Sethi
Sethi (सेथी) Sathi (साथी) is a Gotra of Jats.[1] [2] Sethi,(ਸੇਥੀ) also known as Seti or Sathi is a common surname among Jat Sikh clans of the Punjabi and Rajasthani people. Although this gotra of jatt clan has similar spell with Sethi clan of khatri sikhs who adapted Sikhism during the 18th and 19th centuries and originally followed Hinduism. Both are entirely different gotras although they have similar spell, jatt clan being called as ਸੇਥੀ whereas khatri sikh clan being called as ਸੇਠੀ.
Origin
Jat Gotras Namesake
- Seti = Setae (Pliny.vi.22)
- Sethi = Setheries (Pliny.vi.5)
Gotras Namesake
- Sethi (सेठी) (Jat clan) → Sethia (सेठिया) → Sethia (सेठिया) is a village in Parasia tahsil in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh.
Mention by Pliny
Pliny[3] mentions The region of Colica, the nations of the Achæi, and other nations in the same parts.....
Next to this, is the promontory of Cruni, after passing which, we find the Toretæ upon a lofty ridge of mountains. The city of Sindos17 is distant from Hierus sixty-seven miles and a half; after passing which, we come to the river Setheries. (6.) From thence to the entrance of the Cimmerian Bosporus the distance is eighty-eight miles and a half.
17 Inhabited by the Sindi, a people of Asiatic Sarmatia. They probably dwelt in and about the modern peninsula of Taman, between the Sea of Azof and the Black Sea, to the south of the river Hypanis, the modern Kouban. The site of their capital, Sindos, or Sinda, is supposed to have been the modern Anapa. Parisot conjectures that this place was one of the ancient settlements of the Zigeunes, the modern Bohemians or Gypsies. He seems to found his opinion upon some observations of Malte Brun (Précis de Geographie, vol. vi.) upon the origin of the Gypsy race, which will amply repay the perusal.
Mention by Pliny
Pliny[4] mentions ' The Ganges'.... The country of the Dardæ15 is the most productive of gold, that of the Setæ of silver.
15 These may possibly be the Daradræ of Ptolemy, but it seems impossible to guess their locality.
Jat clans mentioned by Megasthenes
Megasthenes also described India's caste system and a number of clans out of these some have been identified with Jat clans by the Jat historians. Megasthenes has mentioned a large number of Jat clans. It seems that the Greeks added 'i' to names which had an 'i' ending. Identified probable Jat clans have been provided with active link within brackets.
| Jat clans as described by Megasthenes | ||||||||||||
| Location | Jat clans | Information | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. Next | The Dardae (Dara, Darad, Darar, Daral), the Setae (Set) | Gold is very abundant among the Dardae (Darad), and silver among the Setae (Set, Seti) | ||||||||||
History
According to Major A.E. Barstow, Sethi were very good soldiers due to the influence of Sikhism, and possessed more of a marital status. Barstow further comments, that due to their diet and their fondness for wrestling (something encouraged and taught by Guru Angad to the Sikh people) and weightlifting, they possessed good physical attributes for soldiery. According to R. W. Falcon, Sethi Jat Sikhs (alongside other Sikhs) were seen as a good source for recruitment. According to Captain A. H. Bingley they were particularly loyal soldiers.
In Rajasthan and Malwa region of Punjab, there are many Sethis which are Muslim jatts.
Sethis are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India. Over the years, several sethi Jats abandoned agriculture in favour of urban jobs, and used their dominant economic and political status to claim higher social status. In Punjab (India), Sethi are associated with agricultural pursuits and land ownership. They often reside in the rural areas, and are economically influential in the state.
In addition to the conventional Sarva Khap Panchayat, there are regional Jat Mahasabhas affiliated to the All India Jat Mahasabha to organize and safeguard the interests of the community, which held its meeting at regional and national levels to take stock of their activities and devise practical ways and means for the amelioration of the community
Population
History
Distribution in Punjab
Villages in Amritsar district
Notable Persons
Further reading
1. History of the Sikhs, by J.D. Cunningham, Satvic Media, Amritsar, 2002, ISBN 81-87526-04-1
2. ↑ Jat History Dalip Singh Ahlawat/Parishisht-I, s.n. स-78
3. O.S.Tugania:Jat Samuday ke Pramukh Adhar Bindu,p.63,s.n. 2512 3.-" The spiritual heritage of Punjab" written by jaswant singh neki
4. Thakur Deshraj: Jat Itihas (Hindi), Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi, 1934
5. Ratan Saldi (6 June 2009). "Caste System Among Sikhs In Punjab". Asian Tribune.
6. The Sikh Revolution By Jagjit Singh
7. http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Jatt(see caste lisings)
8. https://www.jatland.com/home/Jatt
References
Back to Jat gotras