Balhara
Encyclopedia
Balhara is a gotra
of Jats found in Haryana
, Delhi
, Punjab
and Rajasthan
in India. The Balhara gotra exists among both Sikhs and Hindus.
, "Bal" means "strength" and "hara" means "the possessor", thus, "Balhara" means "the possessor of strength".; another theory is that "Balh" refers to the city of Balkh (Balhara's capital) and that "ar" means "man of", so Bal-hara could mean "man of Balh/Balkh". According to mythology, these people descended from Sardar Ranjit Singh of Punjab
, who possessed a lot of strength.
from 8th to 10th century. This was the early period of Balhara Jat rulers in Sindh. Balharas ruled the area, which can be remembered as Bal
Division. The area from Khambhat
to Simari was under their rule and Manafir was their capital. Manafir was probably Mandore
or Mandwagarh. It is likely that after Nagas
it was ruled by Balharas. The rule transferred from Balharas to Mauryas to Pawars to Chauhan
s to Parihar
s to Rathore
s.
Henry Elliot
has mentioned that after defeat of Jat Raja Sahasi Rai second, Raja Matta of Shivistan attacked Alore (the capital of Chach) with brother of Raja of Kannauj
and his army. The Jat Raja Ranmal was the ruler of Kannauj at that time. He was famous as Rana. After that the other Jat rulers were eliminated except the Balharas. The Balharas were strong rulers from Khambhat
to Sambhar
. 'Koyala Patan' which is now known as 'Kolia
', was a single city from Kolia to 'Kalindi Katkeri' spread over about 36 km in length. There used to be bricks of one cubit long and half cubit thick. There are seven tanks of Balharas, Banka tank in the name of Banka Balhara and Lalani tank in name of Lalaji. There is one village named Balhara in Sikar
district of Rajasthan
. The biggest village of Balhara jats is Baddi Bhau/ Bhaau Akbarpur in Rohtak
district of Haryana which was established by Baahu Balhara in 12th century A.D. after he shifted from Neem Sarai of Balhara jats in South Delhi
.
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
of Jats found in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
and Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
in India. The Balhara gotra exists among both Sikhs and Hindus.
Origin
In SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, "Bal" means "strength" and "hara" means "the possessor", thus, "Balhara" means "the possessor of strength".; another theory is that "Balh" refers to the city of Balkh (Balhara's capital) and that "ar" means "man of", so Bal-hara could mean "man of Balh/Balkh". According to mythology, these people descended from Sardar Ranjit Singh of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, who possessed a lot of strength.
History
Balhara Jats were the rulers in SindhSindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
from 8th to 10th century. This was the early period of Balhara Jat rulers in Sindh. Balharas ruled the area, which can be remembered as Bal
Bal
The Bal surname, of differing origins, is common among several communities.-History and origin:Bals are descendents of Indo-Aryan tribes. According to the Mahabharata they are the descendents of Bhagat Prahlada's grandson Raja Bali .-Distribution in India:*Several people belonging to this Jat...
Division. The area from Khambhat
Khambhat
Khambhat , formerly known as Cambay, is a city and a municipality in Anand district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was formerly an important trading center, although its harbour has gradually silted up, and the maritime trade has moved elsewhere...
to Simari was under their rule and Manafir was their capital. Manafir was probably Mandore
Mandore
Mandore , is a town located 9 km north of Jodhpur city, in the Indian state of Rajasthan.-History:Mandore is an ancient town, and was the seat of the Mandorva branch of the Parihar dynasty which ruled the region in the 6th century AD by King Nahar Rao Parihar...
or Mandwagarh. It is likely that after Nagas
Naga (clan)
The Naga were one of the ancient most kshatriya tribes of India who ruled large parts of the world at different times. They spread throughout India during the period of the epic Mahabharata. Anthropologist Gelek Lonbsang believes they have distant ancestry with East Asians based on their similar...
it was ruled by Balharas. The rule transferred from Balharas to Mauryas to Pawars to Chauhan
Chauhan
Chauhan, Chouhan or Chohan , , - is a clan who ruled parts of northern India in the Middle Ages. The clan is most famous for Rajput King Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan...
s to Parihar
Parihar
Parihar is a clan which is part of many communities including Rajputs, Gurjars and Jats. According to the Handbook on Rajputs by famous British historian A. H...
s to Rathore
Rathore
The Rathore is a Suryavanshi Rajput clan same caste as Lohana. Their Kuldevi is Nagnechiya Mata and "Karani Mata". Rathores are originally from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. Rathores are historically considered the samurais of India...
s.
Henry Elliot
Henry Miers Elliot
Sir Henry Miers Elliot was an Indian civil servant and historian.Elliot was the third son, one of the fifteen children, of John Elliot, colonel commandant of the Westminster volunteers, by a daughter of John Coakley Lettsom, M.D...
has mentioned that after defeat of Jat Raja Sahasi Rai second, Raja Matta of Shivistan attacked Alore (the capital of Chach) with brother of Raja of Kannauj
Kannauj
Kannauj , also spelt Kanauj, is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja . Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital...
and his army. The Jat Raja Ranmal was the ruler of Kannauj at that time. He was famous as Rana. After that the other Jat rulers were eliminated except the Balharas. The Balharas were strong rulers from Khambhat
Khambhat
Khambhat , formerly known as Cambay, is a city and a municipality in Anand district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was formerly an important trading center, although its harbour has gradually silted up, and the maritime trade has moved elsewhere...
to Sambhar
Sambhar, Rajasthan
Sambhar is a city and a municipality in Jaipur district in the Indian state of Rajasthan.-Geography:Its importance is primarily because of it is situated along the Sambhar Lake, the largest saline lake in India....
. 'Koyala Patan' which is now known as 'Kolia
Kolia
-References:*This article was initially created from the French Wikipedia....
', was a single city from Kolia to 'Kalindi Katkeri' spread over about 36 km in length. There used to be bricks of one cubit long and half cubit thick. There are seven tanks of Balharas, Banka tank in the name of Banka Balhara and Lalani tank in name of Lalaji. There is one village named Balhara in Sikar
Sikar
Sikar is a city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. It is the administrative headquarter of Sikar District. Sikar is a historical city and contains many old Havelis which are a huge tourist attraction. The best way to reach the city is to use road transport from Jaipur...
district of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. The biggest village of Balhara jats is Baddi Bhau/ Bhaau Akbarpur in Rohtak
Rohtak
Rohtak City is a Municipal Corporation in Rohtak district that styles itself as the "Heart of Haryana". It is located 70 km Northwest of New Delhi and 210 km South of the state capital Chandigarh at the NH 10...
district of Haryana which was established by Baahu Balhara in 12th century A.D. after he shifted from Neem Sarai of Balhara jats in South Delhi
South Delhi
South Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India.It is bounded by the Yamuna River to the east, the districts of New Delhi to the north, Faridabad District of Haryana state to the southeast, Gurgaon District of Haryana to the southwest, and South West...
.