Mankotia is an Indian surname belonging to a

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 ...

clan. The clan predominantly resides in the

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 ...

n states of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

and

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. The name originates from the town Mankot, now

Ramkot, Jammu and Kashmir Ramkot is a village and tehsil in Kathua district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The village is located about 80 kilometres from the district headquarter kathua. Demographics According to the 2011 census of India, Ramkot ...

History

The chain of rulers who ruled Ramkote descended from Raja Sarbahladhar (765-801 AD). He was a religious ruler and a great devotee of sadhus and saints. According to Nargis, a Peer Roshan Shah Vali reached Jammu and told this king that he will have to face Muslim invaders but finally he will remain unhurt and safe. Therefore upon his death Raja built a tomb for the Peer. One of his descendants, Raja Bajjrala Dhar found this Venerth town in northeast of Jammu. At that time it was part of Jasrota Kingdom founded by Raja Jasdev and handed it over to Raja Karandev. However Karandev's eldest son Raja Bhuj Dev extended his rule to Surinsar and established a new kingdom of Babbarhgar known as Bhabbapur in Rajtrangani. This place is known as Bhabore in moderen times. Raja Karan Dev gifted this kingdom to his grandson Raja Manak Dev in the name of Manipur who built a fort on the bank of Basanter Nallah and named this capital as Mankote. After the death of Raja Bhoj Dev in the battle with Nasar- ul-Din I Bikrami 1032, his eldest son Bhrorak became Raja of Mankot and his descendants sobriquet as Mankotia Rajputs. The second son Raja Avtar Dev sat on the throne of Jammu kingdom. The third son was given Jasrota kingdom. In the olden times Jasrota had been a very flourishing town and the Jasrota was named after the name of his son Jas Dev and the descendants of Raja Karan Dev established their capital in Jasrota. The descendants of this clan sobriquet as Jasrotia Rajputs.In the times of

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

of Punjab, Jasrota was given to Raja Hira Singh, a one time very close confidante of the Maharaja. With the killing of Raja Hira Singh, Jasrota turned into ruins and became a jungle. The palaces of repute in the past were demolished. His descendants are known as Mankotias. It was renamed by Raja Suchet Singh (1822-43) as Ramkote. According to some traditions, the Mankotia's origins are actually from the

Kachwaha The Kachhwaha or Kachawa is a Rajput clan found primarily in India. Sometimes families within the clan ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states, such as Jaipur, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Alwar and Maihar. Subclans Rajawat, ...

, a

Dogra The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himachal ...

sub-group, meaning their customs share similar

s.Horace Arhur Rose (1911
''A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province''
Government Printing Lahore. Vol. II, p. 89

Notables

Balwant Singh Mankotia Balwant Singh Mankotia is an Indian politician and the former President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party. He has been twice elected member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, holding office for 12 years. He is a lead ...

, Indian politician

References

{{reflist Dogra Rajput clans of Himachal Pradesh People from Kathua district