Khatri

Khatri
Guru Nanak Manmohan Singh Hari Singh Nalwa
Religions	Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism
Languages	Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu
Country	Primarily India, a significant population in UK, US, Canada and Pakistan
Populated States	Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Balochistan, Sindh, NWFP, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi.
Family names	Kapoor, Chopra and Sehgal etc.
Subdivisions	Bari, Bunjahi and Sarin
Status	Forward caste

Khatri (Hindi: खत्री, Punjabi: ਖੱਤਰੀ,Urdu: کھتری) 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 Pakhtunkhwa.

Khatris played an important role in India's transregional trade under the Mughal Empire.^[1] With the Mughal patronage, they adopted administrative and military roles outside the Punjab region as well.^[2] Scott Cameron Levi describes Khatris among the "most important merchant communities of early modern India".^[3]

All the Sikh Gurus were Khatris.^[3] The current Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, is also a Khatri.^[4]

Origin and varna status

The word "Khatri" is believed by some to be the Punjabi adaptation of Sanskrit word Kshatriya, used to describe the warriors in the traditional Hindu varna system.^[5] However, a number of sources deny the connection of Khatri caste with ancient Kshatriya Hindu military order.^[6][7] According to one theory, the word "Khatri" originates from the word Khsatri mentioned in Manu Smriti to denote a mixed caste of low-ritual status, born of the union of Kshatriya mothers and Shudra fathers.^[8][5] Dasrath Sharma also described Khatris as a mixed pratiloma caste of low ritual status, but he suggested that Khatris could be a mixed caste born of Kshatriya fathers and Brahmin mothers.^[9]

Thus, the Khatris have an ambiguous position in the varna system.^[10] Khatris claim that they were warriors who took to trade.^{[11][12][13][14]} The 19th century Indians and the British administrators failed to agree whether the Khatri claim of Kshatriya status should be accepted, since the overwhelming majority of them were engaged in Vaishya (mercantile) occupations.^[15] There are Khatris that are found in other states of India and they follow different professions in each region. The Khatris of Gujrat and Rajasthan are said to belong to "Darji" (tailor) caste.^[16][17] K C S Varma notes that Francis Buchanan wrote in the early nineteenth century that "in Behar one-half of the Khatris are goldsmiths", and that another writer of the British era, Kitts, had recorded that "the Khatris are traders in Punjab, and silk-weavers, when we find them in Bombay".^[18][19] Benjamin Lewis Rice echoes a similar view about the Khatri caste in various regions of India.^[20]

According to Bichitra Natak, said to be the autobiography of the last Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, but whose authenticity is a matter of ongoing dispute,^[21][22][23] the Bedi sub-caste of the Khatris derives its lineage from Kush, the son of Rama in the Hindu mythology. The descendants of Kush, according to the disputed Bachitar Natak legend, learned the Vedas at Benares, and were thus called Bedis (Vedis).^[24] Similarly, according to the same legend, the Sodhi sub-caste claims descent from the Lav, the other son of Rama.^[25]

A 1984 genetic study demonstrated that the Khatris, the Aroras and the Rajputs are strongly clustered together, and closer to the Brahmins than the Vaishya or the Scheduled Castes.^[26]

History

The region in which the Khatris originally lived was ruled by Hindu kings until 1013 AD. Khatris encountered hardships after the Muslim conquest of the region, but stubbornly clung to their heritage. Because of high levels of education and scholarship, they were able to survive even in difficult times.^{[27][page needed]}

The Khatris subsequently rose as an important trading community, and played an important role in India's transregional trade under the Mughal Empire.^[1][3] With the patronage of Mughal nobles, the Khatris adopted administrative and military roles outside the Punjab region. According to a nineteenth century Khatri legend, the Khatris followed the military professoin until the time of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Several Khatris were killed during the Aurangzeb's Deccan Campaign, and the emperor ordered their widows to be remarried. When the Khatris refused to obey this order, Aurangzeb terminated their military service, and directred them to be shopkeepers and brokers.^[2]

Khatris have an extensive military tradition and have excelled in the Armed Forces, having received many honors and gallantry awards for their service.^{[citation needed]}

Distribution

The Khatris are originally from the Malwa and the Majha areas in the Punjab region of the north-western Indian subcontinent.^{[citation needed]} They are now present in all the states of India, although the major concentration remains in Punjab and the Delhi region.^{[citation needed]}

Religion

Hindu Khatris

Sanatan Khatris

The Khatri community have been active in roles of administration, rule, and warfare within Punjab. The Khatris were the patrons ('yajamansas' or in Punjabi 'jajmani') of the Saraswat Brahmins.^[28] The Khatris are among the very few non-Brahmin communities that have traditionally studied the Vedas.^[29] Khatris were estimated to constitute 9% of the total population of Delhi in 2003.^[30]

Arya Samaj Khatris

Swami Dayanand was invited to Punjab by prominent individuals who also founded the Singh Sabha, to counter the missionaries. He established Arya Samaj in Lahore in 1877, a society and reform movement which was against casteism, rituals, and idol worship. The group promoted strict monotheism, which Swami Dayanand claimed was the essential message of the Vedas. Arya Samaj became popular among Punjabi Hindus, especially Khatris^[31] who were attracted to a similar message by the Sikh Gurus earlier.^[32] Arya Samaj inspired individuals like Swami Shraddhanand and institutions like the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System, started by Lala Hansraj Gupta.^[33]

Sikh Khatris

Guru Gobind Singh (with bird) encounters Guru Nanak Dev. An 18th century painting of an imaginary meeting.

All the ten Sikh Gurus were Khatris.^[34] Guru Nanak was a Bedi, Guru Angad was a Trehan, Guru Amar Das was a Bhalla, and the rest of the Gurus were Sodhis.^[35] During the lifetime of the Gurus, most of their major supporters and Sikhs were Khatris. A list of this is provided by Bhai Gurdas in Varan Bhai Gurdas, a contemporary of the Sikh Gurus.^[36]

Other Khatris influential in the history of Sikhism include:

• Sahib Singh Bedi (1756–1834), a Sikh general who was a Bedi descended from Guru Nanak Dev.^[37] He placed the tilak or mark of sovereignty on Ranjit Singh's forehead, anointing him the Maharaja of Punjab during his coronation at Lahore on 11 April 1801.

• Bhai Binod Singh, a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh, who accompanied him to Deccan in 1708. Binod Singh was a Trehan Khatri descended from Guru Angad.^[38] He fought many battles as a commander and was leader of the Tatt Khalsa ("True Khalsa").

• Bhai Daya Singh, the first of the Panj Pyare (the initial members of the Khalsa), belonged to the Sobti clan of the Khatris.^[39]

• Gulab Singh Dallewalia, the founder of the Dallewalia Misl, one of the twelve sovereign Sikh states during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh^{[disambiguation needed ]}.^[40]

• Hari Singh Nalwa (1791–1837), the Commander-in-chief of the Khalsa army of the Sikh Empire.^[41]

After formation of the Khalsa (1699), and especially during the reign of Ranjit Singh, Hindu Khatri families raised at least one son (usually the oldest) as an Amritdhari Sikh. The Sikh institutions till the early 20th century were led by Mahants (Masands) who were generally Khatri. Widespread abuses by the Masands, such as the introduction of idols in Gurudwaras, led to calls for reform (which were met more than once by deadly resistance from the Mahants) by the Singh Sabha which resulted in formation of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee to oversee Sikh Gurudwaras.^{[citation needed]}

Muslims of Khatri origin

A Khattri nobleman, in Kitab-i tasrih al-aqvam by Col. James Skinner, aka Sikandar (1778–1841)

Following invasions by Turkic tribes from Afghanistan and the North West Frontier Province from the 11th century onwards, there were conversions of Hindus to Islam from among various Punjabi communities, including Khatris. Generally they retained their tribal and clan affiliations, as has been the norm in the region. Similarly, the Khatris who converted to Islam continue to retain a strong social identity.^{[citation needed]}

Khawajas

When Khatri traders from the western districts of the Punjab like Sargodha, Jhang, Jehlum, Chakwal, Faisalabad accepted Islam, they called themselves Khawaja and adopted Shaikh as their title.^{[citation needed]} They are thus called Khawaja Shaikh. Some of them have also adopted Mian as a title. In recent years traders from the small town of Chiniot, in the Chiniot District, became prominent due to their contribution in the industries of Pakistan. These traders are known as Chiniotis or Chinioti Shaikhs. The trading family of Sahgals, Sahgal Khatris of Chakwal, are known simply as Punjabi Shaikh instead of Khawaja Shaikh. They use "Mian" as a title.^{[citation needed]}

The first censuses of the Punjab were conducted by Denzil Ibbetson and Edward Maclagan in 1883 and 1892.^{[citation needed]} According to their reports, the Khawajas of Bhera in Shahpur, Sargodha District were converted from Khatris, and those from Jhang were said to be converted from Aroras.^{[citation needed]} At Chiniot, the majority of the Khawajas are Khatris, and some are Arora.^{[citation needed]} They reported the following sections (gotras) of Khatris from Chiniot: Sahgal, Wadhaun (or Vadhavan), Talwar, Puri, Topra.^{[citation needed]} One gotra of Arora was reported from Chiniot: the Goruwala.^{[citation needed]}

The gotras of Khawajas from Bhera were reported as follows: Vohra, Sahgal, Kapur, Sethi, Duggal, Nanda, Mehndru, Chadha, Suri^{[disambiguation needed ]}. These are all Khatri gotras.^{[citation needed]}

The Khawajas of Layyah have following Khatri sections: Kapur, Puri, and Tandon.

Others

There are a small number of Khatris who are Jain.^{[citation needed]}

Divisions

Clans

In 1914, Raja Vanvihari Kapoor wrote that the major Khatri clans are named after the Sun god.^[28]

• Sahasrakar Sahgal. Priests: Mohile
• Kripakar Kapur. Priests: Pambu
• Shankan Khanna. Priests: Jhingana
• Martanada Tandon. Priests: Jhingana
• Mitra Mehra. Priests: Jetali
• Shreshtha Seth
• Mahendra Mahindru
• Bahukar Bahora (Vohra)
• Chakravali Chaupada (Chopra)
• Karalagni Kakkar. Priests: Kumadiye
• Surya Suri
• The Royal Treasurer (Bhandari)

Social divisions

There are social divisions within the community which includes the Dhai-Ghar (2½ clans, the number 3 being considered unlucky) grouping comprising Mehra, Malhotra, Khanna, Kapoor ^[14] Along with the Seth clan these four subdivisions form the Char Ghar (4 houses) grouping.^[29]

The Chopra, Dhawan, Batta, Bandha, Kakar, Mahindru, Sahgal, Soni^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Tandon, Vohra, Wadhaun, and Wahi form the Barah-Ghar group of Khatris.^[29]

Other groups include the Khukhrain (8 clans), Bara-Jati (12 clans), Bavanjai (52 clans),^[29] and Sarin (300 clans) Khatris.^[29]

The Sarin Khatris include the Bedi and Sodhi clans, to which belonged the founders of the Sikh faith.^[29]

Other khatri groups include the "Savji"khatris or Somvanshya Sahasrarjun Kshatriya or SSK Samaj are a Kshatriya community concentrated in the districts bordering Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra . They are also referred to as Pategars or patkar or Khatris.^[29]

Before the partition of India in 1947, the Khatri sub-castes were particularly connected with specific regions:^[42]

• Ludhiana: Churamani, Nanda, Khullar, Jerath, Chopra and Vij/Vig
• Jagraon: Bahl, Kapoor, Mehra, Seth, Beri and Dhir
• Machhiwara and Bahlolpur: Batte, Sondhi and Karir with
• Raikot: Sehgal and Thapar
• Khanna, Ludhiana: Had and Cham

After the partition, the different Khatri castes have widely dispersed.^[42]

Khukhrain

Main article: Khukhrain

Khukhrain (also spelt Khokhran/Kukhrain/Kukhran) are a regional subcaste of Khatris^[29] consisting of eight clans who live in Punjab. They were originally from the town of Bhera in the Jech Doab (Jhelum — Chenab interfluve) region of Sargodha district of Pakistani Punjab.^{[citation needed]} A significant number of Khukhrains, along with other major Khatri groups, adopted Sikhism during the 18th and 19th centuries.^{[citation needed]} The names of the eight clans are Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Kohli, Sabharwal, Sahni/Sawhney, Sethi, and Suri.^{[citation needed]} Three new subclans were later formed: Chandok (Chandhoke, Chandhok, Chandiok), Gandhoke, and Ghai.^{[citation needed]}

Khatri organizations

The sessions of Akhil Bhartiya Khatri Mahasabha^{[clarification needed]} were held in Lucknow in 1916, 1936, 1952, and 1980. The Lucknow Khatri Sabha^{[clarification needed]} was established in 1927 and the publication Khatri Hitashi was started in 1936.^{[43][Full citation needed]}

See also

• List of Khatris - Several Indian prime ministers, many distinguished soldiers, administrators, writers, businessmen, and artists have been Khatri.
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Generals
• Punjab Chiefs

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Gijsbert Oonk (2007). Global Indian diasporas. Amsterdam University Press. p. 43. ISBN 9789053560358. 
2. ^ ^{a b} John R. McLane (2002). Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. Cambridge South Asian Studies (Volume 53). Cambridge University Press. p. 132. ISBN 9780521526548. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Scott Cameron Levi (2002). The Indian diaspora in Central Asia and its trade, 1550-1900. BRILL. p. 106. ISBN 9789004123205. 
4. ^ W. H. McLeod (2009). The A to Z of Sikhism. Scarecrow Press. p. 47. ISBN 9780810868281. 
5. ^ ^{a b} The changing Indian civilization: a perspective on India, Oroon K. Ghosh, p282, Minerva Associates (Publications), 1976
6. ^ The tribes and castes of Bengal: Ethnographic glossary, Sir Herbert Hope Risley, p478-483, Printed at the Bengal secretariat press, 1892/ quote: "It seems to me that the internal organization of the caste furnishes almost conclusive proof that they are descended from neither Brahmans nor Kshatriyas, and that the theory connecting them with the latter tribe rests upon no firmer foundation than a resemblance of name, which for all we know may be wholly accidental. Their features and complexion, indeed, entitle them to be ranked as Aryans of comparatively pure lineage, but among their numerous sections we find none of those territorial names which are characteristic of the Rajput septs. The section-names of the Khatris belong to quite a different type, and rather resemble those in vogue among the Oswals and Agarwals. Were they descended from the same stock as the Rajputs, they must have had the same set of section-names, and it is difficult to see why they should have abandoned these for less distinguished patronymics. In addition to their own sections, they have also the standard Brahmanical gotras ; but these have no influence upon marriage, and have clearly been borrowed, honoris ctium, from the Saraswat Brahmans who serve them as priests. If, then, it is at all necessary to connect the Khatris with the ancient fourfold system of castes, the only group to which we can affiliate them is the Vaisyas. "
7. ^ B. H. Baden-Powell, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, (Apr., 1899), pp.295, Published by: Cambridge University Press, quote: "Or in the spoken form Chatri. This, in fact, is the equivalent of' Kshatriya,' and not the word Khatri, which is also in use but indicates quite another caste.The latter has no real connection with tho old military order, though sometimes attempts are made to assert such a connection. "
8. ^ Bhattacharya, Jogendra Nath (1896). Hindu castes and sects: an exposition of the origin of the Hindu caste system and the bearing of the sects towards each other and towards other religious systems. Thacker, Spink. p. 138. http://www.archive.org/details/hinducastesands00bhatgoog. 
9. ^ Early Chauhān dynasties: a study of Chauhān political history, Chauhān political institutions, and life in the Chauhān dominions, from 800 to 1316 A.D., Dasharatha Sharma, p 279, Motilal Banarsidass, 1975
10. ^ Kenneth W. Jones (1976). Arya dharm: Hindu consciousness in 19th-century Punjab. University of California Press. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9780520029200. "...among Vaishyas, the Khatri and his associates, the Saraswat Brahmans. The Khatris claimed, with some justice and increasing insistence, the status of Rajputs, or Kshatriyas, a claim not granted by those above but illustrative of their ambiguous position on the great varna scale of class divisions ..." 
11. ^ W. H. McLeod (2009). The A to Z of Sikhism. Scarecrow Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780810868281. "...Khatris claiming that they were warriors who took to trade." 
12. ^ Rose, Horace Arthur (1911). A Glossary of The Tribes and Castes of The Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. p. 507. http://www.archive.org/details/glossaryoftribes03rose. Retrieved 2011-10-08. 
13. ^ People, Gazetteer Ludhiana, Department of Revenue, Government of Punjab (India)
14. ^ ^{a b} Gazetteer Amritsar, Department of Revenue, Government of Punjab (India) (First Edition 1976)
15. ^ John R. McLane (2002). Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. Cambridge South Asian Studies (Volume 53). Cambridge University Press. p. 131. ISBN 9780521526548. "The Khatris were a Punjabi mercantile caste who claimed to be Kshatriyas. Nineteenth-century Indians and British administrators failed to agree whether that claim should be accepted. The fact that overwhelming majority were engaged in Vaishya (mercantile), not Kshatriya (military), pursuits was balanced against the Khatri origin mtyhs..." 
16. ^ Indian settlers: the story of a New Zealand South Asian community, p48, Jacqueline Leckie, Otago University Press, 2000/ quote :"Tailoring was a caste occupation that continued in New Zealand by those from Darji and Khatri castes who had been trained in appropriate skills. Bhukandas Masters, a Khatri, emigrated to New Zealand in 1919. He practiced as tailor in central Auckland..."
17. ^ People of India: Rajasthan, Part 1, p303, Chapter titled "Darji" by Ramesh Chandra, K. S. Singh, Popular Prakashan, 1998/ quote: "Peepavanshi Darji are also called Peepavat Khatri."
18. ^ Varma, Kumar Cheda Singh (1904). Kshatriyas and would-be Kshatriyas. Pioneer Press. p. 68. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SFUoAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 2011-10-21. 
19. ^ Various census of India (Google eBook) , 1867 /quote: "The Khatri or Wanza is a caste of weavers. They are distinct from Salvis, and regard themselves superior to the latter . Among the Hindus of Guzerath, occupation of weaving is generally followed by three or four castes, the Khatris, Salvis, Dheds and Ravalias"
20. ^ Sadasivan, S. N. (2000). A Social History of India. APH Publishing. p. 248. http://books.google.com/books?id=Be3PCvzf-BYC. Retrieved 2011-10-21. 
21. ^ Different approaches to Bachitar Natak, Journal of Sikh studies, Surjit Singh Hans, Volume 10, 66-78, Guru Nanak University.
22. ^ The Sikh Struggle in the Eighteenth Century and Its Relevance for Today, W. H. McLeod, History of Religions, Vol. 31, No. 4, Sikh Studies (May, 1992), pp. 344-362, The University of Chicago Press/ quote: " "Although Bachitar Natak is traditionally attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, there is a strong case to be made for regarding it as the work of one of his followers..."
23. ^ Dasam Granth: A historical study, Sikh Review, 42(8), Aug 1994, 9-20
24. ^ Major Nahar Singh Jawandha. Glimpses of Sikhism. Sanbun. p. 16. ISBN 9789380213255. 
25. ^ The Cosmic Drama: Bichitra Natak, Author Gobind Singh, Publisher Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A., 1989 ISBN 0-89389-116-9, 9780893891169
26. ^ MI Kamboh (1984). "Population genetic studies of PI, Tf, Gc and PGM1 subtypes among various caste groups in North India.". Acta Anthropogenet: 159–79. PMID 6242530. 
27. ^ The Khatris, a Socio-Historical Study. by Baij Nath Puri Published in 1988, M.N. Publishers and Distributors (New Delhi)
28. ^ ^{a b} Jwalaprasad Mishra, Jati Bhaskar, 1914
29. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Hindu Tribes and Castes as Represented in Benares, by Matthew Atmore Sherring, Published 1872. Trubner and co [1] p 277
30. ^ HT-CSDS 2003 Survey Estimates
31. ^ Political Elite and Society in the Punjab, by Nina Puri. Published 1985 Vikas
32. ^ "Chowk: : The Amazing Khatris of Punjab". Chowk.com. http://www.chowk.com/articles/10040. Retrieved 2008-11-15. 
33. ^ Mahatma Hansraj: Maker of the Modern Punjab By Sri Ram Sharma, Published 1941, Arya Pradeshik, Pratinidhi Sabha
34. ^ H. S Singha (2000). The encyclopedia of Sikhism. Hemkunt Press. p. 125. ISBN 9788170103011. 
35. ^ A to Z of Sikhism, W. H. McLeod, isbn = 9780810868281 , Scarecrow Press , 2009, page = 86
36. ^ "Vaaran Bhai Gurdas:VaarPauri:SearchGurbani.com". Searchgurbani.com. http://www.searchgurbani.com/main.php?book=bhai_gurdas_vaaran&action=intro. Retrieved 2008-11-15. ^{[dead link][dead link]}
37. ^ R. C. Dogra, Gobind Singh Mansukhani, ed (1995). Encyclopaedia of Sikh religion and culture. Vikas Pub. House. p. 337. ISBN 9780706983685. 
38. ^ Harbans Singh (1998). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Volume 1. Punjabi University. p. 374. ISBN 9788173801006. 
39. ^ Sangat Singh (2001). The Sikhs in history: a millenium study, with new afterwords. Uncommon Books. p. 71. ISBN 9788190065023. 
40. ^ Hari Ram Gupta (1978). History of the Sikhs: The Sikh commonwealth or Rise and fall of Sikh misls. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 52. 
41. ^ Vanit Nalwa. Hari Singh Nalwa, "champion of the Khalsaji" (1791-1837). p. 228. ISBN 9788173047855. 
42. ^ ^{a b} "Punjab District Gazetteers". Punjabrevenue.nic.in. http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/gaz_ldh8.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-15. 
43. ^ The Indian Historical Review, by Indian Council of Historical Research, Published 1982 Vikas Pub. House

Source texts

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• Raja Vanvihari Kapur, The History of Khatris^{[Full citation needed]}
• Bhai Gurdas Ji, Varan Bhai Gurdas Ji, Vaar 8 – Pauri 10.
• Levi, Scott Cameron (2002). The Indian Diaspora in Central Asia and Its Trade, 1550–1900. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 9789004123205. http://books.google.com/books?id=9qVkNBge8mIC. 
• Temple, R.C. "The Legends of The Panjab", 1884, Reprinted by Institute of Folk Heritage, Islamabd, 1981.
• Mahan Kosh by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha^{[Full citation needed]}
• Mani Sikka^{[Full citation needed]}