Saini history
Encyclopedia
Sainis of Punjab and contiguous region believe that their origin lies in the Surasena
lineage of the Yaduvanshi Rajput
s of Mathura. This tribe was further a sub division of the Chandravanshi or Lunar Dynasty
kshatriyas. In this sense they also share their with origin with Bhati
Rajputs of Rajputana, Jadeja
Rajputs of Gujrat and Seuna
Yadavas of Devgiri in South India, all of whom claim Yadava origin from Mathura.
Visnu Purana records the migration of some of the Yadava descendants and kinsmen of Lord Krishna
from Mathura to Dwarka and from Dwarka to Punjab with the help of Prince Arjuna. These descendants and kinsmen of Lord Krishna are also referred in Puranic literature as Shaursaini or Shoorsaini after Shoorsen (also spelt Sursena) who was paternal grandfather of Krishna and maternal grandfather of legendary Pandava warriors of Kuru clan. Saini is etymologically derived from this Puranic and Mahabharta term and is an abbreviated version of it.
Shoorsaini (Surasena
) kingdom
The area around Mathura was also named "Saurasena" or Šúraséna
in ancient time after this prominent Yadu clan chieftain. This suggests that Shoorsena, the claimed mythico-historical founder of Saini clan, must have had enough influence to have the entire principality, or Janapada, named after him. Note: A later name of Surasena
was also Sinsini
.
The etymology and origin of the term can be broken down as follows:
The 'chaonsat-khamba' inscription of Kaman contains text in Sanskrit. Therefore, it uses the term "Šúraséna" to describe Saini royal family of Kaman. But Amir Khusro, a Persian and Hindi poet, uses its abbreviated vernacular form "Saini" to describe the martyrdom of Rajput commander Gurdan Saini
.
. Some other third-party sources also confirm this connection.
Henry Miers Elliot and John Dowson on page 541 of their work The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period citing Miftah al-Futuh, a work by Khalji dynasty's royal poet-scholar Amir Khusro
, provide the following account of a distinguished Saini general in the Sisodia
Rajput army of Rana Hamir that took on Alauddin Khilji
's Turk army:
The account of this Saini general who commanded a force of 10,000 Rajput fighters and achieved martyrdom almost reads like an unqualified eulogy even from a hostile Turk perspective.
Jamala Singh Nanua (Nanua Bairagi)
Sardar Nanu Singh Saini (Jagirdar, Phulkian Riyasat)
Gursa Singh Gahunia
Gursa Singh Gahunia was a Saini Sikh from the village Kotla Nihang. He was a close lieutenant and disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and is also remembered as among the select first few disciples who received baptism directly from the sword of 10th Guru on the Baisakhi day in 1699 AD and volunteer themselves as warriors for the Khalsa Army.
Jarnail Sardar Sangat Singh Saini
Mayya Singh Saini
Senapati Shaheed Gulab Singh Saini
, the Greek ambassdor to India in 4 BCE in the era of Seleucids, identified this tribe as 'Sourasenoi' in Greek and as people of Lord Krishna whom he identified as 'Herakles'. Some translations of Arrian describe the name of the ruling tribe as Surasenian instead of 'Sourasenoi'. During the period of Megasthenes' mission in Chandragupta Maurya
's court, after the latter had gained control over all of North India, this tribe still possessed or ruled two major cities on banks of Yamuna. :
There were no known Hindu textual sources regarding Porus indicating the tribe or ethnic group he belonged to. Several ethnic groups in the Indian subcontinent have tried to claim him as their own ancestor. Some believe him to have been a Yadava or Yaduvanshi king, including Ishwari Prashad and Pritam Saini.
King Porus, known for his legendary bravery, belonged to Shoorsaini tribe also based on the fact that his vanguard soldiers carried the image of Lord Krishna (Herakles as per Greeks) on their banners. Lord Krishna was both the ancestor and patron deity of Shoorsainis.
The inscription gives following genealogy of the Surasena (or Saini) dynasty extending over seven kings
The old fort of Kaman lies between two low ranges of hills on the high road from Delhi to Bayana. Owing to its position it is conjectured that it must have fallen an early prey to the Muhammadan conquerors. This account in way explains well the native account of Sainis of Punjab that their forefathers were the Rajputs of Mathura and migrated to Punjab after Muslim invasions of Mathura region.
Kaman is situated in the Bharatpur territory, 39 miles (62.8 km) to the north-west of Mathura, and 14 miles (22.5 km) to the north of Dig.
Estimating the probable dates of this Surasena or Saini dynasty kings, writes Cunningham:
"If we place Vatsadaman in A.D. 750 to 775, the head of the family, Phakka, will date from A.D. 600, reckoning twenty five years to each generation. As none of the names agree with those of the Yadava princes of Bayana, as recorded by the bards, it seems probable that these chiefs of Kaman, or Kadamba-vana, were only a branch of the famous Surasenas of Mathura."
It is also believed by the archaeologists that the Visnu temple of Kaman was built by Saini queen Vachchhika.
There is also a well-documented and authenticated evidence from Turk historical annals about a Saini General of 14th century who led a Sisodia Rajput force at Ranthanbore against the Khilji army. Amir Khusro, the noted poet-scholar in the court of Allaudin Khilji, records the presence of a very senior Saini General in the Sisodia Rajput army of Rana Hamir.
According to Puranic sources, the Yadava kashatriya tribes in the Shaursena principality had to be relocated to the port city of Dwarka in Gujarat due to frequent invasions by Kalyavana and Jarasandha. There they ruled for sometime under the leadership of Lord Krishna and participated in the Mahabharta war from there. But according to the same Puranic legend, the Yadava kshatriyas in Dwaraka became intoxicated with the power and acted in such manner that caused them to be cursed by the by sages.
A Sanskrit inscription was discovered on a pillar by one Pandit Bhagvan Lal Indraji in 19th century on one of the well-known Chaonsat-khamba pillars in Kaman. This inscription was dated by Cunningham to be of around 8th CE.
Saini Kings of Kaman
The inscription gives following genealogy of the Surasena (or Saini) dynasty extending over seven kings:
The old fort of Kaman lies between two low ranges of hills on the high road from Delhi to Bayana. Owing to its position it is conjectured that it must have fallen an early prey to the Muhammadan conquerors. This account in way explains well the native account of Sainis of Punjab that their forefathers were the Rajputs of Mathura and migrated to Punjab after Muslim invasions of Mathura region.
Kaman is situated in the Bharatpur territory, 39 miles (62.8 km) to the north-west of Mathura, and 14 miles (22.5 km) to the north of Dig.
Excommunication of 'contaminated' Rajputs
These alliances were treated with contempt by self-respecting Rajputs like Maharana Pratap of Mewar and a lot of them chose poverty over the more convenient and tempting prospect of collaboration with the non-Hindu expansionist military machine. Maharana Pratap went on to the extent of excommunicating all Rajputs (proscribing all matrimonial alliances with them) who gave their daughters to Muslim rulers to save their states and he himself died in abject poverty in adherence to his kshatriya
pride and principles, after a life-long warfare and suffering. This also resulted in the formation of endogamous groups within Rajput fold, i.e., those who would only marry within select clans, eschewing alliances with such 'contaminated' Rajputs even though the latter were now economically and politically much stronger.
Nomadic and agricultural Rajputs
Some other Rajputs groups took to nomadic lifestyle and other trades to avoid being converted to Islam or becoming, in their view, 'morally degraded' by sending their daughters in the harems of Muslim rulers. Two prominent examples of these Rajput groups are Sansi
nomads of Punjab and Rajput Mali
s of Rajasthan. The former were a sept of proud Bhati Rajputs of Jaiselmer, claiming descent from one Sans Mal Bhati, who became nomads after the sack of Chittor by Alauddin Khilji. The latter are a composite group of twelve proudest Rajput clans of Rajputana such as Kachwaha
, Chauhan
, Tanwar, Gahlot
, etc who had fought Muhammad Ghori and his successors along with Prithvi Raj Chauhan in the Battle of Tarain and later, and upon being defeated and captured, were spared from certain massacre or conversion to Islam only with the help of a royal gardener who interceded on their behalf and represented them as gardeners. The Rajputs who were converted to Islam by force during this episode now go by the name of Ghori Pathans. But despite being able to avoid 'moral degradation' and 'contamination' these groups had to pay a price for it and they could not prevent their social and economic degradation. Descendants of Raja Sans Mal Bhati degenerated to such an extent, though strictly in socio-economic sense, that they are currently classifed as a Scheduled Tribe and Rajput Mali
s, for their principled adherence to Hindu faith in the face of the greatest adversity, find themselves classed under the backward class category.
Rajputs with dual identities and professions
There were still others, however, Sainis of Punjab being one of them (who escaped from Yadava kingdom of Mathura region predominantly), who were able to dodge the foreign invaders and escape to other secure places . They disguised themselves as agriculturists, while maintaining their militant Rajput character at the same time, waiting for right time and leader to strike back.
Thus until the British started giving them opportunities once again in army, all Hindu Rajputs of Punjab and some also in Rajputana subsisted mostly by agriculture, and some, like Mair Rajputs
and Khatris, by trades such as goldsmithing and shopkeeping respectively. Describing the impoverished state of Hindu Rajputs in Punjab in the late 19th and early 20th century and their dependence on agriculture, writes Mazumdar:
Sainis turned largely to agriculture in preference to serving the Muslim masters, or converting to Islam, until advent of the sixth Sikh Master, Guru Har Gobind
.
According to Sikh historical tradition, Guru Hargobind extensively toured the region that now falls in the present day Hoshiarpur and Ropar districts to put together a Sikh army to fight the religiously intolerant Mogul empire.
All of these areas, which had a predominantly Saini population along with Hindu and Sikh Jat, Kamboj, Manhas and Mahta tribes responded with great enthusiasm to Guru's call for soldiers. After this period, all of the rekindled Saini militant prowess was totally allied with and absorbed in the Sikh forces, which were to be formally institutionalized into the Khalsa Order by tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh. The impact of Sikh military ideal on Saini villages could be gauged from the fact that one of the volunteers for "Panj Pyaras", Sahab Chand, later Sahab Singh, was a barber from the village Nangal Shahidan. The village Nangal Shahidan in Hoshiarpur district was historically always entirely owned by Saini Chaudhries of Mangar got, with a handful other castes in the village. The village was founded by Nanak Saini of Mangar clan whose family and descendants owned all the land in and adjacent to the village for many generations. There is also the view that the village got its name after its founder, a Saini of Mangar clan and the family of Bhai Sahab Singh, who according to another view was from Bidar in Karnataka, was allowed to settle there by the Mangar chaudharies who owned this village. Nihang
cantonment of Harian Belan is also surrounded by Saini villages (Kotla Nihang being one of them). Significantly, a Saini, named Sardar Gursa Singh Gahunia, from Kotla Nihang, was among the first few devotees to receive baptism from the hallowed sword of Guru Gobind Singh on Basakhi day of 1699 and to be decorated as a Nihang Singh by none other than Guru Gobind Singh himself.
Battle of Chamkaur and aftermath: martyrdom of Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla
The battle of Chamkaur
was one of the most monumental battles of Sikh history and constitutes some of its defining moments. This battle had affected Sainis in a significant way as Chamkaur is surrounded by either Saini owned or dominated villages. Most of these Sainis were direct disciples of Guru Gobind Singh
or deeply loyal to him and his cause. When Guru Gobind Singh left the fort of Chamkaur on the night of December 22, 1705, he passed through Saini villages as they were the people he could trust completely and were more than willing to provide him a secure passage to safety. One such village was Raipur in present Ropar district which is only 2 miles from the famous Chamkaur
fort where he briefly stopped on his way to Machhiwara
. Here he asked a Saini lady by the name of Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla
to perform the last rites of the martyred Sikhs, which included two of Guru Gobind Singh's own sons, Sahibzada Ajit Singh
and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh
. Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla performed the last rites of the two elder Sahibzadas and other Sikh warriors who had laid down their lives in the battle. Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla was so grief stricken that she herself jumped in the funeral pyre and ended her life. According to another view she did not self-immolate but was slain by Moghul soldiers when she was caught cremating the bodies of Sahibzadas. This Saini village also has the funerary shrines or 'smadhs' of the following Sikh martyrs: Jathedar Naunihal Singh, Mastan Singh, Santokh Singh and Malkiat Singh. In 1945 a Gurudwara was built in village Raipur to commemorate Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla.
There were further consequences of loyalty to Guru Gobind Singh for these Saini villages. Ranghar
Muslims who were bitterly opposed to Guru Gobind Singh declared all Sainis of these villages to be rebels and attacked them. As a result there were violent exchanges between Sainis and Ranghar
Muslims leading to loss of life and property on both sides. Nanua Bairagi
's village Bhaku Majra in Ropar was also attacked by Ranghar
s and a taut détente prevailed between them and Sainis of Nanua clan for over a century afterwards. To avoid further persecution from Moghul authorities some Sainis from this and other villages escaped to Ghanauli and Nawanshahr. Some of them moved to an isolated island in river Satluj. Their properties were confiscated by the Moghul authorities. In around 1800 AD there was another pitched battle fought between these Sainis and Ranghar
Muslims causing further losses on both sides and resulting in the second or third relocation of village Bhaku Majra. The 'jatheras' of Nanua Sainis can still be found in this village.
Ibbetson also did not fail to record that Sainis did not intermarry with Malis. Census of 1881, in which Ibbetson played significant role, also records Sainis and Malis as distinct communities. Ibbetson and other commentators also recorded that other well known tribes were also involved in horticulture and Sainis did other types of farming, called 'ordinary farming', besides horticulture. Ibbetson and other colonial ethnographers were not able to make any clear distinctions between Rajputs and non-Rajput agricultural tribes in Punjab in the 1881 census. Owing to this, by 1900 colonial administrators were left with no choice but to list all Rajput tribes of Punjab, without exception, as agricultural.
However, a number of other writers of colonial era did not make this confusion and treated the two communities as separate. These include Baden-Powell (1868) Balfour (1885), Bhattachary (1896), Blunt (1969), Lal (1907) et al.
Gahlot and Banshidhar (1989) indicate some commonality in origin with Rajput Malis of Rajputana who are also stated to be of Rajput descent but these scholars add that out of the two the Sainis continued to maintain their Rajput character despite adoption of agriculture in the era of Muslim ascendancy. The former were also included as part of Rajputs in Marwar State Census of 1891 Dak (1994), writing for Anthropological Survey of India, also clarified the difference for the Sainis of Haryana
The earliest Sainis were settled in Punjab by Prince Arjuna as noblemen in self-governing and autonomous villages. Prince Arjuna shared maternal bloodline with Yadavas, whose sub tribe Sainis of Punjab are stated to be. His mother Kunti was the daughter of Yadava chieftain Sursena, the founding father of Saini sub tribe of Yaduvanshi kshatriyas.
The later Saini migration to Punjab happened around the time of the earliest Turk invasions when the post-Kanishka Yadava or Surasena kingdoms of Mathura and Bayana were lost to Muslim invaders. The Sainis of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts claim to be the descendants of the Rajputs of the Yaduvanshi or Surasena lineage who ruled these kingdoms, who escaped to these areas to avoid forced conversion to Islam.
Sainis continued to show their martial instincts whenever opportunities arose. They also actively aided Guru Gobind Singh's army and joined his army in good numbers. Some of the Saini dominated districts in Punjab were (and still are) the most fertile ground for army recruitment during British and Independent India. Sainis can be found among all ranks of Indian Army, from the level of sepoys to generals. Scores of Saini soldiers also fought as part of Indian National Army (INA) under the illustrious freedom fighter Subash Chandra Bose.
For the full seven hundred years in the history of Punjab, there was no non-Muslim king until Banda Bahadur stormed Sarhind in middle of the 18th century. In this period high feudal positions were only available to Hindu groups who either converted to Islam or had become Turk collaborators. Most of the Rajput tribes that were able to maintain their place in the power structure of the Punjab plains had converted to Islam. These included Jaral, Janjua, Salehria, and Minhas In the plains of Punjab there were hardly any Hindu Rajputs left, and those who were still in the Hindu fold had turned largely to agriculture and other occupations to subsist, rather than to curry favor with Muslim rulers who extracted Jezya from the Hindu subjects in order to create financial hardship for them to remain in the faith of their ancestors.
Surasena
Surasena was an ancient Indian region corresponding to the present-day Braj region in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya, Surasena was one of the solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE The ancient Greek writers refer the region as Sourasenoi and mention its capital...
lineage of the Yaduvanshi 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...
s of Mathura. This tribe was further a sub division of the Chandravanshi or Lunar Dynasty
Lunar Dynasty
In Hindu mythology, the Lunar Dynasty is one of the three principal houses of the Kshatriya varna, or warrior–ruling caste...
kshatriyas. In this sense they also share their with origin with Bhati
Bhati
Bhati is one of the largest tribes of the Gujjars& Rajput. They claim descent from Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu, and thus identify themselves as a Chandravanshi Kshatriya clan. The Bhati trace their history to the desert principality of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, in the border villages of Bikaner...
Rajputs of Rajputana, Jadeja
Jadeja
Jadeja belong to the Yaduvanshi rajputs or Chandravanshi rajputs. They are one of the 36 royal dynasties of old tracing their origins to Lord Krishna...
Rajputs of Gujrat and Seuna
Seuna
The Seuna, Sevuna or Yadavas of Devagiri was an Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri...
Yadavas of Devgiri in South India, all of whom claim Yadava origin from Mathura.
Origin
Puranic and epical etymology
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
from Mathura to Dwarka and from Dwarka to Punjab with the help of Prince Arjuna. These descendants and kinsmen of Lord Krishna are also referred in Puranic literature as Shaursaini or Shoorsaini after Shoorsen (also spelt Sursena) who was paternal grandfather of Krishna and maternal grandfather of legendary Pandava warriors of Kuru clan. Saini is etymologically derived from this Puranic and Mahabharta term and is an abbreviated version of it.
Shoorsaini (Surasena
Surasena
Surasena was an ancient Indian region corresponding to the present-day Braj region in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya, Surasena was one of the solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE The ancient Greek writers refer the region as Sourasenoi and mention its capital...
) kingdom
The area around Mathura was also named "Saurasena" or Šúraséna
Surasena
Surasena was an ancient Indian region corresponding to the present-day Braj region in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya, Surasena was one of the solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE The ancient Greek writers refer the region as Sourasenoi and mention its capital...
in ancient time after this prominent Yadu clan chieftain. This suggests that Shoorsena, the claimed mythico-historical founder of Saini clan, must have had enough influence to have the entire principality, or Janapada, named after him. Note: A later name of Surasena
Surasena
Surasena was an ancient Indian region corresponding to the present-day Braj region in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya, Surasena was one of the solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE The ancient Greek writers refer the region as Sourasenoi and mention its capital...
was also Sinsini
Sinsini
Sinsini is a village in Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, India, situated at a distance of 20 km to the south from Deeg city. It is the place of origin of Sinsinwars who were the rulers of princely state Bharatpur. Before the formation of Bharatpur state the capital of Sinsinwars was at...
.
The etymology and origin of the term can be broken down as follows:
- Shoorsen (also spelt in English as Šúraséna) --->Yadava king, the father of Vasudeva and the grandfather of KrishnaKrishnaKrishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
and Pandavas - Shaursen or Saurasen in PrakritPrakritPrakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
or Shauraseni; Shoorsena in SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
(also spelt in English as SurasenaSurasenaSurasena was an ancient Indian region corresponding to the present-day Braj region in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya, Surasena was one of the solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE The ancient Greek writers refer the region as Sourasenoi and mention its capital...
) ---> The kingdom ruled by Shoorsen or Sursen. Also see Surasena KingdomSurasena KingdomSurasena Kingdom was ruled by Yaduvanshi kings as per the epic Mahabharata. It is said to be named after the King Shoorsen. The capital city of this kingdom, Mathura was founded by Shatrughna, the brother of Sri Rama the ruler of Kosala in Treta Yuga. He conquered this region after defeating the... - Shaurseni or Sauraseni in PrakritPrakritPrakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
(also spelt variously in English as Shoorseni and Shaursaini); Surasena in SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
---> The Yadava clansmen and lineal descendants of Shoorsen or Šúraséna. - Saini---> Abbreviated PrakritPrakritPrakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
version of Shoorsaini or Shoorseni or SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Šúraséna
The 'chaonsat-khamba' inscription of Kaman contains text in Sanskrit. Therefore, it uses the term "Šúraséna" to describe Saini royal family of Kaman. But Amir Khusro, a Persian and Hindi poet, uses its abbreviated vernacular form "Saini" to describe the martyrdom of Rajput commander Gurdan Saini
Gurdan Saini
Gurdan Saini was a Rajput warrior and military general who fought and died heroically in the battle of Ranthambore between the Turk forces of Jalaludin Khilji and Rajput forces of Rana Hamir Dev in the 14th century CE....
.
Mahabharta and Puranic references about Surasenas or Sainis
Ved Vyasa identifies Krishna as Shoorseni even though he was to be in Dvarka which was far away from Shaursena, or Shoorseni Pradesh, the janapada.Lord Krishna and Balrama
Sainis claim direct descent from the clan of Krishna and this link was also reiterated by the historian Pritam SainiPritam Saini
Dr. Pritam Saini was a journalist, literary critic and history scholar of Punjab. He served as Research Fellow at Punjabi University, Patiala in Indian Punjab and was also member of academic bodies such as the Punjab History Conference and Indian History Congress.- Literary and historical works...
. Some other third-party sources also confirm this connection.
Medieval Saini warriors
Amir Khusro
Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrow , better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī , was an Indian musician, scholar and poet. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent...
, provide the following account of a distinguished Saini general in the Sisodia
Sisodia
The Sisodia are Chattari Rajputs of the Suryavanshi lineage who ruled the kingdom of Mewar in Rajasthan. Prior to Rana Hamir the clan was known as Gehlot or Guhilot. In 1303 CE Alla-ud-din Khilji attacked Chittor...
Rajput army of Rana Hamir that took on 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...
's Turk army:
The rai was in affright, and sent for Gurdan SainiGurdan SainiGurdan Saini was a Rajput warrior and military general who fought and died heroically in the battle of Ranthambore between the Turk forces of Jalaludin Khilji and Rajput forces of Rana Hamir Dev in the 14th century CE....
, who was the most experienced warrior amongst the 40,000 rawats under the rai, and had seen many fights among the Hindus. "Sometimes he had gone with the advance to Malwa ; sometimes he had gone plundering in Gujarat." The Saini took 10,000 rawats with him from Jhain, and advanced against the Turks, and, after a severe action, he was slain...
The account of this Saini general who commanded a force of 10,000 Rajput fighters and achieved martyrdom almost reads like an unqualified eulogy even from a hostile Turk perspective.
Jamala Singh Nanua (Nanua Bairagi)
Sardar Nanu Singh Saini (Jagirdar, Phulkian Riyasat)
Gursa Singh Gahunia
Gursa Singh Gahunia was a Saini Sikh from the village Kotla Nihang. He was a close lieutenant and disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and is also remembered as among the select first few disciples who received baptism directly from the sword of 10th Guru on the Baisakhi day in 1699 AD and volunteer themselves as warriors for the Khalsa Army.
Jarnail Sardar Sangat Singh Saini
Mayya Singh Saini
Sourasenoi: Greek account of ancient Saini royal clan
A non-Indian account of this ancient royal tribe has also survived. MegasthenesMegasthenes
Megasthenes was a Greek ethnographer in the Hellenistic period, author of the work Indica.He was born in Asia Minor and became an ambassador of Seleucus I of Syria possibly to Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra, India. However the exact date of his embassy is uncertain...
, the Greek ambassdor to India in 4 BCE in the era of Seleucids, identified this tribe as 'Sourasenoi' in Greek and as people of Lord Krishna whom he identified as 'Herakles'. Some translations of Arrian describe the name of the ruling tribe as Surasenian instead of 'Sourasenoi'. During the period of Megasthenes' mission in Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...
's court, after the latter had gained control over all of North India, this tribe still possessed or ruled two major cities on banks of Yamuna. :
Legendary Porus as a Shoorsaini king
King Porus, known for his legendary bravery, belonged to Shoorsaini tribe also based on the fact that his vanguard soldiers carried the image of Lord Krishna (Herakles as per Greeks) on their banners. Lord Krishna was both the ancestor and patron deity of Shoorsainis.
Saini kings of Kaman: chaonsat-khamba inscription
A Sanskrit inscription was discovered on a pillar by one Pandit Bhagvan Lal Indraji in 19th century on one of the Chaonsat-khamba, or " sixty-four pillars ", in Kaman. This inscription was dated by Cunningham to be of around 8th CEThe inscription gives following genealogy of the Surasena (or Saini) dynasty extending over seven kings
- Phakka, married Deyika
- Kula-abhata (son), married Drangeni
- Ajita (son), married Apsarapriya
- Durgabhata (son), married Vachchhalika
- Durgadaman (son), married Vachchhika
- Devaraja (son), married Yajnika
- Vatsadaman (son)
The old fort of Kaman lies between two low ranges of hills on the high road from Delhi to Bayana. Owing to its position it is conjectured that it must have fallen an early prey to the Muhammadan conquerors. This account in way explains well the native account of Sainis of Punjab that their forefathers were the Rajputs of Mathura and migrated to Punjab after Muslim invasions of Mathura region.
Kaman is situated in the Bharatpur territory, 39 miles (62.8 km) to the north-west of Mathura, and 14 miles (22.5 km) to the north of Dig.
Estimating the probable dates of this Surasena or Saini dynasty kings, writes Cunningham:
"If we place Vatsadaman in A.D. 750 to 775, the head of the family, Phakka, will date from A.D. 600, reckoning twenty five years to each generation. As none of the names agree with those of the Yadava princes of Bayana, as recorded by the bards, it seems probable that these chiefs of Kaman, or Kadamba-vana, were only a branch of the famous Surasenas of Mathura."
It is also believed by the archaeologists that the Visnu temple of Kaman was built by Saini queen Vachchhika.
Amir Khusro's Miftah al-Futuh account
During Mahabharata period: from Mathura to Dwaraka and from Dwaraka to Punjab
During Muhammadan period: from Kaman to Punjab
Chaonsat-khamba, or " sixty-four pillars " inscription of KamanA Sanskrit inscription was discovered on a pillar by one Pandit Bhagvan Lal Indraji in 19th century on one of the well-known Chaonsat-khamba pillars in Kaman. This inscription was dated by Cunningham to be of around 8th CE.
Saini Kings of Kaman
The inscription gives following genealogy of the Surasena (or Saini) dynasty extending over seven kings:
- Phakka, married Deyika
- Kula-abhata (son), married Drangeni
- Ajita (son), married Apsarapriya
- Durgabhata (son), married Vachchhalika
- Durgadaman (son), married Vachchhika
- Devaraja (son), married Yajnika
- Vatsadaman (son)
The old fort of Kaman lies between two low ranges of hills on the high road from Delhi to Bayana. Owing to its position it is conjectured that it must have fallen an early prey to the Muhammadan conquerors. This account in way explains well the native account of Sainis of Punjab that their forefathers were the Rajputs of Mathura and migrated to Punjab after Muslim invasions of Mathura region.
Kaman is situated in the Bharatpur territory, 39 miles (62.8 km) to the north-west of Mathura, and 14 miles (22.5 km) to the north of Dig.
Impact of Turko-Islamic rule on Rajput clans and their movements
The condition of Muslim Rajputs was much superior to Hindu Rajputs in Punjabi plains. By converting to Islam and becoming collaborators of Turkish military and administrative machine in Punjab, they had managed to retain all of their pre-Islamic pomp and glory. They owned most of the land in Punjab while the Hindu Rajputs sank deeper into poverty and turned to agriculture and other occupations to survive with some sense of dignity, rather than converting to Islam or becoming collaborators of Muslim monarchs who were openly hostile to all Hindu interests. Only Pahari Rajputs escaped this economic and cultural degeneration in some way as they were insulated by the rugged terrain of the mountains. Hindu Rajput of Punjabi plains had nowhere to turn to except farming to retain some semblance of dignity. Rajputs of Rajputana saved their kingdoms by entering unequal matrimonial alliances with Muslim Moghuls.Excommunication of 'contaminated' Rajputs
These alliances were treated with contempt by self-respecting Rajputs like Maharana Pratap of Mewar and a lot of them chose poverty over the more convenient and tempting prospect of collaboration with the non-Hindu expansionist military machine. Maharana Pratap went on to the extent of excommunicating all Rajputs (proscribing all matrimonial alliances with them) who gave their daughters to Muslim rulers to save their states and he himself died in abject poverty in adherence to his 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...
pride and principles, after a life-long warfare and suffering. This also resulted in the formation of endogamous groups within Rajput fold, i.e., those who would only marry within select clans, eschewing alliances with such 'contaminated' Rajputs even though the latter were now economically and politically much stronger.
Nomadic and agricultural Rajputs
Some other Rajputs groups took to nomadic lifestyle and other trades to avoid being converted to Islam or becoming, in their view, 'morally degraded' by sending their daughters in the harems of Muslim rulers. Two prominent examples of these Rajput groups are Sansi
Sansi
Sansi is a nomadic tribe originally located in the Rajasthan area of northwestern India, but expelled in the 13th century by Muslim invaders and now living in states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab as well as scattered throughout India.Their language is Sansiboli, Sansi or Bhilki that is a highly...
nomads of Punjab and Rajput Mali
Rajput Mali
Rajput Mali is a distinctive ethnic group from Rajasthan which is included under the broader occupational group of the Mali caste as well as a separate sub-category within the Rajput group.- Origin :...
s of Rajasthan. The former were a sept of proud Bhati Rajputs of Jaiselmer, claiming descent from one Sans Mal Bhati, who became nomads after the sack of Chittor by Alauddin Khilji. The latter are a composite group of twelve proudest Rajput clans of Rajputana such as Kachwaha
Kachwaha
Kachwaha are a Suryavanshi Kshatriya clan who ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states in India such as Alwar, Maihar, Talcher, while the largest kingdom was Jaipur which was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727...
, 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...
, Tanwar, Gahlot
Gahlot
Gahlot is a Rajput clan in India, which traces its ancestry to the Suryavanshi Kshatriyas. The variations of the name include Gehlot, Guhila, Gohil or Guhilote. As a clan name, Gahlot and its variations are found among a number of communities which includes the Rajputs,& GurjarsThe royal Gahlots...
, etc who had fought Muhammad Ghori and his successors along with Prithvi Raj Chauhan in the Battle of Tarain and later, and upon being defeated and captured, were spared from certain massacre or conversion to Islam only with the help of a royal gardener who interceded on their behalf and represented them as gardeners. The Rajputs who were converted to Islam by force during this episode now go by the name of Ghori Pathans. But despite being able to avoid 'moral degradation' and 'contamination' these groups had to pay a price for it and they could not prevent their social and economic degradation. Descendants of Raja Sans Mal Bhati degenerated to such an extent, though strictly in socio-economic sense, that they are currently classifed as a Scheduled Tribe and Rajput Mali
Rajput Mali
Rajput Mali is a distinctive ethnic group from Rajasthan which is included under the broader occupational group of the Mali caste as well as a separate sub-category within the Rajput group.- Origin :...
s, for their principled adherence to Hindu faith in the face of the greatest adversity, find themselves classed under the backward class category.
Rajputs with dual identities and professions
There were still others, however, Sainis of Punjab being one of them (who escaped from Yadava kingdom of Mathura region predominantly), who were able to dodge the foreign invaders and escape to other secure places . They disguised themselves as agriculturists, while maintaining their militant Rajput character at the same time, waiting for right time and leader to strike back.
Thus until the British started giving them opportunities once again in army, all Hindu Rajputs of Punjab and some also in Rajputana subsisted mostly by agriculture, and some, like Mair Rajputs
Mair Rajputs
The Mair are a Sunar caste found in northern India, which identify themselves as Mair Rajputs.Though they are the traditional goldsmiths of North India, now many are also landowners, involved in cultivation, as well as selling grocery. But their main occupation remains the manufacture and selling...
and Khatris, by trades such as goldsmithing and shopkeeping respectively. Describing the impoverished state of Hindu Rajputs in Punjab in the late 19th and early 20th century and their dependence on agriculture, writes Mazumdar:
In the northern part of Shakargarh tahsil in Gurdaspur district, the bulk of the population Hindu Rajputs trying to make a living on bare and arid land...Access to military income allowed these Rajputs of to cope with the disadvantages of adverse soil and weather conditions.
Sainis as part of Sikh militancy during Turko-Islamic ascendancy: Guru Har Gobind's call
Guru Har Gobind
Guru Hargobind Sahib, also Saccha Badshah was the sixth of the Sikh gurus and became Guru on 25 May 1606 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Arjan Dev. He was not, perhaps, more than eleven at his father's execution...
.
According to Sikh historical tradition, Guru Hargobind extensively toured the region that now falls in the present day Hoshiarpur and Ropar districts to put together a Sikh army to fight the religiously intolerant Mogul empire.
All of these areas, which had a predominantly Saini population along with Hindu and Sikh Jat, Kamboj, Manhas and Mahta tribes responded with great enthusiasm to Guru's call for soldiers. After this period, all of the rekindled Saini militant prowess was totally allied with and absorbed in the Sikh forces, which were to be formally institutionalized into the Khalsa Order by tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh. The impact of Sikh military ideal on Saini villages could be gauged from the fact that one of the volunteers for "Panj Pyaras", Sahab Chand, later Sahab Singh, was a barber from the village Nangal Shahidan. The village Nangal Shahidan in Hoshiarpur district was historically always entirely owned by Saini Chaudhries of Mangar got, with a handful other castes in the village. The village was founded by Nanak Saini of Mangar clan whose family and descendants owned all the land in and adjacent to the village for many generations. There is also the view that the village got its name after its founder, a Saini of Mangar clan and the family of Bhai Sahab Singh, who according to another view was from Bidar in Karnataka, was allowed to settle there by the Mangar chaudharies who owned this village. Nihang
Nihang
Nihang is an armed Sikh order. Early Sikh military history is dominated by the Akali Nihang military order, particularly for many famous military victories won while often heavily outnumbered. The Akali Nihang have historically been held in great affection and respect by Sikhs due the pivotal role...
cantonment of Harian Belan is also surrounded by Saini villages (Kotla Nihang being one of them). Significantly, a Saini, named Sardar Gursa Singh Gahunia, from Kotla Nihang, was among the first few devotees to receive baptism from the hallowed sword of Guru Gobind Singh on Basakhi day of 1699 and to be decorated as a Nihang Singh by none other than Guru Gobind Singh himself.
The battle of Chamkaur
Battle of Chamkaur
The Battle Of Chamkaur or also known as Battle Of Chamkaur Sahib was a battle fought between the Khalsa led by Guru Gobind Singh against the Mughal forces led by Wazir Khan. Guru Gobind Singh makes a reference to this battle in Zafarnamah...
was one of the most monumental battles of Sikh history and constitutes some of its defining moments. This battle had affected Sainis in a significant way as Chamkaur is surrounded by either Saini owned or dominated villages. Most of these Sainis were direct disciples of Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
or deeply loyal to him and his cause. When Guru Gobind Singh left the fort of Chamkaur on the night of December 22, 1705, he passed through Saini villages as they were the people he could trust completely and were more than willing to provide him a secure passage to safety. One such village was Raipur in present Ropar district which is only 2 miles from the famous Chamkaur
Chamkaur
Chamkaur Sahib is a Sub Divisional town in the district of Rupnagar in the Indian State of Punjab. It is famous for the Battle of Chamkaur fought between the Mughals and Guru Gobind Singh....
fort where he briefly stopped on his way to Machhiwara
Machhiwara
Machhiwara is a village and a nagar panchayat in the Ludhiana district of the Indian state of Punjab. Machhiwara is famous for Gurudwara Sri Charan Kanwal Sahib named after the Guru's feet that are compared to the lotus flower...
. Here he asked a Saini lady by the name of Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla
Sharan Kaur Pabla
Sharan Kaur Pabla was a Sikh martyr who was slain in 1705 by Mughal soldiers while cremating the bodies two older sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, after the battle of Chamkaur. She was from the village Raipur Rani which is 2 KM from the famous town of Chamkaur.Guru Gobind Singh...
to perform the last rites of the martyred Sikhs, which included two of Guru Gobind Singh's own sons, Sahibzada Ajit Singh
Sahibzada Ajit Singh
Sahibzada Ajit Singh was the eldest of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons. His younger brothers were Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh. With his three brothers, Sahibzada Ajit Singh carried on a great family tradition: that of attaining the status of one of the...
and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh
Sahibzada Jujhar Singh
Sahibzada Jujhar Singh , the second son of Guru Gobind Singh, was born to Mata Jito at Anandpur Sahib on March 14, 1691...
. Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla performed the last rites of the two elder Sahibzadas and other Sikh warriors who had laid down their lives in the battle. Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla was so grief stricken that she herself jumped in the funeral pyre and ended her life. According to another view she did not self-immolate but was slain by Moghul soldiers when she was caught cremating the bodies of Sahibzadas. This Saini village also has the funerary shrines or 'smadhs' of the following Sikh martyrs: Jathedar Naunihal Singh, Mastan Singh, Santokh Singh and Malkiat Singh. In 1945 a Gurudwara was built in village Raipur to commemorate Bibi Sharan Kaur Pabla.
There were further consequences of loyalty to Guru Gobind Singh for these Saini villages. Ranghar
Ranghar
Ranghar are a Muslim ethnic group, which is found in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan and Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states of India. Ranghar were native to Indian state of Haryana and also found in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh, as well as Delhi in India...
Muslims who were bitterly opposed to Guru Gobind Singh declared all Sainis of these villages to be rebels and attacked them. As a result there were violent exchanges between Sainis and Ranghar
Ranghar
Ranghar are a Muslim ethnic group, which is found in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan and Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states of India. Ranghar were native to Indian state of Haryana and also found in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh, as well as Delhi in India...
Muslims leading to loss of life and property on both sides. Nanua Bairagi
Nanua Bairagi
Nanua Bairagi , also known as Nanua Bhagat and Jamala Singh, was a renowned mystic, humanitarian and Sikh warrior of Punjab.. He belonged to Saini community of Punjab.-Nanua as a humanitarian and spiritual mentor of Bhai Kanhaiya:...
's village Bhaku Majra in Ropar was also attacked by Ranghar
Ranghar
Ranghar are a Muslim ethnic group, which is found in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan and Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states of India. Ranghar were native to Indian state of Haryana and also found in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh, as well as Delhi in India...
s and a taut détente prevailed between them and Sainis of Nanua clan for over a century afterwards. To avoid further persecution from Moghul authorities some Sainis from this and other villages escaped to Ghanauli and Nawanshahr. Some of them moved to an isolated island in river Satluj. Their properties were confiscated by the Moghul authorities. In around 1800 AD there was another pitched battle fought between these Sainis and Ranghar
Ranghar
Ranghar are a Muslim ethnic group, which is found in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan and Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states of India. Ranghar were native to Indian state of Haryana and also found in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh, as well as Delhi in India...
Muslims causing further losses on both sides and resulting in the second or third relocation of village Bhaku Majra. The 'jatheras' of Nanua Sainis can still be found in this village.
Colonial theories
Colonial ethnographer Denzil Ibbetson wrote that the term Saini was probably of Mali origin, although he did mention that Sainis of Jallandhar claimed Rajput origin who had moved to Jalandhar doab after Gazni's sack of Mathura. Note: Jalandhar division of British Punjab comprised following districts: Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kangra, Ludhiana and Ferozepur. He tried to explain the term 'Saini' as probably derived from 'Rasaini', suggesting that the term Saini is derived from 'Rasai', a word which he believed to mean 'skill'.Since Sainis of some areas during his time were engaged in horticultural farming in limited manner in addition to (not in place of) ordinary farming he probably thought the term 'Saini' to be related with the horticultural farming in some way. However, Ibbetson himself admitted that many of his observations may have been flawed as his service was confined to an area which did not lie in Punjab proper.Ibbetson also did not fail to record that Sainis did not intermarry with Malis. Census of 1881, in which Ibbetson played significant role, also records Sainis and Malis as distinct communities. Ibbetson and other commentators also recorded that other well known tribes were also involved in horticulture and Sainis did other types of farming, called 'ordinary farming', besides horticulture. Ibbetson and other colonial ethnographers were not able to make any clear distinctions between Rajputs and non-Rajput agricultural tribes in Punjab in the 1881 census. Owing to this, by 1900 colonial administrators were left with no choice but to list all Rajput tribes of Punjab, without exception, as agricultural.
However, a number of other writers of colonial era did not make this confusion and treated the two communities as separate. These include Baden-Powell (1868) Balfour (1885), Bhattachary (1896), Blunt (1969), Lal (1907) et al.
Post colonial evaluations
Sher Singh has noted that Ibbetson, Purser, Rose and others were civil servants of colonial era and were neither qualified anthropologists nor sociologists, and their ethnographical works, based strictly on crude census techniques of colonial era, lacking the academic rigour needed for peer-reviewed or equivalent academic journals. Singh and Singh (1961) used serological and genetic studies to test the colonial theory and confirmed Rajput affinity of Sainis based an ABO blood group study which was published in American Journal of Physical AnthropologyAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology
The American Journal of Physical Anthropology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal and the official journal of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists...
Gahlot and Banshidhar (1989) indicate some commonality in origin with Rajput Malis of Rajputana who are also stated to be of Rajput descent but these scholars add that out of the two the Sainis continued to maintain their Rajput character despite adoption of agriculture in the era of Muslim ascendancy. The former were also included as part of Rajputs in Marwar State Census of 1891 Dak (1994), writing for Anthropological Survey of India, also clarified the difference for the Sainis of Haryana
Sainis as a 'martial race' during British India
British colonialists listed Sainis as a martial class along with other tribes such as Dogras, Pashtuns, Gurkhas, etc.Agriculture
Agriculture had been the major profession of Sainis since the Turko-Islamic conquest of North India. However after militarization of Sikhs Sainis once again joined armed insurrection against Turko-Islamic rule as part of Khalsa armies. Even among Hindu Saini families it was customary to raise at least one son as a Sikh and dedicate him to military service in Sikh militant bands spread all over Punjab, engaged first in armed insurgency and later in a full scale war against the oppresive Turko-Pathan rule. Agriculture and army thus remained main professions of Sainis since Sikh rebellion and conquest of Punjab, and when British civil servant filed the Land Settlement Report of Jalandhar division in 1880s, he found Sainis in increasing numbers in their original profession i.e army, especially in cavalry, in addition to being in agriculture.The earliest Sainis were settled in Punjab by Prince Arjuna as noblemen in self-governing and autonomous villages. Prince Arjuna shared maternal bloodline with Yadavas, whose sub tribe Sainis of Punjab are stated to be. His mother Kunti was the daughter of Yadava chieftain Sursena, the founding father of Saini sub tribe of Yaduvanshi kshatriyas.
The later Saini migration to Punjab happened around the time of the earliest Turk invasions when the post-Kanishka Yadava or Surasena kingdoms of Mathura and Bayana were lost to Muslim invaders. The Sainis of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts claim to be the descendants of the Rajputs of the Yaduvanshi or Surasena lineage who ruled these kingdoms, who escaped to these areas to avoid forced conversion to Islam.
Sainis continued to show their martial instincts whenever opportunities arose. They also actively aided Guru Gobind Singh's army and joined his army in good numbers. Some of the Saini dominated districts in Punjab were (and still are) the most fertile ground for army recruitment during British and Independent India. Sainis can be found among all ranks of Indian Army, from the level of sepoys to generals. Scores of Saini soldiers also fought as part of Indian National Army (INA) under the illustrious freedom fighter Subash Chandra Bose.
Kshatriyas and agriculture
The service in the army of an unrighteous, or a 'Yavana', or a 'Maleccha', king was the biggest imaginable anathema for a concentious and observant vedic kshatriya in ancient India. A vedic kshatriya was not a mercenary soldier but a defender of faith and righteous order (dharma). All other kshatriya origin Hindu tribes in Punjab, like Minhas, etc, in the absence of opportunities in the armies of observant vedic kings turned to agriculture in some way.Socio-economic revision of Hindu Rajput tribes in Punjab
Describing the tough economic condition for largely Hindu Rajputs of Punjabi plains, colonial administrator, J.A.L. Montgomery wrote:
By the pressure of circumstances, they are overcoming their aversion to agriculture, and even Jaswáls and Dadwáls are now to be found who have taken to the plough, and I have seen a Náru Rajput spade in hand, and drawers tucked up, turning up the soil of his field which had become covered by sand, a laborious process called sirna.
For the full seven hundred years in the history of Punjab, there was no non-Muslim king until Banda Bahadur stormed Sarhind in middle of the 18th century. In this period high feudal positions were only available to Hindu groups who either converted to Islam or had become Turk collaborators. Most of the Rajput tribes that were able to maintain their place in the power structure of the Punjab plains had converted to Islam. These included Jaral, Janjua, Salehria, and Minhas In the plains of Punjab there were hardly any Hindu Rajputs left, and those who were still in the Hindu fold had turned largely to agriculture and other occupations to subsist, rather than to curry favor with Muslim rulers who extracted Jezya from the Hindu subjects in order to create financial hardship for them to remain in the faith of their ancestors.