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The rich and fertile land of the Punjab was the meeting ground of different
people and races. Its population descends from various stocks and consists of
heterogeneous racial elements. In ancient times it was mostly inhabited by a
race whom the Aryans later called Dasyus. They were pushed towards the south by
the Indo-Aryans. But a small section of Dasyus remained in the Punjab.
Later on, the Persians, the Greeks, the Parthians, the Scythians, the Kushans, the
Huns, the Turks, the Mongols and the Afghans made successive inroads into Punjab and some of them settled there permanently and adjusted themselves to the
new social system, adopting the customs and tradition of the conquered
land. They soon merged into the indigenous population and in the process, some
of their own cultural traits became part of the culture of the Punjab. The
present inhabitants of the Punjab are the descendants of the various racial
stocks which entered into it during the different stages of its history.
Sikh
Jats, who belong to the agriculturists class, form the bulk of
population of the present Punjabis. They are sturdy, self-willed and industrious
and are among the finest peasants of India. They are generally tall and
muscular, with well-shaped limbs, an erect carriage and strongly marked and
sharp handsome features.
The Khatris and Aroras are next in number. The
Khatris, who are generally
energetic and educated, are mostly fair-complexioned and have good features.
Trade is their main occupation. They claim to be in the direct line of the
Kshatriyas of the Aryan race. The Aroras also claim to be of Khatri origin. Next
to them in number are the Brahmans and Vaishas, who are split up into several
such-castes and are found almost all over Punjab.
Among the minor agricultural tribes, Sainis and Kambohs are the most
prominent ones. They are admirable cultivators, skilful and industrious. The
Sainis claim their origin from the Rajputs and some of the Kambohs from
"Kamboj Desh" in Afghanistan. The various vagrant tribes of the Punjab, like the
Sainis, the Pakhi- Waras,
the Bawris, the Bazigars etc. are aboriginal in their origin. They have
retained their aboriginal customs and beliefs.
Tribal
Settlement
The population of the Punjab being heterogeneous consists of various tribes
and classes. Members of each village or patti claim descent from a common
ancestor, and even today in every village one clan dominates.
There are various tribes and clans settled in the Punjab. Among them
Jats, Khatris, Aroras, Brahmans, Vaishas, Sainis, Kambohs and Sansis are the most
prominent. The Jats of the Punjab are further divided into various clans, each
one of which is found concentrated in groups of villages. The most important
clans of Jats in Malwa are Sindhus and Sindhu Brars. From the Sindhu clan sprang up the
great Phulkian families of Patiala, Nabha, and Jind, and from the Brars the
ruling family of Faridkot, which ruled the native states later merged into
Punjab.
The Bhullar, clans of Jats, who claim to have sprung from the 'jata'
or matted hair of Mahadev, are also concentrated mostly in Malwa. The principal
Jat clans of Majha are Dhillon, Randhawa, Chahil and Sindhu. The Sindhus and Gills, who claim descent from the Raghobasi branch of the
Suryvanshi Rajputs, are mostly settled in the Amristar and Jullandur districts.
In the Doab districts the main Jat clans are Randhawa, Bains, Sandhu and Gill.
Among the non-agriculturist tribes of the Punjab, the
Khatris, the Aroras,
and the Vaishas are the most significant ones. Most of them are engaged in trade
and commerce. The Khatris are sub-divided into
many groups, the most significant among them being the Dhaighares, the Charzatis, the
Punjzatis, the Chhezatis, the Sarins, the Bahris and the Khakhrains. The Bedis and the Sodhis belong to the Bunjahi tribe. Bedis are mostly found around Dera Baba Nanak and
Gurdaspur,
while the Sodhis are settled mostly at Anandpur and Hoshiarpur. In west Punjab,
before the partition , the khatris were mostly concentrated in the Jhelum and
Rawalpindi districts and the Aroras in Multan and Derajat Division, but
now both are spread almost all over the Punjab. Sainis and Kambohs are primarily cultivators. The Sainis are mostly found in
Jullundur, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Rupar and the Kambohs is Patiala, Jullundur,
Kapurthala, Amristar and Ferozepur. The Kambohs of Doab claim their
descent from Raja Karan.
The Sansis are vagrant tribes and seldom settle for long in one place. They
are found in considerable numbers in Ludhiana, Amristar and Gurdaspur. The Nat-Bazigars also wander about with their families and never settle down at
one
place.
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