Budhal (tribe)
The Budhal, also spelt as Bdhal / Badhal are a clan of the Golarha division of the Awan tribe,[1][2][3] claiming descent from, the Caliph, Ali.
History[edit]
This small clan is supposed to be allied to the Bhakral, but the members of Badhal clan do not agree to this.[4] It is was believed by the later British-Raj sociologists that the clan had migrated across the Jhelum River from Jammu and Kashmir, however this is conjecture, to connect the clan with a location or region with a similar name in Jammu and Kashmir.
Rather, it can be said that, the Budhal were erstwhile allies of the Gakhar tribe, with the prominent members, Ali Murad Khan and Shaikh Ahmed Chaikar, being in senior military and religious leadership roles for both, Sultan Hathi Khan Gakhar and Sultan Sarang Khan Gakhar in the early 16th century.[5][6]
In the 16th century, tribal sources state that the sons of Ali Murad Khan & Shaikh Ahmed Chaikar, founded or settled at following villages:
- Ali Murad:
- Mohammad (Mehmet) Khan - was gifted a jagir (fiefdom) of Dora Badhal by Sultan Sarang Khan Gakhar,[7]
- Ikhtiyar Khan settled at Narali,
- Qaddar Khan & Abbas Khan settled at Bishandour, and
- Ghazi Khan settled at Burki Badhal.
- Shaikh Ahmed:
- Shaikh Naseeb Khan - was gifted a jagir (fiefdom) of Surghdan by Sultan Hathi Khan Gakhar.[6]
In the 18th century, the Sikh Khatri community flourished and expanded their business from Dora Budhal to other nearby villages and towns of Gujar Khan due to the conducive environment provided by the Budhal noblemen.[7]
In the 19th century, the Budhals of influence were:
- Sirbuland (Surroo) Khan of Burki Budhal,
- Buhawal Khan of Dora Budhal,
- Hussoo Khan of Kountra,
- Hadaytullah of Kountrila,[8] and
- Sardar Khan, ilaqadar (estate holder) of Surgdhan
Use of 'Raja' title[edit]
Like other tribes of non-Rajput origin, some of the Budhals used Raja as a title from the 19th century, although presently, this title has fallen out of favour. This was clearly to denote a certain social position in a Rajput dominated society in the Potohar region.[1]
Furthermore, during the British Raj, tribes and clans in the Potohar region were broadly categorized in two social categories of 'Raja' and 'Jat'.
From the 18th to the 20th centuries, 'Sahu' term became synonymous with those families from aristocratic backgrounds[9] and meant a "...gentle lifestyle of hawks, horses and servants".[10]
Location[edit]
The Badhal clan occupy a block of villages, in Gujar Khan Tehsil,[3]
- Tehsil Gujar Khan, District Rawalpindi - Dora Bdhal, Barki Badhal (near Gujar Khan), Kaliam Awan, and Garmala (near Kountrila),
- Tehsil Kahuta, District Rawalpindi - Sahot Badhal, and
- Tehsil Sohawa, District Jhelum - Bishandour, Dhoke Ammb, Surgdhan and Khabal Awan.
Their customs are similar to other tribes in the vicinity, speaking the Pothohari Punjabi and following Sunni Islam.
See also[edit]
- Malik Ali Murad Khan Badhal (Commander of Hathi Khan's forces)
- Tribes and clans of the Pothohar Plateau
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Punjab Village Surveys". Punjab Village Surveys. Issue 13: 46. 1950.
- ^ Maclagan, E.D. (1891). "Census of India". The Punjab and Its Feudatories - Imperial Tables & Supplementary Returns for the Native States Together with Caste Index. Part 3: 23.
- ^ a b Nijjar, Bakhshish Singh (2008). Origins and History of Jats and Other Allied Nomadic Tribes of India. p. 324.
- ^ Wikeley, J.M. (1915). Punjabi Musalmans. p. 55. ISBN 81-85425-35-3.
- ^ Akhtar, Col. Zahoor. Kai Gohar Nama. pp. 86–87.
- ^ a b Chand, Raizada Diwan Duni (1965). Baqir, Dr. Muhammad (ed.). Kaigoharnameh (in English and Persian). The Panjabi Adabi Academy. p. 83.
- ^ a b Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali. "Historic Dora Budhal". thefridaytimes. Archived from the original on 2021-11-02.
- ^ Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol.12 Part 2 July to December. 1843. p. 569.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Rawalpindi District. 1893–1894. p. 102.
- ^ Young, Tan Tai (2005). The Garrison State: Military, Government and Society in Colonial Punjab, 1849-1947. p. 82.