History of Mohyals-- part 2 - BALI's

BALIS 

True to tradition, common to all denominations of Mohyals, the origin of Balis is shrouded in an invisible antiquity. The great theologian Rishi Parashar, grandson of Rishi Vasishtha and the guru of Surya-vanshis, was the progenitor of the clan.

When did the Balis first appear on the scene of life is not readily discernible but there are indications that their kiths lived in formidable number in Mullan. before the dawn of the Christian era. From there they migrated to West Rajasthan, Sind and Gujarat. A brahmin community known as Mohel, originating from Mullan, has ruled over Bikaner. Multan was famous for its Sun Temple and in those days. its improtance ranked with that of the holy city of Mathura. According to Tod, Multan is a corrupt form of the name Mohel-sthan.

The ancestors of Balis, under the pseudonyms of Bala, Kathi and Raos (of Thatta) fought a savage war with Alexander the Great near Multan in 326 Be. They decimated his army and killed his ace generals. In one of the encounters, Alexander himself was struck by a powerful one metre long arrow which pierced his coat of arms and was lodged in his chest. He carried its scar till the time he returned 10 Macedonia and on the way died at Babylon, at the age of 32 (due to a liver infection, resulting from bouts of drinking and hectic travelling of over 18,000 kms in 8 yesrs).

Bottomline: Alexander stormed into India in May 326 BC and left India in Sept. 325 BC. Whether he conquered the whole world or not, he was no doubt a global phenomenon. He was born in Macedonia (Europe) in 356 BC, died at Babylon (Iraq) in June 323 BC in Asia, and he was cremated at Alexandria (Africa). He had resolved to make Babylon as his world capital.

In Rajasthan, a town by the name of Bally still exists with the relics of a fort, on the road from Falna to the famous Jain temple of Rainikpur. A community of people by the name of Bala is believed to have ruled in Rajasthan in the ancient times. They had probably migrated from Vallabhipur in the neighbouring Gujarat State.

The Balis' Gujarat connection is distinctly established in Letter No. 19 of the R IIqaat-e-Alamgiri, addressed in Persian, by Aurangzeb to his son. In this document, he had fervently pleaded for not relieving Fateh Jang khan Bali of the charge of commander-in-chief of Sorath (Saurashtra), and entrusting the same to Murad, because Fateh Jang Khan was a very loyal and trustworthy person and endowed with profound knowledge of the Gujarat State.

In the Mohyal histories published in Urdu viz.. Gulshan-e-Mohyali by Hari Chand Vaid (I923) and the History authored by Chuni Lal Dati (1955). there is reference to the rule of Balis in Gujarat. lasting nearly 300 years, even before the reign of Raja Dahir in Sind. A galaxy of eleven kings are said to have held the throne with Vallabhipur as their capital. The last monarch had no male issue so the kingdom was inherited by his son-in-law. The state was overthrown when the Arabs invaded the region in 766.

The link between Balis and the ruling family of Vallabhipur in Saurashtra is not directly decipherable but their Bali connection cannot be wholly ruled out considering the popular belief that the Balis enjoyed a sort of supremacy in West Rajasthan and the neighbouring Sind at that time.

A brief account of the rise and fall of the ancient kingdom of Vallabhipur.

When Chandra Gupta II, who assumed the title of Vikral11aditya and ruled from 375 to 413 AD, was the king of Magdh: his son Kumara Gupta attacked Saurashtra. The king Rudrasena III was killed in the baUle and Saurashtra was annexed to Magdh, bringing to an end almost 400 years long rule of the Sakas-a nomadic tribe who had infiltrated into India from the Central Asia. After the death of Kumara Gupta in 455. his son Skanda Gupta ascended to the throne. His short and stormy reign was marked by incessant fighting with the White Huns (465 AD) who had penetrated the country 'like a river of lava'. Skanda Gupta had no time to look after his sprawling empire and appointed Pranadatta as the viceroy of the western province who in turn handed over the charge of office to his son. Chakrapalita. Both. the father and the son, were intensely devoted to brahminism. On the death of Skanda Gupta in 470. his commander-in-chief Senaptai Bhattarka, captured Saurashtra and liberated it from the suzerainty of the Guptas. He founded the city of Vallabhipur and made it the capital of Saurashtra. His dynasty ruled for 300 years with a long line of rulers, namely: Bhattarka and his four sons named Dharasena, Dronasena, Dhruvsena I and Dharapatta: followed by Guhasena son of Dharapatta (560-568). Dharasena II son of Guhasena (569-589). Siladitya I son of Dharasena II, Kharagraha brother of Siladitya L Dharasena III son or Kharagraha. Dhruvsena n younger son of Kharagraha (his reign commenced from 629). Dharasena IV second son of Dhruvsena II. Dhruvsena III grandson of Siladitya I (651 AD), Kharagraha n brother of Dhruvsena II (656 AD). Siladitya II brother of Kharagraha II (667 AD), Siladitya III son of Siladitya II. Siladitya IV son of Siladitya III (713 AD). Siladitya V, Siladitya VI, and the last ruler Siladitya VII. After this the kingdom was runover by the invasion of Arabs through Sind in 766.

In the closing period of the 6th century, Raja Prabhakar Vardhana of Thanesar in Punjab, manied a lady of Gupta family. He conquered Punjab and extended his empire upto Narbada. He was succeeded by his younger son, the illustrious Harsha Vardhana, who ruled from 607 to 647 AD. Harsha was a powerful king and conqueror of land. He overran Gujarat in 635 and. although, he did not attack Vnllabhi. the latter wns virtually like his protectorate. It was Dhruvsena II who was known as Baladitya and nlso perhaps as Dhruvbhat as mentioned in the Mohyal histories. who conquered Vallabhi in 641 and wrested it from the tutelage of King Harshn. It is said that Harsha concluded a peace treaty with the upstart Baladitya and even adopted him as his son-inlaw. In 644, when Harsha called his famous convention of the Hindus, at Kannauj, Baladitya attended the function as his vassal. The Chinese visitor Hiuen Tsang was also present on that occasion.

The long rule of the family of Senapati Bhattarka was a golden period in the history of Saurashtra. These people were devout Hindus and brought about a cultural and religious renaissance in Hinduism. Their capital Vallabhipur was a city of many majestic temples. Hiuen Tsang who visited Vallabhipur during rule of Baladitya hns described the splendour of the city and the great prosperity of its people. But who were these rulers and how the Balis figure in their hierarchy? Senap.ui Bhattarka belonged to the Maitrka clan and it was the tradition amongst the members of this clan to have inter-caste maniages with communities of high stainS and of similar martial traits. There were many princely states of Balis in Multan and bordering on Rajasthan in those days. so it was natural for the royal families of Vallabhipur to court alliances with these Bali potentates. How the Balis bumped i'hto Saurashtra and made exit from the horn of Gujarat is a part of the crazy mosaic of history.

After the fall of Vallabhipur. the Balis migrated to Rajasthan find settled themselves at Bally near Sirohi.

According to the chronicler Farishta, an Indian king named Bali attacked Kabul in 687 AD and at that time the entire territory upto the Khyber Pass was ruled by the Brnhmins.

Mnthurn, the biblicnl city where n legendary pnst of 4000 years mingles with the vibrant present. was the home of Balis as it was that of the Chhibbers in another era. A street with the Bali name is stilI on the roll-call of the holy city, unaware of its. esoteric past. During the 12th century, Mathura was ruled by Raja Dhrupet, a descendant of the King Janamejaya. Some Mohyal historians have described Dhrupet as a Bali monarch. This was inconceivable if he was an offspring of Janamejaya, great grandson of Arjuna-the kshtri hero of the Mahabharata. In 1195, when Mohammed Ghori was the king of Delhi, his slave general Kutab-ud-din Aibak led an outrageous attack on Mathura. resulting in the ouster of the Hindu ruler. Raja Dhrupet tled to Punjab accompanied by his younger brother Shripat, commander-inchief Rai Tirlok Nath Bali and Bam Dev-a Mohyal veteran of BhimwaI caste who also held the rank of a commander-in-chief. In Punjab, Shripat established his dominion at Katasraj (old name Namaksar) in Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan, Distt. Jhelum. This place, in course of time, grew into a pilgrim centre with many temples nestling on the banks of a perennial pool. Raja Mal, son of Dhrupet, founded his state closeby at Malot near Dalwal, in the same district. He built there a trim fort whose ruins stilI loom on the landscape. Raja Mal has been refelTed as Raja Mal Khan in some records.

Rai Tirlok Nath Bali who stilI held the post of commander-in-chief demised in Malot; leaving behind one daughter and four sons named: Ambar and Sambar from one wife and Issar and Baman from the second wife. The samadhi of Rai Tirlok Nath remained a hallowed spot for the Mohyals till 1947. Raja Mal also passed away after some time and his state was inherited equally by his two elder sons Jodh and Bir. The third son Kala (nlso known as Kala Khnn) settled down at Kalmta in Rawalpindi district and fourth son named, Khakh, proceeded to Kashmir nnd probably founded the Khokhar sect.

Ambar and Sambar were staunch Mohyals and have been idolised in the popular kavits. They revived the traditional institutions of Purohit. Bhat and Mirasi, which had languished after the exile of Balis from Mathura. and appointed to these posts Niyasi, Tharrfak and Dhildi, respectively.

At this juncture, there took place a distressing episode which led to the split of the Bali fnmily. The son of Rajn Jodh of Mnlot was implicated for offending the king of Delhi and held ns prisoner. The queen mother, stricken with grief, summoned a brahmin nstrologer and asked him to predict about the release of her son from incarcerntion. She promised to pny the astrologer a reward of his own choice if the prediction came true. It so happened that the prince was set free exactly as predicted by the sooth-sayer. Soonafter, the astrologer called on the queen and asked her to redeem her promise. As for reward, he demanded the hand of the daughter of Rai Tirlok Nath Bali for his son, the alliance being not sacrilegious as both the families were brahmin. Ambar and SambaI' were infuriated at this noxious proposal and in utter disoust. severed their relations with the royal family. Howevcr, their step brothers. Issar and Baman. gave their consent to pIcnse the queen. Eventually, the marriage was solemnised between the scion of the family of a Mohyal peer and a nondescript brahmin groom. To punish Issar and Baman for their profane act. they were ex-communicated Ii'om the precincts of the Mohyal community and eversince their descendants have led a separate existence. After the family division, Baman became a minister of Rajn Kala Khan of Kalmta and his dynasty nourished there.The Issars grew into a large community by themselves and lived cheek by jowl with the Mohyals in many villages in the dislricts of Jhelum, Rawalpind and Slwhpur. Their main conccntration was in Chakwal, Dharyala. Dhangdev. Miani, Dalwal, Pind Dadan Khan and Saidpur. They are very proud of their ancestors Bashi Ram and Kashi Ram, the sons of their historical forefather Issar. Kashi Ram founded a village known as Chak Kashi which was situated between Dalwal and Malot. The Issars lake pride in marrying their girls to Mohyals. the .old laboos having vanished with the time.

Baba Ambar had ten sons named: Beli Ram, Bharati, Durga Dass, Gotam. Harbans. Kalas, Kesho. Makardhwaj. Rai and Sambar Dass. As Makardhwaj malTied himself in a barner family and his children subsequently followed the same profession, they were banished from the Bali clan and came to be known as Munda Nai. The branch of Balis which descended from Baba Ambar is called Ambral Bali. They held high positions and were known for their charity and philanthropy.

The descendants of Baha Ambar established Thammas (or estates) in nearly 70 villages in the districts of Jhelum, Gujrat. Rawalpindi, Attock, and Gurdaspur in Punjab and in Jammu and Mirpur in J & K. Many noble men were born in Ihese places. One of them named Kesho was a reputable figure; he had two sons. Todar Dass and Jodh Mal. A Progeny of Todar Dass named Kashi Dass was a very saintly person. After his death, a whole village called Dera Gosain Sahin look shape around his samadhi and became a centre of the sanyasis. Baba Ambar Was 11 real wizard and used 10 perform many miracles. He was held in high esteem even by the Kshatris. especially of Makad and Sondhi castes, and many a times he performed their religious riles.

The family of Sambar Bali included his son Takan Nath, grandson Shiv Dall and great grandson Jham Singh. Jham Singh Bali had two sons. Rai Hardev and Rai Bharaj Singh. Rai Hardev inherited large property in Rajouri in Jammu State while Rai Bharaj Singh was dowered a big territory in Khadi near Mangla. on the bank of river Jhelum.The following anecdote is popular about Bharaj Singh: As a village waif, he used to hawk "Ghullgalliall' (leavened grain) in a basket in the street. One day good-luck smiled on him in a curious way. The daughter of the village landlord, by chance, toppled his basket spilling all grain. The landlord called the boy in his presence and instead of consoling him on his loss, taunted him with the remark as to who was that lady-love with whom he was having his pranks and prattle. On learning that the girl involved was his own daughter, the landlord was full of remorse and penitence. To atone for his indiscreet behaviour, he put some gold coins in the boy's basket and covered them with grain. When Bharaj Singh took the basket to home and his mother opened it. she saw the concealed corpus of wealth and insisted on the same being returned to its owner. The landlord was highly impressed by the family's honesty and on investigation he also came to know of the blue blood tlowing in their veins. He lost no time in marrying his daughter to Bharaj Singh and, in dowry, gifted him a part of the Khadi state which was under his occupation, as he had no son to inherit the same.

Khadi on Jhelum, in Jammu State, was the capital of Balis for many generations. It was originally founded by their hoary ancestor named Manu Bali. in a remote antiquity. The town was ravaged by the muslim invaders: first in 1739 by Nadir Shah of Persia and again in 1761 by the free-booter Ahmed Shah Abdali. They both built a boat bridge over river Jhelum on the same spot and marched their armies through Khadi, spelling ruin and disaster. Rai Bharaj Singh had five sons by name Raj Dhan, Khewa Mal, Moj Pal, Pheru Mal and Tej Bhan. They founded their individual dynasties (Thammas in the Mohyali parlance) with jurisdiction over a 1;1rge number of villages including Dinga, Domeli, Juberpm, Kala, Latifal, Logran, Mangla Mai, Mirpur, Tehi, Turkwal etc.. These families brought great glory to the clan of Balis by their valour and virtuosity. They built a fort called Bali Maim in the Kahuta Tehsil, to show-up their tlag. Having descended from Baba Sambar, this group of families was known as Sambral Balis.

In 1350, when Feroze Shah Tughlaq attacked Sind after conquering Nagar Kot (modern Kangra), he met with fierce resistance from Jam Bali, the ruler of Sind with Thatta as his capital. Although, the chief of a small principality and no match for the imperial army, Jam Bali came out victorious in the first round of war. as the onset of monsoon and depletion of foodstuff hampered the thrust of Feroze Shah's forces. However, in the subsequent assault, Jam had to capitulate but with honour so that he was allowed to retain his territory, as a tributary, in recognition of his bravery. Later on, Jam's progenies fell from grace and embraced Islam.

A prince charming. Dalpat Bali son of Raja Nand, made his mark in the closing decades of the 14th century. A swash-buckling swords man, he had fondness for horses and maintained a big stable of rare breed of stallions. He met his doom in an unequal encounter with Sultan Mahmud, a descendant of Tughlaq, at village Khanpur in district Jhelum. His smitten head fell in the battle-gound while the headless body kept on fighting till it fell near Juberpur. His samadhi on the outskirts of Juberpur continued to draw large congregations of Balis from all corners. Nearby stood the graves of his faithful dog and loyal teli (oil matl) attendant.

Mangla Mai was the valiant daughter of Raja Dalpat Bali and kept atlame the warrior tradition of her father after his death. She challenged and fought bravely against the Gakhhar hostiles till her strenght was subverted and she was forced to commit the satL The Mangin Dam on river Jhelum, from where water is diverted to Pakistan, was constructed near that spot during the British period. Nearby. on a hillock over looking the river, stands the fort encompassing the shrine of Mangla Mai which was very sacred to the Balis. Mangla Mai made the supreme sacrifice on a Tuesday and that day is considered inauspicious by the sanctimonious Balis. As she immolated herself in a pyre made of faggots of 'kat hi' wood, that fire-wood is never used by Balis for cooking their food.

Two Bali nobleman, named Mohtu and Fatu, were the offsprings of Tej Bhan Bali and were honoured with titles of Malik and Rai Sahib by' Sher Shah Suri, the emperor of India. They lived at Rohtas in the Jhelum District. A descendant of Fatu, Dhanpat Rai Bali, was conferred the title of Rai Sahib and awarded a big jagir in Khadi (Mangla Mai) by Maharja Gulab Singh of Jammu.

Rai Teja was a commander in the imperial court of Humayun and was killed in the war with Sher Shah Suri in 1540. After his death, his Son Rai Bhago was given the same post and title by Emperor Akbar. The brother of Rai Bhago also held an exalted position in the ruling hierarchy when Jahangir ascended to the peacock throne and bestowed on him the title of Mehta.

Dewan Sahib Rai Bali was the custodian of Rohtas Fort during the reign of Aurangzeb. He accompanied the emperor when he went on an expedition of conquest to Afghanistan. At that time he was construct_ng a 'baoli' in the fort and appointed a contractor to execute the work In his absence. When Sahib Rai returned from Kabul and was camping on the bank of river Indus, the contractor received him there and presented to him the accounts of the work done and a pot of water drawn rom the new well. The Dewan, in a fit of exasperation, threw the water into the river and murmured that the baoli was meant for the common folks and not for a favoured few and, moreover. he could not taste its water tiII' a ceremonial inauguration of the baoli was performed. On reaching Rohtas, he an-anged a function with big fanfare and lavish feast for all. As Sahib Rai had no issue, he treated the baoH as his daughter and married it to a well belonging to the Datts of the same place. On that occasion, he donated large sums of money to purohits of all the seven castes of Mohyals and that is how the popular tradition of Chl/ti was initiated, which is peculiar to the Mohyals and is observed till now.

Duni Chand Bali, a descendant of Pheru Mal, was known for his extensive travels in the Arab countries. In Baghdad, he became a disciple of Hazrat Dastgir Abdul Kadir Gilani, a noted muslim divine of that time. He was presented with an imprint of the holy man's hand as a memento which is believed to be still in the possession of his heirs. Duni Chand Bali was also on congenial terms with another Peer, Shah Chan Chiragh, whose Dargah in Rawalpindi is the venue of a big annual fete. Raizada Rattan Chand BalL the author of Bali Nama. was a scion of this family.

Brahji Bali, a reputable figure of his time had two sons, Atma Ram and Agya Ram. They both held distinguished positions in the time of Ahmed Shah Durani. Agya Ram had three sons named Mahbub Rai, Lakhpat Rai and Khushwaqt Rai who, in their turn, held equally exalted posts during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. They were awarded big Jagirs by the Maharaja. Hakim Rai son of Khushwaqt Rai was a high dignitary during the Sikh rule and his descendants lived in Pind Dadan Khan till the partition.

Ranpat Rai Bali was honoured with the title of Rai Gonda and awarded a jagir in Khadi by Maharaja Gulab singh. After his demise, the historic estate of Khadi which had witnessed golden days, spanning many generations of formidable Balis, lost its lustre and finally faded away in the bitter wind of the partition.

Raja Mahan Sing, a progeny of the Ambral stock. was a commoner born in Gujranwala as the son of Data Ram and grandson of Himmat Singh Bali. The plebeian, by his grit and wit, rose to the rank of a Raja. His father was counsellor to Mukkarb Khan, the Gakhhar Subedar of Gujrat (Punjab). Mahan Singh went to Lahore in search of a job and happened to join a hunting expedition of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In the safari, he single-handedly killed a leopard with his sword. Impressed by his valour. the Maharaja offered him a job in the army under the legendary war-lord Hari Singh Nalwa. Mahan Singh took a leading part in the battles of Kashmir and Peshawar and was twice grievously wounded during the siege of MuHan. He soon became second in command to Hari Singh Nalwa. During the Afghan invasion. in April 1837, Mahan Singh was the main defender of the Jamrud Fort. In the furious battle that followed, the dreaded Nalwa was done to death but Mahan Singh kept the news secret till reinforcements arrived from Lahore. Mai Desan, the widow of Hari Singh Nalwa, adopted Mahan Singh as her son and solemnised his marriage in a Mohan family of Gujranwala, according to Mohyali traditions. Maharaja Ranjit Singh conferred on him the title of Raja for his conquests of Haripur, Nowshehra and Peshawar. In 1839, the Maharaja further rewarded him with a jagir worth Rs. 37,000 in Mirpur. Mahan Singh retained this jagir even during the reigns of Kharak Singh and Sher Singh, the heirs of Ranjit Singh. He was popularly known as Raja Mahan Singh Mirpuri. Appallingly, he was murdered by his own soldiers in 1844, when mutiny broke out in the Sikh army.

Mahan Singh had four sons: ChhaUar Singh, Himat Singh, Sham Singh and Wadhawa Singh. Chhattar Singh avenged the death of his father from his foes but was himself assassinated afterwards. Himat Singh played a prominent part in the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and was accorded honour by the Maharaja of Jammu. The widows of Chhattar Singh and Himat Singh were granted pensions by the British government and besides given agricultural land in districts of Jhelum and Gujranwala and in Mirpur (J&K).

Subedar Major, Hony. Captain, S.B. Jai Singh Bali of Domeli a.M. ]835-]919, of Guides Infantry, took part in the Mutiny of 1857 and in the decisive recovery of Delhi after a series of four attacks. He saw action in Afghanistan, Wazirstan and NWFP during 1859-1880. He retired in 1891 after 36 years of meritorious service and was awarded 10 squares of land in Lyallpur district and 26 squares in Hyderabad (Sind). He was invited to attend Delhi Durbar in honour of King Edward VIII in 1903 and that of King George V in 1913 as a special guest. He had an audiance with the C-in-C of India on 14 April. 1914 and attended the Viceroy's Durbar held at Rawalpindi in 1918.

Kashi Nath Bali was a mythical saint who practiced penance on the bank of Ban Ganga and established a ' gaddi' there. The Mohyals of Jammu still burn incense at his shrine.

Hemu Bali, the fairy-tale character of Jammu, was reputed for his Bohemian ways. He was known by the nickname of Hemu Kabaria.

Bakhshi Jog Dhian Bali was born in Latifal, District Jhelum, in 1845. He was the prodigious founder of firstly the Mohyal Mitter Sabha in 1891 and then; in concert with Bk. Gokul Chand Chhibber, Mehta Dhera Mal Datt, Bk. Ram Dass Chhibber, Ch. Ganesh Dass Datt and Rz. Maharaj Kishan Vaid, of the historic General Mohyal Sabha in 1901. This band of visionaries crusaded for strident reforms in the archaic Mohyal society. They were inspired by the pragmatism and rationalism of the Arya Samaj and fought for widow remarriage and banishment of the cult of 'dheradari' which discriminated one section of Mohyals against the other. The pitch of their campaign was accentuated with the publication of "Islah-e-Mohyali' by Rz. Rattan Chand Vaid who was a great Mohyal figure of that time Bk. Jog Dhian Bali donated Rs. 5.000/- from his own pocket for the purchase of land for the Mohyal Ashram of Lahore. He was president of the General Mohyal Sabha for many years and had the honour of presiding over several Mohyal Conferences in the formative period. He was Trustee of the General Mohyal Sabha throughout his life. He expired on 14 Nov. 1931 without leaving any male issue.

Sardar Sahib Lt. Harnam Singh Bali helped a large number of Mohyals and northern brahmins in recruitment to 2. Bombay Lancers in 1898. After retirement from the ar!ny he served on a high post in Sirmur in the Nahan State. Later he joined the now defunct B.N. Railway as Senior Passenger Superintendent and there again filled many posts with aspiring Mohyal youngmen.

Rz. Hukam Singh Bali of Gharota retired as Chief Conservator of Forests. He was president of the Mohyal Conference held at Sialkot in 1929. He took keen interest in the yought activities and used to organise sports and cultural programmes at Mohyal Conferences to involve the youngsters.

Rz. Jograj Bali of Gojra was born in village Pail of Shahpur District in 1875. Although, a mere matriculate, he managed the two cotton ginning mills of Rai Bahadur Harji Mal Khanna at Gojra for nearly 40 years with such proficiency that the concerns reaped rich profits year after year. He provided employment to umpteen Mohyals in his factories. He was a prolific writer and his articles appeared in Mohyal Mitter and the Young Mohyal published by Chuni Lal Datt, without any break, for more than 30 years. He presided over the Mohyal Conference held in Lahore in 1920. He was an encyclopaedia of Mohyal history. He passed away on 13 January, 1947.
                                                         Composed by Ch. Anil Dutta, Amritsar