Antiquity of Jat Race by US Mahil/Characteristics of Jat Race
Text Wikified By : Ch. Reyansh Singh
CHARACTERISTICS OF JAT RACE
In bravery, Jats are unequalled in history. This was the only race in Asia which defeated Alexander the Great as will be shown in a subsequent chapter. In ancient times a Jat Warrior who had never slain a foe must wear a halter about his neck. Here let me quote the ancient Greek historian Thucydides about the bravery of Scythian Jats. I am quoting from Hobbes’ translation (1676). I hope the reader will understand and tolerate nearly three hundred years old English of Hobbes who probably translated Thucydides too literally as follows:-
- “For there is no nation, not to say of Europe but, neither of Asia, that are comparable to this or that, as long as they agree, are able one nation to one, to stand against Scythians.”
This means in modern English that no nation in the world could stand against Jats if they had unity. That was, however, a big IF. History has shown that they worked wonders when they had unity. They however could not enjoy their gains for any length of time owing to want of that essential virtue.
According to Herodotus among the races of Thrace, Jats were the bravest and most upright. They were fond of music. They played the lyre and were experts in the sport of tent pegging. He says that they continued the old custom of appointing family genealogist and thus perpetuating the history of their race and tribe in the form of Mythic Genealogy. This custom is familiar to all modern Punjab villagers who know that in every Jat village of the Punjab there is a Mirasi who learns by rote the genealogy of the tribe living in the village and recites it on the occasion’s of marriage ceremonies etc.
Jats of Thrace were so powerful that Alexander the Great had to attend to them before invading Asia.
Subsequently Jat hordes invaded Greece and occupied Athens.
Let me quote another well known ancient historian, Pomponius Mela, on Scythians:--
- "They that dwell more upland, live after a hard sort, and have a country less husbanded. They love war and slaughter. As any of them hath slain most, so is he counted the jolliest fellow among them. But to be clear from slaughter is of all reproaches the greatest. Not so much as their love days are made without bloodshed—for they that undertake the matter wound themselves, and letting their blood drop out into a vessel where they have stirred it together, they drink of it thinking that to be a most assured pledge of the promise to be performed. In their feasting their greatest myth and commonest talk is in making report what every man hath slain and they that have told of most are set between two cups full of drink, for that is the chief honour among them. They make cups of the heads of their enemies.”
I again apologize for this long quotation of Old English. I hope the reader who is conversant with the modern bravery of Jat race will appreciate the antiquity of these characteristics.
According to Hesiod this race was well known in Thrace as milk drinkers, mare milkers and wagon dwellers. They divided themselves socially as Regal Jats and Common Jats. It is interesting to compare this to the modern revision of Doaba Jats into Darbanvalas and ordinary. The former looked Upon the latter as of lower social status, lighting was the profession of Regal Jats of antiquity, and kings were elected from them. One who had not slain an enemy was deprived of the annual feast and wine cup of the Sardar. Thucydides says that they were so overwhelming in number and so dreadful that if they were united, they were irresistible and to his knowledge no other race could resist them. He, how-
ever, continues that in the matter of wisdom they were different from other races. It is a matter of great regret that this racial defeet of the brave race has continued throughout succeeding ages as this brief history will show". Herodotus also had similar ideas about their bravery. He wrote that every one of them was a fighter and good archer, and that their way of life was such that they did not come within the striking distance of an enemy attack. Herodotus, however, does not hate their wisdom. On the contrary he writes that of all the races living round the Black Sea only Scythians were wise and all others were stupid.
One consequence of their unique bravery was that they were accommodated in Greek Mythology. In every country Mythology springs from the rare bravery of person or a race. According to Greek Mythology, Scythians were the progeny of Hercules. It is said that Hercules lost his mares. While searching for them he reached a cave where he saw a woman whose lower part was that of a snake. On inquiry she said that she had got his mares, but she will return them on the condition that he should have sexual intercourse with her. Hercules agreed and had sexual intercourse with her. The woman then said that she had conceived three boys of his seed in her womb, and asked him if she should send them to him or should keep them with her. Hercules said “Here was a bow, the boy who can bend the bow should be kept in the country of which she was a queen and the boy who could not do that should be turned out.” Hercules saying this went away. In due course three boys were born. They were named Agathyrsus, Gelonus and Scytha. Only Scytha succeeded in the test and others failed. He was kept by the queen and others were turned out. This Scytha gave rise to Scythian race. The only significance of this mythology is that
Scythian bravery was impressing the Greek nation and was obliging its Pundits to use them fertile brains to manufacture mythical stories about it. There is another similar mythical Greek story mentioned by Diodorus as follows:-
- “A virgin sprang from the earth having her lower half of the body of a snake. She gave birth
- to a boy Scytha by Jupiter. Scythian race sprang from him. He had two sons Kapas and Palas. They divided the kingdom into parts. The people of one part were called Palian and of the other Kapian. They conquered countries far and wide upto Nile and Caspian. The origin of Massa Getae was from them. Their women were also brave like men
and were called Amazons. The well-known persian King Cyrus invaded Scythian queen. He was defeated and slain. The Amazons conquered a large part of Asia and Europe."
The learned men among them, quite like Punjabees, practized divination. Those learned men among Scythians were called Enaries. It is said that this art of divining called Puchhan in Punjabee was taught to them by the Goddess Venus, just as Jwala Devi is invoked by Chelas, the Punjabee edition of Enaries. When their King fell ill, they called three Enaries for the purpose of divination. Phrygians who according to Greeks were originally Scythians of Thrace were first in the world to invent embroidery which is a speciality of the Jat women of the Punjab.
According to Justin, Scythians hated gold and sliver and did not attack their neighbours for that purpose. They founded Parthian and Bacterian kingdom. By perpetual fighting and hard labour they became ferocious and hardy and therefore became very powerful. Vexoris, the king of Egypt, was the first king who fought with Scythians. He at first sent his envoys to Scythians for the purpose of asking on what conditions they were ready to accept surrender. The following is the reply of Scythians to the said message of the king:—
- “Your master who was the head of so wealthy a people was certainly ill-advised to fall upon a parcel of poor wretches whom he had more reason to expect at home. The hazards of war were great. The rewards of victory in respect of them none at all; but the losses evident, or which reason the Scythians would not tarry till the king came up to them; since the
- enemy had so much rich booty about them; but would make haste to seize it for their own use."
When the king learnt from his messengers that the Scythians were advancing with great speed towards him, he left his army and all his stores and fled to his country. The Scythians took possession of even thing, but they could not enter Egypt owing to impassable marshes. On their return they conquered Asia and levied tribute which continued for 1500 years and was stopped only by Ninus the king of Assyria. In one battle all Scythian men were killed in Cuppadosia, and their women, therefore, had to take up arms. They expanded the kingdom by their bravery. These women were eventually known as Amazons. There were two queens of Amazons named Antiope and Orithya. The last queen of Amazon was called Minithya. I have quoted the long extract above from Justin’s Account of Scythians because it throws a flood of lights on the characteristics of Jat race.
About 3000 years ago when Jats began to ride the horse after inventing the bit, the saddle and the stirrup. They then grew up with the horse and used it so efficiently in their warfare. The Aryan race took to the horse later. Panchayat system was born with Jat race. In all the monarchies of the northmen there had been a tradition of a popular assembly of influential and representative men to preserve their general liberties. It was introduced by Jutes, the first conquerors of Britain. I conclude this account of the characteristics of Jat race by a quotation from Ilatzel:--
- “Their character when unadulterated is ponderous eloquence, frankness, rough good nature, pride; but also indolence, irritability and a tendency to vindictiveness. Their faces show a considerable share of frankness combined with amusing Naivete. Their courage is rather a sudden blaze of pugnacity than cold bold-ness. Religious fanaticism they have none. Hospitality is universal,”
I leave it to the reader to compare the above account with the characteristics of Punjab Jats. Some historians in their ignorance have confused the Scythian race with Aryan race. The fact is that Scythian race is quite a separate branch although it arises from the same stem of Nordic differentiation. This has been clearly shown by H. G. Wells in a diagrammatic summary of the relationship of human races given at the end of chapter 12 about the races of mankind in his well known book the “Outline of History".