Atwal
Encyclopedia
| Jat Clan: Atwal | |
| Distribution | Punjab (India) 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 Punjab (Pakistan) Punjab (Pakistan) Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the... |
| Descended from: | Rajput Rajput A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India... |
| Branches: | None |
| Religion | Sikhism Sikhism Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing... , Hinduism Hinduism Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions... and Islam Islam Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~... |
| Languages | Punjabi Punjabi language Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language... |
| Surnames: | Atwal in India and Chaudhary in Pakistan |
Atwal (also Attwal or Athwalor Antal or Anttal) (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: अटवाल, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
: ਅਟਵਾਲ)is a clan name of Jats from the Punjab region
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
of Northern India and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Atwal is derived from the Sanskrit word Attalika meaning 'high hill-tops'. People living there were called Atwals.
Religion
Most Atwals in India are SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
. Their villages of origin are Ottal(Distt Nawan Shahar),Pharala, Khurdpur, Shankar, Hussianpur and Hakimpur, in the Doaba
Doaba
Doaba is the region of Indian Punjab surrounded by the rivers Beas and Sutlej. The name "Doaba" literally translates to "land of two rivers" . It is one of the most fertile regions of the world, and was the centre of the Green Revolution in India.Scheduled castes form more than 35% of the...
region of Punjab (India)
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...
. The largest strength is probably in the village Pharala Distt Nawan Shahar, Bhagauran Distt Nawan Shahar, Bir Puadh
Bir Puadh
Bir Puadh is a village in the tehsil of Phagwara, Kapurthala district, in Punjab, India.-Demographics:According to the 2001 Census, Bir Puadh has a population of 379 people...
PO Phagwara Distt Kapurthala, Villiage Chitti PO Nakodar, Distt Jalandhar , Karyam village Distt Nawan Shahar in Punjab and the village Sahibana Distt Ludhiana. Atwals in Pakistan are Muslims and reside in the Punjab region of Pakistan. They are found in one of the most beautiful cities in Asia called Muree in Pakistan, a mountainous area and an extremely popular resort for tourists.
History
The Mahabharata Tribe - Atavisavara - Refers to the tribes of mid- Vindhya region, and may be identical with the Atavikah mentioned in the Puranas and the Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta. Mentioned in geography of Mahabharata (VI.10.46).The Mahabharata Tribe - Atavisavara may be identified with Jat Gotra - Atval (अटवाल) of Jats from Punjab.
Atwals are one of the oldest Jat tribes, settling in the Punjab region during the Mahabharat era. They are mentioned Sabha Parva of Mahabharata, Vayu Purana and Markandeya Purana. They are also mentioned in the Allahabad Pillar inscription of Samudragupta under the name Ātvika. Mahabharata mentions them. The phrase Prithvi Sarva Smelecchatavika shows that they were associated with the Mlecchas from the west.
There is unanimity among historians that Atwals used to herd camels, so they were originally known as the Oonthan wale, which changed over time to Atwal. They inhabited the Ambala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala districts of the Punjab, some settling as far west as Sialkot, Multan, Jhang, Montgomery, Muzaffargarh and Bahawalpur in West Punjab, what is now Pakistan. After settling in West Punjab, many Atwal Jats converted to Islam although most Atwals in India are Sikh. Atwals are also found in large numbers in Amritsar and Gurdaspur.
H.A. Rose considers Atwals to be descendants of the Panwar and that they came to East Punjab from Multan. Jats, Khatris, Rajputs and Dalits have a common background and Atwal is a well-known and ancient sub-caste of Jats.
Atwals today
Members of the clan were originally based in villages in northwest India. Due to emigration during the 20th century, members can be found around the world, including in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the U.S.A., Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Notable Atwals
- Arjun AtwalArjun AtwalArjun Singh Atwal is an Indian professional golfer who has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour and is the first player born in India to become a member of, and later win on the U.S.-based PGA Tour.-Early life:...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n golfer - Harman Atwal, Canadian motivational speaker
- Navtej Singh Atwal, President , Punjab Youth Club (Hong Kong)
- Tanveer K. AtwalTanveer K. AtwalTanveer Kaur Atwal is an American teen actress. She appeared in The Matrix Revolutions as well as The Matrix Online as the fictional character Sati. Tanveer speaks fluent English, Punjabi and Hindi.-Filmography:...
, child actress appeared in The Matrix RevolutionsThe Matrix RevolutionsThe Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,...
(20032003 in filmThe year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
) as Sati - Sh. A.S. AtwalA. S. AtwalAvtar Singh Atwal was a senior Indian police officer. He was an IPS, which he joined after serving five years as an Emergency Commissioned Officer in the Regiment of Artillery. He was serving as Deputy Inspector General of Police of Jalandhar District in Punjab...
, IPS, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar. Shot dead at the gate of Golden Temple, Amritsar on 25.04.1983 by Sikh militants. - Councillor Gurdial Singh Atwal Councillor in Birmingham city council United Kingdom
- Harjeet AtwalHarjeet AtwalHarjeet Atwal is a Punjabi writer, novelist in Indian literature specially in Punjabi and Hindi languages. He has written many books and many articles and delivered lectures. He is also known as a storyteller and poet...
, Punjabi Writer. His books include classic hits such as One Way - Bachan Athwal, headlined newspapers around the world after being convicted and having a life sentence imposed on her for the 'honour' killing of her daughter-in-law.
- Aran Singh Atwal, Punjabi model & won Model of india 2011. Currently Plays football for Bombay United and is current top goal scorer with 2 goals in 25 games