The Kharal also spelled ''Kharral'' or ''Kharl'' is a very large feudal tribe centered in

Punjab Region Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

that was traditionally semi-pastoral and is classed as

Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

Multiple sources: * * * * * or

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

.Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Modern

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and Pakistani census reports mention Kharals as Rajputs. The Kharals predominantly inhabit the Western plains of Punjab (i.e. west of Lahore) that lie below the

Salt Range The Salt Range ( pnb, ) is a mountain range in the north of Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends along the south of the Potohar Plateau and the north of the Jhelum River. The ...

and its surrounding areas. The Kharrals seem to be most concentrated in the

Ravi River The Ravi River () is a transboundary river crossing northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of five rivers associated with the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two other rivers were ...

Valley between Lahore and the former Montgomery District, this corresponds well to Ain-i-Akbari (1595 CE) listing of ''Kharal'' Zamindaris in different Parganas. Historian and writer Amar Nath Bali says that the Kharral were of

origin and became Jats after migrating to Punjab. A study by

Punjabi University Punjabi University is a collegiate state public university located in Patiala, Punjab, India. It was established on 30 April 1962 and is only the second university in the world to be named after a language, after Hebrew University of Israel. ...

states Kharals inhabited western plains of Punjab and perhaps belonged to a Rajput tribe but subsequently recorded themselves as Jatts. A journal by Government College University lists Kharrals along other tribes as Rajputs. The Kharals have numerous subdivisions some of which include Upera, Lakhera, Begke, Randhaira, Lalhaira, Rubera, Lodike Dehar, Churiara,

Khar Khar may refer to: Places * Khar, Mumbai, a suburb of Mumbai, India * Khar, Punjab, a town in the Punjab Province, Pakistan * Khar, Bajaur, a town in the Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan * Khar, Nepal, a village ...

, Bhandra, Doulo Kay and Gogera; the Kharals use many titles including

Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

, Chaudhry, Malik and Mian but Rai is mostly used.

Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal Rai Ahmad Khan Kharal ( pa, ; – 21 September 1857), widely known as Nawab of Jhamra, was a Punjabi Muslim chieftain of the Kharal tribe. He led rebellion in the Bar region of Punjab against the British East India Company in the War of Indep ...

is a historical Kharal personality who revolted against British in

1857 revolt The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

and took leadership of many local tribes, he was shot while praying by British on September 21, 1857. The Kharals are famous in the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

due to the one of the great Punjabi tragic Romances called

Mirza Sahiban ''Mirza Sahiban'' ( pa, ਮਿਰਜ਼ਾ ਸਾਹਿਬਾਂ, , ') is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are ''Heer Ranjha'', ''Sohni Mahiwal'' and ''Sassi Punnun''. There are five other popular folklor ...

. The stories protagonist is ''Mirza'' son of the Chief of the Kharal Jatts of Danabad and falls in love with his cousin Sahiban of the Sial Jatt tribe. To date there have been many film adaptations in both

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

of the Story of Mirza and Sahiban.

References

External links

Kharal and Berkley (19th century British India) on Dawn (newspaper)
Surnames Jat clans of Punjab Rajput clans of Punjab Punjabi tribes Punjabi-language surnames Indian surnames Hindu surnames {{Pakistan-ethno-stub