Khakha
Encyclopedia
The Khakha Rajputs of Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...

, 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...

 are clan of Muslim Rajputs
Muslim Rajputs
Muslim Rajputs or Musulman Rajputs are Muslims belonging to the Hindu Rajput Kshatriya groups of Indian subcontinent, who converted to Islam.-History:...

 who have inhabited the Kashmiri region since the 13th century after the conquer of Janjua warlord Raja Khakha of the region of Upper Jhelum Valley of Kashmir.

They are a branch of the powerful Janjua Rajput dynasty of Northern India and Pakistan. Known for their fierce resistance against all invaders, from the Afghans, Mughals and the Sikhs, the Khakha Rajputs managed to retain their independence through their refractory policy and warlike exploits. They were so influential during their rule, that they aided Mughal Emperors first ever defeat in Kashmir in the Battle of Bulaysa, they defied the Afghan invaders and later terrorised the Sikh governors of Kashmir.

The highly warlike and fierce repute of the Royal Khakha Janjua Warlords earned them an undisputed position in the Jhelum Valley of Kashmir as the most powerful tribe in the region. Their tribal kings, princes and Rajas were renowned for their heroic rebellion against Afghans, Sikhs and British invaders. Today they occupy major positions within the Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...

 government and are a still a powerful tribe of respected position.

History

The Khakha Rajputs are a branch of the Janjua Rajputs, a famed warrior tribe that has ruled western Punjab since the 13th century in a powerful and warlike fashion. Janjua Rajputs are known as the most valiant Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

s (warriors) in Punjab.

The Janjua Rajputs are the descendants of Maharaja Janamejaya
Janamejaya
Janamejaya was a Kuru king. He was the son of Parikshit and Madravati. He was the grandson of Abhimanyu and the great-grandson of Arjuna, the valiant warrior hero of the Mahābhārata. He was ascended to the Kuru throne following the death of his father. His significance comes as the listener of the...

, Emperor of Hastinapur and great-grandson of the valiant warrior prince Arjun
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

 of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

, also known as the "Achilles of India". The Khakha Lords are essentially Pandavas. Today, they are entirely Muslim by faith.

Two distinct tribes with the Khakha name

The Khakhas are sometimes confused by speculative historians with the ancient Khasas
Khasas
The Khasas / Khas or Khasiyas are an ancient people, believed to be a section of the Indo-Iranians who originally belonged to Central Asia from where they had penetrated, in remote antiquity, the Himalayas through Kashgar and Kashmir and dominated the whole hilly region...

 due to their occupying a similar region of Kashmir, but this is purely theoretical and based simply on phronetic grounds.

Various sources have identified another distinct Kashmiri tribe also named Khakha, as being Muslim Khatris (the distorted word for Kshatriya). Rashmi Pathak has also made mention in her work of a Khatri tribe also called Khakha.

Sir Denzil Ibbetson however, carefully noted that the name Khakha is also a common sobriquet for petty Khatri traders:
Confirming this further, other historians have also pondered over the name Khakha as being deriative distortion of the word Khatri rather than an actual name of that tribe:

Janjua Khakhas proven distinct from the Khatri Khakhas

Interestingly the very same author Parvez Devan, makes reference only two pages earlier of this book, of the Janjua Khakhas as a distinctly separate tribe which appears to nullify Har Gopal Kaur's speculation, who himself never visited the region or led any thorough research into these particular tribes. The historian and writer Parvez Devan who made the above quote, made more thorough research into this and in his work covering the Janjua Khakha Rajputs ancestry, recording their ancestor Raja Mal and stated that the tribe itself attesting Chandravanshi Pandav ancestry and descendency from the Janjua Rajput warrior clan stating;
Official Evidence - The British Army recruiter, Major Wikeley reported the Khakha Janjua Rajputs as a distinct Janjua Rajput tribe completely distinct from the Khatri Khakha namesakes, whom he in fact dedicated a separate section to in his recruiting manual detailing each Muslim martial tribe recruited into his Punjabi Musalmans regiment. He clearly had personal contact with both tribes and thus confirmed both are distinctly different peoples.

Census figures prove two distinct tribes - Major Wikely recorded irrefutable proof for this via the regional census clearly and distinctly detailing that the Khakha Khatri tribes population figures as 11,260, and of the Khakha Janjua Rajputs as only 1500. This is also displays the significant political regency that such a small tribe has held over the political landscape of this region.

Independent historians have made mention of Raja Mal Janjua's son Raja Khakha Khan's entry and conquer and residence of the Jhelum Valley region. This is also corroborated by the Khakhas own records.

The Janjua Rajput clan, which resides in a different geographical regions of Punjab (Jhelum, Chakwal, Kahuta) to the Khakhas also corroborates the Khakha Rajput's Janjua lineage., thus distinguishing them from the Khatri Khakha namesakes.

This clarifies and concludes that the Khakha Janjua Rajputs are a distinctly different tribe from the Khakha Khatri traders of the neighbouring region, who neither claim to be nor are recognised as Rajputs.

These particular mentioned Khatris were a mercantile trading community, unlike the warlike marauding Khakha Rajput princes.

Raja Mal Khan

Raja Dhrupet Dev, the King of Mathura, was exiled from his kingdom by the Ghorid General Kutub-ud-Din Aibak in 1195 AD. The Raja and his brother Shripat Dev conquered Chakwal
Chakwal
Chakwal is the capital of Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located 90 km south-east of the federal capital, Islamabad and is named after Chaudhry Chaku Khan, chief of the Mair Minhas tribe from Jammu, who founded it in 1525 CE during the era of the Mughal Emperor, Zaheerudun Babur...

 region of Rajghar and settled there.

But it was son illustrious son, Raja Mal who established the fortune of the royal house. He was the first Muslim convert from the Janjua Rajput dynasty. He conquered the entire region of Rajghar and renamed it Malluki ki Dhani with its capital at Malot, where he built a large famous fort.

Raja Mal Khan's young son, Raja Khakha Khan is the apical ancestor of the Khakha Rajputs. His elder brothers included Raja Jodh Khan of Makhiala (Jhelum), Raja Bhir Khan of Malot (Chakwal
Chakwal
Chakwal is the capital of Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located 90 km south-east of the federal capital, Islamabad and is named after Chaudhry Chaku Khan, chief of the Mair Minhas tribe from Jammu, who founded it in 1525 CE during the era of the Mughal Emperor, Zaheerudun Babur...

)and Raja Kala Khan of Kahuta
Kahuta
Kahuta is a town and tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's Punjab Province. According to Pakistan's 2008 census, Kahuta tehsil has a population of approximately 160,000....

.

Today the main base District of the Khakha Rajputs are , Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers...

 , Bagh
Bagh
Bagh is the chief town of Bagh District in Azad KashmirBagh, the district headquarters of district Bagh is 100 Kilometers from Muzaffarabad via Kohallah & 80 Kilometers via Suddhen Gali, 205 Kilometers from Islamabad and 48 kilometers from Rawalakot. This town is situated on the confluence of two...

 , Kotli
Kotli
Kotli is the chief town of Kotli District, in the Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Kotli is linked with Mirpur by two metalled roads, one via Rajdhani, and the other via Charhoi...

 , Poonch
Poonch
Poonch is a town and a municipal committee in Poonch District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the Mahābhārata evidence, and the evidence from 7th Chinese traveler Xuanzang, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas...

 , Gilgit-Baltistan , Sakardo

In Muzaffrabd main base villages are Chakkar,Dannah Kachili ,rajputhi;Kot Tarahala,Kot Khakha Maira Saroo in Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers...

 ,

And in Bagh
Bagh
Bagh is the chief town of Bagh District in Azad KashmirBagh, the district headquarters of district Bagh is 100 Kilometers from Muzaffarabad via Kohallah & 80 Kilometers via Suddhen Gali, 205 Kilometers from Islamabad and 48 kilometers from Rawalakot. This town is situated on the confluence of two...

 Jagarli, Malot, Burka , Maira, Anarpura, Nakar Dhaki, Koterri TUgloo khan, Rehrra, Bani Maldara, in Bagh.
in Tehsil Dhirkot
Dhirkot
Dhirkot is a town in Bagh District, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located 25 km from Kohala, 15 km from Chamankot, and 132 kilometres from Islamabad. Dhirkot is a popular tourist resort due to its easy access, bracing altitude and mountainous landscape...

 major population based on Khakha's Rajpoots known as Taizyal.
Prime Minister of Azak Kashmir Raja Farooq Haider Khan is belong Khakha Royal Family .

The Khakha Rajputs during the Mughal Period

The Khakha Rajputs have played an important part in the history of Kashmir by creating alliances with other Kashmiri tribes against many powerful rulers, such as the Mughal
Mughal 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...

 Emperor Akbar. The Khakha warlords had allied with Yakub Shah against the Mughal army of Akbar at the battle of Bulyasa and were victorious.http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:EYjwklX5dyAJ:www.kashmir-information.com/Baharistan/chapter8.html+khakha+akbar+yusuf+shah&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=2

Khakha Rajput Resistance to the Sikh Empire

During the Sikh Conquer of Kashmir, The Khakha Rajputs united with their age old allies, the Bhamba
Bomba Dynasty
The Bomba , also spelled as Bambas, are a powerful tribe of Muzaffarabad District in Azad Kashmir Pakistan. They are also found in the Mansehra District of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.-History and origin:...

 tribe and fought hard against the invading Sikhs.
It is recorded, that upon a British Officer's visit to Kashmir in 1822, he had to return from Uri as the Khakha chief would not allow him to pass..

The fierce and warlike Khakhas began to intensify their raids in consequence to the weakening Sikh power. Eventually, when Maharaja Gulab Singh assumed rulership of Kashmir, he managed to drive back the Khakhas with great difficulty. But knowing the unrelenting fierce reputation of the rebellious Khakhas, he immediately installed strong garrisons in the forts guarding the passes.

Despite facing the best of the Sikh power to subdue them, they still enjoyed a highly privileged position, paying little if any taxes, openly wearing arms and defying orders where possible.

Ancestral Title and Reputation

The Imperial Gazetteer of Kashmir and Jammu records, "The Khakhás, who enjoy the proud title of Rájá, are Musalmán Rájputs
Muslim Rajputs
Muslim Rajputs or Musulman Rajputs are Muslims belonging to the Hindu Rajput Kshatriya groups of Indian subcontinent, who converted to Islam.-History:...

, and trace their descent to Rájá Mal...They regard themselves as belonging to the Janjuah tribe."

The Khakhas are renowned for being a powerful and fiercely warlike Musalman Rajput tribe.

During the period of the Afghan overlordship over the region of Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

 it is recorded, "..paid little to their overlord and were practically independent." Even when the Sikh empire tightened their hold over the Jhelum Valley of Kashmir, the Khakhas retained a privileged position. In fact, the privilege was such that they would openly wear their weapons and arms in defiance.

Their power and dominance aided Yakub Shah in his defence of Kashmir, in what was the first defeat of Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1582 on his first incursion into the Kashmir valley. But Akbar eventually returned more powerful, and finally conquered the region in 1586.

The Khakha Rajputs have also continued their ancestral tradition of recording of the family lineal tree. The above all indicate a strong a continuance of the Janjua traditions by the Khakha Rajas, making them a highly successful and powerful branch of the Janjua dynasty. They have always been a force to be reckoned with in the Jhelum Valley and their reputation as a fierce warlike tribe is well renowned. Though converted completely to Islam, they continued their traditional title of 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...

a many centuries on.

A strange fact recorded about the tribe, is that their fierce, often predatorial raids during the Sikh age earned them a localised legend, that mothers would tell their children "..the Khakhas are coming..." to frighten them.

This was also corroborated by J.M. Wikely, a Recruiter for the British Indian Army, who called them a "handsome race".
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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