Datt/Datta/Dutta

Customs and values

Mohyals have through history been very selective in choosing rulers to serve, often paying a high price for maintaining a fierce independence  During the British rule they were favored in military recruitment due to their strong martial traditions and their assurance of loyalty.

Mohyals and religious identity

On the one hand, Mohyals take pride in having retained their Hindu identity despite living as minuscule religious minorities in predominantly Muslim lands, and in the face of widespread conversions of other groups to Islam. This was generally regarded as a sign of staying unconquered, especially in the backdrop of conversions brought about by force or incentives. On the other hand, many Hindu groups consider them very Muslim-like in their outlook, especially given the Hussaini-Brahmin appellation, and a few other traditions as well. Neither of these perceptions have traditionally caused friction in Mohyal relations with Muslims or other Hindu communities.
Mohyals have been patrons of Hinduism and Sikhism in remote outposts beyond South Asia. In the 1800s, a Mohyal of the Datt clan from Pind Dadan Khan spent nearly all the savings of his life just to sponsor repairs at the Atashgah fire temple in Baku, during his stay in Central Asia.

Links and relations with other groups

Across the subcontinent, other Brahmins are also believed to switched from the traditional duties of Brahmins in favor of military and administrative ones. In other parts of the sub-continent, outside of Punjab and the Gandhara region they have been known as Tyagi Brahman and "brahma-kshatriya" groups. These groups also claim to have descended from ParshuramTyagi Brahmans of Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh have close relationship and brotherhood with Mohyals traditionally..
Some Mohyal Brahmins migrated eastward and became as some sub-divisions of Bhumihar Brahmins, some of whom are also descendants of Hussaini Brahmins and mourn the death of Imam Hussain.^[7] Bhumihar Brahmins and Tyagi/ Mohyal Brahmins have an affinity and brotherhood for each other. The Bhumihar Brahmins, of whom many, though not all, belong to the Saryupareen Brahmin division of Kanyakubja Brahmins.
An eminent example was Sir Ganesh Dutt Singh. Sir Ganesh Dutt Singh, who was a freedom fighter, administrator and educationist in which capacity he did a lot for improving education and health services in the province of Bihar in the pre-independence era. Sir Ganesh Dutta made generous donations from his earnings and personal property for the development of educational institutions, like radium institute in Patna Medical College, Darbhaga Medical College, Ayurvedic College and schools for the blind, deaf and dumb, among others.
Mohyals have had a traditional affinity with these groups, on account of similar customs and belief in having descended from the same stock. There are known cases of Mohyals who migrated to other parts of the subcontinent, and became accepted as a part of the corresponding "fraternal community" of the new location.
In addition, Mohyals also have a tradition of respecting other groups' martial traditions, transcending any ethnic or religious divides. Various works by Mohyals on their community's history are especially replete with mentions of a relationship of admiration and mutual respect with Gakhars. According to these works and the oral history of Mohyals, the special respect for Gakhars is believed to date back to the times Gakhars played a key role in fighting off foreign invasions under some rulers from whom Mohyals claim descent. This used to be mentioned as a reason why Mohyals especially served with pride under Gakhar chiefs in subsequent centuries and were sought for their services by them as well, particularly in the era before Sikh rule.
The community's traditional disdain for the "handling of scales" has meant that few Mohyals used to become traders. It was the custom that anyone subsisting solely on charity was especially despised, even more so if that happened to be a Brahmin. With such Brahmins, Mohyals while admitting a common origin, usually objected to be classed with. At the same time Mohyals do also have a tradition of patronizing and supporting other Brahmins that engage in priestly or any other work.
The traditional respect for hard work in Mohyals also translates into a universal respect for farmers, and being a farmer used to be the expected choice for anyone not serving in the army or administration . For that reason Mohyals often insist on being hereditary agriculturists themselves.

By. Ch. Anil Dutta, Amritsar