Khosa

Khosa (खोसा) Khosya (खोश्या/खोस्या) Khosar (खोसर) is gotra of Jats found in Punjab,Haryana,Rajasthan. Khosa (खोसा) clan is found in Afghanistan. Khosar (खोसर) Kosar (कौसर) Jat clan is found in Multan, Pakistan. It is an important tribe of Punjab (Pakistan).

Origin

• इतिहासकार कँवरपाल सिंह के अनुसार: "जब दिल्ली से तोमरों का राज्य चला गया तो दिल्ली के तोमरों की एक शाखा दिल्ली से पंजाब में चली गयी जो लुधियाना क्षेत्र में जाकर आबाद हो गयी। स्थानीय भाषा में इनको तुअर बोले जाना लगा जो आजकल तूर बोला जाता है। पंजाबी जट्ट इतिहास के अनुसार खोसा मूल रूप से दिल्ली से आये तोमर जाट थे। उनमे से कुछ तोमरों ने अफगानी लुटेरों को लूटना शुरू कर दिया। लूटने तथा किसी वस्तु धन को खोसने के कारण ही इन्हों को स्थानीय लोगों ने खोसा कहना शुरू कर दिया जो आगे चलकर इनका उपगोत्र बन गया जबकि पंजाब में प्रचलित लोक मान्यताओं के अनुसार दिल्ली से तोमरो का राज्य चला गया तब वो इस क्षेत्र में आकर आबाद हुए स्थानीय लोगों ने कहना शुरू कर दिया की इनका राज्य दिल्ली राज्य मुसलमानों ने खोस लिया है। इसलिए इनको खोसा बोला जाने लगा।"

• According to H. A. Rose, Khosa in Sindhi means robber (and also 'fever').

• Other claims: (1) Khosa in Sindhi means Plunderer. (2) According to Balouch epics, Khosa means brave or "The Warrior".

• Kosar (कौसर) clan gets name from Nagavanshi King Kausar Naga (कौसरनाग).

Jat Gotras Namesake

• Kosar = Cosyri (Pliny.vi.21)
• Kosar (Jat clan) = Kosura (कोसुर). Kôsura (कोसुर) (L.15) is mentioned in Kosgain Stone Inscription (No.II) Of Vahara - (Vikrama) Year 1570 (=1513 AD). It was engraved by Vira, the son of Kôsura (कोसुर) (L.15). (p.564).
• Kosar (कोसर) (Jat clan) → Kosara (कोसरा). Kosara (कोसरा) is a village in Maregaon tahsil in Yavatmal district in Maharashtra. It has been mentioned as Kadambasaraka (कदम्बसरक) in Wadgaon Plates of Pravarasena II

Mention by Pliny

Pliny mentions 'The Nations of India.'.... The nations whom it may be not altogether inopportune to mention, after passing the Emodian Mountains, a cross range of which is called "Imaus," a word which, in the language of the natives, signifies "snowy,"²⁷ are the Isari, the Cosyri, the Izi, and, upon the chain of mountains, the Chisiotosagi, with numerous peoples, which have the surname of Brachmanæ,²⁸ among whom are the Maccocalingæ. There are also the rivers Prinas and Cainas,²⁹ which last flows into the Ganges, both of them navigable streams. The nation of the Calingæ³⁰ comes nearest to the sea, and above them are the Mandei and the Malli.³¹ In the territory of the last-named people is a mountain called Mallus: the boundary of this region is the river Ganges.

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27 The Sanscrit for "snowy" is "himrarat." The name of Emodus, combined with Imaiis, seems here to be a description of the knot of mountains formed by the intersections of the Himalaya, the Hindoo Koosh, and the Bolor range; the latter having been for many ages the boundary between the empires of China and Turkistan. It is pretty clear, that, like Ptolemy, Pliny imagined that the Imaiis ran from south to north; but it seems hardly necessary, in this instance at least, to give to the word "promontorium" the meaning attached to our word "promontory," and to suppose that he implies that the range of the Imaüs runs down to the verge of the eastern ocean.

28 A name evidently given to numerous tribes of India, from the circumstance that Alexander and his followers found it borne by the Brahmins or priestly caste of the Hindoos.

29 Still called the Cane, a navigable river of India within the Ganges, falling into the Ganges, according to Arrian as well as Pliny, though in reality it falls into the Jumna.

30 The Calingæ, who are further mentioned in the next Chapter, probably dwelt in the vicinity of the promontory of Calingon, upon which was the town of Dandaguda, mentioned in c. 23 of the present Book. This promontory and city are usually identified with those of Calinapatnam, about half-way between the Mahanadi River and Godavari; and the territory of the Calingæ seems to correspond pretty nearly to the district of Circars, lying along the coast of Orissa.

31 By the Malli, Parisot is of opinion that the people of Moultan are meant.

History

H.A. Rose writes that Khosa (खोसा ) tribe of Jats are said to be of Tur origin and to have been expelled from Delhi by the Chauhans. The people so plundered were called Khosas. The more usual folk-etymology makes Khosa = plunderer, not plundered. They used to wear the janeo, but after contracting unions with Jats they gave it up, except at Rattiar in Moga tahsil in Ferozepur, where the Khosas still wear it, avoiding social inter-course with other Khosas. The Khosas hold the title in reverence because in the flight from Delhi an eagle saved a new-born child in the usual way. At weddings bread is still thrown to kites. The boy's name was Bhai Randhir and Khosa Randhir in Moga is named after him. His pond in this village is the scene of a mela held there in Magh and all Khosas have their wishes fulfilled or fulfil their vows there. Another special custom at Khosa weddings is that when the bride reaches the bridegroom's house the Dum conceals the takkula of a spinning wheel in the village dung-heaps, and the pair are made to search for it by the common till they find it.

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Bhim Singh Dahiya writes about Khosar that in the history of Mauryas when they were attacking southern India we come across a warlike people who are named 'Kosar'. In fact these Kosar people were the vanguard of the Mauryan army as per Tamil literature. Like the Mauryas, they were also from the north and not from the south. They are to be identified as the Khosar clan of the Jats.

Garcha, Sirhe, Nain, Chandarh, Dhanda, Kandhole and Khosa Jatts are close kins who are thought to come from Turkistan (Scythian empire) in early history.

Khosa are mentioned as a branch of Jadubansi Abhiras mostly found in the Ahirwati and Hariana.

James Tod writes that The Kosas or Khosas, etc., are branches of the Sahariya, and their habits are the same. They have reduced their mode of rapine to a system, and established kuri, or blackmail, consisting of one rupee and five daris of grain for every plough, exacted even from the hamlets of the shepherds throughout the thal. Their bands are chiefly mounted on camels, though some are on horseback ; their arms are the sel or sang (lances of bamboo or iron), the sword and shield, and but few firearms. Their depredations used to be extended a hundred coss around, even into Jodhpur and Daudputra, but they eschew coming in contact with the Rajput, who says of a Sahariya, " he is sure to be asleep when the battle nakkara beats." Their chief abode is in the southern portion of the desert ; and about Nawakot, Mitti, as far as Baliari.- Many of them used to find service at Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Suigam, but they are cowardly and faithless.

Distribution in Rajasthan

Villages in Hanumagarh district

Pilibanga,

Villages in Baran district

Kelwara (केलवाडा),

Distribution in Uttar pradesh

Villages in Bijnor district

Mubarakpur Khosha,

Villages in Lakhimpur district

Lakhimpur,

Distribution in Punjab

Villages in Jalandhar district

• Khosa is village in Shahkot tahsil in Jalandhar district in Punjab, India.

Jamaitgarh Alias Khosa ,

Villages in Firozpur district

In Firozpur district the Khosa population is 9,000.

Villages in Ludhiana district

• Khosa is village in Jagraon Tahsil in Ludhiana district, Punjab.

Deva Khosa

Villages in Moga district

• Khosa Kotla, Khosa Pando, Khosa Randhir villages in Moga tahsil in Moga District district in Punjab.

Distribution in Pakistan

Distribution in Sindh

James Tod writes that Khosa clan is found in Sindh.

References

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