Khambi
Encyclopedia
Khambi and Kaleechpur is a large village of Sarai Alamgir Tehsil
district Gujrat
, Pakistan. Mainly Thathal and Chib
families live there.
Kambhi Kaleechpur or Kambhi Khanpur is bound on two sides by the river Jhelum
and Upper Canal Jhelum
and on the other two sides by small streams. The population are mainly cultivating landlords (Zameendar) and have a record of military service. Many villagers have migrated to Europe
, USA, Dubai
which has resulted in an expansion of the village over the years.
or Kamboj
tribe. The original village was nearer to the Pabbi range but during the severe famine in the 18th century the old village was abandoned and the people moved closer to the banks of the river Jhelum where they still reside. The old village is barely recognizable but there still remains a graveyard called Shaheeda or the 'graveyard of martyrs' the history of which is enshrouded in mystery. Khambhi is divided into 4 parts the side nearing the river Jhelum is called Tawela and is remembered by the people as a place which the elders used as a horse stable. The opposite side nearing the canal is named Kaleechpur a name which is of Moghul origin as Kaleech means a 'Sword' in the Moghul/Turkish language and is named after a warrior leader of the Thathals named Murad Kaleech Khan. Local tradition state that the Mughal tribe was named Barlas
. The main central part is named after the Khamb
/Kamboj
tribe and gives its name to the village and near the Kass stream is known as Jaleelpur. Old memories are really what survive of the history of Khambi. People relate that the ancestors of this place were very warlike and regularly practised sword training and tent pegging with spears and were much in demand by authorities. The village adjoining Khambi is called Khanpur and is closely connected to Khambi.
According to their traditions, the ancestors of the Khamb arrived from Kathiawar, in what is now the modern state of Gujarat in India.
The Khamb
/Kamboj
were settled in their present abode, by Hashmat Khan, a chief of the Thathal tribe, who are natives of the Pothohar region. This Hashmat Khan was appointed as a garrison commander of Khambhat
in Kathiawar, by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
. When Hashmat Khan returned to the Pothohar region, he was accompanied by members of the garrison at Khambait. These troops were of a mixed origin and included troopers of Mughal and Afghan origin from Badakshan. He ordered that a village be built and named it Khanpur, and these warriors were granted lands in and around the new town. The tribe is still mainly found in Khambi and are also known as the “Kakkay Billey” due to their blue eyes and blonde hair.
In 1525 Zaheeruddin Babur
invaded Punjab. Thathal Sardar Safdar Murad under the influence of the Gakhars
sided with Babur. Doulat Khan Lodhi
was defeated and a faction of Thathals remained with the Gakhars
but Murad Kaleech Khan took away a group of daredevils with him, selected a place along Kharian Pubbi and inaugurated a village Kaleechpur, still thriving with majority of Thathals. Some of the tribe converted to cultivators of land but never became good Zamindars, still fond of fighting.
When Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun, ill fate for Thathals commenced. Gakhars
were defeated, Suri
pathans captured the Salt Range and uprooted the Gakhars
and Thathals. The Janjua and Gondal
of adjoining areas also suffered. Rohtas Fort was established and bad luck of Thathals was still very much there. Kaleechpur was destroyed, people of area were butchered, some escaped and sheltered into the Pabbi Kharian for safety. Mansur Murad the chief of Thathals was killed, and might of Thathals almost vanished for the time being.
Return of Humayun in 1546 restored some of the honour and pride for the Thathal tribe. Mughals captured some area of Kashmir, Syed Yousaf Mashadi the governor called for Sardar Muhammad Azam Thathal. Azam was a dare devil, he attacked and captured Yadgar Mirza in Akbars time. Mirza was killed and mutiny was over, Azam was bestowed with the title of BAHADUR.
The Chib
s of Khambi who are originally from Bhimber
arrived much later after facing defeat during the sikh wars which resulted in them losing their areas.
located in Khambi.
Sarai Alamgir Tehsil
Sarai Alamgir Tehsil is one of three Tehsils in District of Gujrat. The Tehsil is located on the eastern bank of the Jhelum River across from the larger town of Jhelum...
district Gujrat
Gujrat
Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
, Pakistan. Mainly Thathal and Chib
Chib
The Chib Rajput , is a Chandravanshi Rajput clan found in the northern parts of India and Pakistan. They are mostly a Kashmiri or Punjabi tribe found in both India and Pakistan...
families live there.
Kambhi Kaleechpur or Kambhi Khanpur is bound on two sides by the river Jhelum
Jhelum
Jhelum or Jehlum may refer to:* Jhelum, a city in Pakistan on the banks of the Jhelum River* Jhelum District, an administrative division in Punjab, Pakistan surrounding the city of Jhelum...
and Upper Canal Jhelum
Jhelum
Jhelum or Jehlum may refer to:* Jhelum, a city in Pakistan on the banks of the Jhelum River* Jhelum District, an administrative division in Punjab, Pakistan surrounding the city of Jhelum...
and on the other two sides by small streams. The population are mainly cultivating landlords (Zameendar) and have a record of military service. Many villagers have migrated to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, USA, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
which has resulted in an expansion of the village over the years.
History
Originally Khambi was named after the KhambKhamb
The Khamb are tribe of mixed Turkish and Mongol extraction, found in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan.-History and origin:According to their traditions, the ancestors of the Khamb arrived from Kathiawar, in what is now the modern state of Gujerat in India.The Khamb were settled in their...
or Kamboj
Kamboj
The Kambojs , also Kamboh, are an ethnic community of the Punjab region. They may relate to the Kambojas, an Iranian tribe known to the people of Iron Age India and mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and epigraphy. Kamboj is frequently used as a surname in lieu of the sub-caste or the gotra name...
tribe. The original village was nearer to the Pabbi range but during the severe famine in the 18th century the old village was abandoned and the people moved closer to the banks of the river Jhelum where they still reside. The old village is barely recognizable but there still remains a graveyard called Shaheeda or the 'graveyard of martyrs' the history of which is enshrouded in mystery. Khambhi is divided into 4 parts the side nearing the river Jhelum is called Tawela and is remembered by the people as a place which the elders used as a horse stable. The opposite side nearing the canal is named Kaleechpur a name which is of Moghul origin as Kaleech means a 'Sword' in the Moghul/Turkish language and is named after a warrior leader of the Thathals named Murad Kaleech Khan. Local tradition state that the Mughal tribe was named Barlas
Barlas
The Barlas were a Mongol - later Turkicized - nomadic confederation in Central Asia and the chief tribe of the Timurids who ruled much of Central Asia, Iran, and South Asia in the Middle Ages.- Origins :According to the Secret History of the Mongols, written during the reign of Ögedei Khan, the...
. The main central part is named after the Khamb
Khamb
The Khamb are tribe of mixed Turkish and Mongol extraction, found in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan.-History and origin:According to their traditions, the ancestors of the Khamb arrived from Kathiawar, in what is now the modern state of Gujerat in India.The Khamb were settled in their...
/Kamboj
Kamboj
The Kambojs , also Kamboh, are an ethnic community of the Punjab region. They may relate to the Kambojas, an Iranian tribe known to the people of Iron Age India and mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and epigraphy. Kamboj is frequently used as a surname in lieu of the sub-caste or the gotra name...
tribe and gives its name to the village and near the Kass stream is known as Jaleelpur. Old memories are really what survive of the history of Khambi. People relate that the ancestors of this place were very warlike and regularly practised sword training and tent pegging with spears and were much in demand by authorities. The village adjoining Khambi is called Khanpur and is closely connected to Khambi.
According to their traditions, the ancestors of the Khamb arrived from Kathiawar, in what is now the modern state of Gujarat in India.
The Khamb
Khamb
The Khamb are tribe of mixed Turkish and Mongol extraction, found in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan.-History and origin:According to their traditions, the ancestors of the Khamb arrived from Kathiawar, in what is now the modern state of Gujerat in India.The Khamb were settled in their...
/Kamboj
Kamboj
The Kambojs , also Kamboh, are an ethnic community of the Punjab region. They may relate to the Kambojas, an Iranian tribe known to the people of Iron Age India and mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and epigraphy. Kamboj is frequently used as a surname in lieu of the sub-caste or the gotra name...
were settled in their present abode, by Hashmat Khan, a chief of the Thathal tribe, who are natives of the Pothohar region. This Hashmat Khan was appointed as a garrison commander of 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...
in Kathiawar, by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
. When Hashmat Khan returned to the Pothohar region, he was accompanied by members of the garrison at Khambait. These troops were of a mixed origin and included troopers of Mughal and Afghan origin from Badakshan. He ordered that a village be built and named it Khanpur, and these warriors were granted lands in and around the new town. The tribe is still mainly found in Khambi and are also known as the “Kakkay Billey” due to their blue eyes and blonde hair.
In 1525 Zaheeruddin Babur
Babur
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...
invaded Punjab. Thathal Sardar Safdar Murad under the influence of the Gakhars
Gakhars
The Gakhars are an ancient warrior clan who have predominantly resided in what is present day northern Punjab and South-Western Kashmir, Pakistan. In particular in the cities of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and regions of Gilgit, Baltistan, Chitral, Khanpur and Mirpur, Pakistan...
sided with Babur. Doulat Khan Lodhi
Lodhi
Lodhi is a Batani Pashtun tribe mainly found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were part of a wave of Pashtuns who pushed east into what is today Pakistan. Often accompanying the Timurids who conquered South Asia, the Lodhi established themselves during the Islamic period as a Muslim ruling class...
was defeated and a faction of Thathals remained with the Gakhars
Gakhars
The Gakhars are an ancient warrior clan who have predominantly resided in what is present day northern Punjab and South-Western Kashmir, Pakistan. In particular in the cities of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and regions of Gilgit, Baltistan, Chitral, Khanpur and Mirpur, Pakistan...
but Murad Kaleech Khan took away a group of daredevils with him, selected a place along Kharian Pubbi and inaugurated a village Kaleechpur, still thriving with majority of Thathals. Some of the tribe converted to cultivators of land but never became good Zamindars, still fond of fighting.
When Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun, ill fate for Thathals commenced. Gakhars
Gakhars
The Gakhars are an ancient warrior clan who have predominantly resided in what is present day northern Punjab and South-Western Kashmir, Pakistan. In particular in the cities of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and regions of Gilgit, Baltistan, Chitral, Khanpur and Mirpur, Pakistan...
were defeated, Suri
Suri
-Places:* Suri, Birbhum, a town in West Bengal, India* Suri , an assembly constituency in Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal* Suri dynasty, a former South Asian empire* Şuri, a commune in Drochia District, Moldova*...
pathans captured the Salt Range and uprooted the Gakhars
Gakhars
The Gakhars are an ancient warrior clan who have predominantly resided in what is present day northern Punjab and South-Western Kashmir, Pakistan. In particular in the cities of Rawalpindi, Jhelum and regions of Gilgit, Baltistan, Chitral, Khanpur and Mirpur, Pakistan...
and Thathals. The Janjua and Gondal
Gondal
Gondal is a city and a municipality in Rajkot district in the Indian state Gujarat. Gondal state was one of the eight first class princely states of Kathiawar Agency during Bombay Presidency...
of adjoining areas also suffered. Rohtas Fort was established and bad luck of Thathals was still very much there. Kaleechpur was destroyed, people of area were butchered, some escaped and sheltered into the Pabbi Kharian for safety. Mansur Murad the chief of Thathals was killed, and might of Thathals almost vanished for the time being.
Return of Humayun in 1546 restored some of the honour and pride for the Thathal tribe. Mughals captured some area of Kashmir, Syed Yousaf Mashadi the governor called for Sardar Muhammad Azam Thathal. Azam was a dare devil, he attacked and captured Yadgar Mirza in Akbars time. Mirza was killed and mutiny was over, Azam was bestowed with the title of BAHADUR.
The Chib
Chib
The Chib Rajput , is a Chandravanshi Rajput clan found in the northern parts of India and Pakistan. They are mostly a Kashmiri or Punjabi tribe found in both India and Pakistan...
s of Khambi who are originally from Bhimber
Bhimber
Bhimber is the chief town of Bhimber District, Azad Kashmir. The town is situated on the border between Azad Kashmir and Pakistan at a distance of about 50 km from Mirpur, about 48 km from Gujrat and about 166 km from Islamabad.-History:...
arrived much later after facing defeat during the sikh wars which resulted in them losing their areas.
Government Elementary School Khambi
There is a Government Elementary SchoolPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
located in Khambi.