Derajat
Encyclopedia
Derajat meaning, 'Land of the Jats' or "Jat Land'. Derajat is a cultural region of central Pakistan
, located in the region where the provinces of Balochistan
, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab
meet. Derajat is bound by the Indus River
to the east and the mountains to the west. The region consists of three districts, Dera Ghazi Khan
(western Punjab), founded by Ghazi Khan Nawab, and Dera Ismail Khan
(southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), founded by Ismail Khan Mirani as well as a smaller district, Rajanpur
, which has recently been separated from Dera Ghazi Khan.
the Sulaiman range, lying between 29°30′ and 34°15′ N. and 69°15′ and 72′ E., the name derives its name from, the three Deras : Dera Ismail Khan, Dera Fateh Khan, and Dera Ghazi Khan. It extends north to the Sheikh Budin range, which divides it from the Marwat plain, and south to the town of Jampur
, having a length of 325 miles and breadth of 50 miles.
sovereign of Multan, being unable to hold his trans-Indus possessions, called in Baloch mercenaries, and assigned these territories to Malik Sohrab Dodai
in jagir
. Sohrab's sons, Ismail and Fateh Khan, founded the two Deras or `settlements' named after them ; while Haji Khan, the head of the old Mirani tribe of the Balochs, who had also entered the service of the Langahs, assumed independence in the reign of Mahmud, Sultan Husain's grandson, and founded Dera Ghazi Khan, naming it after his son and successor. When Haji Khan died in 1494, the tract was a deserted waste but contained a few isolated towns. The Miranis soon came into conflict with the Nahars, who ruled the country on the Indus to the south, the boundary between the rival powers lying north of Rajanpur ; but the Miranis also held some territory east of the Indus in Muzaffargarh District
.
's conquest of Northern India in 1526 the Mirani
s submitted to him, and at his death the Derajat became a dependency of his son Kamran Mirza
, the ruler of Kabul
. Under Humayun
the Baloch immigration increased, and they gradually pushed the Nahars farther south. All the Baloch tribes
acknowledged the overlordship of the Mirani Nawab
s, who ruled for about fifteen generations at Dera Ghazi Khan, taking alternately the style of ' Haji' and ` Ghazi Khan.' At Dera Ismail Khan ruled the Hot Baloch chiefs, who bore the title of Ismail Khan from father to son and also held Darya Khan and Bhakkar, east of the Indus. Early in the eighteenth century the Miranis lost their supremacy, being overwhelmed by the Kalhoras of Sind.
s and acquired all the territory west of the Indus, he made the Mirani
Wazir, Mahmud Khan Gujar, governor in Dera Ghazi Khan under the Kalhora chief, who also became his vassal. Under Ahmad Shah Durrani the Kalhoras and the Miranis, now in a state of decadence, contended for possession of Dera Ghazi Khan
, but Mahmud Khan Gujar appears to have been its real governor. He was succeeded by his nephew, who was killed in 1779, and the Durranis then appointed governors direct for a period of thirty-two years. Meanwhile the last of the Hot chiefs of Dera Ismail Khan had been deposed in 1770, and his territories also were administered from Kabul. In 1794 Humayun Shah attempted to deprive Zaman Shah Durrani
of his kingdom, but he was defeated and fell into the hands of Muhammad Khan Sadozai, governor of the Sind-Sagar Doab.
on Nawab Muhammad Khan, who governed it from Mankera by deputy. His son-in-law, Hafiz Ahmad Khan, surrendered at Mankera to Ranjit Singh
in 1821, and at the same time tribute was imposed by the Sikhs on the chiefs of Tank (Sarwar Khan) and Sagar. Dera Fateh Khan was also occupied; but Dera Ismail Khan, to which Hafiz Ahmad Khan was permitted to retire on the fall of Mankera, remained independent till 7836, when Nao Nihal Singh deposed Muhammad Khan, the son of Hafiz Ahmad Khan, and appointed Diwan Lakhi Mal to be Kardar. Diwan Lakhi Mal held this post till his death in 1843, and was succeeded by his son Diwan Daulat Rai, who enjoyed the support of the Multani Pathan Sardars. He was bitterly opposed by Malik Fateh Khan Tiwana, who had also procured a nomination as Kardar from the Sikh Durbar.H.E. Nawab Asadu'llah Khan. b. 1778, second son of Amir ul-Umara, Sardar Payinda Khan Muhammadzai, Sarfraz Khan, Chief of the Barakzai clan, by a Malikdinzai Barakzai lady. Governor of Derajat 1823
in 1947, Muslim
refugees from India settled in Derajat while the Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India. Many of the region's Hindu
residents settled in Derawal Nagar
colony of Delhi
, India
, while others were dispersed around in the states of Haryana
, Punjab
and Uttar Pardesh.
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...
, located in the region where the provinces of Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab
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...
meet. Derajat is bound by the Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
to the east and the mountains to the west. The region consists of three districts, Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 5,306 m² and it is a long narrow strip of country, 198 m...
(western Punjab), founded by Ghazi Khan Nawab, and Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan District
Dera Ismail Khan is one of the 24 districts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The capital of the district is the town of Dera Ismail Khan...
(southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), founded by Ismail Khan Mirani as well as a smaller district, Rajanpur
Rajanpur District
Rajanpur District is a district of Punjab province in Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 1,103,618 of which 14.27% were urban. Its administrative centre is the town of Rajanpur.-History & geography:...
, which has recently been separated from Dera Ghazi Khan.
Topography
The Derajat is a level plain between the Indus andthe Sulaiman range, lying between 29°30′ and 34°15′ N. and 69°15′ and 72′ E., the name derives its name from, the three Deras : Dera Ismail Khan, Dera Fateh Khan, and Dera Ghazi Khan. It extends north to the Sheikh Budin range, which divides it from the Marwat plain, and south to the town of Jampur
Jampur
Jampur is a small city located at 29°38'32" N , 70°35'45"E in Rajanpur District, south of Dera Ghazi Khan, in the centre of Pakistan. It comprises an area of about 8-10 square kilometres and has a population of almost 1,20,000.-History:...
, having a length of 325 miles and breadth of 50 miles.
History
The Derajaat owes its existence as an historical area to the Baloch immigration in the fifteenth century. Sultan Husain, the LangahLangah
Langah is a city in located in the Jhelum District of the Punjab, Pakistan.-See also:* Langah, a tribe in Sindh and Punjab ....
sovereign of Multan, being unable to hold his trans-Indus possessions, called in Baloch mercenaries, and assigned these territories to Malik Sohrab Dodai
Malik Sohrab Dodai
Malik Sohrab Dodai was a Arab mercenary who moved to Multan in the late 15th century at the behest of the Langah dynasty of Rajputs. He was accompanied by his sons, Ghazi Khan, Fatih Khan, and Ismail Khan....
in jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
. Sohrab's sons, Ismail and Fateh Khan, founded the two Deras or `settlements' named after them ; while Haji Khan, the head of the old Mirani tribe of the Balochs, who had also entered the service of the Langahs, assumed independence in the reign of Mahmud, Sultan Husain's grandson, and founded Dera Ghazi Khan, naming it after his son and successor. When Haji Khan died in 1494, the tract was a deserted waste but contained a few isolated towns. The Miranis soon came into conflict with the Nahars, who ruled the country on the Indus to the south, the boundary between the rival powers lying north of Rajanpur ; but the Miranis also held some territory east of the Indus in Muzaffargarh District
Muzaffargarh District
Muzaffargarh is a district in the south of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Saraiki Waseb. It is spread over an area of 8,249 km². Muzaffargarh District lies in the strip between the rivers Chenab and Indus, which pass along the Eastern and Western boundaries respectively of...
.
Mughal era
On BabarBabur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
's conquest of Northern India in 1526 the Mirani
Mirani
Mirani , from the Arabic Amir Mir + -âni , meaning "The Descendants of Mir" or "Amir", is a Sindhi tribe of Baloch origin, settled in Sindh, and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan as well as Tehran, Hormozgān, Kermān, Khūzestān, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan provinces of Iran...
s submitted to him, and at his death the Derajat became a dependency of his son Kamran Mirza
Kamran Mirza
Kamran Mirza, sometimes known simply as Kamran, was the second son of Babur Mirza, the founder of the Mughal dynasty.Kamran Mirza was born in Kabul...
, the ruler of Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
. Under Humayun
Humayun
Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one...
the Baloch immigration increased, and they gradually pushed the Nahars farther south. All the Baloch tribes
Baloch tribes
The Baloch are a tribal society settled in Balochistan in southwestern Asia. The Balochistan region is divided among Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.The following is a partial list of major Baloch tribes.A* Ahmadani...
acknowledged the overlordship of the Mirani Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
s, who ruled for about fifteen generations at Dera Ghazi Khan, taking alternately the style of ' Haji' and ` Ghazi Khan.' At Dera Ismail Khan ruled the Hot Baloch chiefs, who bore the title of Ismail Khan from father to son and also held Darya Khan and Bhakkar, east of the Indus. Early in the eighteenth century the Miranis lost their supremacy, being overwhelmed by the Kalhoras of Sind.
Post Mughal era
In 1739 after Nadir Shah had defeated the MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s and acquired all the territory west of the Indus, he made the Mirani
Mirani
Mirani , from the Arabic Amir Mir + -âni , meaning "The Descendants of Mir" or "Amir", is a Sindhi tribe of Baloch origin, settled in Sindh, and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan as well as Tehran, Hormozgān, Kermān, Khūzestān, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan provinces of Iran...
Wazir, Mahmud Khan Gujar, governor in Dera Ghazi Khan under the Kalhora chief, who also became his vassal. Under Ahmad Shah Durrani the Kalhoras and the Miranis, now in a state of decadence, contended for possession of Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan is a city located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the most populous cities in Southern Punjab, and it is the largest district in Punjab in terms of area, being approximately in extent....
, but Mahmud Khan Gujar appears to have been its real governor. He was succeeded by his nephew, who was killed in 1779, and the Durranis then appointed governors direct for a period of thirty-two years. Meanwhile the last of the Hot chiefs of Dera Ismail Khan had been deposed in 1770, and his territories also were administered from Kabul. In 1794 Humayun Shah attempted to deprive Zaman Shah Durrani
Zaman Shah Durrani
Zaman Shah Durrani , , was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1793 until 1800. He was the grandson of Ahmad Shah Durrani and the fifth son of Timur Shah Durrani...
of his kingdom, but he was defeated and fell into the hands of Muhammad Khan Sadozai, governor of the Sind-Sagar Doab.
Sikh era
As a reward for this capture, Zaman Shah bestowed the province of Dera Ismail KhanDera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan is a city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is situated on the west bank of the Indus River, west of Lahore and northwest of Multan. The city is the capital of the district and tehsil of the same name. In Pakistan, its name is often abbreviated to D. I...
on Nawab Muhammad Khan, who governed it from Mankera by deputy. His son-in-law, Hafiz Ahmad Khan, surrendered at Mankera to Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
in 1821, and at the same time tribute was imposed by the Sikhs on the chiefs of Tank (Sarwar Khan) and Sagar. Dera Fateh Khan was also occupied; but Dera Ismail Khan, to which Hafiz Ahmad Khan was permitted to retire on the fall of Mankera, remained independent till 7836, when Nao Nihal Singh deposed Muhammad Khan, the son of Hafiz Ahmad Khan, and appointed Diwan Lakhi Mal to be Kardar. Diwan Lakhi Mal held this post till his death in 1843, and was succeeded by his son Diwan Daulat Rai, who enjoyed the support of the Multani Pathan Sardars. He was bitterly opposed by Malik Fateh Khan Tiwana, who had also procured a nomination as Kardar from the Sikh Durbar.H.E. Nawab Asadu'llah Khan. b. 1778, second son of Amir ul-Umara, Sardar Payinda Khan Muhammadzai, Sarfraz Khan, Chief of the Barakzai clan, by a Malikdinzai Barakzai lady. Governor of Derajat 1823
British era
These rivals contended for supremacy with varying success until 1847, when the Diwan then in possession was deposed on the recommendation of Herbert Edwardes, who appointed General Van Cortlandt to be Kardar. The Derajat passed to the British in 1849, and is now divided between the Districts of Dera Ghazi Khan in the Punjab and Dera Ismail Khan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Pakistan
After the independence of PakistanPakistan
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...
in 1947, Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
refugees from India settled in Derajat while the Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India. Many of the region's Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
residents settled in Derawal Nagar
Derawal Nagar
Derawal Nagar is a colony in Delhi, India in which people of the Derawal ethnic group reside. Originally native to the Derajat region Derawal Nagar (Hindi: डेरावाल नगर, Urdu: ڈیرہوال نگر) is a colony in Delhi, India in which people of the Derawal ethnic group reside. Originally native to the...
colony of 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...
, India
India
India , 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...
, while others were dispersed around in the states of 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...
, 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 Uttar Pardesh.