingh Sabha and Akali movement further drifted the Mohyals from Sikhism. Earlier theMohyalstookdaughtersinmarriagefromthemartialracesi.eKhatrisandAfghansinsomecasesasculturallytheywereclosertothem.LaterapracticeofgivingandtakingdaughtersfromtheotherBrahmingotrasoftheSarsutclassstartedwhichhasnowbecomecommonasa result ofwhich theMohyal characters in person are diluted and slowly theMohyals arebecomingandbehavinglikeanyotherSarsutBrahminofPunjab.ln DelhimanyMohyals are having close social interaction with the Gaur i.e U. P brandBrahmins.AsamatteroffacttheMohyalsthemselveswereearlieroutcastastheyatemeatwhile theotherSarsutBrahminswerehighlyopposed to it.Besides someBrahminpriestswereoustedfromthegurudwarasinthetwentiesduringtheAkaliMovementandtheJattsbecometheunquestionedleadersofthefaith.TheBrahminsthusdistancedthemselvesfromthe faith and were slowly absorbed in the mainstream. This had a direct impact on theMohyalSikhrelationsaswellsincetheaMohyalsmicroscopiccommunityinBrahminsareasurroundedbytheritualisticBrahminseverywhere. The whole history of theMohyals is thuslinkedwiththegoldenheritageofthisarea.The Vaids claim descent from Rai GorakhwhowasacourtierofPrithviRajChauhan.On the Chauhan debacle at ThanesarGorakh fled to Shimla hills. One of theVaids obtained fiefdom at the hands ofJammu king when he rescued Hinducaptives from the clutches of Timur. TheLauclan is closelyassociatedwithBajwaraof theHoshiarpur region. Once Lau BallarSain and lnder Sain assisted Teimur whogranted them the fiefofBajwara.The laterLaus forefieted the fief as theLausdidnotsupport Aurangzeb's feudals of the region.TheMohanMohyalsalsofoundfavourwithTimur who invaded lndia 17 times toplunderitswealth.HeappointedoneoftheMohans as his Dewan. Under Babur alsoHarjas Mohan became his dewan.Mohammedan titles were then bestowedupon theMohansbut theMohansretainedtheir faith in those tough times. Anothernotable Mohan rose to the position of adewan during theMughal rule and helpedtheDattstoretainGhuramfromwhichtheyweredispossessedbytheJatts.ViramisnowintheArowaldistrictofPakistan.HavingfacedtwoconsequentbattlestheMohanswereonthe vergeof extinction. interestinglyon this occasionSobhaRamMohanmarriedhis own

daughter in lawand continuedhis race.Thevahuti or bahu was from the Datt parents.Mamdothadbeenthecapitalof theMohanswhich they obtained as a grantfrom Alauddin Khilji. ln the day ofAurangzeb the Mamdot Mohans wereconverted to lslamand the present NawabsofMemdotareMohans.DuringthePartitiondaysoneNawabofMamdotMianAbdulBariwas in newsmore often than not.HemighthavebecomesomeministerafterthefreedomandformationofPakistan.TheMomdotshad

supportedtheSikharmiesduringtheEnglishSikhwars.KatasRajtemplewherenowadaysHindusgoforapilgrimagewasonceinthepossessionofBalisandratherthewholecreditforitseminencegotothem.Theyyethaveanotherpilgrimagesplacesandthatisincidentallyinthisparti.eatMaloutTarlokNath'sshrine.AscomparedtotheothergotrastheBhirnwalsare perhaps less numerous as we do not very often come across Balis, Chhibbers, Dutts,.TheBhimwalsclaimdescentfromRajaNandanwhoheldafortinthePindiDadanKhanofJhelum.FemaleinfanticidewasrathertoocommonamongtheMohyals.ltsbasicreasonwasthat they beingmartial people had often to rush to places flee and at times face debacles

whence thedaughtersweredefiledby theMuslim invaders they often faced. The otherreasonwasthattheMohyalsnevertoleratedanygivingawayofdaughterstootherBrahmansfromwhich thewould accept 'daughters. The third reasonwas that therewas a strict andtough dowry custom. What ever dowry a daughter received from her parents the sameamountofgiftsshemustgetasandwhenshevisitedherparentsafterthemarriage.Thusthedaughters were considered as dead for the parentsafterthemarriageandtheyseldomvisitedparents.

TheMohyalsTodayAfterPartitiontheMohyalshavesettledwhereevertheirKhatricounterpartshave.Havingsettledmostly in themajo rcities of north lndia today they are no longer engaged in theprofessionofagricultureandafewarejoiningthearmynow.Theymostlyareingovernmentciviljobsorarepettybusinessmen.Howeverafewofthemhavedistinguishedthemselvesinthe business too. The Mohan Meakin group of Sahibabad near Delhi is perhaps lndia'spioneer liquor manufarcturer, there are accordingly some more Mohyal industrialists in,Ludhiana, Karnal and Jalandhar. ln the order of Mohyal population Delhi today leads,followedbyChandigrh,Ludhiana,JalandharandAmritsarZ