Ghanghas or Ghangas is gotra

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"...

 (clan

Clan

A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...

) of Jats found in the states 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...

, Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

 and 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...

 in 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...

.

Origin

The word Ghangas is derived from Ghan (hammer - sledge hammer) Ghas (to break or destroy). As per the folk legend, a holy man was imprisoned by a powerful but evil person of the area. Locals were fearful of supporting the holy man. Baba Handal took a blacksmith's hammer (Ghan) and broke open the lock (on the door) where the holy man was imprisoned. The holy man was helped by Baba Handal in defiance to the powerful evil person. Thus the descendents of Baba Handal were known as Ghanghas or Ghangas (both spellings are in use).

There is a popular Gurudwara to honor Baba Handal at his birthplace.
There are five villages(Mandi,Puther,Bandh,Balana and Palri) of Ghangas Gotra in Panipat, Haryana.
Pawan Kumar Ghangas,Puther,Panipat

Distt.Bhiwani Thakur Deshraj[1] that Ghanghas Jats had an independent state in Ghanana. This state had 900 sawars always ready for war. In their neighbourhood there was a Rajput village named Bapora. Bapora Rajputs had accepted paying tax to Delhi Badshah but Ghanghas Jats of Dhanana did not accept this proposal of paying any tax to the Badshah. Thakur Deshraj has mentioned about a song prevalent in the area which reveals this fact and is as under:
हरियाणा के बीच में एक गाँव धणाणा ।
सूही बांधे पागड़ी क्षत्रीपण का बाण ।।
नोसै नेजे भकड़ते घुड़ियन का हिनियाना ।
तुरई टामक बाजता बुर्जन के दरम्याना ।।
अपनी कमाई आप खात हैं नहीं देहि किसी को दाणा ।
बापोड़ा मत जाणियो है ये गाँव धणाणा।।

Distribution

Dhanana is much known as Mitathal-Dhanana or Talu Dhanana. Dhanana is fatherly village of Ghanghas gotra. All Ghanghas jat of India relate themselves to Dhanana. In 1976-77 Dhanana vill. was leader of Khap panchayats of Haryana. Ch. CharanSingh (Ex.P.M. India Govt.) came Dhanana & address a Big rally. Jatai & Sukhpura are also Pure Ghanghas gotra neighbouring Vill. Dhanana.
Author Shrikumar Ghanghas, Lecturer in Sociology.
found in Village Gharwal (e.g. Lt. Ex Sarpanch Sh. Ganga Chand Ghanghas)sonepat in Haryana, kail Shikarpur (e.g., Ravinder Kumar Ghanghas) District Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar is a major city and a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city was established in Mughal period by a Sayyid Jagirdar, Munawar Lashkar Ali, and so named in honour of his father, Muzaffar Ali Khan. It is the headquarters of the Muzaffarnagar district. It is a...

 in U.P., District Bhiwani

Bhiwani

Bhiwani is a city and a municipal council in Bhiwani district in the state of Haryana, India. It is known as the city of temples. Besides being a seat of spiritual learning, the city has been the centerstage of regional politics. The city is hometown to three of Haryana's chief ministers: Bansi...

, Panipat

Panipat

Panipat بَنِبَت is an ancient and historic city in Panipat district, Haryana state, India. It is 90 km north from Delhi and 169 km south of Chandigarh on NH-1. The three battles fought at the city were turning points in Indian history. The city is famous in India by the name of "City of...

 , and Jind

Jind

Jind is a town in Jind District, Harayana state, India.It is one of the oldest districts of Harayana. It is one of the first Sikh Kingdoms. It lies in central Haryana and is the fourth district of the Jat belt .The city is beautiful...

 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...

, Amritsar in Punjab and Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

, 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...

. According to the historian Thakur Deshraj

Thakur Deshraj

Thakur Deshraj was a social worker, journalist, nationalist, freedom fighter and author of many books. He was from Rajasthan state in India. He was revenue minister in the princely state of Bharatpur....

, the Gangaridai

Gangaridai

Gangaridai was an ancient state found around 300 BC where the Bengal region lies today . It was described by the Greek traveller Megasthenes in his work Indica...

s as mentioned by Meghasthenes are Ghangas gotra Jats, who lived near Garhmukteshwar

Garhmukteshwar

Garhmukteshwar is a town cum village and a municipal board in Panchsheel Nagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Demographics:...

 area. Ptolemy

Ptolemy

Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...

 has mentioned their capital at Ganga, which is the present Ganga-ghat city rear Ram-ghat.

Jandiala

Jandiala

Jandiala is a village in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab.Jandiala is also known as Jandiala Manjki, ....

, a town on Amritsar

Amritsar

Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...

 - Jalandhar

Jalandhar

Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...

 GT Road (Grand Trunk Road) is populated with Ghangas Sikh

Sikh

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"...

 Jats. Jandiala Guru (also known as Guru ka Jandiala) was founded by Ghangas Jats. It is part of District Amritsar, 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...

, 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...

and is 16 Kilometers (10 miles) South of Amritsar.