Courtesy titles

As an ethnic group, Mohyals have a long military tradition. During Mughal and Sikh rule, Mohyals were bestowed hereditary courtesy titles as for bravery and loyal service. These figure in most Mohyal names even today, and include Bakhshi, Bhai, Chaudhri, Dewan, Malik, Mehta and Raizada and are often indicative of the history of specific families.
Courtesy Title Meaning Background Information
Bakshi or Bakhshi Benevolent Frequent Mohyal title. The term Bakshi was also used for a paymaster of an army, and a small section of Mohyal families carry that name for that reason.
Bhai Brother Conferred on the Chhibbers of Karyala by the Sikh Gurus for great sacrifices and devotion to dharma, and only found among their descendants
Chaudhri Head of village or clan Among Mohyals, usually descended from the Datt families of Kanjrur, Veeram and Zaffarwal
Dewan Landlord or person of authority The Dewans (prime ministers) of all the ten Gurus were Chhibbers belonging to Karyala; Also carried by Datts belonging to Guliana and certain other places
Mehta Responsible for finance/property Frequent Mohyal title
Raizada Of noble lineage Mostly Balis and some Vaids. Among the latter, only those tracing descent from a royal house of the Hindu Shahis
Sultan Sultan Conferred by the Mughals, and carried by Datts (hence the term "Datt Sultan", the only Hindus given this title during Mughal rule)
Khan Khan Conferred by the Mughals (also the only Hindus given this title during Mughal rule)


 Posted by :  Ch. Anil Dutta
                     (Member, Managing Committee, GMS-Delhi)
                     (Senior Vice President, Mohyal Sabha, Amritsar)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Datt/Datta/Dutta

Datt Datt or Dutt is a Brahmin clan from the Punjab . They are one of the seven clans of the Mohyals who are Saraswat Brahmins of the Punjab. The six other clans are Bali, Bhimwal, Chhibber , Lau, Mohan and Vaid . Most Datts are Hindus , but like most Mohyals, many follow Sikhism and other religions as well; their gotra is Bharadwaj . Some Datt Brahmins migrated eastward and mingled with Bhumihar Brahmins and became one with them Gotra Datts claim descent from Rishi Bharadwaja and derive their gotra from his name. Some consider Gaj Bhavan , the grandson of Bharadwaj to be the real founder of their clan. All Datts are Saraswat Brahmins of Punjab. Etymology The word Datt is derived from the Hindi word daata meaning a charitable person. Some interpreted it as a corruption of the word Aditya which means 'sun' in Sanskrit ; the surname is unrelated to Datta , one of the five clans of Bengali Kayasthas . Traditionally Mohyals of the Datt Clan have the last name...
Read more
Image
Mohyal Brahmins Mohyal Brahmins (Punjabi-Gurmukhi: ਮੋਹ੍ਯਾਲ, Punjabi-Shahmukhi: ﻝﺎﻴﮨﻮﻣ , Hindi: मोहयाल) (alternate spellings include Muhiyal, Muhial, Mhial, Mohiyal or Mahjal) is the name of an endogamous ethnic group that originates from the Gandhara region and consists of seven Brahmin lineages of that area that left the usual priestly occupation of Brahmins long ago to serve as soldiers and in government services. The community is noted for a long tradition of producing distinguished soldiers- including, among others, India's most decorated General so far. Despite their classification as Brahmins in the Hindu Varna system, they in fact strictly refrain from working as priests- often to the point of excommunicating those who break that tradition.They also do not adhere to many customs and taboos observed by other Brahmin groups, and their regional history and specific customs mark them as a distinct ethnic group as well. Mohyal Clans This ...
Read more

The Ancient History of Mohyals/ as taught per our Elders

The Ancient History of Mohyals/ as taught per our Elders The Ancient History of  Mohyals The seven Mohyal clans of Saraswat Brahmins, written in languages of Hindi: Punjabi–Gurmukhi and  Urdu are based upon the seven stars of Ursa Major constellation known as Sapt Rishi Mandal representing the seven great Rishis (Bramh Rishis)as mentioned in the ancient Hindu literature, and e...ach clan thus represents one of the seven stars of the Sapt Rishi Mandal 1.     Related to the first star Alkaid (Bhrigu Rishi) of Ursa major Constellation are Chhibber/Chibbers 2.     Related to the second star Mizar(Vashisht Rishi) of Ursa Major constellation are Lau 3.     Related to the third star Alioth (Kashyap Rishi) of Ursa major are Mohan 4.     Related to the fourth star Megrez (Bharadwaja Rishi) of Ursa Major Constell...
Read more