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Jats

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A Jat farmer tending to his crops
Durbar (court) of the Jat princely ruler of Dholpur State, 1870s
A Jat sepoy of the 14th Murrays Jat Lancers

The Jats, also spelt as Jaat, Jatt, and Jutt, are an agriculturist and landowning community of Northern India and Pakistan.[1][2] Originally pastoralists along the Indus river-valley, many Jats migrated into the Punjab, Delhi Territory, Jangladesh, and the western Gangetic Plain by the 17th and 18th centuries.[3] Of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh faiths, they are now found mostly in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and the Pakistani provinces of Sindh, Punjab and AJK.[4]

History

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The Jats are a diverse community in the Indian subcontinent, ranging from simple landowning peasants to wealthy and influential Zamindars.[5] Originally pastoralists in the Indus Valley, they became farmers by the 8th century, as noted during the Umayyad conquest of Sindh.[6] Arab writers called them “Zutt” and described their presence in various regions.

Starting in the 10th century, Jat clans established independent chiefdoms in historical Jangladesh.[7] From the 11th century onwards, Jats would migrate up from Sindh and Rajasthan into Punjab, adopting agriculture with tools like the water wheel. By Mughal times, “Jat” often meant “peasant” in Punjab, and some became landowners.[8] By 1595, Jat Zamindars controlled about 32% of Punjab’s Zamindaris.

During the Mughal Empire’s decline in the 17th century, ambitious Jat chiefs would revolt. Gokula would lead the Brajwasi Hindu Jats against Emperor Aurangzeb,[9] leading to the formation of petty states[10] which united under the Bharatpur State.[11] Punjabi Sikh Jat chiefs would form most of the Sikh Misls, resisting Mughal and Durrani forces,[12] and later uniting under the Sikh Empire. And in Rohilkhand, the Rohilla dynasty of Rampur State descended from an adopted Muslim Jat.[13]

During the British Raj, some Jats would rule princely states. For example, the Phulkian dynasty ruled over Patiala, Faridkot, Jind, and Nabha.[14]

Jats were classified as a “martial race” by the British, favoured for recruitment into the British Indian Army due to perceived physical fitness, though considered politically subservient and intellectually inferior.[15][16] Post-1881, Sikh Jats were prioritised for recruitment as the British deemed Hindus less suitable.[17] Jat sepoys would fight in both World Wars.[18] Following the Partition of British India, most Hindu and Sikh Jats settled in India, while most Muslim Jats settled in Pakistan.

Demography

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In India, Jats and Sikh form 20–25% of Haryana’s population and 20–35% of Punjab’s, with 9% in Rajasthan, 5% in Delhi, and 1.2% in Uttar Pradesh.[19][20] Classified as a General (forward) caste in most states, Jats in Rajasthan (except Bharatpur and Dholpur) qualify for central OBC reservation. Seven states include Jats in their OBC (Other Backward Castes) lists.[21][22]

In 2009, the Pakistani Jat population was estimated to be roughly 21 million.[23] The Jats, together with Rajputs and Gujjars, are part of the dominant Punjabi Muslim communities settled across eastern Pakistan.[24]

Culture and society

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A contingent of the Jat Regiment of Indian Army, during the Indian Republic Day parade

Initially pastoralists with little exposure to major religions, Jats adopted Islam in West Punjab, Sikhism in East Punjab, and Hinduism in areas between Delhi and Agra, reflecting regional religious influences.[25]

The Khap system was historically the prevailing system of organisation for the Jats. Khaps are clan-councils, presided over by clan elders and notables. An assembly of Khap leaders is known as a Khap Panchayat, and an assembly of several Panchayats is known as a Sarv Khap.[26] Historically, Jat Khaps would raise militias to capture new territory for the clan or push for increased autonomy.[27] The system continues to exist today, albeit extrajudicially, policing social norms in Jat-dominated areas.[28]

Many Jats serve in the Indian Army, including the Jat Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Rajputana Rifles, and Grenadiers, earning numerous gallantry awards. Jats also serve in the Pakistan Army, particularly in the Punjab Regiment.[29]

Notable persons

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References

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  1. ↑ Bal, Gurpreet (September 2006). "Entrepreneurship among Diasporic Communities". The Journal of Entrepreneurship. 15 (2): 189. doi:10.1177/097135570601500205. ISSN 0971-3557. Most of the Sikhs are Jats and owing to their numerical preponderance and landownership, they are a dominant caste in Punjab. The word Jat and farmer are synonymous in Punjabi. They are landowners and their occupation is agriculture.
  2. ↑ Pathak, Ajai K.; Kadian, Anurag; Kushniarevich, Alena; Montinaro, Francesco; Mondal, Mayukh; Ongaro, Linda; Singh, Manvendra; Kumar, Pramod; Rai, Niraj; Parik, Jüri; Metspalu, Ene (December 2018). "The Genetic Ancestry of Modern Indus Valley Populations from Northwest India". The American Journal of Human Genetics. 103 (6): 04. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.10.022. S2CID 54476711. Jat (also spelled as "Jatt" and "Jaat") people are an ethnic agricultural apparently setled in Northwest South Asia The term Jat is supposedly derived from Jatta, a broad word used for cattle gazers and camel breeders, moving in a group - jatha. Jats have been known as zamindars (landowner) since the period of Mogul emperor Akbar in 16th century".
  3. ↑ Kaur, Harjinder (2010). Nationalist Historians On Sikh History. Punjab (India): Department of History-University of Patiala. p. 238. Jatt/ Jaat: A section of Indian society which dominates the rural areas in the Northern India. These people are most agriculturist
  4. ↑ Etienne, Gilbert (2023-11-15). Studies in Indian Agriculture: The Art of the Possible. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-32378-0.
  5. ↑ Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2016). Migrations in medieval and early colonial India. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-48854-0.  Out of the 45 parganas of the sarkars of Delhi, 17 are reported to have Jat Zamindars. Out of these 17 parganas, the Jats are exclusively found in 11, whereas in other 6 they shared Zamindari rights with other communities
  6. ↑ Asher, Catherine B. (2006). India before Europe. Cynthia Talbot (1 ed.). West Nyack: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80904-7.
  7. ↑ Sharma, Dasharatha (1966). Rajasthan Through the Ages: From the earliest times to 1316 A.D. Bikaner: Rajasthan State Archives. pp. 287–288. There is good reason to believe that parts of the present north-eastern and north-western Rajasthan were inhabited by Jat clans ruled by their own chiefs and largely governed by their own customary law.
  8. ↑ Grewal, J. S. (2003). The Sikhs of the Punjab. The new Cambridge history of India / general ed. Gordon Johnson 2, Indian States and the transition to colonialism (Rev. ed., transferred to digital print ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-521-63764-0. “the most numerous of the agricultural tribes (in the Punjab) were the Jats. They had come from Sindh and Rajasthan along the river valleys, moving up, displacing the Gujjars and Rajputs to occupy cultural lands”.
  9. ↑ Metcalf, Barbara D.; Metcalf, Thomas R. (2006-09-28). A Concise History of Modern India. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-45887-0.
  10. ↑ Bayly, C. A. (1988-05-19). Rulers, Townsmen and Bazaars: North Indian Society in the Age of British Expansion, 1770-1870. CUP Archive. ISBN 978-0-521-31054-3.
  11. ↑ Asher, Catherine; Talbot, Cynthia (2006). India before Europe. Cambridge University Press. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-521-80904-7. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  12. ↑ Dhavan, Purnima (2011-11-03). When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-975655-1.
  13. ↑ Khan, Iqbal Ghani (2002). "Technology and the Question of Elite Intervention in Eighteenth-Century North India". In Barnett, Richard B. (ed.). Rethinking Early Modern India. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 271. ISBN 978-81-7304-308-6. "Thus we witness the Ruhelas accepting an exceptionally talented non-Afghan, an adopted Jat boy, as their nawab, purely on the basis of his military leadership..."
  14. ↑ Bates, Crispin (2013-03-31). Mutiny at the Margins: New Perspectives on the Indian Uprising of 1857: Volume I: Anticipations and Experiences in the Locality. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-81-321-1589-2. “The passage to Delhi, however, lay through the cis–Sutlej states of Patiala, Jind, Nabha and Faridkot, a long chain of Jat Sikh states that had entered into a treaty of alliance with the British as far back as April 1809 to escape incorporation into the kingdom of their illustrious and much more powerful neighbour, 'the lion of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh”
  15. ↑ Britten, Thomas Anthony (1997). American Indians in World War I: At Home and at War. UNM Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-2090-2.
  16. ↑ Streets, Heather; Streets-Salter, Heather (2004). Martial Races: The Military, Race and Masculinity in British Imperial Culture, 1857-1914. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-6962-8.
  17. ↑ Veer, Peter van der (1994-02-07). Religious Nationalism: Hindus and Muslims in India. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-08256-4.
  18. ↑ Jackson, Ashley (2006). The British Empire and the Second World War. London: Hambledon and London. ISBN 978-1-85285-417-1.
  19. ↑ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2003). India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India. Hurst. ISBN 978-1-85065-670-8.
  20. ↑ The Indian Journal of Political Science. Indian Political Science Association. 2006.
  21. ↑ "SC removes Jats from OBC list". The Hindu. 2015-03-17. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  22. ↑ "History repeats itself as yet another Central govt faces a Jat stir". Hindustan Times. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  23. ↑ Lodrick, Deryck O. (2009). "JATS". In Gallagher, Timothy L.; Hobby, Jeneen (eds.). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. Volume 3: Asia & Oceania (2nd ed.). Gale. pp. 418–419. ISBN 978-1414448916.
  24. ↑ Christophe Jaffrelot, ed. (2004). A history of Pakistan and its origins. London: Anthem Press. ISBN 1-84331-149-6. OCLC 56646546.
  25. ↑ Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad (1982). "A Note on Medieval Jatt Immigration in the Punjab". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 43: 342–350. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44141246.
  26. ↑ Pradhan, M. C. (18 December 1965). "The Jats of Northern India Their Traditional Political System – II" (PDF). Economic and Political Weekly.
  27. ↑ Richards, John F. (1993). The Mughal Empire - Part 1 Volume 5. Cambridge University Press. pp. 88–90. ISBN 9780521566032.
  28. ↑ Kumar, Ajay (28 January 2012). "Khap Panchayats: A Socio-Historical Overview". Economic and Political Weekly. 47 (4): 59–64. JSTOR 41419766.
  29. ↑ Sumner, Ian (2001-08-25). The Indian Army 1914–1947. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 978-1-84176-196-1.

Notes

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Further reading

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  • Census Of India 1911 Volume XIV Punjab Part 2 by Pandit Narikishan Kaul
  • 'A glossary of the tribes and castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province' by H.A. Rose, Page 354, published in 1919.
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