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Khatri (Punjabi: ਖੱਤਰੀ, Hindi: खत्री) is the Punjabi adaptation of Sanskrit word Kshatriya (Hindi: क्षत्रिय, Kşhatriya). The Kshatriya are the traditional members of the Hindu military order. As administrators and rulers, Kshatriya were assigned with protecting Dharma, and serving humanity and the world. In course of time, however, as a result of economic and political exigencies, the Khatri also expanded into other occupations.

The Khatri community traces its origins to the Potohar and Majha regions of the Punjab. These regions are historically connected with the composition of the Vedas, the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Puranas as well as more modern religious texts such as the Guru Granth Sahib.

There are, numerous social divisions, such as the Dhaigarh, Charzati and Chhezati, which are again split up into various families and sects.

The Bunjahi Khatris owe their influence and importance to the fact that they include the Bedi and Sodhi clans, to which belonged the founders of the Sikh faith. Guru Nanak Dev was a Bedi, while the remaining Gurus, from Guru Ram Das onwards, were members of the Sodhi clan.

The Khatris are most numerous in the Jalandhar, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Lahore and Amritsar districts. Another very high concentration of Khatris is in Delhi. They can also be found in major towns of Haryana like Karnal, Ambala, Sirsa, Kurukshetra and Hisar. Historically, there were very high concentrations of Khatris in the ], notably in Peshawar.

Khatris, being the hereditary priests of Sikhs are strict in the observance of their religion, and make excellent regimental Granthis. They have a high social position by caste in Hindu system and casteless but respected position among Sikhs.

Khatris along with other Punjabi tribes like Rajputs, Jatts, Aroras, Banias and Harijans, historically bore the brunt of all invasions into India yet remaining to the core-Indian.Khatris have a significant role in shaping the Punjabi culture (the smiling soul of India). All throughout their history Punjab has been their beloved homeland. And it is a slog of destiny that they had to leave their ancestrial home of Punjab upon the partition of India. It is a huge loss of culture, heredity and traditions for Punjabi people. When Pakistan and India gained independence, most of the Khatris in what became Pakistan migrated to India. Today Khatris live in all regions of India, but are concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Gujrat. Though well accepted and integrated in India, in modern times, the Khatri plays a significant role in the Indian economy, serving as businessmen, civil and government administrators, landlords and military officials.

Punjabi Khatris were adversely affected by the partition of India, as it resulted in the loss of their traditional home regions. These Khatris migrated to India, where they were forced to start anew their lives. Despite losing their land, businesses, and all other material assets during the partition of India, Khatris earned the clout that they held in pre-partitioned India.

Most Khatris are Hindu or Sikh, and a smaller minority belong to other faiths such as Jainism, Christianity and Islam. Khatris of all these faiths collectively form one community.

Khatri Family Names

Main article: List of Khatri surnames on Wiktionary

Origin and Distribution

The Khatris are a prominent Indian community that originated in the Potohar region of north-western Indian subcontinent. This region is of considerable historical significance in the development of the Indian culture since the composition of the Vedas and classics like the Mahabharata,Ramayana and Puranas. Lord Rama had two sons Luv and Kush born to Sita at Ram Tirath(now a temple) situated on the outskirts of Amritsar. The place gets a special mention in the great Hindu epic "Ramayana".It was here that Sita was given shelter by the great sage Valmiki, who is also the author of Ramayana,after she was ostracised from Ayodhya on the doubts about her chastity. Luv and Kush were trained in shastras and art of warfare by rishi Valmiki.

A legend based on Hindu oral traditions states that Lahore was named after Lava,son of the Hindu God Rama,who supposedly founded the city. To this day, the Lahore fort has a deserted Temple dedicated to Lava(also pronounced as Loh, hence "Loh-awar" or fort of Loh). Another legend says Kasur town (now in Pakistan) was named after Kusha,the younger son of Lord Rama.

Khatris have excelled in the military and have received many honors and gallantary awards. In the Indian Army (Bharatiya Thalsena) the present Chief of Indian Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor is Khatri and he took charge from another Khatri, General Joginder Jaswant Singh Marwah who took charge from another Khatri, General Nirmal Chander Vij.

For the most part, Khatris have served in the civil, government, and military sectors for centuries.. In addition, Khatris have significantly contributed to Indian Cinema since the times of Prithviraj Kapoor and continue to flourish in Bollywood today.

Prominent historical Khatris

Many prominent historical figures have emerged from the Khatri. All ten Sikh Gurus were Khatri. The four gots of Sikh gurus existed at least since 15th century AD: As also the names of most Khatris included the word 'Dev', such as Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Angad Dev Ji etc.

• Guru Nanak: Bedi
• Guru Angad: Trehan
• Guru Amar Das: Bhalla
• All seven others: Sodhi

Raja Fateh Chand was a Maini Khatri chieftain of Bihar during the childhood of Guru Gobind Singh and being childless, he adopted the child, Gobind Rai as his son. Haqiqat Rai was a Puri Khatri whose martyrdom was celebrated on Basant Panchami in Lahore until independence. Hari Singh Nalwa , Maharaja Ranjit Singh's most feared general was an Uppal Khatri. The father and son pair of the Diwans Sawan Mal and Mul Raj Chopra were successive governors of Multan under Ranjit Singh. Sadhu Singh Gulla from the clan of Rame Shah Gulla & Shame Shah Gulla, Shah of Gujranwala - Sialkot fought against the British Empire in the 19th century. ( One of the most important character of famous Punjabi legend Raja Rasalu is minister Mahita Chopra, Most scholars agree that Raja Rasalu ruled from Sialkot and lived sometime between 400 to 500 AD. If it is true then Chopra name originated in that time.

Khatris and Sun Worship

Raja Vanvihari Kapoor has written that major Khatri clans are named after Lord Sun.The Sarasvat Brahmin clan of which some of these were yajamanas are also mentioned below.

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

According to the Bhavishya Purana, Punjab indeed was an ancient center of Sun worship.

Religion

Sanatan Khatris

A majority of Khatris are Sanatan Hindus . As noted in the introduction, the Khatri community have been positioned in roles of administration, rule and warfare within Punjab. The Khatris were the patrons ('yajamansas' or in Punjabi 'jajmani') of the Saraswat Brahmins. . The Khatris are among the very few non-Brahmin communities that have traditionally studies the Vedas The Khatris, along with Aroras and Lohanas used to be engaged in trade in Central Asia . The Hindu temples of Kabul and the Hindu Fire Temple of Baku built and maintained by them still exist.

Arya Samaj Khatris

Swami Dayanand was invited to Punjab to counter the missionaries by prominent individuals who also founded the Singh Sabha. He established Arya Samaj in Lahore in 1877, which was against casteism, rituals, idol worship and promoted strict monotheism, which he claimed was the essential message of the Vedas. Arya Samaj became popular among Punjabi Hindus, especially Khatris who were attracted to a similar message by the Sikh Gurus earlier . Arya Samaj inspired individuals like Swami Shraddhanad and institutions like Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System started by Lala Hansraj. Lala Lajpat Rai is sometimes identified as a Khatri, his father was an Agrawal married to a Khatri wife .

Sikh Khatris

A portion of the Khatris are Sikh. All the Ten Sikh Gurus were Khatris from the Sodhi, Bedi, Trehan and Bhalla clans which claim Surya Banshi Kshatriya descent according to the autobiographical Bichitra Natak by Guru Gobind Singh. . 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.

The martial development by the Sikh Gurus is well documented, with the first Guru (Guru Nanak), calling upon Sikhs to make a "ball of their head" to play the game of love. The second Guru (Guru Angad) encouraged physical activities of Sikhs by encouraging wrestling bouts and Kabaddi. The 6th Guru (Guru Hargobind) took up the sword and fought many battles against neighboring Rajputs and Mughals. The 9th Guru (Guru Teg Bahadhur) fought many battles with the 6th Guru and was an accompalished martial artist. The 10th Guru (Guru Gobind Singh), was proficient in the art of warfare as well as an accompalished swordsman, marksman and horse rider. The tenth Guru's maternal side of the family were accompalished warriors and fighters in their own right (Kirpal Chand), descended from Surya Banshi Kshatriya clans .

The sacred sections of the Khatris :-There are four sacred sections among the Khatris , whose position must be touched upon , These are the :-

Bedi (Guru Nanak) of the Dharman-Bunjahi or Chota -Sarin sub group .
Sodhi (Last seven Gurus) of the Chota Sarin sub-Group.
Trehan or Trihun (Guru Angad Dev) of the Bara-Sarin sub group
Bhalla (Guru Amar Das) of the Bara-Sarin sub group .
These four sections became sanctified by the births of the various Sikh Gurus to them

Sahib Singh Bedi (1756-1834), was tenth in direct descent from Guru Nanak, and much revered in Sikh times for his piety as well as for his martial prowess. He was born at Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district. At the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's coronation at Lahore on April 11, 1801, Baba Sahib Singh Bedi placed the tilak or mark of sovereignty on Ranjit Singh's forehead anoiting him Maharaja of Punjab.

One more head of the family Baba Tikka Baba Harbhajan Singh Bedi is based in Chandigarh, India. Tikka Baba Harbhajan Singh Bedi is the 16th Descendent in the bloodline starting from Guru Nanak Dev Ji with two sons Tikka Surjinder Singh Bedi and Kunwar Arvinder Singh Bedi. Arvinder Singh Bedi is blessed with two sons Tikka Nain Noor Singh Bedi and Kunwar Gagandeep Singh Bedi making the 18th current bloodline starting from Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Bhai Daya Singh- Was the "first" of the Panj Pyare
. In the historic divan in the Keshgarh Fort at Anandpur on 30 March 1699, Bhai Daya Singh was the first to rise at the Guru's call and offer his head.

Many Hindu Khatri families raised at least one Sikh son after the formation of the Khalsa in 1699. This resulted in Khatri clan names being present in both Hindu and Sikh communities worldwide.

Jain Khatris

The number of Khatris who are Jain is very small. However one of the best known Jain munis in recent times, Acharya Atmaram (also known as Shri Vijayanandsuri ) (1841-1900) was a Kapoor Khatri, born at Lahra, Firozepur. .

Muslim Khatris

The Muslim Khatri (Urdu: کهتری ) are the Khatri converts to Islam. With the advent of Islam following invasions by Turkic tribes from Afghanistan and the North West Frontier Province from the 11th century onwards, there were conversions of Hindus to the faith from among various Punjabi communities, including Khatris .Generally they retained their tribal, clan or caste affiliations as has been the norm in the region. Similarly, the Khatris who converted to Islam, continue to retain a strong social identity and are known as Punjabi Shaikhs.

Pakistan continues to have a prominent community of Khatris known as Punjabi Shaikhs as well as Khawaja Shaikhs. Some Muslim Khatris like the Sahgal family of Pakistan are examples of well-known and successful Muslim Khatris. They are also known as Qanungoh Shaikh, Khoja and Chiniotis.

Muslim Khatris of Kashmir

But there are still Khatris in Srinagar known as Bohras and engaged in trade, who are cut off from communion whith Khatris of the Punjab, and there are certain Musalman tribes who trace their origin to Khatri ancestors

Other Krams are believed to have sprung from Khatri origins, an ancient history mentions that the bearers of these names in Hindu times were military and warlike people. Among these Krams may be mentioned the Magres, Tantres, Dars, Dangars, Rainas, Rathor, Thakurs and Naiks

Khatri Organizations

The sessions of Akhil Bhartiya Khatri Mahasabha were held in Lucknow in 1916, 1936, 1952 and 1980. Lucknow Khatri Sabha was established in 1927 and publication Khatri Hitashi was started in 1936.

Divisions among the Khatris

Khatri gots have often been divided into three major groups; Baraghar, Bawanjahi, and Sarin.

Divisions recorded in the Ain-i-Akbari

Divisions among the Khatri groups were reported by Emperor Akbar's close adviser Abu'l Fazal in his book Ain-i-Akbari (compiled in 1590 AD).

The division into the bara and Bunjahi groups is noticed in the Ain-i-Akbari:- "The kshatriya (now called Khatris ) form two races , the Surajbansi and Sombansi * * There are more than 500 tribes of these Kshatriyas , of whom 52(Bawanjai) are pre-eminently distinguished and 12(Baraghar) are of considerable importance

There are several subdivisions within the Khatri clans. There are the Dhai Ghar (i.e. 2 1/2 houses - the number 3 being considered unlucky) grouping comprising of Kapur/Kapoor, Mehra/Mehrotra/Malhotra, and Khanna in order of their social status. Along with the Seth clan these four subdivisions form the Char Ghar (4 houses) grouping..

With the ((Bhandari)) Chopra, Dhawan, Sahgal, Talwar, Tandon, Vohra, Wadhawan, and Wahie sub castes, all 12 form the Barah-jati grouping . Another group is called Bavanjai (52). Other regional clan groupings include the Sarin and the Kukhran.

Regionally Churamani, Nanda, Khullar, Jerath, Chopra and Vig were particularly connected with Ludhiana; Bahl, Kapoor, Mehra, Seth, Beri, Sencher and Dhir with Jagraon; Batte, Sondhi and Karir with Machhiwara and Bahlolpur; Sehgal and Thapar with Raikot; Gulla with Sahowala, Bhopalwala - Gujranwala - Sialkot and Had and Cham with Khanna

Kukhran

Kukhran (also spelt Khukhrain/Kukhrain) are a regional subcaste of Khatris of nine clans of Punjab, originally from the town of Bhera in the Jech doab (Jhelum - Chenab interfluve) region of Sargodha district of Pakistani Punjab. A significant number adopted Sikhism during the 18th and 19th centuries. The nine Kukhran family names are Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Chandok, Kohli, Sabharwal, Sahni/Sawhney, Sethi and Suri. The Prime Minister of India, Dr.Manmohan Singh is a Kukhran of the Kohli clan.

See Also

• Forward Castes
• Shaikhs in South Asia
• Punjabi Shaikh
• Shaikh Siddiqui
• Kashmiri Shaikh
• Khawaja Shaikh
• Qanungoh Shaikh
• Sethi
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Generals
• Punjab Chiefs

Distinguished Khatris

In addition to three Indian prime ministers, many distinguished soldiers, administrators, writers, businessmen and artists have been Khatri.

Manmohan Singh (Kohli), Prime minister of India

, Anirudh Khatri - Explorer,

Dev Anand - Bollywood actor Om Prakash Malhotra Former Chief of Army Staff, Governor of the Punjab Mulk Raj Anand, pioneering Indian novelist in English Vijay Kumar Malhotra MP, Deputy leader BJP Sangam Rai Kapoor - Founder of the house of Maharajas of Burdwan Gurinder Chadha - Kenyan- Brit movie director ('Bend it like Beckham', 'Bhaji on the Beach') Yash Chopra - Bollywood movie director and producer Satish Gujral, artist and muralist who trained under Diego Rivera Inder Kumar Gujral former Prime Minister of India Anish Kapoor - Indo-British sculptor The father-son duo of Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor legendary actors, directors, and producers of Indian movies Shekhar Kapur - movie director ('Bandit Queen', 'Elizabeth') Devaki Nandan Khatri, pioneer Hindi author Raj Khosla-Renowned Movie Director Narendra Kohli, Hindi author Master Tara Singh (Malhotra) - freedom fighter and leader of the movement for creation of Punjabi subah Deepa Mehta - award winning Indo-Canadian director of the trilogy 'Earth','Wind','Fire' Meera Nair, the director and producer of the award winning movies as 'Salaam Bombay' Kuldip Nayyar - crusading Indian journalist Mohan Singh Oberoi- hotelier, founder of the Oberoi chain of hotels Y.K. Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India The brothers Balraj and Bhisham Sahni, the former a well known actor and the latter the Hindi author ('Tamas') Birbal Sahni - renowned botanist Kundan Lal Saigal (Sahgal/Sehgal), the legendary singer and actor in early North Indian (Hindi and Bengali) talkies, known as the Enrico Caruso of North India for his vocal range. Roshan Seth - Indo-British actor ('My Beautiful Laundrette' etc.) Vikram Seth, the novelist, who so sensitively portrayed urban Khatri life after the partition of India in 'A Suitable Boy' Najam Sethi - crusading Pakistani editor of the Friday Times Prakash Lal Tandon - Indian professional manager, author of 'Punjabi Century' and 'Beyond Punjab' Gulshan Nanda- Famous Bollywood Writter Purushottam Das Tandon freedom fighter Sukhdev (Thapar) - freedom fighter, revolutionary comrade of Bhagat Singh Khushwant Singh, Author and commentator Bhai Mohan Singh, Founder of Ranbaxy Sunny Vij, LSE Gulzari Lal Nanda- former Home Minister and Prime Minister of India

References

1. As Kshatriyas
2. http://www.punjabheritage.org/cultural-heritage/legend---stories-from-the-life-of-hari-singh-nalwa.html Stories from the Life of Hari Singh Nalwa by Dr. Vanit Nalwa
3. The Legends of the Panjab By Sir Richard Carnac Temple, Reprint of the 1884-1900 ed. published by Education Society's Press, Bombay, ISBN 0405101287
4. Four Legends of King Rasalu of Sialkot, The Folk-Lore Journal, 1883 Folklore Enterprises, Ltd, p. 129-151
5. The adventures of the Panjáb hero rájá Rasálu and other folk-tales of the Panjáb By Charles Swynnerton, Published 1884 Original from Oxford University
6. ibid
7. Jwalaprasad Mishra, Jati Bhaskar, 1914
8. M.A. Sherring, Hindu Castes and Tribes as represented in Banares, 1872.
9. Jwalaprasad Mishra, Jati Bhaskar, 1914
10. Hindu Tribes and Castes By Matthew Atmore Sherring, Published 1872 Trubner and cop 277
11. Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India By R.V. Russell, R.B.H. Lal, Re-Published 1995, Asian Educational Services
12. The Indian Diaspora in Central Asia and Its Trade, 1550-1900 By Scott Cameron Levi, Published 2002 BRILL
13. <Political Elite and Society in the Punjab, By Puri, Nina Published 1985 Vikas
14. Chowk: : The Amazing Khatris of Punjab
15. Mahatma Hansraj: Maker of the Modern Punjab By Sri Ram Sharma, Published 1941, Arya Pradeshik, Pratinidhi Sabha
16. A History of the Arya Samaj: An Account of Its Origin, Doctrines and ... By Lajpat Rai, Published 1967, Orient Longmans
17. Deportation of Lala Lajpat Rai and Sardar Ajit Singh By Ganda Singh, Published 1978, Dept. of Punjab, Historical Studies
18. Census of India, 1901 By India Census Commissioner, Sir Edward Albert Gait, Published 1903 Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India, Part 2 Tables, page 292. The Sikhs form 5.89% of the Khatris
19. Sri Dasam Granth Sahib
20. Vaaran Bhai Gurdas :VaarPauri:SearchGurbani.com
21. Sri Dasam Granth Sahib
22. Denzil Ibbetson, Edward MacLagan, H.A. Rose "A Glossary of The Tribes & Casts of The Punjab & North-West Frontier Province", 1911 AD, Page 512, Vol II,
23. The Svetambar Murtipujak Jain Mendicant, by John E. Cort Man, 1991 Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.
24. Mangilal Bhutoria, Itihas ki Amar Bel- Oswal, Ppriyadarshi Prakashan, Calcutta, 1988
25. The Valley Of Kasmir by Walter R Lawrence Chapter XII Page 303
26. The Valley Of Kasmir by Walter R Lawrence Chapter XII Page 303
27. The Indian Historical Review By Indian Council of Historical Research, Published 1982 Vikas Pub. House
28. M.A. Sherring, Hindu Castes and Tribes as represented in Banares, 1872.
29. Denzil Ibbetson, Edward MacLagan, H.A. Rose "A Glossary of The Tribes & Casts of The Punjab & North-West Frontier Province", 1911 AD, Page 510, Vol II,
30. Punjab Revenue Castes and Religions of Punjab]
31. M.A. Sherring, Hindu Castes and Tribes as represented in Banares, 1872.
32. M.A. Sherring, Hindu Castes and Tribes as represented in Banares, 1872.
33. M.A. Sherring, Hindu Castes and Tribes as represented in Banares, 1872.
34. http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/fdigs.htm Punjab District Gazeeters
35. M.A. Sherring, Hindu Castes and Tribes as represented in Banares, 1872.

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
• Jwalaprasad Mishra, Jati Bhaskar, 1914.
• M.A. Sherring, Hindu Castes and Tribes as represented in Banares, 1872.
• Raja Vanvihari Kapur, The History of Khatris
• The Khatris, a socio-historical study, Baij Nath Puri, M.N. Publishers, 1988.
• Bhai Gurdas Ji, Varan Bhai Gurdas Ji, Vaar 8 - Pauri 10.
• The Indian Diaspora in Central Asia and Its Trade, 1550-1900 by Scott Cameron Levi.
• Denzil Ibbetson, Edward MacLagan, H.A. Rose "A Glossary of The Tribes & Casts of The Punjab & North-West Frontier Province", 1911 AD, Page 501-526, Vol II,
• Ibid, Page 537-538, Vol II.
• Temple, R.C. "The Legends of The Panjab", 1884, Reprinted by Institute of Folk Heritage, Islamabd, 1981.
• Khatris are Kshatryas http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/gaz_ldh8.htm
• Mahan Kosh by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha

• Social groups of India
• Social groups of Pakistan
• Pre-Islamic heritage of Pakistan
• Punjabi tribes