About BHANGU's
History
The Bhangu tribe was mentioned by the Greek historians, at the time of Alexander's invasion in 4th century B.C. The Greek historians mention a ruler Phegelas or Phegus of a native tribe when Alexander approached the river Hyphasis (Beas) in 326 B.C [2][3]. The name is translated to Sanskrit as Bhagala or Bhagu [4].
The tribe also finds mention during the Arab attack on Sindh in the 7th century A.D. The ruler of the lands at the time of Mohammad Bin Kasim’s invasion of Sindh was the chief of the Bhangu tribe called Kaka [5]. The Bhangus were the lords of territory known as "Budhiya" around present day Sehwan, Sindh, Pakistan. Kaka was the son of Kotal, and grandson of Bhandargu Bhangu, a Jat of the Bhangu tribe. [5] The members of the Bhangu tribe were the follower of the Buddhist faith as most of the Jat tribes were around the 7th century AD.
In the census reports of Punjab from 1883 and 1892; the Bhangus have been described as one of the original Jat tribe and the earliest inhabitants of the Jhang district [6] [7]. The Bhangu tribe held the area around Shorkot. [8] The Bhangus were later displaced by the migration of Sials into Jhang. [8] The Sials were subjects of the Bhangu chiefs until the beginning of the 16th century AD.
A tribe of Jats “Bhango” is also described to be found in the Sialkot district. They claim a Solar Rajput ancestry and descent from its eponym, who came from Nepal. They were also found as an agricultural Jat clan in Amritsar and the Montgomery district. [8] However, the Bhangus of the Jhang did not claim the Rajput origin. [8] The Bhangu and Bhango are the same tribes. [8]
The Bhangu Jats do not claim their origins from the Bhangi Misl of Sikhs.
[edit]Origins
The Bhangus are more puratan than the Jats of Bhullar, Mann and Heir (Hayer) clan. The Bhangus in general they do not claim Rajput ancestry. As per Jat historian Ram Sarup Joon the Bhangus are said to be related to “Heir” tribe which migrated from the Central Asian region of Turkistan [9]. This inter-relation has not been proved or studied extensively. Although the Bhangus in some areas are called Bhangu-Hira.
The Bhangu (Bhangoo) Jats are not related to the powerful Bhangi Misl (Confederacy) of Sikhs. The existence of the Bhangu tribe has been reported by ancient historians well before the Khalsa came to power in Punjab. The descendants of Mehtab Singh Bhangu were the part of Karor Singhia Misl not the Bhangi Misl. The Bhangi Sardars were of the Dhillon clan. These are often confused in order to attain association with the Bhangi Misl.
“ ' Bhango, a tribe of Jats found in Sialkot which claims Solar Rajput ancestry and is descended from its eponym who came from Nepal . Also Found in Amritsar (agricultural);and in Montgomery as a Hindu Jat clan(agricultural)[8] ”
[edit]Old Customs
The customs and traditions are not in practice now and were current until the 19th century. The Bhangu clan was amongst the many Jats who denied a widow’s right to adopt in the 19th century [10]. In Ludhiana district the Bhangu clan used to follow the chhatra tradition in which the bridegroom's forehead was to be marked with blood, from a severed goat's ear.
[edit]Chiefs of Punjab
In 1851, a was mentioned to be a former Jagirdar of Nurpur Suhutti, district Jhelum (present day district Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan) [11].
In 1890, a Sardar Harnam Singh, Bhangu Jat Sikh is listed in the Chiefs and Families of Note in the Delhi, Jalandhar, Peshawar and Derajat Divisions of the Panjab he was described to be residing in Moron village, near Phillaur [12].
[edit]Geographical Distribution
The Bhangu clan is found in Amritsar, Patiala, Ropar, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur (Sunam, Barnala), Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Mansa and Hoshiapur districts of Indian Punjab. In the Punjab Province of Pakistan they are in Sialkot, Narowal, Montgomery, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura and Jhang districts. The Bhangus hold large villages in the district of Amritsar [13]. In the Sindh province of Pakistan the Bhangu are found in Khairpur district.