Koshal
Encyclopedia
Koshal/ Kaushals are descendants of Raja Hawaha and Kachwaha because of their equestrian prowess they came to be known as ghorewaha Rajput
s.Being a martial race they had a flair of riding and breeding warrior horse
s. Later on their horses were also taken by the British because of the extraordinary abilities and train of stallions and ponies.Hence,it was their equestrian abilities and horses and the story of Prince Hawaha and Prince Kachwaha "riding out" because of which they came to be known as "Ghorewaha".Koshal - Kauhal/Ghorewaha Rajputs do not marry outside Rajput families of pure breed . The Rajputs are a martial race and caste of the Indian subcontinent. They are a Hindu
caste belonging to the Kshatriya ("warrior").They are Suryavanshi, which means Sun Dynasty, claim descent from Surya
, the solar deity or sun which is worshipped by Hindus as their God. The Sun Dynasty is oldest among Kshatriyas.
Princely state
s:
Jauhar and Saka where two distinctive practices of the Ghorewaha and Koshal/Kaushal Rajputs, when faced with defeat by an invaders, were jauhar, the ritual self-immolation of women to avoid falling into the hands of the enemy, and saka, a ride into battle by the Rajput men with the expectation of inevitable death.
Koshal / Kauhsal is a Ghorewaha tribe who are descendants of Raja Hawaha (also spelt "Ahwaha"), who became recognized for his equestrian prowess in the early 12th century, hence the name "Ghorewaha" or "expert equestrian".
Raja Maan, a descendant of Kush, son of Lord Rama, had two sons, Raja Kachwaha and Raja Hawaha. Raja Hawaha became ruler of a part of the Punjab in 1070 AD. Subsequently, the then Muslim Ruler of India, Sultan Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri, awarded him and his brother, Raja Kachwaha, ownership of as much land as they could encircle on horseback from dawn to dusk in a single day on either side of the Sutlej River. Raja Hawaha encircled an area comprising 1,860 villages north of the Sutlej whereas his brother, Raja Kachwaha, took an area south of the Sutlej.Hawaha threw down his spear at the end of his long journey while Kachwha threw down his sword. Raja Kachwaha, thereafter, returned to his ancestral home in Jaipur, Rajasthan whereas Raja Hahawa settled on his newly acquired lands in the Punjab, hence the reason why the Ghorewaha are primarily settled in the Punjab region of modern-day Pakistan and India.[4]
According to A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province,[3] the Ghorewaha/Koshal - Kaushal are the oldest Rajput rulers of the Punjab. They lived primarily in the district of Hoshiarpur (mainly Garshankar tehsil), Jalandhar and Nawanshahr of the Punjab before partition of the British Indian Empire in 1947. Since the majority of Koshal/Ghorewahas converted to Islam, most migrated to Pakistan after partition in 1947,thus losing their Jagirs and land.
Koshal/ Kaushal Rajputs usually use the prefix the titles 'Raja', 'thakur', and 'Rana',before their names. Previously, they also used the title 'Mian' and 'Chaudhry' but abandoned use of these titles after the partition, when non-Rajputs, such as the Gujjars, Jats and Arain adopted it.
The successors of Raja Hawaha/ the Koshal / Kaushal have been Thakurs and Ranas of the Rajputs for 13 generations. Raja Bhin was the father of Rana Rajpal and Bhinsi. The Ghorewahas of Rahon and Shekhomazara and those of Saroha Simil, Mukandpur and Gag in the Garhshankar Tahsil and of Bairsian, Kunail are descended from Rana Rajpal, son of Raja Bhin.
The Raja of Machhiwara, Rana Udho actively assisted Emperor Akbar in his fight for the Delhi Throne, he captured the rebellious Bairam Khan and subsequently the Raja was allowed to retain the Jagir of Rahon[7][
The Koshal / Kaushal are mentioned in the Ain-I-Akbari as the "Khori Wahah" (Ghore Wahah) and are said to be in possession of the estates of Bajwara, Dardak Mahal (Rahon and Phillaur), Sankarbanot (Garhshanker) and Rahimabad with a total Mansab rank of 260 Cavalry and 4900 Infantry[9]
It is also worth mentioning here that Koshal- Kaushal/Ghorewaha conquerors destroyed the ancestral fort of Minhas Sikh Rajputs of Daroli Kalan, Adampur Doaba and Heeon fort of Parmaras of Nadalon, Panjoura, Ajnoha.
The Koshal/Kaushal lifestyle was designed to foster a martial spirit, with men even forging a bond with their sword. The double-edged scimitar known as the khanda was a popular weapon among the Rajputs of that era. On special occasions, a primary chief would break up a meeting of his vassal chiefs with khanda nariyal, the distribution of daggers and coconuts. Another affirmation of the Rajput's reverence for his sword was the Karga Shapna ("adoration of the sword") ritual, performed during the annual Navaratri festival, after which a Rana is considered "free to indulge his passion for rapine and revenge".
By the late 19th century, there was a shift of focus among Rajputs from politics to a concern with kinship.[14] Many Koshal/Kaushal Rajputs are nostalgic about their past and keenly conscious of their genealogy, emphasizing a Rajput ethos that is martial in spirit, with a fierce pride in lineage and tradition.
“ The tradition of common ancestry permits a not so affluent Rana or Rajput to consider himself as well born as any powerful landholder of his clan, and superior to any high official of the professional classes. No race in India can boast of finer feats of arms or brighter deeds of chivalry, and they form one of the main recruiting fields for the Indian and Pakistani army of the day. They consider any occupation other than that of arms or government derogatory to their dignity, and consequently during the long period of peace which has followed the establishment of the British rule in India, they have been content to stay idle at home instead of taking up any of the other professions in which they might have come to the front.
-Encyclopædia Britannica (1911 edition)[
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (born 1948)-Chief Justice Of Pakistan, is perhaps the most prominent and powerful Koshal / Kaushal Rajput in Pakistan today, and certainly the most powerful CJP ever.
PROMINENT Koshal/Kaushals of Hindustan And Modern day India
Raja Hawaha - Founder of the Ghorewaha Rajput Sub-Clan - Ruler of the Punjab, c. 1070 AD
Rana Udho Ji Bahadur, Raja of Machiwara - Helped Emperor Akbar in his fight for the throne of Delhi and captured the rebellious Bairam Khan
H.H. Baba Sri Rana Saheb Bhoj Singhji Bahadur of Jaipur - Founded Jadla about 540 years ago, thus becoming its first Rana after the division of the Ghorewaha territory
His Grace Rana Sri Duloh Singh Ji Bahadur - Tikkaraj Ala Lambardar Rana Bahadur of Jadla, a Panjab Chief and Zamindar of Jadla Zamindari.
T.H. Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Khan Sahib, Rana of Rahon Jagir - Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Unionist Party, (January 3, 1927 to July 26, 1930) (October 24, 1930 to November 10, 1936) (April 5, 1937 to March 19, 1945)
His Grace Rana Sri Labh Singh Ji Bahadur - Rana Bahadur of Jadla, Ala Malik and Zamindar of Jadla Zamindari
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...
s.Being a martial race they had a flair of riding and breeding warrior horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s. Later on their horses were also taken by the British because of the extraordinary abilities and train of stallions and ponies.Hence,it was their equestrian abilities and horses and the story of Prince Hawaha and Prince Kachwaha "riding out" because of which they came to be known as "Ghorewaha".Koshal - Kauhal/Ghorewaha Rajputs do not marry outside Rajput families of pure breed . The Rajputs are a martial race and caste of the Indian subcontinent. They are a 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...
caste belonging to the Kshatriya ("warrior").They are Suryavanshi, which means Sun Dynasty, claim descent from Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
, the solar deity or sun which is worshipped by Hindus as their God. The Sun Dynasty is oldest among Kshatriyas.
Princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
s:
- Narwar State
- Jaipur StateJaipur State-History:During the British Raj, Jaipur was the capital of a princely state of the same name. Jaipur state, which existed from the twelfth century until Indian Independence in 1947, took its name from the city. It had a total area of 15,579 square miles in 1900. The maharajas of Jaipur belonged to...
- Alwar StateAlwar State-History:Alwar has been a part of Matsya region of olden times whose capital was Virat Nagar."Alwar" was formerly known as "Ulwar". This placed it in last position in alphabetically ordered lists, so a king renamed it to "Alwar" to bring it to the top. Till the 11 A.D. this area was ruled by a...
- Maihar StateMaihar StateMaihar State was a princely state in India. The state was founded in 1778 by Rajputs of the Kachwaha clan, who were granted land by the ruler of the nearby state of Orchha. The state became a princely state of British India in the early 19th century, and was administered as part of Bundelkhand...
- Koshal / Kaushal Raj
- Rahoun Estate
- Garshankar Estate (1070 A.D-1750 A.D)
Jauhar and Saka where two distinctive practices of the Ghorewaha and Koshal/Kaushal Rajputs, when faced with defeat by an invaders, were jauhar, the ritual self-immolation of women to avoid falling into the hands of the enemy, and saka, a ride into battle by the Rajput men with the expectation of inevitable death.
Koshal / Kauhsal is a Ghorewaha tribe who are descendants of Raja Hawaha (also spelt "Ahwaha"), who became recognized for his equestrian prowess in the early 12th century, hence the name "Ghorewaha" or "expert equestrian".
Raja Maan, a descendant of Kush, son of Lord Rama, had two sons, Raja Kachwaha and Raja Hawaha. Raja Hawaha became ruler of a part of the Punjab in 1070 AD. Subsequently, the then Muslim Ruler of India, Sultan Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri, awarded him and his brother, Raja Kachwaha, ownership of as much land as they could encircle on horseback from dawn to dusk in a single day on either side of the Sutlej River. Raja Hawaha encircled an area comprising 1,860 villages north of the Sutlej whereas his brother, Raja Kachwaha, took an area south of the Sutlej.Hawaha threw down his spear at the end of his long journey while Kachwha threw down his sword. Raja Kachwaha, thereafter, returned to his ancestral home in Jaipur, Rajasthan whereas Raja Hahawa settled on his newly acquired lands in the Punjab, hence the reason why the Ghorewaha are primarily settled in the Punjab region of modern-day Pakistan and India.[4]
According to A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province,[3] the Ghorewaha/Koshal - Kaushal are the oldest Rajput rulers of the Punjab. They lived primarily in the district of Hoshiarpur (mainly Garshankar tehsil), Jalandhar and Nawanshahr of the Punjab before partition of the British Indian Empire in 1947. Since the majority of Koshal/Ghorewahas converted to Islam, most migrated to Pakistan after partition in 1947,thus losing their Jagirs and land.
Koshal/ Kaushal Rajputs usually use the prefix the titles 'Raja', 'thakur', and 'Rana',before their names. Previously, they also used the title 'Mian' and 'Chaudhry' but abandoned use of these titles after the partition, when non-Rajputs, such as the Gujjars, Jats and Arain adopted it.
The successors of Raja Hawaha/ the Koshal / Kaushal have been Thakurs and Ranas of the Rajputs for 13 generations. Raja Bhin was the father of Rana Rajpal and Bhinsi. The Ghorewahas of Rahon and Shekhomazara and those of Saroha Simil, Mukandpur and Gag in the Garhshankar Tahsil and of Bairsian, Kunail are descended from Rana Rajpal, son of Raja Bhin.
The Raja of Machhiwara, Rana Udho actively assisted Emperor Akbar in his fight for the Delhi Throne, he captured the rebellious Bairam Khan and subsequently the Raja was allowed to retain the Jagir of Rahon[7][
The Koshal / Kaushal are mentioned in the Ain-I-Akbari as the "Khori Wahah" (Ghore Wahah) and are said to be in possession of the estates of Bajwara, Dardak Mahal (Rahon and Phillaur), Sankarbanot (Garhshanker) and Rahimabad with a total Mansab rank of 260 Cavalry and 4900 Infantry[9]
It is also worth mentioning here that Koshal- Kaushal/Ghorewaha conquerors destroyed the ancestral fort of Minhas Sikh Rajputs of Daroli Kalan, Adampur Doaba and Heeon fort of Parmaras of Nadalon, Panjoura, Ajnoha.
The Koshal/Kaushal lifestyle was designed to foster a martial spirit, with men even forging a bond with their sword. The double-edged scimitar known as the khanda was a popular weapon among the Rajputs of that era. On special occasions, a primary chief would break up a meeting of his vassal chiefs with khanda nariyal, the distribution of daggers and coconuts. Another affirmation of the Rajput's reverence for his sword was the Karga Shapna ("adoration of the sword") ritual, performed during the annual Navaratri festival, after which a Rana is considered "free to indulge his passion for rapine and revenge".
By the late 19th century, there was a shift of focus among Rajputs from politics to a concern with kinship.[14] Many Koshal/Kaushal Rajputs are nostalgic about their past and keenly conscious of their genealogy, emphasizing a Rajput ethos that is martial in spirit, with a fierce pride in lineage and tradition.
“ The tradition of common ancestry permits a not so affluent Rana or Rajput to consider himself as well born as any powerful landholder of his clan, and superior to any high official of the professional classes. No race in India can boast of finer feats of arms or brighter deeds of chivalry, and they form one of the main recruiting fields for the Indian and Pakistani army of the day. They consider any occupation other than that of arms or government derogatory to their dignity, and consequently during the long period of peace which has followed the establishment of the British rule in India, they have been content to stay idle at home instead of taking up any of the other professions in which they might have come to the front.
-Encyclopædia Britannica (1911 edition)[
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (born 1948)-Chief Justice Of Pakistan, is perhaps the most prominent and powerful Koshal / Kaushal Rajput in Pakistan today, and certainly the most powerful CJP ever.
PROMINENT Koshal/Kaushals of Hindustan And Modern day India
Raja Hawaha - Founder of the Ghorewaha Rajput Sub-Clan - Ruler of the Punjab, c. 1070 AD
Rana Udho Ji Bahadur, Raja of Machiwara - Helped Emperor Akbar in his fight for the throne of Delhi and captured the rebellious Bairam Khan
H.H. Baba Sri Rana Saheb Bhoj Singhji Bahadur of Jaipur - Founded Jadla about 540 years ago, thus becoming its first Rana after the division of the Ghorewaha territory
His Grace Rana Sri Duloh Singh Ji Bahadur - Tikkaraj Ala Lambardar Rana Bahadur of Jadla, a Panjab Chief and Zamindar of Jadla Zamindari.
T.H. Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Khan Sahib, Rana of Rahon Jagir - Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Unionist Party, (January 3, 1927 to July 26, 1930) (October 24, 1930 to November 10, 1936) (April 5, 1937 to March 19, 1945)
His Grace Rana Sri Labh Singh Ji Bahadur - Rana Bahadur of Jadla, Ala Malik and Zamindar of Jadla Zamindari