There is a group on JatHistory in yahoo forums. People belongs to the community or academics discuss the contribution of Jats in the making of modern India.... Here are an excerpts from a popular paper posted there....
The 1857 war is treated as a Sepoy mutiny by British and (most) Indian Historians.
Dilip Singh Ahlawat in his Book, Jat Viron ka Ithihass presents a different view.
He writes, that this was not a rebellion or a mutiny but was an organized war of liberation. He also makes reference to a British writer, who in his book " History of our own times Vol III' called it " a national and religious war".
In 1857 the territory of the SarvKhap Panchayat was all around Delhi, for over 150 miles in every direction. The individuals Khaps were in all areas.
In 606 AD the Jat Emperor Harshvardhan of Kanauj, had united the Jat Khaps from Sutlej to Bareilly (Western UP) to Madhya Pradesh, and formed the republic of "HARYANA" He coined the term " Haryana SarvKhap Panchayat."
[Sarv Khap Panchayat. The term stands for the supreme Panchayat- (today this is called a parliament). A Khap stands for a unit of territory, commonly of 84 villages. . This Sarv Khap Panchayat had about 300 subsidiary Khaps under it. This would indicate that that the territory had over 25,000 villages in it. The boundaries in today's terms were from the Sutlej River in the Punjab, to Western UP, to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan)
From that time 600 AD to 1857 the Sarv Khap managed its affairs independently. It had its own standing army, which protected the individual Khaps. Its system of Law and Justice was renowned. Every citizen of the republic lived free.
People from all communities lived in this territory of the Republic of Haryana, and served in the army of the Haryana Sarv Khap. However as the Jats were the maximum in number, in the Sarv Khap army too, the Jats were more in numbers. The main communities were Jat, Ahir, Gujar, and Rajput etc.
The accounts of the wars of the Sarv Khap with Ghazni, Ghori and the support to patriotic leaders Prithviraj Chauhan, to Sadashiv Bhau are given elsewhere.
The first opposition to the British came from the Haryana Sarv Khap. The British had implemented many policies against the Panchayat.
The leaders of the movement were:
1.Nana Sahib Peshwa 2) Tantia Tope 3) Lakshmi bai, the Rani of Jhansi 4) Nahar Singh, the Jat ruler f Ballabhgarh, 5) Kunwar Singh, the Raja of Jagdishpur (in Bihar) 6) Aji Mullah, 7) Two leaders of the Sarvkhap, Nahar Singh and Harnam Singh 8) Baktah Khan Pathan.
What is not commonly known is the Independence movement was led and organized by four great Sadhu yogis. The prime organizers of the 1857 Independent struggle were four Yogi Sanyasis.
The first: Swami Omanand of the Himalayas. In 1857 he was 162 years old.
The second; His disciple Swami Purananand of Kankal (Haridwar, U.P.), who was 100 years old.
The third was Purananand's student and disciple Swami Virajanand, who was 79 years old.
The fourth was Swami Virajanand's student and disciple, Swami Dayanand Saraswati who was 33 years old. Swami Dayanand was the founder of the Arya Samaj movement.
These four great persons, through their teachings organized 2000 Sadhus and Sants, to spread the message for the liberation of the country. In this group there were Sants from Hindus and Muslims and all Mutts. These Sadhus propagated the anti British message in the Cantonments of the native soldiers, and among the revolutionaries, in the various pilgrimage places and fairs, that were held at Ganga River, Haridwar, Garh Mukteshwar, and Mathura etc. They were the secret agents who would gather and provide the information about the British movements to their Sadhu organization.
4.4 THE SPEECH OF EMPEROR BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR TO 1000 MEMBERS OF THE HARYANA SARV KHAP.
On June 6, 1857 the Emperor gave a speech to the assembly of the Haryana Sarv Khap.
He said:
" Leaders of the Sarvkhap Panchayat!
Take your warriors and throw out the foreigners. You have brave and capable leaders. In my Shahi (royal) family we have young men, but they have never smelt the smoke of gunpowder.
The British army has many times seen the strength of force of your young men. Today it is a matter of polity that the leaders should be of a royal family.
Yet today the Nawabs and Rajas have fallen. They have accepted slavery to the British.
The nation had faith and trust in you. Come forward and throw out these foreigners.
On their removal a durbar (Court Assembly) shall be held, and the Panchayat shall rule and manage its own affairs. I have no objection"
From the records of the Haryana Sarv Khap as recorded by Mir Mustaq Mirasi.
4.5 BAHADURSHAH ZAFAR'S LETTER TO THE SARV KHAP.
Of Historical interest is this letter from Bahadur Shah to the Sarv Khap
"It is my request to the Pradhan of the Haryana Sarv Khap, and to each person who resides in this nation of Hind, that after taking back our nation from these foreigners, a Panchayat of capable and skilful leaders be called. The nation should be entrusted to them. A national panchayat for the entire country should be formed on the lines of the Sarv Khap Panchayat, through that the country should be governed. I shall give all my authority to that Panchayat with pleasure"
By order of Bahdurshah Zafar, Badshah of Hindustan, July 1, 1857.
The Panchayat continued to gather its marital strength.
Nana Sahib Peshwa and Aji Mullah came from Haridwar to meet the Panchayat leaders.
Bahadurshah wrote letters asking for assistance from the Princes and Nawabs Jaipur, Bikaner, Alwar, Hyderabad, Gwalior, Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Kapurthala, Baroda etc, but help did not come.
These Indian princes supported the British.
6.0 THE VALOUR AND SACRIFICE OF THE JATS OF HARYANA IN THE 1857 INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE
In Haryana, the bases of resistance of the revolutionaries in this independence struggle were established at Rampura, Rewari, Farukhnanar, Jhajjar, Bahdurgarh, Ballabhgarh, Narnaul, Shyamrdi, Rohtak, Thaneswar, Karnal, Panipat, Pai, Kaithal, Sirsa, Hansi, Nangli, Jamalpur, and Hissar etc. In all these places for some time the freedom fighters held sway. Here is an account of some Jat related events.
Rohtak was attached to the Governor of Bengal, and the Commissary had its headquarters at Agra. The Deputy Commissioner of Rohtak was John Adamlock. The revolutionary army entered Bahdurgarh on May 23rd and Rohtak on May 24 1857. The Deputy Commissioner ran away to Karnal via Gohana. The remaining Englishmen were put to death. The revolutionaries wished to loot the Hindu's of Rohtak, but the Jats refused to allow them to do so. The revolutionaries took out Rs 200,000 from the treasury. The posts of Mantinda, Madina, and Maham were destroyed. Sampla Tehsil was burnt down. The British women folk were sent to safety despite the opposition of the Muslim Rangar Rajputs. The Gathwala Maliks established their hold on Rohtak.
A British force reached Rohtak from Ambala on May 30; the army of the freedom fighters had a battle with them in the forest of Shyamrdi (Saamrdi) and defeated them. A few British soldiers escaped and reached Sampla on June 10. The deputy commissioner could not bear the strong sun and went blind.
The revolutionaries of Rohtak, in whom the proportion of Jats was high, joined the battle against the British on the hills of Delhi on June 14, 1857.
When the English could not get a grip on Rohtak in any manner, they handed Rohtak over to Raja Swarup Singh of Jind on July 26, 1857.
Until the end of December the Jat Khap kept battling with the English, and also with other Jats, and with the Muslim Rangars and the Kasai-s (butchers).
Captain Hudson with some British soldiers arrived at Rohtak on August 16, 1857. He saw a gathering of some people, and fired upon them, killing sixteen persons. The news of this spread through the countryside. The next day on August 17, 1500 Jats from the villages of Sindhpura, Tittoli, etc, arose, and battled Hudson's force, 50 were martyred.
In 1857, in Hissar, a light force, number 14 Horse troops Risala, were stationed. The majority was Jats, who revolted. Wherever the British were found in Hissar, Sirsa, Hansi, and other country places, they were put to death.
The Chief Commissioner of Punjab, John Lawrence sent an experienced general Warne Courtland with an army.
In the battles for Rohtak the Sikhs assisted the British, and in Hissar the Maharaja of Bikaner 's 800 soldiers fought alongside the British.
The government buildings of Thaneswar were burnt down. The Jats of Pai captured Kaithal. The Muslim Rajputs of Asand came upto Panipat. The people of Kharkhoda joined the Royal Army. When the revolution ended 20 persons from Kharkhoda were shot dead and 14 were hanged to death.
The Sikh and Rajput forces along with the English forces committed many atrocities upon the people of Haryana to suppress the revolution, right upto the end of 1857.
The yahoo group is well researched rich stuff on our heritage...
The 1857 war is treated as a Sepoy mutiny by British and (most) Indian Historians.
Dilip Singh Ahlawat in his Book, Jat Viron ka Ithihass presents a different view.
He writes, that this was not a rebellion or a mutiny but was an organized war of liberation. He also makes reference to a British writer, who in his book " History of our own times Vol III' called it " a national and religious war".
In 1857 the territory of the SarvKhap Panchayat was all around Delhi, for over 150 miles in every direction. The individuals Khaps were in all areas.
In 606 AD the Jat Emperor Harshvardhan of Kanauj, had united the Jat Khaps from Sutlej to Bareilly (Western UP) to Madhya Pradesh, and formed the republic of "HARYANA" He coined the term " Haryana SarvKhap Panchayat."
[Sarv Khap Panchayat. The term stands for the supreme Panchayat- (today this is called a parliament). A Khap stands for a unit of territory, commonly of 84 villages. . This Sarv Khap Panchayat had about 300 subsidiary Khaps under it. This would indicate that that the territory had over 25,000 villages in it. The boundaries in today's terms were from the Sutlej River in the Punjab, to Western UP, to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan)
From that time 600 AD to 1857 the Sarv Khap managed its affairs independently. It had its own standing army, which protected the individual Khaps. Its system of Law and Justice was renowned. Every citizen of the republic lived free.
People from all communities lived in this territory of the Republic of Haryana, and served in the army of the Haryana Sarv Khap. However as the Jats were the maximum in number, in the Sarv Khap army too, the Jats were more in numbers. The main communities were Jat, Ahir, Gujar, and Rajput etc.
The accounts of the wars of the Sarv Khap with Ghazni, Ghori and the support to patriotic leaders Prithviraj Chauhan, to Sadashiv Bhau are given elsewhere.
The first opposition to the British came from the Haryana Sarv Khap. The British had implemented many policies against the Panchayat.
The leaders of the movement were:
1.Nana Sahib Peshwa 2) Tantia Tope 3) Lakshmi bai, the Rani of Jhansi 4) Nahar Singh, the Jat ruler f Ballabhgarh, 5) Kunwar Singh, the Raja of Jagdishpur (in Bihar) 6) Aji Mullah, 7) Two leaders of the Sarvkhap, Nahar Singh and Harnam Singh 8) Baktah Khan Pathan.
What is not commonly known is the Independence movement was led and organized by four great Sadhu yogis. The prime organizers of the 1857 Independent struggle were four Yogi Sanyasis.
The first: Swami Omanand of the Himalayas. In 1857 he was 162 years old.
The second; His disciple Swami Purananand of Kankal (Haridwar, U.P.), who was 100 years old.
The third was Purananand's student and disciple Swami Virajanand, who was 79 years old.
The fourth was Swami Virajanand's student and disciple, Swami Dayanand Saraswati who was 33 years old. Swami Dayanand was the founder of the Arya Samaj movement.
These four great persons, through their teachings organized 2000 Sadhus and Sants, to spread the message for the liberation of the country. In this group there were Sants from Hindus and Muslims and all Mutts. These Sadhus propagated the anti British message in the Cantonments of the native soldiers, and among the revolutionaries, in the various pilgrimage places and fairs, that were held at Ganga River, Haridwar, Garh Mukteshwar, and Mathura etc. They were the secret agents who would gather and provide the information about the British movements to their Sadhu organization.
4.4 THE SPEECH OF EMPEROR BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR TO 1000 MEMBERS OF THE HARYANA SARV KHAP.
On June 6, 1857 the Emperor gave a speech to the assembly of the Haryana Sarv Khap.
He said:
" Leaders of the Sarvkhap Panchayat!
Take your warriors and throw out the foreigners. You have brave and capable leaders. In my Shahi (royal) family we have young men, but they have never smelt the smoke of gunpowder.
The British army has many times seen the strength of force of your young men. Today it is a matter of polity that the leaders should be of a royal family.
Yet today the Nawabs and Rajas have fallen. They have accepted slavery to the British.
The nation had faith and trust in you. Come forward and throw out these foreigners.
On their removal a durbar (Court Assembly) shall be held, and the Panchayat shall rule and manage its own affairs. I have no objection"
From the records of the Haryana Sarv Khap as recorded by Mir Mustaq Mirasi.
4.5 BAHADURSHAH ZAFAR'S LETTER TO THE SARV KHAP.
Of Historical interest is this letter from Bahadur Shah to the Sarv Khap
"It is my request to the Pradhan of the Haryana Sarv Khap, and to each person who resides in this nation of Hind, that after taking back our nation from these foreigners, a Panchayat of capable and skilful leaders be called. The nation should be entrusted to them. A national panchayat for the entire country should be formed on the lines of the Sarv Khap Panchayat, through that the country should be governed. I shall give all my authority to that Panchayat with pleasure"
By order of Bahdurshah Zafar, Badshah of Hindustan, July 1, 1857.
The Panchayat continued to gather its marital strength.
Nana Sahib Peshwa and Aji Mullah came from Haridwar to meet the Panchayat leaders.
Bahadurshah wrote letters asking for assistance from the Princes and Nawabs Jaipur, Bikaner, Alwar, Hyderabad, Gwalior, Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Kapurthala, Baroda etc, but help did not come.
These Indian princes supported the British.
6.0 THE VALOUR AND SACRIFICE OF THE JATS OF HARYANA IN THE 1857 INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE
In Haryana, the bases of resistance of the revolutionaries in this independence struggle were established at Rampura, Rewari, Farukhnanar, Jhajjar, Bahdurgarh, Ballabhgarh, Narnaul, Shyamrdi, Rohtak, Thaneswar, Karnal, Panipat, Pai, Kaithal, Sirsa, Hansi, Nangli, Jamalpur, and Hissar etc. In all these places for some time the freedom fighters held sway. Here is an account of some Jat related events.
Rohtak was attached to the Governor of Bengal, and the Commissary had its headquarters at Agra. The Deputy Commissioner of Rohtak was John Adamlock. The revolutionary army entered Bahdurgarh on May 23rd and Rohtak on May 24 1857. The Deputy Commissioner ran away to Karnal via Gohana. The remaining Englishmen were put to death. The revolutionaries wished to loot the Hindu's of Rohtak, but the Jats refused to allow them to do so. The revolutionaries took out Rs 200,000 from the treasury. The posts of Mantinda, Madina, and Maham were destroyed. Sampla Tehsil was burnt down. The British women folk were sent to safety despite the opposition of the Muslim Rangar Rajputs. The Gathwala Maliks established their hold on Rohtak.
A British force reached Rohtak from Ambala on May 30; the army of the freedom fighters had a battle with them in the forest of Shyamrdi (Saamrdi) and defeated them. A few British soldiers escaped and reached Sampla on June 10. The deputy commissioner could not bear the strong sun and went blind.
The revolutionaries of Rohtak, in whom the proportion of Jats was high, joined the battle against the British on the hills of Delhi on June 14, 1857.
When the English could not get a grip on Rohtak in any manner, they handed Rohtak over to Raja Swarup Singh of Jind on July 26, 1857.
Until the end of December the Jat Khap kept battling with the English, and also with other Jats, and with the Muslim Rangars and the Kasai-s (butchers).
Captain Hudson with some British soldiers arrived at Rohtak on August 16, 1857. He saw a gathering of some people, and fired upon them, killing sixteen persons. The news of this spread through the countryside. The next day on August 17, 1500 Jats from the villages of Sindhpura, Tittoli, etc, arose, and battled Hudson's force, 50 were martyred.
In 1857, in Hissar, a light force, number 14 Horse troops Risala, were stationed. The majority was Jats, who revolted. Wherever the British were found in Hissar, Sirsa, Hansi, and other country places, they were put to death.
The Chief Commissioner of Punjab, John Lawrence sent an experienced general Warne Courtland with an army.
In the battles for Rohtak the Sikhs assisted the British, and in Hissar the Maharaja of Bikaner 's 800 soldiers fought alongside the British.
The government buildings of Thaneswar were burnt down. The Jats of Pai captured Kaithal. The Muslim Rajputs of Asand came upto Panipat. The people of Kharkhoda joined the Royal Army. When the revolution ended 20 persons from Kharkhoda were shot dead and 14 were hanged to death.
The Sikh and Rajput forces along with the English forces committed many atrocities upon the people of Haryana to suppress the revolution, right upto the end of 1857.
The yahoo group is well researched rich stuff on our heritage...