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| According to the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, the Hindki, Hindus living in Afghanistan, are part of the Khatri class. The term is sometimes applied in a historical sense to the Buddhist inhabitants of the Peshawar Valley north of the Kabul river, who were driven thence about the 5th or 6th century and settled in the neighborhood of Kandahar. | According to the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, the Hindki, Hindus living in Afghanistan, are part of the Khatri class. The term is sometimes applied in a historical sense to the Buddhist inhabitants of the Peshawar Valley north of the Kabul river, who were driven thence about the 5th or 6th century and settled in the neighborhood of Kandahar. | ||
| ===UP Khatris=== | |||
| UP Khatris are those who have beenn living in UP for several generations. | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 01:31, 27 November 2005
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Khatri is a Kshatriya caste that originated from the Chakwal and surrounding region of Punjab, now in Pakistan, after the partition of India. Today the Khatris live in all the regions of India, but are concentrated in Punjab, Delhi and UP.
Some Khatri family names include Anand, Bagga, Bakshi, Bedi, Bhalla, Bhasin, Bhandari, Chadha, Chopra, Dhawan, Duggal, Dhupar, Gujral, Jaggi, Kakar, Kapoor, Khanna, Kochhar, Kohli, Lal, Lala, Lamba, Mahendru, Mehrotra, Mehta, Malhotra, Malik, Oberoi, Puri, Sabbarwal, Sami, Sahni, Sarin, Sehgal, Sethi, Singh , Sodhi, Soni, Suri, Talwar, Tandan(Tandon), Trehan, Uppal, Vadehra, Vij, Vohra, and Wahi (Wahie). The Arora (Ahuja, Khurana,Chawla etc.) and Bhatia are not Khatri, but generally share a similar cultural background.
Most Khatris are devout Sanatani Hindus. Some are also Sikh, Arya Samaji and a few are Jain. All these intermarry and form one community.
A few individuals in unfortunate circumstances were unable to remain Hindu, for example during the partition, a few were left in Pakistan. They form their own community called Khawja, and have no social intercourse with Khatris.
The original Kshatriya families of ancient times in modern day are from the Khatri families of Punjab. The Khatri, in modern day, is less of a land cultivator/agriculturalist, but more in a role as a businessman/merchant, civil & government administration, landlords, military officials, and as generals and soldiers. They are by far the most educated group in Punjab, along with the Punjabi Brahmins.
Historical Background
The region from where the Khatris emerged is now in an Islamic country, Pakistan; but in ancient times this was one of the most important centers of Indian culture. This is where the Vedas and the Mahabharata were composed, where students from all over India came to study at Takshasila and were Panini composed his Ashtadhyayi.
Khatris and Vedas
The Khatris are among the rare non-Brahmin communities that have historically studied the Vedas. In Bachitra Natak, Guru Gobind Singh mentions the descendants of Lord Ramchandra of Ayodhya studiying the Vedas, and hence came to be called Bedi.
Khatris and Sun Worship
Raja Van vihari Kapur has written that major Khatri clans are named after Lord Sun.
- Mihra Mitra
- Kapur Kripakar
- Shankan Khanna
- Martanada Tandan
- Shreshtha Seth
- Dhavan Dhavan
- Mahendra Mahindra
- Bahukar Bahora
- Chakravali Chaupada
- Karalagni Kakkar
- Surya Suri
- Sahasrakar Sahgal
According to Bhavishya Purana, Punjab indeed was an ancient center of Sun worship.
Khatris and Sarasvata Brahmins
The Khatris were the yajamansas of the Sarasvata brahmins. Together the two communities represent the heritage of ancient Aryan center of NW India.
Khatris and Sikh Panth
A minority of the Khatris are Sikh. The Sikh panth is not caste based, still the Khatris played a jaor role in development of Sikhism as a gentle and inclusive faith. All the Sikh Gurus were Khatri. During the lifetime of the Gurus, most of major supporters were Khatris. The Sikh institutions were lead by Mahants who were generally Khatri until the Singh Sabha movement supported by the British government.
During the time of Banda Bahadur, a significant number of Jats joined the Sikh panth. During the British rule, the Singh Sabha movement attempted to separate the Hindus and the Sikhs. It also attempted to remove the Khatris as traditional leaders of the Sikh panth.
Khatris and Indian Culture
The Khatris were adversely impacted by the partition of India. It resulted in the loss of the traditional home regions of the Khatris.
Traditionally Khatris have been an orthodox community, although there is now significant exposure to modernity in some Khatri families. Even when they are modern, the Khatris have a great affinity with their traditions and values.
Khatris take pride in their Indian heritage and have contributed significantly to the Indian culture in terms of industry, commerce, administration, scholarship etc.
Divisions among the Khatris
Here are some of the major divisions of the Khatri community.
In the list above, the first three form the Dhai Ghar, the first four form the Char Ghar, and all 12 form the barah-jati. Another group is called Bavanjai. The historical reasons for these divisions need research.
Kukhran
Kukhran (also spelt Kukhrain) Khatris are a regional subcaste of Punjabi Khatris originally from the village of Bhera in the present-day Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. The Kukhran Khatris are a group of nine clans (family names) who all originate from the Village of Bhera. Kukhrans were traditionally warrior peoples who bore the brunt of Muslim invasions from the northwest during the 12-16th centuries. Kukhrans are Aryan and Vedic peoples and have originally followed Hinduism, however a significant number adapted Sikhism during the 15th and 16th centuries. This, and also because many Hindu Kukhran families, as well as other Khatri clans, raised at least one Sikh son during the formation of the Khalsa in 1699, resulted in Kukhran family names, as well as other Khatri clan names, being present in both Hindu and Sikh communities worldwide. Common Kukhran names are Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Chandok, Kohli, Sabbarwal, Sahni, Sethi and Suri many of whom had migrated from present Pakistan to India during partition.
The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh is a Khokhran.
--G.. 03:43, 12 November 2005 (UTC)
Afghanistan Khatris
According to the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, the Hindki, Hindus living in Afghanistan, are part of the Khatri class. The term is sometimes applied in a historical sense to the Buddhist inhabitants of the Peshawar Valley north of the Kabul river, who were driven thence about the 5th or 6th century and settled in the neighborhood of Kandahar.
UP Khatris
UP Khatris are those who have beenn living in UP for several generations.
References
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)
