Martial Races of Undivided India/Jats

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Martial Races of Undivided India
Cover Page of the Book

"Martial Races of Undivided India" is a book written by Vidya Prakash Tyagi consisting of 309 pages; published by Gyan Publication House in 2009 on dated 7 July. It's ISBN has been denoted as "8178357755" or "9788178357751"

Wiki Editor Note

In this section, only that part of the book has been Wikified which is dedicated to Jat community, Including it's Chapter 4:Jats(from page 67 to 87) in which the Valours of Jat people have been mentioned by the Author.

The part of book reproduced here is only for educational and research purpose. And also that everyone could know about this Great effort done by the Author "Respected Vidya Prakash Tyagi Ji."

The Work is Copyrighted and one can read the book online at Google Books.

Chapter 4:Jats

[Page 67]: The Jat people are an ethnic group native chiefly to the Punjab area of India and Pakistan. The Jat people have a cultural history that can be traced back to ancient times and have traditionally been an Agriculcural community. The Jat people are a strong ethnic group of people mainly found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Other regions including Balochistan, NWFP, Rajasthan,Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Maharashtra.

The Jat people are considered to be merged descends of Indo-Aryans, Indo-Scythian of the region, merging to form the Jat people. The Jat people follow different faiths and are engaged in different professions. They have a discrete and distinct cultural history that can be historically traced back to ancient times.

The Jat people of India and Pakistan are not related to the Jats of Afghanistan, who are a distinct ethnic group.

Origin & History

Some 19th century writers have identified the Jats with ancient Getae. Sir Alexander Cunningham, former Director-General of the Archeological Survey of India, connected the name of the Scythian Xanthii. He considered the Jats to be the Xanthi, who he also considered very likely to be called the Zaths(Jats) by early Arab writers.

The Hindu mythological account of Deva Samhita traces the ancestry of Jats to Shiva's Lock. The earliest attestation of the Jats is in a Pali inscription dated to AD541 (as Jit). There are two major hypotheses, but nothing certain is known about the ancestry of the Jats: The ancestry of the Jats is discussed in terms of native Indo-Aryan ancestry on one hand, and intrusive Indo-Scythian admixture on the other.

Flaming gotra Jats are eminently known for their bravery in world war 1 & 2.

[Page 68]: Authors postulating Indo-Scythian ancestry were Alexander Cunningham, B. S. Dhillon, Sir Mountstruat Elphinstone Grant Duff, Arthur Edward Barstow, James Todd and Bhim Singh Dahiya. Authors emphasizing "indigenous" Indo-Aryan linage including E. B. Havell, KR Qanungo, Sir Herbert Risley, C.V.Vaidya, and Thakur Deshraj.

Jats find a mention in Mahabharata and other ancient Indian literature.
Mahendra Singh Arya believes that the shloka Jat Jhat Sanghate in renowned Sanskrit scholar Panini's Ashtadhyayi refers to the Jat people as a federation. G. C. Dwivedi says that the Persian Majmal-ut-Twarikh mentions Jats and Meds as the descendents of Ham(son of Noah), living in Sind on the banks of the river Bahar. S.M. Yunus Jaffery believes that the Jat people have been mentioned in Shahnama, a well-known persian epic.

People & Culture

Today, besides agriculture (which is there main occupation), Jat people are engaged in trade and commerce. Though they continue to be a rural populace, their presence population in cities and district headquarters can be noted because of migration, which undoubtedly explains their distance from Agriculture and animal husbandry.

Jat people are considered a Forward class in the vast majority of states in India, with a few exceptions in a small regions were they are Other Backward Class(OBC). In Rajasthan the Jat people are classified as OBC, except in Bharatpur and Dhaulpur districts. In Rajasthan, the Jat people are a wealthy and rich section of society but in 1999, they were granted OBC status. Some specific clans of Jats are classified as OBC in some states. Examples are Muslim Jats in Gujarat and Mirdha Jat people(except Muslim Jats) in Madhya Pradesh. Land reformers, particularly the abolition of Jagirdari and Zamindari systems, Panchayati Raj and Green revolution, to which Jat people have been major contributors, have immensely contributed to the economic betterment of the Jat people.

Adult franchise has created enormous social and political awakening amongst Jat people. Consolidation of economic gains and participations in the electoral process are two visible outcomes of the post-independence situation. Through this participation they have been able to significantly influence the politics of North India. Economic differentiation, migration and mobility could be clearly noticed among Jats.

The culture of Jats is full of diversity and approaches most closely to that ascribed to the traditional Aryan colonists of India. The Jat lifestyle was designed to foster a martial spirit. Whenever they lost their kingdoms

[Page 69]: Jat people retired to the nation-side and became landed barons and the landlords with their swords girded round their waists. They would draw the sword out of the scabbard at the command of their panchayat to fight with the invaders. Jat people have a history of being brave and ready fighters. They are fiercely sovereign in character and value their self respect more than anything, which is why they offered heavy opposition against any foreign force that treated them unjustly. They are known for their pride, bravery and readyness to sacrifice their lives in battle for their people or kinsmen. In the government of their villages they appear much more demcratic, they have less reverence for hereditary right and a preference for elected headmen.

In Gujarat, Rajasthan and part of Haryana Jat people are mostly vegetarians. Some practise Arya Samaj sect of Hinduism. Their staple food is wheat or bajra (pearl millet), vegetables and plenty of milk and ghee. In Punjab, the Jats usually eat meat, especially goat meat.Punjabi Jat people are also fond of saag(made from mustard leaves) with cornflour roti. Nevertheless, food habits within individual families can be completely different, so no universal "Jat Diet" can be identified. Mathura's Jat people are purely vegetarian. Their food includes dal, milk, ghee, matha and bajra ki roti. Some Jats consider non-vegetarian food undesirable, but many Jats, particularly the ones who belonged to the martial/warrior ancestry and defied Brahmin orthodoxy, customarily ate meat. For example, meat is part of regular diet for Jat non-practicing Sikhs and segments of Warrior clan Hindu Jats (now scattered in parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh) who formed part of erstwhile Jat royalty/aristocracy/nobility. No doubt meat consumption was essential for sustained warfare and only the purely agrarian Jats of peaceful farming habits who did not much to do by taking way of martial ways and adversities of wars, could remain purely vegetarian.

To an extent, the incident of Jat meat consumption is higher in regions where Jats have historically had social status, particularly during the medieval/aristocracy periods. For example, meat consumption is particularly high in the Punjab area(including modern day Haryana), where the king was a Jat, and is almost non-existing in Rajasthan (except in Bharatpur and Dhaulpur, where there was likewise a Jat king).

The Jats have always organized themselves into hundreds of partilineage clans, Panchayat system or Khaps. A clan was based on one small gotra or a number of related gotras under one elected leader whose word was law.

[Page 70]: The big Jat clans now are so big that individual in them are only related to each other by individual that lived typically hundreds years ago. Mutual quarrels of any intensity could be settled by orders of Jat elders. In times of danger, the whole clan rallied under the banner of the leader. The Jat khap and Panchayat "system is territorial and highly democratic. District and a number of Khaps forms a 'Sarva Khap' embracing a full province or state. Negotiations with anyone were done - at 'Sarva Khap' level.

In addition to the conventional Sarva Khap Panchayat, there are regional Jat Mahasabhas affiliated All India Jat Mahasabha to organize and safeguard the interests of community, which held its meeting at regional and national levels to take stock of their activities and device practical ways and means for the amelioration of the community.

All Jats, irrespective of their official or financial positions in life, have equal social status. The only criterion of superiority is age. The Jat people are ethnically and culturally required to marry within their community. With the advancement of modern civilization, as people are becoming less upon and more tolerant towards each other, the joint family system is going out of vogue, it is still prevalent in the less advanced regions.

Jat people are followers of many faiths. Today they follows Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. Jats of Pakistan are chiefly Muslim by faith and nearly six million Jats in India were mostly divided into two large groups of about equal strength: one Sikh, concentrated in Punjab, the other is Hindu.

The Jat Muslims are organized in hundreds of groups tracing their descent through paternal lines; they were mostly labourers. Those of India and of the Punjabi regions of Pakistan are more often landlords farmers. Numerically, Jats form the largest percentage of Sikh community. Some scholars attribute Sikh military traditions largely to its Jat heritage.

Jat people usually speak Hindi and its dialects(Rajasthani, Haryanvi, Malvi), Punjabi and its dialects, Urdu, Dogri, Sindhi or Gujarati. Sikh and Muslim Jats from the Punjab mostly speaks Punjabi and its various dialects (such as Maajhi, Malwi, Doabi, Saraiki, Pothohari, and Jhangochi).

Sects

The Jat people sect names are unique. List of Jat clans have been compiled by many Jat historians like Ompal Singh Tugania, Bhaleram Beniwal, Dr Mahendra Singh Arya, and others, Thakur Deshraj, Dilip Singh

[Page 71]: Ahlawat, Ram Swarup Joon etc. Thakur Deshraj, Ram Swarup Joon and Dilip Singh Ahlawat have mentioned history of some of Jat gotras.

The following is the list of major clans of Jat people:

Demographics

Professor Kalika Ranjan Qanungo mentioned in his famous book "History of Jats", that the religious wise percentage of Jats in year 1925 was as follows:

[Page 72]:

Religion Jat Population %
Hinduism 47%
Sikhism 20%
Islam 33%

The last census which enumerated caste was conducted in 1931. According to which, the Jat population was:

Name of Area Population
(1931)
Punjab region* 6,068,302
Rajasthan 1,043,153
Uttar Pradesh 810,114
Jammu & Kashmir 148,993
Balochistan 93,726
North-West Frontier Province 76,327
Bombay Presidency 54,362
Dehli 53,271
Central Province and Berar 28,135
Ajmer-Marwar 29,992 
*The Punjab Region includes present day Punjab(Pakistan), Punjab(India), Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Bombay Presidency comprised the present-day state of Gujarat, the western two-thirds of Maharashtra state, and northwestern Karnataka state of India; It also included Pakistan's Sindh province. The Central Provinces and Berar comprised much of present day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. The province consisted of the present day districts of Ajmer and Marwar.

As per Professor B. S. Dhillon in his book "History and Study of the Jats", the Jat population 1988 has been estimated at 30 million. As per earlier, censuses the Jati or Jat people accounted for approximately 25% of the entire Sindhi-Punjabi speaking region. A regional breakdown (approximation) of the total Jat population is given in the following table.

[Page 73]:

Name of Area Population
(1988)
Punjab (India) 13,353,530
Punjab (Pakistan) 9,356,225
Rajasthan (India) 3,756,008
Uttar Pradesh (India) 2,845,244
Jammu & Kashmir (India) 581,477
Balochistan (Pakistan) 369,365
North-West Frontier Province (Pakistan) 302,700
Maharashtra Area (India) 216,139
Dehli (India) 187,072
Madhya Pradesh Area (India) 98,473

Martial Traditions

In the seventeenth century a (Hindu) empire was founded in the region of Bharatpur and Dholpur (Rajasthan) in northern India; it was the outcome of many centuries of rebellion against the Mughal Empire, and it lasted until 1826, when it was beaten by the forces of British East India Company. Farther north, in the Punjab, in the early years of eighteenth century, Jat (chiefly Sikh) organized peasants uprising against the predominantly Muslim landed gentry; subsequently, with the invasion of the region-first by the Persian King Nadir Shah and then by the Afghan Ahmad Shah Abdali-they controlled a major part of the region through close-knit bands of armed marauders operating under the leadership of the landowning chiefs of well-defined territories. Due to their martial tradions, the Jat, together with certain other communities, were classified by British administrations of imperial India as a "martial race," and this term has certain long-lasting effects. One was their large-scale recruitment into the British-Indian army, and to this days a very large number of Jat are soldiers in the Indian army.

When Muhammad bin Qasim invaded Sindh, the Kaikan area in Sindh was in sovereign possessions of Jats. The first Arab invasions in the area were repelled by the Jats. Jats of the Panwar clan governed Umerkot in Sindh prior to Mughal ruler Humayun. Susthan area in Sindh was governed by Chandra Ram, a Jat of Hala clan. Chandra Ram lost his empire (known as Halakhandi) to the Muslim invaders sent by Muhammad bin Qasim.

[Page 74]: There is no information available of any important Jat state in a period of two centuries following Kushan Rule. Neverthless, in the fifth century, there is evidence of the Jat ruler Maharaja Shalinder ruling from "Shalpur" (the present-day Sialkot); his territory extended from Punjab to Malwa and Rajasthan. This is indicated by the Pali inscription obtained by James Todd from village Kanswa in Kota state in year 1820 AD.

There were several Jat states in what is now Rajasthan. The Bikaner area (then known as Jangladesh) in the desert area of Western India was dominated by the Jats. At what period the Jat people established themselves in Indian desert is not known. By the fourth century they had spread up to Punjab in India. The small Jat population in the area were Jat clans governed by their own chiefs and largely governed by their own customary law.

There were several Jat rulers of small regions in North India. These included the Garhwals of Garhmukteshwar, Kaliramnas (who governed near Mathura), Khirwars of Brij and Narsinghpur, Nauhwars (who governed the region surrounding the Noh Lake region near Mathura), Koils of Kampilgarh (the region that is now Aligarh), Halas, Kuntals, Pachars, Thenuas, Toouts and Thakureles. The Jats also dominated the Malwa area, under rulers like Harshavardhana, Shiladitya, Singhavarma, Vishnuvardhan and Yashodharman.

In 1669, the Jats of Gokula area around Mathura rebelled against the mighty Mughal rulers. The rebellion resulted from political provocation aggravated by the economical discontent, and further aggravated by the religious persecution and discrimination.

In the disorder following Aurangzeb's death in 1707. the Jat opposition resumed, organized under the leadership of Churaman (1695-1721). Churaman's nephew, Badan Singh (1722-1756), founded an empire at Deeg, from which he extended his rule over Agra and Mathura. Badan Singh's eldest son and successor, Maharaja Suraj Mal (1707-1763), extended his rule empire to include Agra, Mathura, Dholpur, Mainpuri, Hathras, Aligarh, Etawah, Meerut, Rohtak (including Bhiwani), Farrukhnagar, Mewat, Rewari and Gurgaon. He has been described as among the greatest Jat rulers. Suraj Mal moved the capital from Deeg to Bharatpur in 1733. Rustam, a Jat king of the Sogariya clan, had previously laid the foundation of the modern town of Bharatpur. During the British Raj, the princely state of Bharatpur covered a region of 5,123 sq.km, and its rulers enjoyed a salute of 17 guns. The state acceded to the dominion of India in 1947.

[Page 75]: As per Cunningham and William Cook, the town of Gohad was established in 1505 by Jats of Bamraulia village, who had been forced by to leave Bamraulia by a satrap of Firuz Shah Tughluq. Gohad developed into an important Jat state, and was later captured by the Marathas. The Jats of Gohad signed a treaty with the British and helped them capture Gwalior and Gohad from the Marathas. The British kept Gwalior and handed of Gohad to Jats in 1804. Gohad was handed over to the Marathas under a revised treaty dated 22 November 1805 between the Marathas and the British. As a compensation of Gohad, the Jat ruler Rana Kirat Singh was given Dhaulpur, Badi and Rajakheda; Kirat Singh moved to Dhaulpur in December 1805.

Ballabhgarh was another important princely state founded by the Jats of the Tewatia clan, who had come from Janauli village. Balram Singh, the brother-in-law of Maharaja Suraj Mal was the first mighty ruler of Ballabhgarh. Raja Nahar Singh (1823-1858) was another notable king of this princely state.

Patiala and Nabha were two important Jat states in Punjab, governed by the Jats of Siddhu clan. The Jind state in present-day Haryana was established by the descendents of Phul Jat of Siddhu ancestry.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) of the Sandhawalia Jat clan of Punjab became the Sikh emperor of the sovereign nation of Punjab and the Sikh Empire. He united the Sikh factions into one state, and conquered vast tracts of territory on all sides of his empire. From the capture of Lahore in 1799, he rapidly annexed the rest of the Punjab. To secure his empire, he invaded Afghanistan, and defeated the Pathan militias and clans. Ranjit Singh took the title of "Maharaja" on 12 April, 1801 (to coincide it with Baisakhi day). Lahore served as his capital from 1799. In 1802 he took the town of Amritsar. In the year 1802, Ranjit Singh successfully invaded Kashmir.

Other Jat states of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries included Kuchesar (governed by the Dalal Jat clan of Mandoti, Haryana), and the Mursan state (the present-day Hathras disrict in Uttar Pradesh) governed by the Thenua Jats.

The Jats also briefly governed at Gwalior and Agra. The Jat rulers Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana (1707-1756) and Maharaja Chhatra Singh Rana (1757-1782) occupied the Gwalior fort twice, Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana from 1740 to 1756, and Maharaja Chhatra Singh Rana from 1780 to 1783. Maharaja Suraj Mal captured Agra Fort on 12 June 1761 and it remained in the possessions of Bharatpur rulers until 1774. After Maharaja

[Page 76: Suraj Mal, Maharaja Jawahar Singh, Maharaja Ratan Singh and Maharaja Kehri Singh (minor) under resident ship of Maharaja Nawal Singh governed over Agra Fort.

Contributions to Defence Services

Jat people formed part of almost all successful armies of Indian feudal states. They offered a vigorous resistance to the Arab invaders. The Jat people are one of the longest serving and most decorated of the Indian Army. They have won many battle honours.

In India the Jats maintained the high reputation they had created for themselves on the battlefields of France and Flanders, Libya, Malaya and Burma to name a few. In Jammu and Kashmir 1947-48, the China War 1962, the conflicts of Pakistan 1965 and 1971, and in Sri Lanka and Siachen, they have added to the laurels of the Army.

Jat Regiment

Regimental Motto: Sangathan Va Veerta (Unity and Valour)

War Cry: Jat Balwan, Jai Bhagwan (Brave Jat, Victory to God)
The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, it is one of the longest serving and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1837 to 1947 and post independence 5 battle honours, eight Maha Vir Chakra, eight Kirti Chakra, 32 Shaurya Chakras, 39 Vir Chakras and 170 Sena Medals.

Over its life of more than 200 hundred years, the regiment has participated in various actionsand operations both in the pre and post-independence India and abroad, including the First and the Second World Wars. Numerous sections of the Jat regiment fought in the First World War including the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers.

The Regiment claims it's origins from the Calcatta Native Militia raised in 1795, which later became an infantry battalion of the Bengal Army. The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers were formed in 1857. After 1860, there was a substantial increase in the recruitment of Jats in the British Indian Army, the IX Jat Regiment was formed by bringing under a single regiment, four active and one training battalion.

The Jat people are merged descends of Indo-Scythians and Central Asian and Indo-Aryan communities. In Mughal times, they preserved their independence in Delhi.

[Page 77]: Jat society is a republican form of society, epitomize by the Sarv Khap, a body, a council, based at Shoron, district Muzaffarnagar, U.P, India, that united the Jats from Punjab to Central India and organized the resistance to the feudal forces and the invaders.

They formed principalities like Bharatpur, Dholpur, Gohad (Bhind), Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Kuchesar U.P and Bahadurgarh.

Conservatives by nature, the Jats rarely marry people from other ethnic groups. Great pride is placed in their ancestry. In fact, all the Jats in a particular village considered themselves to be descendants of the man whom they believe founded it.

The British in their quest for power and domination in India came into conflict with the Jat people and recorded that they caused them the maximum trouble along with the Jat Sikhs. So impressed were they by the soldierly qualities of the Jats that they soon started recruiting them in ever-increasing numbers into all branches of the Bengal Army. The 1st battalion was raised as the 22nd Bengal Native Infantry in 1803.

The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were raised in 1817 and 1823 respectively. All three battalions had distinguished records of service including the winning of many honours during WW1. The 1st battalion in particular served with great distinction in France and Iraq (then Mesopotamia) and was conferred the signal honour of being declared 'Royal' in addition to being made Light Infantry.

1947 saw the Regiment undergoing a great deal of change at last becoming a one-class Regiment of Jats, as it should have been from the beginning. The Punjabi Musalmans and Hindustani Musalmans/Ranghars left for Pakistan being replaced be the Jats from the 15th Punjab Regiment, a Pakistan Regiment. Though 50% of the Regiment left for Pakistan and there were insufficient numbers of Jats to replace them someone in army HQ had the foresight to give the Jats their due and make the Jat Regiment at last a true image of the proud yeoman it represented.

In free India the Jats maintained the high reputation they had created for themselves on the battle-fields of France and Flanders, Libya, Malaya and Burma to name a few. In Jammu and Kashmir 1947-48, the China war 1962, the conflicts with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and in Sri Lanka and Siachen, they have added to the laurels of the Regiment and the Army. But the actions of 3 Jat under Lt. Col. Desmond Hayde initially on 1st September and then again on Sept 21-22 of crossing the Ichhogil Canal and capturing Dograi right up to batapore-Attocke Awan and

[Page 78]: knocking on the very doors of Lahore speaks for itself about the battalion's leadership and the bravery of the troops.

Recently in the 1999 Kargil conflict five of the Regiment's battalions took part and once again displayed the soldierly qualities that have made the Jats so well known amongst the community of fighting men. The performance of the Regiment's battalions during the UN missions in Korea and Congo has been in keeping with its high standards. Again, it performed very well in the counter-insurgency operations that have kept the Indian Army busy ever since independence. Nowadays, it fights the foreign mercenaries in Kashmir with its traditional martial spirit.

Class Composition: The Jat Regiment's class composition is 100% Jats from Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India expect for 3 Battalions whose ethnic makeup is as follows:

  1. 12th Battalion: All India All Class.
  2. 15th Battalion: The Battalion recruit Ahirs, Jats, Gujjars and Rajputs, the classes with a common heritage. This was done as an experimental measure to test whether the mixing of these inter-linked classes could lead to fulfillment of the dream of a section of the politico-bureaucratic hierarchy; a mixed Army.
  3. 20th Battalion: Raised by General Vaidya the then Army Chief with a mixed class composition of Jats, Dogras, Garhwalis and Marathas.

Battle Honours

Pre-1947
  • Nagpur, Afganistan (1839)
  • Ghuznee, Ali Masjid, Candahar (1842)
  • Cabool (1842)
  • Maharajpore, Sobraon, Mooltan, Punjab, China (1858-59)
  • Kandahr (1880)
  • Burma (1885-87)
  • Afganistan (1879-80)
  • China (1900)
  • La Basee (1914)
  • Festubert (1914-15)
  • Shiba, Ctesiphon, Khan Baghdadi, Kul al Amara (1915)
  • Neuve Chappelle, France and flanders (1914-15)

[Page 79]:

  • Defense of Kut al Amara, Tigris (1916)
  • Mesopotamia (1914-18)
  • North West Frontier (India) (1914-15) (1917)
  • Afghanistan (1919)
  • Razabil, Kamper, Burma (1942-45)
  • Jitra, Malaya (1941-42) Ninshigum, North Africa (1940-43)

Post-1947

  • Rajauri (1947)
  • Zoji La (1947)
  • Dograi (1965)
  • Phillora (1965)

Honours & Awards: 8 Maha Vir Chakras, 5 Kirti Chakras, 1 Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, 34 Vir Chakras and 12 Shaurya Chakras.
Unit Citations: Citations are given instead of Battles/Theatre Honours when a unit is decorated for Counter Insurgency Operations.

  • 4th Battalion Nagaland (1995)
  • 7th Battalion J&K (1997)
  • 34th Battalion Rashtriya Rifles J&K (1997)
  • 17th Battalion Operation Vijay (1999)

The Regimental Centre: The Regimental Centre was originally raised in July 1795 in Calcutta. Ever since the raising of the Regiment in 1922 the Regimental Centre has been located at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

The Battalions

1st Royal Jat Battalion: 1st Royal Jat Battalion was originally raised in 1803 at Fatehgarh. It was affiliated to the Mechanized Infantary Regiment in 1980 and become its 2nd Battalion. Its class composition now is All India All Class.
2nd Battalions: 2nd Battalions (Mooltan) was raised at Bombay, October 1817. With the transfer of 1st Jats to the Mechanized Infantry Regiment in 1980, this is now the senior battalion. The battalion was part of the 2nd Brigade of the Bengal Force during the first Afghan War in 1838. During this war, the battalion retrieved sandalwood gates from the tomb of Sultan Mahmud Ghazni and brought them back to India. Mahmud of Ghazni looted these from the Somnath Temple in 1024 AD. The gates are currently at Agra Fort under the aegis of Archaeological Survey of

[Page 80]: India. The Battalion was crested with the title 'Light Infantry' on October 4, 1842 for having marched 1100 miles in 33 days for its distinguished service during the Afghan war. On its return, the battalion saw action in Gwalior Campaign.
The battalion again rose to the occasion during the second Afghan War on November 21, 1878. It entered the Khyber Pass to counter Ali Masjid defences. The troops of the battalion achieved victory the very next day.
To suppress the Boxer uprising in China the 1st Battalion arrived in Hong Kong on September 1, 1900, where it was posted to the 3rd Brigade of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. It was deployed in the province of Shantung. On July 3, 1901, it embarked for India after successfully suppressing the revolt.
During the second world war, the battalion was deployed at Mandalay Fort in Rangoon upto Imphal. During this war, the battalion was actively involved in Malaya and Burma against the Japanese.
For the third time in the second world war, the battalion embarked from Calcutta and reached Rangoon on July 10, 1945. It joined 114 Independent Infantry Brigade (7 Infantry Division) to operate against the retreating Japanese. The battalion was later employed to guard the Japanese prisoners of war till the surrender of Japan in January 1946.
During the 1962 war, the battalion proved its mettle once again. While fighting against Pakistan in 1965 war, the Royal Jats fought the ensuring battles with great gusto and tremendous perseverance in which they repulsed two Pakistani counter attacks on the Ichhogil Canal and destroyed seven Sherman tanks.
From October 1967 to February 1969, the battalion was deployed in Mizoram Hills to suppress insurgency. It was the first regular battalion to be inducted in south of Lungle and had many encounters with the Mizo rebels. Braving adverse vagaries of terrain and whether, the Jats emerged as victors again and captured and killed a number of hostiles apart from recovering of large number of weapons. Sub Man Singh was awarded Shaurya Chakra for his gallant action during the counter insurgency operations in the Mizo Hills.
In 1971, during its stay at Jhansi, the unit was converted into a Mechanized Infantry battalion and was fully equiped with Topaz

[Page 81]: armoured personnel carriers. In October 1971, during Indo-Pak war, the battalion went to Najabat Kokri (in Punjab) where it remained in a decisive position till the end of operations, as part of 1 Armoured Division. From 1972 to 1981, the battalion was garrisoned at Babina from where it moved to Patiala. At Patiala, the battalion was re-designated as 2nd Battalion, the Mechanised Infantry Regiment [1 Jat (L1)]. In 1984, the Jat Regimental Centre built a monument at Fatehgarh to mark the birth of the 1st Royal Battalion.
In 1984, during Operation Blue Star, the battalion was placed under the operational control of 4 Infantry Division. Subsequently, it was grouped with 57 Mechanised Brigade and moved to Hissar in September 1986. It was presented with new colours on February 24, 1988 by the then President Dr R Venkataraman. In 1989, the first lot of BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles were given to the battalion and the battalion commented its conversion training.
3rd Battalion: 3rd Battalion (Dograi) Was raised on 13 July 1847 at Dinapur.
4th Battalion: 4th Battalion (Asifwala) was raised on July 1795 at Calcutta. Amalgamated with the 10th Training Battalion on 1 February 1922. Reraised 15 July 1940 at Jhelum. Lost after it surrendered at Singapore 14 February 1942. Reraised 15 January 1962 at Bareilly. Served in Sri Lanka 4 Oct 1988 to June 1990.
5th Battalion: 5th Battalion (Ladakh) was raised on 1 February 1941 at Banaras. This battalion arrived in Ladakh in April of 1962 and was assigned to 114 Infantry Brigade (Leh). Its assignment, as part of India's "forward policy", was to protect the Central Sector, from the Galwan River to the Lunkung defile, which lay on the north end of Pangong Tso. One forward position, named Galwan post, was commanded by Major S.S. Hasabnis and about 60 men. The post had initially been set up by 1/8 Gorkha Rifles and had been surrounded by the Chinese from before Jats took over. Movement to and from the post was mainly by helicopters. On October 20, 1962, the Chinese attacked this post with approximately 600 men. According to Major-General Jagjit Singh (Retired), then Brigade Major of 114 Brigade and author of the book The Saga of Ladakh, in the following battle 30 troops were killed, including two JCOs and Captain Paul, the medical officer at the post, and 18 were wounded, including Major Hasabnis. General Jagjit Singh notes that the post - in common with almost all others established as part of the forward policy - was located in a tactically unsound manner, and while this was

[Page 82]: clearly understood by Major Hasabnis and his men, there was nothing anyone could do it as orders came from the highest level. After the first phase of Chinese attacks, the brigade HQ was ordered from Leh to Chushul as part of the reorganization of Indian forces in Ladakh. The battalion now found itself split between the two extremes of the 80-km long Central Sector. One company was deployed Taksa La on the southern end, protecting he right flank of the brigade against a possible Chinese advance against Chushul from the direction. The rest of the battalion, supported by a troop from 32 Heavy Mortar Battery and a machine-gun detachment of the Mahar Regiment was deployed at the Lunkung defile. In the event, no further fighting was in store for 5 Jats. Their service in the area, and the defense of Post Galwan earned this battalion the right to append "Ladakh" to their name.
6th Battalion: 6th Battalion was raised on 1 February 1941 at Bareilly. Served in Siachen 1993-94.
7th Battalion: 7th Battalion was raised on 15 November 1962 at Bareilly.
8th Battalion: 8th Battalion (Poonchh) was raised on 14 December 1959 at Bareilly.
9th Battalion: 9th Battalion (Chhamb) was raised on 1 June 1962 at Bareilly.
11th Battalion: 11th Battalion was on raised on 1 April 1964 at Bareilly. Originally raised as 31 Jat as an 'I' Battalaion on a special T/O for CI Ops in the North-East using specially selected personnel from the Jat Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Punjab Regiment, Dogra Regiment and Grenadiers. Converted to a standard infantry Battalion in 1972. Now has an All India All Class Composition. Served in Siachen 1988-89.
12th Battalion: 12th Battalion was raised on 7 June 1970 at Bareilly. Served in Sri Lanka 12th June 1988 to January 1990, and in Siachen 1998-99.
14th Battalion: 14th Battalion was raised on 1 October 1963 at Bareilly. Served in Sri Lanka 14 December 1987 to December 1989.
15th Battalion: 15th Battalion was raised on 15 May 1976 at Bareilly. Known as AJGAR battalion.
16th Battalion: 16th Battalion was raised on 1 October 1946 at Bareilly. Served in Siachen 1990-91.
17th Battalion: 17th Battalion was raised on 1 June 1966 at Jabalpur.

[Page 83]: 18th Battalion: was raised on 1 October 1966 at Secunderabad.
19th Battalion: 19th Battalion was raised on 1 August 1980 at Bareilly.
20th Battalion: 20th Battalion (The Jat Regiment's 'Vaidya' Battalion) was raised on 27 February 1985 with a mixed class company of Jats, Dogras, Gargwalis and Marathas. However, 9 August 1998 orders were received for the re-organization of the Battalion as a 100% Jat unit. The following were the departures/arrivals:
Departures:
1. Dogras to 19 Dogra.
2. Garhwalis to 18 Garhwali Rifles. (This company, who proudly style themselves the Garhwali Jats, took a stellar part in Operation Vijay, capturing Point 4700 and winning a number of gallantry awards.)
3. Marathas to the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Center.
The fourth rifle company was raised from personnel sent from the Center and other battalions. The re-organization of the 20th Battalion as a pure Jat unit was completed on 31 December 1999. Served in Siachen 1989-90.
21th Battalion: 21st Battalion was raised on 1 November 1987 at Bareilly. Served in Siachen 1991-92.
114 Battalion: 114 Battalion (Territorial Army) was raised on 1 October 1960 at Dehra Doon.

Famous Personalities

The Jat people is a 31 million strong ethnic group spread out ever of north west India and Pakistan and with large populations living in the EU, US,Canada, Australia and UK. This is a list of famous Jat peoples:

Armed Forces

Gallantry Award Recipients

[Page 84]: killed, but his struggle was not in vain. India honoured this young and valiant martyr with its highest honour for gallantry- Param Vir Chakra

  • Lt. Col. Dharam Singh, on the night of November 7/8, 1948, led his battalion extremely well over a difficult country and against a determined enemy. His conduct in carrying out the attacks was an inspiration to all his men, which eventually led to the capture of the feature at dawn. For his gallantry he received the Maha Vir Chakra.
  • Maj. Malkait Singh Brar was awarded Maha Vir Chakra for exceptional gallantry in Feb 1948 during the Jammu and Kashmir operations for defending his position from enemy forces.
  • Maj. M. S. Chaudhary was able to inflict more than 100 casualties on 9th October, 1962, on the enemy and was later killed. For his bravery he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra on 20th October, 1962.
  • Maj. Gen. Swarup Singh, during Indo-Pakistan War, planned and executed operations to hunt the infiltrators, capture their bases and block routes of infiltration. He succeeded in his mission by showing exemplary leadership, determination and courage in the best traditions of the Indian Army. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra on 5th August, 1965.
  • Brigadier K.K. Singh, commanded his Armoured Brigade in action in the Sialkot Sector in 1956. The force Brigadier Singh destroyed over 75 enemy tanks. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
  • Subedar Ajit Singh gallantry during 1965 Indo-Pak war, inspired his comrades and they routed the enemy. He was posthumously honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra.
  • Lt. Col. Kulwant Singh Pannu, during the 1971 war, was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his exceptional leadership in capturing of Mirpur bridge.
  • Lt. Col. Narinder Singh Sandhu, was decorated the Maha Vir Chakra for his skillful leadership.
  • Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat, in the 1971 India-Pakistan war, sacrificed his life for his country at the young age of 24 and was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) posthumously.
  • Subedar Randhir Singh won the Vir Chakra award in Kargil War of 1999 in the battle of Tiger Hill, but at the cost of his life. He was killed in this action.

[Page 85]:

Others

[Page 86]:

Politicians

[Page 87]:

Artists

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