The term Khalsa refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion, as well as a special group of initiated Sikhs. The Khalsa tradition was initiated in 1699 by the Tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh. Its formation was a key event in the history of Sikhism. The founding of Khalsa is celebrated by Sikhs during the festival of Vaisakhi.
Khatri is a caste originating from the Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are warriors who took to trade. In the Indian subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantile professions such as banking and trade. They were the dominant commercial and financial administration class of late-medieval India. Some in Punjab often belonged to hereditary agriculturalist land-holding lineages, while others were engaged in artisanal occupations such as silk production and weaving.
Bhatia is a group of people and a caste found in Punjab, Sindh and Gujarat. Traditionally, they have been a trading and merchant community. The Bhatias primarily live in Northwestern India and Pakistan. The Bhatias, Lohanas and Khatris were similar communities and were known to intermarry. The Bhatias recruit Saraswat Brahmins as priests.
Panj Pyare refers to a gathered ad hoc quintet of five baptised (Amritdhari) Khalsa Sikhs who act as institutionalized leaders for the wider Sikh community.
A sahajdhari Sikh is a person who believes in Sikhism but is not an Amritdhari. A Sahajdhari adheres to the principles of Sikhism and the teachings of the Sikh gurus but may not wear all of the Five Symbols of Sikhism. For example, Sahajdhari Sikhs often wear a kara, but many of them cut their hair (kesh).
Duggal is a surname used by Punjabi Khatris.
Narinder Singh Kapany was an Indian-American physicist best known for his work on fiber optics. Kapany is a pioneer in the field of fiber optics, known for coining and popularising the term. Fortune named him one of seven "Unsung Heroes of the 20th Century" for his Nobel Prize-deserving invention. He was awarded India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, posthumously in 2021. He served as an Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) officer. He was also offered the post of Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister of India, by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. He is considered the father of Fiber Optics.
Dhawan is a surname associated with the Khatri caste found in Punjab, India.
Sethi is a surname that is found among the Punjabi Khatris of India. They are a part of Khukhrain sub-caste among the Khatris which also includes the clans of Anand, Bhasin Chadha, Kohli, Ghai, Sahni, Sethi, (Sawhney) and Suri. Most of Sethis are Dual-faith Hindus. Some Sethis also follow Islam. The surname is also found among Arora. Historian Kamal Shankar Srivastava writes that all Khukrains including Sethis were originally found near the banks of Indus and Jhelum river especially in the towns of Pind Dadan Khan, Peshawar and Nowshera.
Kakkar or Kakar is an Indian surname originating with the founder of a Bahri clan. It is associated with the Khatri caste of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. Whilst the Dictionary of American Family Names states that the etymology derives from the Sanskrit word karalagni, used in reference to the Sun and translating as "one who holds fire in its hands", the historians R. C. Dogra and Baij Nath Puri, believe it is derived from the word Karkar, meaning strong or powerful.
The Khukhrain or Khokhrain is a sub-group composed of eight clans of the Khatri caste that originally hailed from the areas of the Salt Range.
Baij Nath Puri was an Indian historian. He completed M. Lit. and D.Phil. from Oxford University. He was vice-president and member of the International Board of Editors for the history of Civilizations in Central Asia at UNESCO, and remained President of the Indian History Congress. He was also Professor and Head of the Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture at Lucknow University and later a professor emeritus.
Chopra is a surname of the Khatri community mainly based in Haryana and Indian Punjab. Chopra Khatris belonged to the Bahri family-group, which also includes the subclans Dhawan, Kakkar, Kapoor, Khanna, Mehra, Malhotra, Sehgal, Seth, Tandon, Talwar, and Vohra.
Banda Singh Bahadur; born Lachman Dev;, was a Sikh warrior and a general of the Khalsa Army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī. In 1707, Guru Gobind Singh accepted an invitation to meet Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I in southern India, he visited Banda Singh Bahadur in 1708. Banda became disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was given a new name, Gurbaksh Singh(as written in Mahan Kosh), after the baptism ceremony. He is popularly known as Banda Singh Bahadur. He was given five arrows by the Guru as a blessing for the battles ahead. He came to Khanda, Sonipat and assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire.
Amrit Sanskar is one of the four Sikh Sanskaars. The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite introduced by Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa in 1699.
Kochhar or Kochar is a surname that is found among the Punjabi Khatri community of India.
Chandok is a surname found among the Khukhrain community. According to Hindu scriptures, Chandoks are of the Khatri caste, are Suryavanshis and also Descendants of Lord Rama. Chandoks are Kshatriya. Most of Chandoks are Dual-faith Hindus.
Uppal is an Indian and Pakistani surname. It is also found as clan name among the Khatris and Jats.
