Warraich

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Warraich (वङैच/वार्रीच ) / Varaich Baraich (बहराईच), (mainly also spelt Varaich) is a warrior ethnic clan found in Jatts/rajputs of India and Pakistan who are descendants of Indo-Scythian tribes. Also, but less commonly it can be spelt (Baraich, Braich, Varaitch, Varaich, and Warraich) depending on which Punjabi dialect is being used.

Geographical Distribution

The Warraich / Varaich (also spelt Wraich & Braich) clan population was 38,070, in Amritsar district, during the 1911 British Punjab Census and in the Patiala district it was 19,950 during the 1911 British Punjab Census.

'Eastern Panjab

In eastern Punjab in India the clan (Wrraich | Waraich) is found in large numbers in the Majha and Malwa region. Historically they are known as land owners and tenant farmers but are also considered by some as fearless warriors and to date there are large numbers of this clan are employed by both Indian and Pakistani armies. In Indian Punjab the clan consists about 315 villages. After 1947 a large number of waraich clan took stay in haryana state. There are some villages known as (BANSA,DERA GUJRAKHIYA ASSANDH,GUHMTHALA,PANIPAT,NISSING,RAMBHA,SOUNKARA)has this clan.80% of residents of village bhai bakhtaur in dist bathinda are waraich.


Western Panjab

The Warraich / Varaich clan (also spelled Wraich, Braich, Baraich) is mostly found in western Punjab, Pakistan in two districts Gujrat and Gujranwala. They occupy 141 villages in Gujrat and 84 villages in Gujranwala.

Warriach was the largest Muslim Jat clan according to the 1901 Census, and the second largest according to the 1911 Census, the last that tabulated the Jat clans. The Warraich clan is concentrated in Gujrat and Mandi Bahaudin districts, in an area intermediate between the high central plateau and the lowlands of the Chenab, both in the Gujrat and the Phalia tehsils. Depending on the region, Warraich can also be pronounced as Baraich, Braich, Araich, and Varaich, depending on which Punjabi dialect is being used. They are also known as Chungh.

Politics

In the past few decades, the Warraichs of Gujrat have managed to climb the political ladder of their region as well as the ranks of the Pakistan army. Today, it is safe to say that they hold the top political positions of the Gujrat region. In 2004, Ch Shujaat Hussain, of PMLQ Pakistan, hailing from a small village called Natt, near the Chenab river, became the 16th Prime Minister of Pakistan. His father, Ch Zahoor Elahi, one of the most prominent politicians of Pakistan was a member of National Assembly Pakistan for more than 8 years. His cousin, Ch Pervaiz Elahi, was the Chief Minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007 and also the first and only Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan. Shujaat's brother, Ch Wajahat Hussain is one of the most powerful people of Gujrat who has been elected as a member of the National Assembly several times. His son, Ch Hussian Elahi, is currently an elected member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. There were several other leadership and minister roles served by members of this family.

Villages founded by Varaich

  • Kunjah - 12 kilometers from Gujarat, on the road to Phalia in Pakistan. According to Prof. B.S. Dhillon[1]It was founded by a person called Jethu Varaich. As per Hari Ram Gupta [15] and British Gujarat (Punjab district) Gazetteer - 168 (1892-93), this town now located in Pakistan is, 12 kilometers from Gujarat. It is likely that the word "Jethu" probably is "Jathu" or Jat, "Varaich" is a common current Jat clan name [16].[17]

Mythical history

According to Sir Lepal Griffin, the Warraich established a city named Bharhaich in India. Later, the tribe migrated to Punjab during The reign of Mohammad of Ghazni and settled in Gujrat (in present day Pakistan).[6].

According to the Epigraphica Indica, Volume I, page 29, a rock inscription at Chamak Harsati Balaghat mentions that "Bharhaich" jats performed ten asvamedha yagnyas (Sanskrit "Horse sacrifice") and, constructed ten ghats in Varanasi. However this jat clan is actually part of the Bhara regime which ruled the entire eastern and Bundelkhand regions of the current Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Basing evidence upon inscriptions on coins and copper plates found near the village of Janghat in the district of Farrukhabad Kashi Prasad Jaisawal, a historian, has referred to these Bharhaich jats as being the mythological Bharshiva who wore the Siva lingam on their shoulders and committed to free region from the Kushans and other Saka rulers with the descendants of these people are alleged to be the Rajbhar and Bhar of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

According to tradition - Waraich, a jat, had five sons who moved from Chenab to two cities Gujrat and Gujranwala. Three brothers moved to Gujrat and the other two moved to Gujranwala. In or about the tenth century A.D. they moved down to the Jhelum River in large numbers and settled down there. Until the thirteenth century AD they continued to fight with Gujjar tribes. Today these Waraich occupy a very compact area comprising 360 villages in a region called Jatat. During the period of Feroz Shah Tughlaq, a certain Haria leader of these Waraich jats converted to Islam founding a village later called after him Hariawala. Alleged all Warraich jats of the Jhelum region converted to Islam en-masse. No solid evidence is supplied for any of these statements.

Further slightly different traditions have these Punjabi Waraichs as being the progeny of three brothers, Haria, Gunia and Kurtal, who were rulers of Bahraich principality. During Sher Shah Suri's conquest of Bengal, these rulers captured his treasure en-route to the province. It was believed that the Shah would not succeed in his campaign however to their surprise, Sher Shah conquered Bengal and established his rule over a large part of Northern India. Following their defeat these Waraichs left Bahraich and traveled westwards. They settled upon finding suitable grazing grounds on the banks of the Chenab river. This new home was on the lands previously used by Gujjars for grazing cattle. This settlement led to rivalry between the Waraich Jats and the incumbent Gujjars. Traces of clan presence is alleged to be evident from the name "Gujrat" - though this name is evidence from the medieval period and was named after the very same region now the state of Gujarat in India. Muslims have Gujrat derived from "Gujar-Jat" without any reference to Indo-Aryan linguistics. If an etymology were to be proposed then it would be *gurjara rastra, "Land of the gurjara" (Sanskrit gurjara, "cow herd").


The Waraich clan gradually spread out to places beyond Gujrat such as Gujranwala and SargodhaMaddiyala (in today's Punjab province of Pakistan).

Rahmat Khan was a Varaich clan Jat who captured Gujrat Fort in Pakistan.[18]

Dilip Singh Ahlawat has also mentioned it as one of the ruling Jat clans in Central Asia.[14]


Other traditions have these variously labelled Jats or Rajputs (or even both) ruling over Shergarh and Nagaur and other cites until 275 AD.

Religion

Members of the Warraich / Varaich clan in western Punjab are Muslim.

In eastern Punjab and Haryana, the clan is Sikh and Hindu.

Distribution in Uttar Pradesh

Villages in Meerut district

Sujatpur,

Villages in Saharanpur district

Paniyali Kasimpur,

Distribution in Rajasthan

Villages in Hanumangarh district

Ratna Desar,

Distribution in Punjab

Villages in Patiala district

Varaich population is 1,950 in Patiala district. [2]

Villages in Amritsar district

Pandori Waraich

Varaich population is 2,070 in Amritsar district. [3]

Villages in Gurdaspur district

Waraich named two villages are in Gurdaspur tahsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, India.

Villages in Ludhiana district

Villages in Ludhiana district

Distribution in Panjab, Pakistan

Waraich - They are found in Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lahore, Sargodha and Faisalabad districts. Prior to partition, they were also found in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Jalandhar districts.

According to 1911 census the Waraich were the principal Muslim Jat clan in districts:

Famous people

  • Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Pakistani Politician and Lawyer
  • Lt. Gen (Retd.) Imtiazullah Warraich (late) - Vice Chief of Army Staff Pakistan Army
  • Chaudhry Zafar Iqbal Warraich - Former deputy Interior Minister of Pakistan
  • Tariq Aziz Waraich - former National Security Adviser to Pakistani President [[Pervez Musharraf]
  • Chaudhary Yasir Hussain Warraich Keeranwala
  • Gurpreet Singh Warraich a.k.a. Gurpreet Ghuggi
  • Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (Pakistan Muslim League - Q) [Former Prime Minister of Pakistan]
  • Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain (PMLQ) (Member National Assembly of Pakistan)
  • Chaudhry Hussain Elahi (Member National Assembly of Pakistan)
  • Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi (Member National Assembly of Pakistan)
  • Aman Ullah Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Bilal Asghar Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Chaudhry Arshad Javaid Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Gul Nawaz Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Jagdev Singh Waraich, former Indian athlete
  • Javed Iqbal Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Kabir Waraich, Indian racing driver
  • Moin Nawaz Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Muhammad Abdullah Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Suhail Warraich, Pakistani journalist
  • Zawar Hussain Warraich, Pakistani politician
  • Desan Kaur Warraich, regent of the Sukerchakia Misl and grandmother of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
  • Prem Kaur, wife of Maharaja Sher Singh
  • Akbar Waraich, Pakistani-Canadian Politician


Back to Gotras

  1. ↑ History and study of the Jats/Chapter 7,p.105-106
  2. ↑ History and study of the Jats. B.S Dhillon. p.126
  3. ↑ History and study of the Jats. B.S Dhillon. p.124
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