Ahluwalia (caste)

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Ahluwalia/Ahluvalia/Ahlawal
Abbreviation Walia
Gotra 52 including Bimbat, Jaspal, Kapila, Neb, Rai, Raikhy, Rekhi, Paintal, Pal, Sikand
Religions Sikhism
Hinduism
Languages Hindi, Punjabi
Country India
Pakistan
Original state Punjab region
RegionSouth Asia
EthnicityIndo-Aryan
Mixed
Notable members Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
Bhag Singh Ahluwalia
Jagatjit Singh
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
Montek Singh Ahluwalia
S. S. Ahluwalia
Related groups Indo-Aryan peoples
Historical groupingKalal/Karal/Kulal
StatusGeneral
Kingdom (original) Kapurthala State

Ahluwalia (also transliterated as Ahluvalia) is an Indian caste native to the Punjab region. [1] [2] There are more than 52 divisions and surnames of the Ahluwalia caste. Some of them are Bhandari, Bimbat, Hoon, Jaiswal, Jaspal, Janwathia, Judge, Kapila, Lal, Malik, Maunik, Paintal, Rai, Raikhy, Rekhi, Sand, Sikan, Sikand, Sulla and Tulsi. [3] [4]

Contents

Etymology

In the 18th century, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia who originally belonged to a Kalal family of Tulsi sub-caste or gotra, [5] and the chiefs of Ahlu village in Lahore established the Ahluwalia misl.

He established the Kapurthala State and was known as a prominent Sikh leader. He became the 5th Jathedar of Akal Takht and Supreme Sikh Leader of Dal Khalsa. Following Sanskritisation, his fellow caste members, followers, and others also adopted this surname, which led to the formation of Ahluwalia (caste). [1]

History

Origin

The Ahluwalias originally belonged to Punjab region as the part of Punjabi Kalal or Karal [6] community. [2] It is a community of varying class and status indicating a very composite origin. [4]

Composition

In West, Karals or Kharrals [7] were mostly an agricultural community. Meanwhile, some Kalals or Karals in east including in Peshawar, Northern Punjab and in Kenya were known to be merchants, artisans and traders. They even traced their origin to Hindu Rajput ancestry from Karauli of Rajasthan. In Patiala, they were known as Nebs, and those belonging to Tulsi and Pittal gotra were commonly found in Kapurthala. [4] [8] [9] [10] Those who became Muslims re-identified themselves as Kakezai. [11]

Early Sikhism (Sikh Kalals)

Sikh Kalals and Karals [4] who became Ahluwalias [12] [13] [14] were primarily a mercantile community with a wide range of occupations including being traditionally involved in wine-making, tavern-keeping, agriculture, pottery, from drawing juice of palmyra, date trees to toddy and inn-keeping. [15] [16] [17] They were referred to be of a good physique and a great hardihood nature. Sikh Kalals were noted to make good soldiers and established themselves as a martial race as they joined the military service in the army of Guru Gobind Singh and later, in the Dal Khalsa (Sikh army). Sikh Kalal soldiers were among the 40 men who fought alongside Guru Gobind Singh in the Battle of Chamkaur. [18] [19] According to G. S. Talib and other scholars, it was the Jats, Kalals and others who actually carried on the burden of programmes started by the Gurus. [20] [21]

Sikh Kalals (Ahluwalias) [22] [23] were known to have a reputation for, "enterprise, mercy and obstinacy." [24] [25] A famous saying regarding their obstinacy was, "Death may budge, but a Kalal won't", throughout the region. [26] [27]

Among Sikh Kalals, only a few are known to write Kalal as a surname next to Singh, a surname for all Sikhs (male) irrespective of origin. It includes Bhai Koer Singh Kalal, a prominent Sikh scholar who is credited with the first comprehensive written work on the life of Guru Gobind Singh and Khalsa. [28] [29]

Sikh Confederacy and later

Some were also engaged in occupations related to their gotras like florist or Phul, protector or Jaspal and treasurer or Bhandari. [30] Despite being small in number, they were a tightly organised community. Those who were vinteners had a low status in traditional caste hierarchy due to religious stigma. They embraced Sikhism more than others within the community. By the 18th century, most of them started working in diverse occupations and Ahluwalia became an influential upper or forward caste in the Punjab region. By the 19th century, their status was regarded as that of a martial race or a Kshatriya. [1] [31] [32] [33] [16] [25] [34]

Colonial period

Ahluwalias were made up of similar groups with varying origins. Karals were an agricultural or landowning community, and Kalals/Kalars/Kullals were both merchants and artisans. Majority of them adopted Ahluwalia surname after Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and also, became soldiers of both Khalsa forces and Ahluwalia (misl). [12] [35] Those who became Muslims re-identified themselves as “Kakezai” (or “Kakkezai”) [36] —a name associated with a distinct tribal community in northern Punjab. [37] Donald (1968) notes that this reidentification was sometimes employed by Muslim Kalals to obscure occupational origins and elevate social standing. [11] A family from Hoshiarpur who adopted the Kakezai identity went on to rule the Jullundur Doab as Sheikhs. [36] [31] During colonial period, those who were in wine merchant business gave up their traditional occupations, as the colonial British administration started regulating the distribution and sale of liquor. Soon after that, they started working in the different fields and gained more political power. Many of them joined civil services with higher posts within British administration. [36] [38] [3] [39] [33] [35]

Following this, the Ahluwalias, as a caste became equivalents of the high-ranked Khatris in the caste hierarchy. [1] They also style themselves as Kshatriyas as the Sikh Kalals are known to be serving in the Sikh military since Akal Sena. They were known to have inter-faith marriage alliances among their community but not outside the community. [40] Similarly, Khatris also practice endogamy but their marriage alliances with Ahluwalias are common. [41] Ahluwalias along with Khatris and Aroras form the Punjabi caste or community. [42] They do not marry within the sub-caste. [43]

In parts of Uttarakhand, they are a part of Rajput community. [44] [36] Ahluwalias claim Kshatriya descent origin with some from Khatris or Rajputs who also claim Kshatriya descent. For example, a legendary account traces the ancestry of the Kapurthala royal family to the Bhatti Rajput royal family of Jaisalmer (and ultimately to Krishna through Salibahan). According to this narrative, a group of Bhattis migrated to Punjab, where they came to be known as Jats, and became Sikhs. The account states that Sadho Singh and his four sons married into Kalal families, because of which the family came to be known as Ahluwalia. [45] Lepel Griffin (1873), a British administrator who wrote on the history of Punjab's rulers, dismissed this account connecting the Ahluwalias to the Jaisalmer royal family as spurious. [45] The Sikh author Gian Singh, in his Twarikh Raj Khalsa (1894), noted that the Ahluwalia family had adopted the Kalal caste identity much before Sadho Singh. [46]

Post-colonial period (after 1947)

In the census of 1951, Ahluwalias who were from Punjab and settled in Punjab after partition of India returned their caste names as Ahluwalia, Ahluwalia Chauhan, Ahluwalia Sikh, Ahluwalia Zamindar and Chauhan Ahluwalia among others. [47] According to various scholars, Ahluwalias along with Khatris, Aroras and others form the upper caste group in Punjab. [48] [49] For 2010 Bihar elections, Center for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) noted that, Ahluwalias have been categorised as both Punjabi Khatri and Khatri-Arora Sikh along with Arora, Bajaj, Bedi and Bhalla communities among others as upper castes and Sikhs in the electoral roll. [50] Meanwhile, in Delhi and Haryana, they have been classified under Punjabi Khatri (Hindu) whereas as a separate "Ahluwalia Sikh" category in Uttarakhand and Punjab by CSDS. [51] [52] [53] In a report, Haryana Backward Classes Commission stated that, "Arora Khatri, Bedi, Ahluwalia etc. are some of the important castes among the Punjabis". [54]

In East India, Ahluwalias along with Sainis as well as Mehras joined Aroras and Ramgarhias in large construction projects mainly in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. These projects included building dams, public buildings and bridges as a part of the collective efforts by Punjabi Sikhs. Meanwhile, many Ahluwalias also became hoteliers. [55]

Social status

According to scholars like Bardwell L. Smith, despite being lesser in number, Ahluwalias along with Khatris and Aroras have been an influential urban minority. [56] [44] [57] They lived across Punjab from Peshawar, Gujrat to Hoshiarpur. [58] [59] [2]

Religion

Most of the Ahluwalias follow either Sikhism or Hinduism. A small number of them follow Buddhism and Islam. [1] [60]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 W. H. McLeod (2009). The A to Z of Sikhism. Scarecrow Press. p. 225. ISBN   978-0-8108-6344-6.
  2. 1 2 3 Paramjit S. Judge (2015). "Caste Hierarchy, Dominance, and Change in Punjab". Sociological Bulletin. 64 (1). Sage: 62. JSTOR   26290720. Ahluwalias, formerly known by the name of Kalal, are a caste of liquor distillers. At present, they are upper caste without any traditional stigma.
  3. 1 2 Singh, K. S. (1998). India's Communities. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN   978-0-19-563354-2.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Dr. Gobind Singh Mansukhani, Ramesh Chander Dogra. Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture. A Hindu and Muhammadan Jat clan originally from Montgomery and Multan. Kalal or Karal, a class of very varying status, is probably of composite origin. The Karal claim Hindu Rajput ancestory and derive their name from Karauli in Rajputana...Most of the Kalals have embraced Sikhism. They are divided into fifty-two clans or gots including the Tulsi and Pital clans in Kapurthala...Jassa Singh adopted the title of Ahluwalia from the name of his ancestral village, and the title is still retained not only by the Kapurthala family, but by all Sikh Kalals. Kalals are sometimes called Neb....
  5. ↑ Ahluwalia, M. L. (1989). Life and Times of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University.
  6. ↑ Barstow, A. E. (1989). Handbook on Sikhs. Uppal Publishing House. ISBN   978-81-85024-54-7.
  7. ↑ Singh, K. S. (1996). Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN   978-0-19-563357-3.
  8. ↑ University of Chicago (1964). Encyclopaedia Britannica, a new survey of universal knowledge. Internet Archive. Chicago, Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  9. ↑ Kotewal Jehangir F. (1952). Whither Bharat Or The Mission From Moonland (1952). New Book Co. Ltd. and the Sikh Kallals, or. Nebs - (Potters), who style themselves Ahluwalia.
  10. ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica Vol-xx (1947). Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. London. 1947.
  11. 1 2 van den Dungen, P. H. M. (1968). ""Changes in status and occupation in nineteenth century Panjab"". In Low, D. A. (ed.). Soundings in Modern Southern Asia History. University of California Press. pp. 70–71. OCLC   612533097. By the early twentieth century some of the Ahluwalias had gone further by claiming Khatri or Rajput origin. Long before British rule, some of the Muslim Kalals tried to conceal their antecedents by inventing a Pathan origin and calling themselves Kakezais. A further step was sometimes taken in which the Kakezai became a Shaikh.
  12. 1 2 Marenco, Ethne K. (1976). The transformation of Sikh society. Internet Archive. New Delhi : Heritage Publishers.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  13. ↑ Siṅgha, Dīwāna (1995). The Highway of Sikhism. Peoples Publishing House.
  14. ↑ McLeod, W. H. (2000). Exploring Sikhism: Aspects of Sikh Identity, Culture and Thought. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-564902-4.
  15. ↑ The National Archives Of India, New Delhi (1949). Calender Of Persian Correspondence Vol-ix (1949).
  16. 1 2 Dipankar Gupta Rivalry And Brotherhood Politics In The Life Of Farmers In Northern India Oxford University Press ( 1997).
  17. ↑ Raj, Sheela (1987). Mediaevalism to Modernism: Socio-economic and Cultural History of Hyderabad, 1869-1911. Popular Prakashan. ISBN   978-0-86132-143-8.
  18. ↑ Bikramjit Hasrat (1977). Ranjit Singh (Bikramjit Hasrat).
  19. ↑ Perspectives on the Sikh tradition. Internet Archive. Amritsar : Singh Bros. 1996. ISBN   978-81-7205-178-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. ↑ Gurbhachan Singh Talib (1999). The Impact Of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
  21. ↑ Singh, Jodh (2011). Sikh Religion And Human Civilization. Publication House of Punjabi University, Patiala. ISBN   978-81-7380-518-9. It was those who stood practically outside the pale of orthodox Hinduism — the Jats, Kalals, carpenters and other workers, who mainly carried the burden of the new revolutionary programme of the Gurus.
  22. ↑ Stoneman, Richard (2021-06-08). The Greek Experience of India: From Alexander to the Indo-Greeks. Princeton University Press. ISBN   978-0-691-21747-5.
  23. ↑ Singh, Jodh (1983). The Religious Philosophy of Guru Nanak: A Comparative Study with Special Reference to Siddha Goṣti. Sikh Philosophical Society.
  24. ↑ Hodder, Reginald (2019-12-16). Famous Fights of Indian Native Regiments: Valiant Battles of Forgotten Heroes: A Historical Account of Indian Native Regiments. Good Press.
  25. 1 2 The Sikh Review. Sikh Cultural Centre. 1983.
  26. ↑ Indian Defence Review. Lancer International. 2004.
  27. ↑ Singh, Surinder (2010). Sikh Coinage Symbol Of Sikh Sovereignty (2nd ed.). Manohar Publishers and Distributors. ISBN   978-81-7304-885-2. In October 1783, the Sikhs lost one of their great leaders, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, who had guided the Sikh forces for almost 35 years. 116 Jassa Singh belonged to the caste of Kalals, the distillers of alcohol. Denzil Ibbetson observes that the Kalals are renowned for their enterprise, energy, and obstinancy: 'Death may budge, but a Kalal won't'. 1
  28. ↑ Singh, Sangat (2001). The Sikhs in History: A Millenium Study, with New Afterwords. Uncommon Books. ISBN   978-81-900650-2-3.
  29. ↑ Takhar, Opinderjit Kaur; Jakobsh, Doris R. (2023-03-13). Global Sikhs: Histories, Practices and Identities. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-000-84735-2.
  30. ↑ Singh, K. S.; Bhalla, V.; Singh, Swaran (1997). Chandigarh. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN   978-81-7304-119-8.
  31. 1 2 Dev Raj Chanana (1961-03-04). "Sanskritisation, Westernisation and India's North-West" (PDF). The Economic Weekly. VIII (9): 410. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2023. "The Ahluwalias had a very low social status as they engaged in the distillation and sale of liquor. Their professional name was Kalal. [...] They got the chance to improve their social status, when one of their castes was able to carve out the state of Kapurthala for himself. The entire community then laid claim to the title of Kshatriyas...".
  32. ↑ Gurcharan Singh Gill (2008-08-08). 'Deeper Roots Of The Gill, Bhatti, Sidhu, Brar, Toor, and Related Jat and Rajput Clans' (8 August 2008) by Gurcharan Singh Gill.
  33. 1 2 McLeod, W. H. (1989). Who is a Sikh? : the problem of Sikh identity. Internet Archive. Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-826548-1.
  34. ↑ McLeod, W. H. (1995). Historical dictionary of Sikhism. Internet Archive. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0-8108-3035-6.
  35. 1 2 Singh, Jagjit (1985). Perspectives On Sikh Studies. New Delhi: Guru Nanak Foundation. Kalal Sikhs, although assigned a lower position than most of the artisan castes by the Indian caste system, raised their social status, like the Ramgarhia Sikhs, by capturing political power when they formed the Ahluwalia Missal. Since then they have taken to service, primarily in the army and the police, and have shaken off their dependence upon any social hierarchy....The forty men at Chamkaur included five Bhatias, four Aroras, some Khatris and Kalals (distillers), two Rangretas (sweeper caste)...
  36. 1 2 3 4 Donald Anthony Low (1968). Soundings in Modern South Asian History. University of California Press. pp. 70–71. OCLC   612533097.
  37. ↑ Joshi, Rita (1985). The Afghan Nobility and the Mughals: 1526–1707. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House. p. 9. ISBN   978-0706927528. In Gurdaspur district of the Punjab, there was a considerable Afghan population. One of their tribes were the Kakazai Afghans who were mostly traders and agriculturalists.
  38. ↑ Singh, Manpreet J. (2020-08-31). The Sikh Next Door: An Identity in Transition. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-93-89165-58-6.
  39. ↑ Fuchs, Stephen (1981). At the Bottom of Indian Society: The Harijan and Other Low Castes. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN   978-81-215-0205-4.
  40. ↑ Singh, K. S. (1992). People of India: Punjab. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN   978-81-7304-123-5.
  41. ↑ W. H. McLeod (1989). Who Is A Sikh? (W. H. McLeod).
  42. ↑ McLeod, W. H. (1999). Sikhs and Sikhism. Internet Archive. New Delhi : New York : Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-564745-7.
  43. ↑ Bhartiya, Santosh (2018-07-19). Dalit And Minority Empowerment. Rajkamal Prakashan. ISBN   978-81-267-1599-2.
  44. 1 2 Eastern Anthropologist March-August 1958: Vol 11 3-4. Internet Archive. March–August 1958. The Ahluwalia are included amongst the Rajputs as well as the Khattris.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  45. 1 2 Ganda Singh (1990). Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Punjabi University. pp. 1–4.
  46. ↑ M. L. Ahluwalia (1996). Land marks in Sikh history. Ashoka International. p. 37.
  47. ↑ censusindia.gov.in http://web.archive.org/web/20250417231419/https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/30639/download/33820/24093_1951_GOL.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-04-17. Retrieved 2025-07-16.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  48. ↑ Ram, Ronki. "Understanding Diversity and Deras within the Sikh Panth (Community): Some Critical Reflections, Panjab University" (PDF). GISS org (PDF). Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  49. ↑ Indo-British Review. Indo-British Historical Society. 1995. ...when marriages are sanctioned. The religious organisations and day-to-day social interaction suggest a distance between all the higher castes (Brahmins, Khatris, Rajputs, Ahluwalias etc.) and the Valmikis and Ravidasis.
  50. ↑ Centre for the Study Of Developing Societies, Lokniti:Programme for Comparative Democracy. "Bihar election study 2010" (PDF). Lokniti.org. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  51. ↑ (CSDS), CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF DEVELOPING SOCIETIES. "DELHI HARYANA ASSEMBLY ELECTION STUDY" (PDF). Lokniti.org. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  52. ↑ (CSDS), CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF DEVELOPING SOCIETIES. "Punjab election study" (PDF). Lokniti.org. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  53. ↑ (CSDS), CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF DEVELOPING SOCIETIES. "Uttarakhand post election study" (PDF). Lokniti.org. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  54. ↑ "Report of Haryana Backward Classes Commission - 2012 | Welfare of Scheduled Caste & Backward Classes Department, Government of Haryana". haryanascbc.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
  55. ↑ Banerjee, Himadri (2023-01-30). Beyond Punjab: Sikhs in East and Northeast India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-000-80028-9.
  56. ↑ Bardwell L. Smith (1990). Boeings and Bullock-Carts: Studies in Change and Continuity in Indian Civilization : Religious Movements and Social Identity. Internet Archive. South Asia Books. ISBN   978-81-7001-066-1. Much smaller in terms of number but nevertheless very influential is the urban caste grouping which com-prises the Khatris Aroras and Ahluwalias.
  57. ↑ Arunangshu De; P. G. Shah; T. Mariappa; S. D. S. Chaurasia. Minute of Dissent, Vol. III. New Delhi, Government of India Press.
  58. ↑ SGPC (1996). The Truth About Punjab - S.G.P.C. White Paper.
  59. ↑ Singh, Jagjit (1981). The Sikh Revolution: A Perspective View. Bahri.
  60. ↑ Jogindra Singh Gandhi (1982). Lawyers and Touts: A Study in the Sociology of Legal Profession. Hindustan. p. 64. Ahluwalia are bi-religious, having both Hindu and Sikh members
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