Shergill

Shergill (शेरगिल)^[1] ^[2] ^[3] is one of the largest Jat tribes found in Punjab.

Origin

They are said to have descended from the Raja of Garh Mithila. The Shergills are said to have come from this great tribe. The Gill Jats are from the Caspian Sea area, homeland of Massagetae. As the Caspian Sea was once known as the Sea of Gillan, per Sir Sikes. The plural of Gill in Punjabi is Gillan, ie Gillan De Munde. Moreover, the Gill and Gillian presence in England may well be the result of Alanic (Massagetae) settlement in 400s A.D. The Maharajas of the Nishanwalia Misl, Sukha Singh and Mehar Singh were Shergill. So are the Majithia of Majha. World famous painter Amrita Sher-Gil, who was the daughter of Sikh Aristocrat Umrao Singh Sher-Gil Majithia, also belonged to Shergill Jats.

Villages founded by clan

Naoshera: Sir Lepel H. Griffin writes that Chaudhari Sarwani 15th in descend from Sher, founder of clan, Shergill, built the village of Naoshera, otherwise known as Raipur Sarwani and got in jagir. ^[4]

History

The descendants of Shergill, one of the eight sons of the Great Gillpal, settled in the Zira area located in Malwa and gave rise to the elite Shergill (i.e. Singh Gill) Jat clan of the Punjab.

Sir Lepel H. Griffin writes that Chaudhari Sarwani 15th in descend from Sher, founder of clan, built the village of Naoshera, otherwise known as Raipur Sarwani and got in jagir. ^[5]

Distribution in Patiala district

There are two villages of Shergills in district Patiala (i.e. Pind Behal and Majaal-Khurd). Behal village is located on the Patiala-Pehowa road and Manjal-Khurd is located a kilometre aside of Guhla-Cheeka Road.

Sardar Dhann Singh Shergill of Village Manjal Khurd was one of the prominent and respectable people of the area.

Sardar Charanjit Singh Shergill (1905–1997) of the Behal village, south of Patiala, was a prominent figure in the area. Shergills are also found in nearby Mehmudpur and Khansian villages.

Distribution in Nawanshahr district

There are eight villages near Banga in District Nawanshahr where Shergills reside. These are Ferozepur,Raipur Dabba, Mukandpur, Jagatpur, Jhingran, Dyalpur, Bahua and Chak Bilgan etc.

Distribution in Ropar district

There are some villages of Shergills in Nurpur Bedi Block in Ropar i.e. Abiana, Leharian, Rampur Bela, Bhatton, Bains, Aulakh & many more.

Distribution in Amritsar district

In Amritsar district, the famous village of Baserke Gillan is also the birthplace of the third Guru of Sikhs, Guru Amar Das Ji.

Distribution in Sangrur district

In Sangrur district of Punjab there are three famous villages of Shergills, Jamsher Khera, Rajomajra and Moranwali. References

Notable persons

Deewan Ranjeet Rai (Lt Col) (06.02.1913 - 28.10.1947), MVC (Posthumous), became martyr on 28.10.1947 during Indo-Pak War 1947. He was from Gujranwala (Pakistan). Unit: 1 Sikh Regiment.
Amrita Shergill - Artist/Painter
Jimmy Shergill - Actor
Vikram Shergill - Actor
Jai Inder Shergill - Pol
Ganjendra Singh Majithia, Shergill - Jat, From Amritsar district was in the List of Punjab Chiefs.
Umrao Singh Majithia, Shergill - Jat, From Amritsar district was in the List of Punjab Chiefs.
Arur Singh Naushahria, Shergill - Jat, From Amritsar district was in the List of Punjab Chiefs.
Surat Singh Mari, Shergill - Jat, From Lahore district was in the List of Punjab Chiefs of Pakistan.
Sardar Bahadur Gurnam Singh Shergill
Maharani Bakhtawar Kaur Sahiba

Gallery of Shergill people

Amrita Shergill
Sardar Jasjit Singh Sher-Gill with Sanjay Dutt
Rais Sardar Bhag anmol Singh Sher Gill, Rais of Mangat Ludhiana, Punjab
Raja Umrao Singh of Majithia (1870-1954), the father of the famous colourful and innovative painter Amrita Sher-Gil. He was was born at Majitha, a village in Amritsar district into a Sher Gill Jat family. He was the eldest son of Raja Surat Singh Majithia.