Jarral

= Jarral Rajput =

The Jarral Rajputs (Urdu: جـرال راجپوت, also spelled Jaral, Jerral) are a prominent Muslim Rajput tribe of Azad Kashmir and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. They are well known for being the last longest ruling royal dynasty of Rajouri in Kashmir which only ended in the mid nineteenth century with the advent of the British Raj.

They hold the title of "Raja", which is their ancestral royal title since the times of the Mahabharata as well as the title of Mirza, which was conferred upon them by the Mughal emperor of India, Shah Jahan.

They ruled Rajouri through various successive rulers and also played a major part in the development of the region of Rajouri, until the modern day.

Origin

The Jarrals are descendants of the ancient Pandavas through prince Arjuna, who was the valiant and brave hero of the Mahabharata. His grandson, Maharaja Parikshit, the Emperor of Hastinapur, was assassinated by the Naga (serpent) people. Upon his death, his eldest son, Janamejaya was made the Emperor of Hastinapur.

Emperor Janamejaya's younger brother, Prince "Kakshasena" established a separate independent kingdom at Indraprastha, which later rose to become a dominant force in its own right. ["Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers" by Govt. Uttar Pradesh 1993, p25]

With the passage of time, the Bactrian and Scythian invasions of northern India, this Pandava branch established a kingdom at Kalanaur in what is now the modern-day district of Gurdaspur in Punjab (India) establishing the first capital of the Jarral Dynasty.

Jarral Rajputs are known as the descendants of the Pandavas and their branch was named after their apical ancestor, Raja Jir Rao, a Rajput descendant of the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. The "Jarrals" are therefore a "brother tribe" to the illustrious Janjua Rajputs of Punjab. ["Punjab Chiefs" by Sir Lepel H. Griffin (Lahore, 1909, p.97)]

Kalanaur was later captured in the twelfth century by the armies of the Ghorid Empire after a battle with the Jarral Rajas.

Conversion to Islam

After the battle for Kalanaur in 1187 AD, the Jarrals were eventually defeated and the Jarral King, Raja Saheb Shena was brought before the court of Mohammed of Ghor. Ghori invited Raja Saheb Shena to become a Muslim.

The king heard the precepts of Islam and accepted the faith. He also encouraged his family to follow suit and the Jarral Rajput dynasty became one of the earliest Muslim Rajput dynasties of Indian history. Raja Saheb Shena followed Islamic tradition of change of name, reflecting the change of faith and was renamed Raja Sher Afghan Khan. His son and heir apparent prince, Neil Singh was also renamed Raja Nooruddin Khan.

This conversion however, led the Jarrals to become outcastes from the Hindu Rajputs who broke ties with the Jarrals for renouncing Hinduism and embracing Islam.

Raja Or Mirza Title

Majority of Muslim Rajputs use their ancient hereditary title of Raja. Although some tribes such as the Varya Rajputs (also known as Rana Rajputs) use the title Rana; other tribes also use Kunwar and Rai. These titles all originated from the ancient word Rajanya.

Many Muslim Rajputs were also conferred titles by the Delhi Sultans and the Mughal Emperors such as Malik (Royal, King), Nawab (Governor), Sirdar, Khan,Chaudhry and Mirza i.e. Prince of the blood.

It was not uncommon for such titles to continue down the line of descent. Although the majority of Muslim Rajputs use Raja as their ancestral title, some also adopted the Persian title of Mirza instead of Rajput to distinguish their Muslim identity from their previous Hindu one as it is a Persian word meaning prince of the blood. Although the Rajputs of the Jarral dynasty were ordained as Mirza's after their intermarriage with the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir

The Conquest of Rajauri

Raja Nooruddin Khan attacked the kingdom of Rajauri in Kashmir and captured it in the year 1194 AD. The Jarrals now established Muslim rule over Rajouri, which lasted for six hundred and fifty years.

After the death of Raja Sher Afgan Khan, Noor-Ud-Din Khan became the Raja. Since the family had lost its relationship with other Rajput Rajas, they became weakened and decided to move to Kashmir. In 1194 AD, they under the garb of traders and hunters came to a beautiful place called Rajauri also known as Rajaur. They loved the mountains and miles and miles of flower beds in the area. They made up their mind to settle here. In the course of time, through their sources observed the administration of Raja Amna Paul of Rajaur for sometime and then carried out a night attack on the city of Rajauri. The Jarrals ruled Rajauri for over 670 years and extended their area through many expeditions against the neighboring mouzaz. The State of Rajauri had its borders up to Munawar in the South where River Chenab and River Tawi meet near Marala, Poonch on the North-West and the State of Jammu border on the East. Many battles were fought against the ruler of Jammu before the Treaty of Amritsar in 1846. The Jarrals were exiled as they kept fighting the Dogras and Maharaja was under the constant fear of losing Kashmir if other Muslim Rajput clans in Kashmir decided to join in with the fearsome Jarrals resulting in a deadly combination that would have had ripped apart the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the British came to their rescue and defeated the Jarral aspirations. Since the Jarrals kept fighting the Dogras and did not accept the dogra rule, the British decided to move the Jarrals to Rehlu in district Kangra in the Punjab. To compensate the lost Rajauri State, the Jarrals were awarded the territory of Rehlu. Emperor Jehangir had died at Rajauri and his vital organs are buried there.

During this period, the Jarral Dynasty enjoyed a revenue of Rs 300,000 per annum. They were also recorded as being fair to all their subjects irrespective of caste or creed. In fact, many Hindus were employed in senior positions of government and received rewards for their services to the Jarral rulers.

The relations between the Jarrals and the Mughals

The Jarral Rajas of Rajouri accepted Mughal rule and even helped the Mughals in their conquests of the country. "Raja Mast Khan", a Jarral ruler received lands yielding revenues of Rs. 50,000 from the Mughal Emperor Akbar for his services rendered in conquests and campaigns.

Shah Jahan requested the Jarral King, Raja Tajuddin Khan for the hand of his daughter, princess "Nawab Bai Begum" (also known as Raj Mahal Begum) for the Mughal prince, "Muhiuddin Muhammed" (who later became Emperor Aurangzeb). It was also at this time that the royal Mughal court conferred the title of "Mirza" on the Jarral Rajputs. Nawab Bai was the second wife of Emperor Aurangzeb and bore two sons and a daughter namely Muhammad Sultan and Moazzam Shah a.k.a. Shah Alam Bahadur Shah-1. He became the Emperor of Mughal Empire after the death of Aurangzeb. The name of the daughter was Badarunnisa who died at the age of 19 years in 1673 and was a very pious princess. Prince Mohammad Sultan who was the eldest son died in 1676 in a supervised detention as he had revolted against his father Emperor Aurangzeb.

The relations between the Jarrals and the Sikhs

The period of the rise of the Sikhs to prominence and the Jarrals' relationship with them was one of turbulence, resistance, support and eventually rebellion.

In 1813, "Raja Aghar Khan", came into conflict with Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He resisted, but was defeated, captured and later died in prison. His brother, "Raja Rahimullah Khan" was allowed a "Jagir" (estate) of 12,000 rupees.

In March 1846 AD, after the defeat of the Sikhs in the First Anglo-Sikh War, under the terms of "The Treaty of Amritsar", Maharaja Gulab Singh bought the whole of Kashmir from the British, which included the Rajouri Kingdom.

"Raja Rahimullah Khan"'s son and heir apparent, prince "Faqirullah Khan" in conjunction with the then Governor of Kashmir, "Nawab Imam-ud-din Khan", refused to recognise the Dogras' rule and fought many battles against the Dogra Army, thus creating a havoc in the region. The Dogras then sought the help of the British to resolve the conflict.

Famous Jarral Rajas

Raja Inayatullah Khan

Raja Inayatullah Khan was the grandson of Raja Tajuddin Khan mentioned above. He was appointed the Governor of the Western Kashmiri Frontier. "Punjab Chiefs" records, "He was granted Poonch, Bhimbar and certain other tracts. He laid out handsome gardens at Rajauri, built a palace and a "Sarai" at Inayatpur, and forts at Nowshera and Manawar." ["Punjab Chiefs" (Sir L.H.Griffin, Lahore 1909, p97) ]

Raja Rafiullah Khan

He was the grandson of Raja Inayatullah Khan. During his rule, a conflict arose between him and "Raja Dharb Dev" of Jammu, over a boundary dispute. The above mentioned source refers to this episode, "...in the fight which ensued, he worsted the Raja (of Jammu) and beat him back to his capital. To commemorate the victory he removed some bricks from the Mandi Palace at Jammu and placed them in the walls of his own house at Rajauri, whence they are said to have been removed and restored to their original position by Maharaja Gulab Singh."

Raja Rahimullah Khan

Already mentioned above, he also took an active part in service to the British Government. He sent his eldest son, "Raja Yahya Khan" to take part in the "First Afghan War", under Maharaja Ranjit Singh's orders with a force of almost a thousand soldiers. But in the "Sikh Wars", he sided against the English. He died in 1847.

Raja Faqirullah Khan

He was the son of Raja Rahimullah Khan as mentioned above. In 1855, Raja Faqirullah Khan was given a choice by the intervening British Government to pick one of the following places for his permanent residence: "Fort Sheikhupura", "Bara Darri Batala" or "Musaman Burj Wazirabad". Musaman Burj was reluctantly selected, being closer to Rajouri and with a hope that one day situations would change and the royal family would be able to regain prominence as rulers once more.

Raja Faqirullah bought Musaman Burj from the British Government at a price of Rs 5000 the same year. Musaman Burj is located on the northern end of the city of Wazirabad. It consisted of approximately fifteen acres. There were six acres of gardens in the center with walkways to reach the residence. On the northern end of Musaman Burj, a tributary of the Chenab known as the "Pulkhu" flowed. As per history, Musaman Burj was built before the time of the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir. Raja Faqirullah further constructed a rest house for his stay while travelling to Kashmir with his wife, Queen Noorjehan. "Sir Lepel H. Griffin" notes in "He owned, four hundred and thirty two acres in the Mitranwali and Nika Khel villages, Tahsil Daska, Sialkot, and about one hundred acres in Radal, Tahsil Wazirabad, Gujranwala." ["Punjab Chiefs" (Lahore 1909, p100)]

He was also an Honorary Magistrate at Wazirabad and a Provincial "Darbari" of Gujranwala. In 1877, he was conferred with the title of Khan Bahadur. He died in 1889.

It was said of "Raja Faqirullah Khan":

Raja Ataullah Khan

His full rank of distinction was H.E. Sardar Bahadur Lieutenant Colonel Raja Ataullah Khan. He was the elder son of Raja Faqirullah Khan and was born in 1836 in the city of Rajouri. An excellent horseman with a strong personality, he had joined the British Army with his "Jarral Horsemen" and became part of the "Hodson's Horse". He was a tall, brave and a handsome man. He served in the Hodson's Horse and 9/10 "Bengal Lancers". Wounded many a times, he was a much decorated soldier of his time. His awards included Order of British India (OBI) and Order of Merit (OM) for valour and bravery. After his death in 1903 when East India Company was Chartered by the Queen and India became part of the British Empire, Order of Merit was converted into Victoria Cross. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and in the year 1885, became the British envoy (Ambassador) to Afghanistan. He was also conferred the title of Sardar Bahadur by the British.

He was the first Muslim ever to be designated as a British Ambassador. He married the daughter of the "Nawab of Farakhabad" and sister of Nawab Muhammad Nyaz Khan Bangash located in UP,India. Nawab Mohammad Nyaz Khan Bangash was exiled to Makkah for strongly supporting his people against the Britishers in 1857. Sardar Bahadur Raja Ataullah Khan encouraged his clansmen to join the Civil Service and the Armed Forces. He played a major part in bringing the Jarrals together was able to unite many of the family members who had chosen to live in "Rehlu", during the period of their exile. He died in 1903, a highly decorated officer of his time.

Photographs of H.E. Sardar Bahadur Lt. Col. Raja Ataullah Khan are available with his Great Grandson Irfanullah Raja which date back to 1858, 1888 and 1897 and were so kindly provided by Ex-Commandant of Hodson Horse Brig. Jiti Chaudhary in India. Contact at e-mail address: [e-mail]

Raja Hamidullah Khan

He was the grandson of Raja Rahimullah Khan and nephew of the respected Khan Bahadur Raja Faqirullah Khan.

Niamatullah Khan was also a "Divisional Darbari", and his younger brother "Karamatullah Khan" was a "Tahsildar."

Raja Ikramullah Khan

Raja Ikram Ullah Khan, son of Sardar Bahadur Lt. Colonel Raja Ataullah Khan was born at Wazirabad in 1874. He was the only son of Raja Ataullah Khan and rose to prominence locally as well in the state of Punjab. He was also an Honorary Magistrate in Gujranwala and inherited his father's seat in the "Provincial Darbars."

He was member of Council of State for the Viceroy of India and First Chairman of the District Board of Gujranwala. He fathered five sons namely:

#H.E. Lieutenant Colonel Raja Abdullah Khan (1897-1969), who continued the tradition of dignity. He was Pakistan's ambassador to Brazil in 1956
#Lt. Col. Raja Karamullah Khan (d 1973).
#Raja Azizullah Khan (1905-1974).
#'Kunwar Saadatullah Khan (19011-1965).
#'Kunwar Izazullah khan

Ramzan Ali Khan:

he is the son of Shamsher Ali Khan, who migrated from District Kangra, India. he is a former government officer, and served as Magistrate in Pubjab government. He retired as Additional Secretary in Punjab government. Presently, he is living in Lahore. He has foure sons; Rashid Ali Khan (Banker), Kashif Ali Khan (Lecturer), Saqib Ali Khan (Assistant Director, WAPDA) and Adnan Ali Khan (Banker).

The Zaildari Nizaam - Rajouri (100 years)

Some members of the Jarral tribe remained in Rajouri and served the Dogras as "Zaildars" & "Numberdars". This "Nizam" (System) of Zaildars lasted for a hundred years till 1947 AD.

The two prominent Zaildar families were the Jarral Rajputs from Prote with full 32 villages and 'Bal Jaralain' with 16 villages under their due restriction. Each village had to have a 'Numberdar' who would answer to the Zaildar for his village's tax collectibles. Again because the Jarrals already were running/ aware of the previous system, due to their competence they were also chosen to managed the Numberdari Nazam by majority. Although, high taxation was the Central Dogra Governments policy which incorporated 80% unless you owned the land. The land owner would pay around 10%. In Jarrals case they owned bulk of land themselves therefore paying the minimum. These lands were called 'Jageers'.

Known Zaildars in Rajouri

#Mirza Pir Buksh - Brote Jarral
#Mirza Khuda Buksh - Brote Jarral
#Mirza Mohammad Hussain - Brote Jarral
#Mirza Raj Mohammad - Bal Jarral
#Mirza Abdul Latif(Late) - Sama JarralFreedom fighter Goldmedalist, Farmer President Muslim Conference Distt Jhelum

These families later migrated to Azad Kashmir and some parts of Punjab during the Partition. They ranked well with the Kashmiris and took up prominent positions in the Pakistani Army, local government, judicial system, as well as Pakistani and Kashmiri Politics.

The Jarral contribution to the fall of the Dogras in Gilgit

The conqueror of Zoji LaAccording to the Kashmir Campaign 1947-48, the official Military History Reference Book by GHQ, Zojila was captured by Major Mohammed Khan Jarral on July 7, 1948.

A brief overview of this unsung hero of Pakistan's Military History. The conqueror of Zoji La got commission on 28th March 1942 from IMA Dehra Doon. During 2nd world war he served with the 2nd Jammu & Kashmir Rifles and went to Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine. In May 1946, Major Jarral, captain at the time was appointed commandant 5th Garrison Police company to curb Sheikh Abdullah's anti-state civil disturbance. On partition he was appointed Adjutant Gilgit Scouts, on 8th August 1947 at Gilgit.

When the Liberation war of the Northern areas started in 1947-48 he joined hands with the Muslim feedom fighters against Maharaja Hari Singh's rule.

He was given the command of the combined force consisting of "A" and "B" wings of the Gilgit scouts with the task of capturing Zoji La and then if possible to advance towards Sonamarg and Srinagar. Major Jarral during the early outset of the Kashmir Liberation war captured Bunji in the last week of October, 1947 and liberated Astore area down to Gurez by the middle of November, 1947. He attacked the Sakardu Fort during the night of 11/12 February, 1948. He ambushed and defeated the first Indian Relief Column lead by Brigadier Faqir Singh at Thorgopari, convert|15|mi|km south of Sakardu- Srinagar Road, on 17th March, 1948.

The action of Thorgopari paved the way for Captain Jarral's subsequent successes in Baltistan area. He again ambushed and dislodged and humiliated the 2nd Indian Relief Column known as Indian Z-Brigade lead by Brigader Sanporan Singh at Paskuta.

The enemy now knew that he was up against the determined men of Major Jarral's force. Two Indian Generals, Thimayya and Srinagesh, were personally present with Brigader Atal during planning and mounting of an attack at Zoji La. It shows the great importance the Indians gave to it. Major Jarral had built up the defences well and the credit goes to his ingenuity in organising his positions in such a manner that the enemy could not capture even the outlying bunkers and trenches.

On June 12, 1948 Major Jarral lead an attack on the two forward Indian companies at Khoru and Gumri. On June 22, Jarral's men made a surprise dawn attack on the pickets. The enemy called in aircraft to bomb and strafe the area. A hand-to hand fight started. The enemy was forced to withdraw after suffering heavy casualties. A few other pickets were similarly attacked and captured.

Simultaneously, Major Jarral was working his way up along the main axis and when the Patiala's realised that their rear was threatened, they withdrew in a disorder. The battle lasted for twenty days and Zoji La was captured on July 7, 1948 by Captain Mohammed Khan Jarral. The enemy lost about 400 men and large quantities of ammunition and other stores fell into the hands of Jarral's force.

Also it is interesting to put on record that Major Jarral defeated General Srinagesh who was his former company commander at IMA Dehra Doon from where he got King's Commission. Major Jarral's courage and bravery against all the odds completely changed the whole scenario of the Liberation war of Northern Areas in 1947-48.

References; Kashmir campaign 1947-48 (The official GHQ Version)

In November 1947 AD, "Colonel Hassan Khan Jarral" who was the then "Company Commander", aided the revolt against the ruling Dogras and helped capture the Gilgit region together with a small team of Muslim Rajputs and local tribes. He also arrested the Governor, "Brigadier Ghansara Singh" as well as Major Brown and appointed "Raja Raees Khan" as "President of the Republic.

The Jarral migration of 1947

After Maharaja Hari Singh's accession of Kashmir to India, the majority of Jarrals eventually began to migrate to Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. They settled in Mirpur, Kotli, Koirata, Kot-Jamal, Gujrat, Jalalpur Jatain, Gujranwala, Lahore, Jehlum, Rawalpindi, Wah Cantt and Attock near Islamabad

The Jarrals made their positions in all cities and started living an honorable life. In this regard they made their relations with local rajputs of those areas. It was an healthy tradition that the local rajput welcomed their migrant brothers and let them live as they were living in their home areas.

In Mirpur the Jarrals resided in Main city, Panjeri, Jatlan, PulManda and near by areas. The famous rajputs of Mirpur helped their brothers to get settled. In this regard General Akbar Khan of Panjeri, Zaildar Raja Sajjawal Khan of Mehmunpur, jagirdar Raja Allah Dad Khan of Lehri helped the Jarrals a lot for their settlement and offered their lands to them.

Over the years in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan, the Jarrals did well in education and gained positions within the Pakistan Army, Navy, Airforce, education sector, local governments and municipal corporations, as well as commerce and industry.

Since 1947, they have had four MLAs in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly representing the Jarrals in famed prominent roles, such as Raja Basi of Gujrat, Raja Sadeeq of Attock, Mushtaq Ahmed Mirza of Jhelum, Raja Rahatullah Jarral (Assembly Speaker),Mirza Akhtar Iqbal Jarral (Retd. Additional Secretary) and Mirza Rashid in Rajouri, Jammu & Kashmir in India.

New candidates include Major Raja Munsaf Dad Khan (Retired) of Charoi, Raja Tanweer of Gujrat, Mirza Khadim of Gujranwala, Mirza Shafiq of Kot Jamal and Barrister Shazia Mirza of Attock.

Jarrals after 2006 AJK Election

The results of 2006 AJK elections brought about three new MLA:-

# Rtd' Major Raja Munsafdad Khan
# Raja Sadeeq Jarral
# Mirza Shafique Jarral

Other Muslim Rajput clans

• UP: Malkhana (Gaud and Jayaswal) • Haryana:Rana, Meo (Laldasi, Khanzade), Tanwar/Tomar, Bargujar (Beri) • Punjab: Janjua, Rana Rajputs, Sulehri, Waryah, Johiya, Jaskham, Bhatti, Manj, Punwar, Ranghar, Meo,warya, Chauhan,

Minhas, Tiwana, Noon, Noor, Gheba, Jodhra, Kerala, Dhudhi, Sial, Raisyal,Chibb Chadhar, Wattu, Khokhar Rajputs, Gehlot,

Kasvaal, Naru, Ranial Rajputs, Dhamial Rajputs, Rawal. • Rajasthan: Kaimkhani(Chauhan), Lalkhani, Meo. • Gujarat: Mole Islam, Chauhan, Rathod, Ghori, Rana, Rawal. • Sindh: Mahar/Maher (Suryavanshi), Deshwali (Agnivanshi), Sama (Bhati), Kaimkhani, Sodha (Parmar), Tonwar (Bhaiya,

Tannu), Sattar (Rathore) Meo, Naru • Kashmir: Khakha, Bagal, Chibb, Jarral, Kalyal, Mangral, Thakial, Narma, Punwar Solan, Sulariya, Klothra, Dhamial.

References

Written accounts of Jarral History

* "Rait Per Qadmon Ke Nishan" (Footprints on Sand) by Raja Kaleem Ullah Khan, pub in 1992
* "Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab" by Govt. of Punjab pub in 1940
* "History of Rajgaan Rajaur" by Meerza Zafar Ullah Khan pub in 1907
* "British Raj in Punjab from 1847 to 1947" by Ian Talbot
* "Tuzke Jahangiri 1600s
* "Shahjahan Nama" pub during Emperor Shahjahan’s period in 1600s
* "The Punjab Chiefs" by Sir Lepel H.Griffin, 1909 Lahore
* "History of Punjab" by Kanya Lal, 1875, Lahore
* "Travels to Cashmere"by H.T. Vigne Volume-1 & 2, 1833
* "Hodson's Horse by Cardew 1876
* "Mehr-e-Munir by Pir Sahib Golra Sharif Pir Mehr Ali Shah with reference to H.E. Lt. Colonel Raja Atta Ullah Khan of Wazirabad.
* "Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladakh 1890
* "Gazetteer of The Gujranwala District, Jagirdars and Leading Families, 1883-84
* "Gazetteer of Gujranwala District, 1873 & 1936
* "Highway to Afghanistan by Hutchison
* "Chiefs of Punjab Hills States by Hutchison
* "Genealogy of Indian Princely States"by Henry Soszynski. http://www.uq.net.au/~zzhsoszy/ips/
* "Rajauri Govt. of India website
* "Testimonials published by Punjab Govt. 1900
* "Jarrals websites under Google search engine and History of Jarrals
* "Captive Princess: Zebunissa by Annie Krieger Krynicki (Sitara-e-Pakistan)

External links

* Muslim Rajputs
* Kashmir
* Pandavas
* Arjuna
* Janjua

External Reference

* [http://www.jarralrajput.com Muslim Jarral Rajputs website]