Marhal
Encyclopedia
The Marhal, are sometime pronounced Mandal, are a Jat gotra
, now found mainly in Punjab
, although few are still found in Jarauda in Muzaffarnagar District
of Uttar Pradesh
. They are one of the larger Muley Jat
clans.
and settled in Karnal
, in what is now Haryana
. It acquired the name Marial or Marhal from an ancestor who was found newly born by his dead mother's side. In the local dialect of Hindi
and Urdu
(Haryanwi), marhi is a tomb or shrine.
During the reign of the Mughal
Emperor Shah Alam
, a member of the tribe converted to Islam
. In return, he was a granted an estate in Muzaffarnagar
, Charthawal and Saron. In 1806, after providing assistance to the British
in the Anglo-Maratha wars
, the family was granted a Jagir
(estate) in Karnal
.
According to other traditions, they are descended from Yazdgerd III
, the last Sassanian ruler of Iran
. They migrated to Kabul
, during the rule of Prithvi Raj Chauhan
, under a Malik Salahauddin. On the recommendation of the nawab
of Samana, the Malik received a grant of a 100 villages (referred to as mandal in the Hindi
language), from Khanda Rao, a brother of Prithvi Raj. The word Mandal was eventually corrupted to Marhal. In the time of the Sultan Alauddin Khilji
, the Marhal received the jagir
s of Samana
and Malkana.
The Marhal were in popular estimation, considered to a be a Mulla Jat tribe, and most members consider themselves to be Jats.
s of Karnal. They first appear in history in 1780 A,D, when the family was residing at Samana
, Nawab Majid-ul-daula granted to Nawab Sher-ul-din Khan, their ancestor, the parganas of Muzaffarnagar
, Shoran and Chitrawal in the Muzaffarnagar District
on condition that he furnished for Government service 200 horsemen fully equipped ; on the death of the grantee in 1789 the grant was continued on the same terms to his brother
Mahomdi Khan by Daulat Rao Scindia.
In 1806 this Mahomdi Khan, his nephew Mahomed Ishaq and his cousin Ghairat AH Khan were in possession of these
estates, and, in accordance with the policy of Lord Cornwalis, they were induced to accept a tract west of the Jumna in exchange. Thus the Mandals came to settle in Karnal
.
It is very doubtful whether Mr. Ibbetson's idea of the Mandal descent is correct ; he has given no reasons, for his assertion and, beyond the fact that the Mandals follow some of the Jat customs, there appears to be no ground for believing them to belong to that tribe. On their seals the ancestors of the present Mandals called themselves " Mandal-i-Nausherani," i.e., the "Mandal " of the *' Nausheranis," and w^e have to decide the meaning of this term. Nausherwan was a Persian King and Nausherwani chiefs have held sway at Kharan in Baluchistan
since the 17th century. It appears from inquiries made there
and from the Baluchistan Gazetteer that certain Nausherwan proceeded with Abdulla Khan of Kalat
, when he accompanied Nadir Shah for the invasion of Delhi
in 1738 A.D. ; it is probable that a member of the Nausherani family remained at Samana in possession of a tract which was then conquered, and that the present Mandals are descended from him. The meaning of the
term ** Mandal " as applied to this family is not certain ; in Shakespear's dictionary the word, spelt with a hard ** d," is
translated as " a circle, halo ; a region, country ; a round tent ; an officer employed in villages, exciseman," while that spelt
with a soft ** d " is said to mean ** a kind of wooden drum ; a fountain." Ibbetson refers to '* Mandila " as meaning a plat-
form on which guns are mounted. Of all these meanings the most probable is the exciseman or village officer, and it seems
likely that an ancestor of the family was a Nausherwani who was left in charge of Samana or some other place during the raid of
Nadir Shah in order to collect taxes there, that he was therefore called '* Mandal-i-Nausherani," and that he and his successors
managed to stay in power there.
It is not at all uncommon for adventurers and those who conquer and settle in foreign lands to adopt some of the customs of the people among whom they have come, and this would
account for the Mandals following certain of the Jat customs.
The fact that the affix " Khan " has been used by the family since they were first heard of in this neighbourhood, and that the first known member bore the title of " Nawab," tends to support the theory that they formerly belonged to the Nausherani family
of Baluchistan.
Nawab Ahmad AH Khan, gave assisted the British
authorities during the mutiny and for his services
the quit-rent of Rs. 5,000 payable by him was remitted in perpetuity ; he was also presented with a khillat of Rs. 10,000 in Darbar and permitted to retain two cannon and one hundred
armed retainers ; these honours have been continued to his suc-
cessors. He died in 1867 and was succeeded by Azmat AH Khan, his eldest surviving son, who was given the title of " Nawab Bahadur." Azmat AH Khan died childless in 1909, and his half brother Muhammad Rustam AH Khan succeeded to the title of Nawab and the jagir, while he and his brother Muhammad Umar
Daraz AH Khan inherited his estate. Before his death Azmat AH Khan, who was on bad terms with his half brothers, attempted to alienate his property, but it was brought under the Court of Wards and there is now litigation by the would-be donees to obtain possession thereof.
For good services Rustam Ali Khan received the personal title of " Nawab Bahadur " and Umar Daraz AH Khan
that of Khan Bahadur. The latter was also an Honorary Sub-Registrar, Munsif and Magistrate of the 1st class.
Liaquat Ali Khan
, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan
, was the younger son of Rustam Ali Khan. The fact that the Samana
branch spoke Punjabi, has historically created debates over the ethnic identity of Liaquat. Both the Karnal and Muzaffarnagar
branches of the tribe spoke Urdu
, as did other Mulla Jats.
and Karnal
branches of the tribe emigrated to Pakistan
, many are now found in the city of Punjab
and Sindh
. But many of the Jarauda Marhal are still found in India
.
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"...
, now found mainly in 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...
, although few are still found in Jarauda in Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The town of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters.-Communication:...
of 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...
. They are one of the larger Muley Jat
Muley Jat
The Muley Jat, or sometimes pronounced as Mola/Mula Jat are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, and the province of Punjab in Pakistan...
clans.
History and origin
The Marhal or Mandal are a tribe that originally came from SamanaSamana
-Dominican Republic:*Samaná Province*Samaná, Dominican Republic, or Santa Bárbara de Samaná, the capital of Samaná Province*Samaná Peninsula*Cape Samana on Samaná Peninsula*Samaná Bay, a body of water in the Atlantic next to the Samaná Peninsula...
and settled in Karnal
Karnal
Karnal is an important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana.Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale...
, in what is now 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...
. It acquired the name Marial or Marhal from an ancestor who was found newly born by his dead mother's side. In the local dialect of Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
(Haryanwi), marhi is a tomb or shrine.
During the reign of 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 Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
, a member of the tribe converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. In return, he was a granted an estate in 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...
, Charthawal and Saron. In 1806, after providing assistance to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the Anglo-Maratha wars
Anglo-Maratha Wars
The Anglo-Maratha Wars were three wars fought in India between the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company:* First Anglo-Maratha War * Second Anglo-Maratha War...
, the family was granted a 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...
(estate) in Karnal
Karnal
Karnal is an important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana.Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale...
.
According to other traditions, they are descended from Yazdgerd III
Yazdgerd III
Yazdegerd III or Yazdgerd III was the twenty-ninth and last king of the Sassanid dynasty of Iran and a grandson of Khosrau II . His father was Shahryar, whose mother was Miriam, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Maurice...
, the last Sassanian ruler of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. They migrated to 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...
, during the rule of Prithvi Raj Chauhan
Chauhan
Chauhan, Chouhan or Chohan , , - is a clan who ruled parts of northern India in the Middle Ages. The clan is most famous for Rajput King Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan...
, under a Malik Salahauddin. On the recommendation of the 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....
of Samana, the Malik received a grant of a 100 villages (referred to as mandal in the Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
language), from Khanda Rao, a brother of Prithvi Raj. The word Mandal was eventually corrupted to Marhal. In the time of the Sultan Alauddin Khilji
Alauddin Khilji
Ali Gurshap Khan better known by his titular name as Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji was the second ruler of the Turko-Afghan Khilji dynasty in India.He was a well and capable ruler. He belonged to the Afghanized Turkic tribe of the Khiljis...
, the Marhal received the 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...
s of Samana
Samana
-Dominican Republic:*Samaná Province*Samaná, Dominican Republic, or Santa Bárbara de Samaná, the capital of Samaná Province*Samaná Peninsula*Cape Samana on Samaná Peninsula*Samaná Bay, a body of water in the Atlantic next to the Samaná Peninsula...
and Malkana.
The Marhal were in popular estimation, considered to a be a Mulla Jat tribe, and most members consider themselves to be Jats.
The Family of the Nawabs of Karnal
The most prominent Marhal family was that of the NawabNawab
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 of Karnal. They first appear in history in 1780 A,D, when the family was residing at Samana
Samana
-Dominican Republic:*Samaná Province*Samaná, Dominican Republic, or Santa Bárbara de Samaná, the capital of Samaná Province*Samaná Peninsula*Cape Samana on Samaná Peninsula*Samaná Bay, a body of water in the Atlantic next to the Samaná Peninsula...
, Nawab Majid-ul-daula granted to Nawab Sher-ul-din Khan, their ancestor, the parganas of 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...
, Shoran and Chitrawal in the Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The town of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters.-Communication:...
on condition that he furnished for Government service 200 horsemen fully equipped ; on the death of the grantee in 1789 the grant was continued on the same terms to his brother
Mahomdi Khan by Daulat Rao Scindia.
In 1806 this Mahomdi Khan, his nephew Mahomed Ishaq and his cousin Ghairat AH Khan were in possession of these
estates, and, in accordance with the policy of Lord Cornwalis, they were induced to accept a tract west of the Jumna in exchange. Thus the Mandals came to settle in Karnal
Karnal
Karnal is an important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana.Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale...
.
It is very doubtful whether Mr. Ibbetson's idea of the Mandal descent is correct ; he has given no reasons, for his assertion and, beyond the fact that the Mandals follow some of the Jat customs, there appears to be no ground for believing them to belong to that tribe. On their seals the ancestors of the present Mandals called themselves " Mandal-i-Nausherani," i.e., the "Mandal " of the *' Nausheranis," and w^e have to decide the meaning of this term. Nausherwan was a Persian King and Nausherwani chiefs have held sway at Kharan in Baluchistan
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
since the 17th century. It appears from inquiries made there
and from the Baluchistan Gazetteer that certain Nausherwan proceeded with Abdulla Khan of Kalat
Kalat
Kalat or Qalat is a historical town located in Kalat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Kalat is the capital of Kalat District and is known locally as Kalat-i-Baloch and Kalat-i-Sewa....
, when he accompanied Nadir Shah for the invasion 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...
in 1738 A.D. ; it is probable that a member of the Nausherani family remained at Samana in possession of a tract which was then conquered, and that the present Mandals are descended from him. The meaning of the
term ** Mandal " as applied to this family is not certain ; in Shakespear's dictionary the word, spelt with a hard ** d," is
translated as " a circle, halo ; a region, country ; a round tent ; an officer employed in villages, exciseman," while that spelt
with a soft ** d " is said to mean ** a kind of wooden drum ; a fountain." Ibbetson refers to '* Mandila " as meaning a plat-
form on which guns are mounted. Of all these meanings the most probable is the exciseman or village officer, and it seems
likely that an ancestor of the family was a Nausherwani who was left in charge of Samana or some other place during the raid of
Nadir Shah in order to collect taxes there, that he was therefore called '* Mandal-i-Nausherani," and that he and his successors
managed to stay in power there.
It is not at all uncommon for adventurers and those who conquer and settle in foreign lands to adopt some of the customs of the people among whom they have come, and this would
account for the Mandals following certain of the Jat customs.
The fact that the affix " Khan " has been used by the family since they were first heard of in this neighbourhood, and that the first known member bore the title of " Nawab," tends to support the theory that they formerly belonged to the Nausherani family
of Baluchistan.
Nawab Ahmad AH Khan, gave assisted the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
authorities during the mutiny and for his services
the quit-rent of Rs. 5,000 payable by him was remitted in perpetuity ; he was also presented with a khillat of Rs. 10,000 in Darbar and permitted to retain two cannon and one hundred
armed retainers ; these honours have been continued to his suc-
cessors. He died in 1867 and was succeeded by Azmat AH Khan, his eldest surviving son, who was given the title of " Nawab Bahadur." Azmat AH Khan died childless in 1909, and his half brother Muhammad Rustam AH Khan succeeded to the title of Nawab and the jagir, while he and his brother Muhammad Umar
Daraz AH Khan inherited his estate. Before his death Azmat AH Khan, who was on bad terms with his half brothers, attempted to alienate his property, but it was brought under the Court of Wards and there is now litigation by the would-be donees to obtain possession thereof.
For good services Rustam Ali Khan received the personal title of " Nawab Bahadur " and Umar Daraz AH Khan
that of Khan Bahadur. The latter was also an Honorary Sub-Registrar, Munsif and Magistrate of the 1st class.
Liaquat Ali Khan
Liaquat Ali Khan
For other people with the same or similar name, see Liaqat Ali Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan was a Pakistani statesman who became the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Defence minister and Commonwealth, Kashmir Affairs...
, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
, was the younger son of Rustam Ali Khan. The fact that the Samana
Samana
-Dominican Republic:*Samaná Province*Samaná, Dominican Republic, or Santa Bárbara de Samaná, the capital of Samaná Province*Samaná Peninsula*Cape Samana on Samaná Peninsula*Samaná Bay, a body of water in the Atlantic next to the Samaná Peninsula...
branch spoke Punjabi, has historically created debates over the ethnic identity of Liaquat. Both the Karnal and 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...
branches of the tribe spoke Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, as did other Mulla Jats.
Present situation
Presently, both the SamanaSamana
-Dominican Republic:*Samaná Province*Samaná, Dominican Republic, or Santa Bárbara de Samaná, the capital of Samaná Province*Samaná Peninsula*Cape Samana on Samaná Peninsula*Samaná Bay, a body of water in the Atlantic next to the Samaná Peninsula...
and Karnal
Karnal
Karnal is an important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana.Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale...
branches of the tribe emigrated to 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...
, many are now found in the city of 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...
and Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
. But many of the Jarauda Marhal are still found 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...
.