Babbar (clan)

Infobox caste
caste_name=Babbar
classification=Kshatriya
subdivisions= Mair Rajput [ [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/gothras.html Mair Rajput Gotras] ] / Punjabi Hindu Rajput and Sikh Rajput
populated_states=Punjab (India), Haryana, Delhi, Sindh and Uttar Pradesh. Some converted Muslim Babbars(?) may be found in India and Pakistan specially Punjab (Pakistan)(?).
languages=Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu
religions=Hinduism, Sikhism and some maybe converted to Islam(?)

Babbar (Punjabi: , Hindī: ) is an Indo-Aryan Hindu Punjabi Rajput surname originating in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It is part of the broad Kshatriya caste. The Kshatriyas in Hinduism are one of the four varnas. They are traditionally members of the military or ran in an administrative capacity. The Kshatriya were assigned to protecting the Hindu dharma. Over the course of time, Babbars migrated to places across Punjab from their original homeland in Ajmer-Merwara and Rajputana.

Babbars came to be known as Mair Rajputs from within amongst the Punjabi Hindu Rajputs and originate from the Rajput clans of Rajasthan in Ajmer and migrated to the Punjab later in their history. [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/history.html History of the Mair Rajputs] ] Many Babbars became land holders and took up agriculture and hence became closely associated with Jats.

When the Muslim country of Pakistan was created in 1947 with the partition of India, most of the Hindu and Sikh Babbars living in West Punjab migrated to India.

Today, Babbars live in numerous regions within India, but are mostly concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh. Babbars are usually Hindu Rajputs but some are also Sikh Rajputs, as the religions are generally very close in the Punjab region.Temple, R.C. "The Legends of The Panjab", 1884. Many reprints 1977, 2002 (ISBN 81-7167-636-7, 0405101287)] Imperial Rule in the Punjab: The Conquest and Administration of Multan, 1818-1881 by J [ames] Royal Roseberry, III. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 110, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1990), p. 176] [http://books.google.com/books?vid=0SDNkzZ6Nj2dOEev&id=Q0ABAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA272&lpg=PA272&dq=chopra&num=100&as_brr=1 Griffin, Lepel Henry. The Panjab chiefs, historical and biographical notices, 1865] ]

Mair Rajput Gotra

Babbar is a Hindu "Mair Rajput of Punjab" Gotra; Rose in 1914 wrote: "Babbar: This name is also the name of a Jat tribe of Dera Ghazi Khan. In Bahawalpur, this Jat tribe gave the following genealogy: Raja Karan had a son named Kamdo who had a son named Pargo who had a son named Janjuhan who had a son named Khakh. Khakh had four sons: Babbar, Gabbar, Rabbar, and Jhaggar (Rose 31). Many Rajputs who took to agriculture eventually came to call themselves Jats. Because both Jats and Rajputs controlled much of the land, it is difficult to draw a definitive line between the two. This is why the Jat connection is significant. The Babbar who are Mair Rajputs in 1901 claimed a Rajput heritage, saying that "babbar" means "lion" (Rose 440)". [Page 440; Rose, H.A. A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. Lahore: Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1914] , [ [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/notable.html Notable Mair Rajput Gothras (Families); "The Mair Rajputs of Punjab" by Mr. Rajesh K Verma.] ]

Babbars like most Rajputs originate from RajputanaFact|date=September 2008.

Arora Babbars

Kshatriya (Known as Khatri in Punjab region in Punjabi language pronunciation) gotras originating from Aror, which was situated near the modern towns of Rohri and Sukkur in Sind, in what is today Pakistan and originally was a part of Greater India have come to be broadly known as Aroras, local Babbars originating from the region are considered one such Arora clan. Fact|date=September 2008

Arora Khatris (Punjabi Kshtriyas from Aror) and Khatris from Punjab in general in the regions of Punjab and Sindh had in course of time as a result of economic and political exigencies also resorted to mercantile occupations, which were originally adopted by the Vaisya (merchant) caste [ [http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/gaz_ldh8.htm People, GAZETTEER LUDHIANA, Department of Revenue, Government of Punjab (India)] , Homepage: [http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/fdigs.htm] ] , the trading classes traditionally. Hence Khatris (Kshtriyas from Punjab and neighboring regions) generally also excelled at mercantile occupations and since several Babbar families were part of the Arora group, they are also known as Arora Babbars.Fact|date=September 2008

After the introduction of Islam into the subcontinent, some Babbar and Arora clans had been converted to Islam and Muslim Arora (?) as well as Muslim Babbar (?) are found in Pakistan as well as in India(?) while they mostly remained in Pakistan after Partition of India and Hindu and Sikh Aroras were forced to migrate to India.

See also

* Mair Rajput
* Ajmer-Merwara
* Khatri
* Rajput Mers (also known as the Maher, Mihir, Mair or Mehr)
* Rajput Clans
* Bhati (Rajasthan) / Bhatti (Punjab)
* Martial Race
* Sikh Rajputs
* Punjab (India) State of Punjab, India.
* Hinduism and Sikh Panth

References cited

References

* [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/index.html "The Mair Rajputs of Punjab" by Mr. Rajesh K Verma]
* [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/today.html The Mair Rajputs Today]
* [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/gothras.html Gothras of the Mair Rajputs]
* [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/notable.html Notable Mair Rajput Gothras (Families)]

Further reading

* Blunt, E.A.H. The Caste System of Northern India. Delhi: S. Chand & Co., 1969.
* Chattopadhyaya, Brajadulal. The Making of Early Medieval India. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994.
* Ibbetson, Sir Denzil. Panjab Castes. Lahore: Superintendent, Gov't. Printing, Reprint 1916 (from 1883 original of 1881 census).
* Jain, Kailash Chand. Ancient Cities and Towns of Rajasthan. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1972.
* Rose, H.A. A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. Lahore: Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1914.
* Saggar, Balraj. Who's Who in the History of Punjab: 1800-1849. New Delhi: National Book Organisation, 1993.
* Singh, K.S. National Series Volume VIII: Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames, & Titles. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1996.
* Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal. The History of India: 1000 A.D.-1707 A.D. Jaipur, Shiva Lal Agarwala & Co., 1964.
* Tod, Lt. Colonel James. Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, Vol. 1 (1829), Vol. 2 (1832).
* [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/index.html "The Mair Rajputs of Punjab" by Mr. Rajesh K Verma]
* Chapter on "The Meds" from the book (available online): "The History of India as told by its own Historians. The Muhammadan Period", by Sir H. M. Elliot, Edited by John Dowson; London, Trubner Company; 1867–1877 [http://persian.packhum.org/persian/index.jsp?serv=pf&f=&file=80201011&ct=152 Chapter on "The Meds" From the online version of this historical book, check all three pages of this chapter] & [http://persian.packhum.org/persian/index.jsp?serv=pf&f=&file=80201011&ct=147 Also see page: NOTE (C.).—ETHNOLOGICAL. Native Opinions on the Aborigines of Sind.]

External links

* [http://mairrajputs.tripod.com/index.html The Mair Rajputs of Punjab]
* [http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/PYR_RAY/RAJPUT.html Rajput] Encyclopedia Britannica; 1911
* [http://www.Rajputs.org.uk/home.html British Association of Rajputs]
* [http://www.rajputassociationofamerica.org/ Rajput Association of America]
* [http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft2g5004kg&chunk.id=d0e993&toc.depth=1&toc.id=d0e993&brand=ucpress Rajasthan and the Rajputs]
* [http://www.rajputsamaj.net/clans/vans.htm Information on clan system]
* [http://www.sikhrajput.com "Sikh Rajputs" in Punjab and Haryana]