Banda Bhadur

Hi Sharma Ji,

 

Let me include a bit of castism into this Thread (just Kidding)

 

Maharaja Ranjeet Singh was a sansi by caste and not Jatt as told by many historians. His commaders Hari Singh Nalwa of Hazara, Gujjar Singh Bagdi of Lahore (Mis-pronounced as Bhangi) were Gurjars by caste.

 

Regards

After the break up of the Gujjar Partihara Empire a number of of their fuedatories of which majority were of gujjar clan established their independent kingdoms. One such kingdom was of Gujjar Chandels. The Gujjars of Chandel gotra are found near dealhi also and fateh Pur Chandela was one village near Delhi inhabited by Gujjars of Chandel Gotra.

 

Among Gujjars their social status was equivalent to Chahans.

 

Dhang was a very powerful king of this dynasty at the time of the attack of Mahmud Gaznavi, it was only Gujjar Chandels who had given a tough fight to Gaznavi and Gaznavi had to make a ceasefire agreement. An inscription from Mahoba states that he by the strenghth of his arms equalled even the powerful hamvira. It is obvious that Hamvira refer to a Yavan king of gazni who bore a title of Hamvira.

 

After the gaznavides raid the kannauj was taken over by the rathors (gahdwals) and that was the reason why Chauhans and Chandels hated these Rathores.

 

At the time Prithvi Raj Chauhan he attacked Chandel king Parmal to expand his kingdom where Alha and Udal were employed. At the time of the attack due to some misunderstandings the Alha and Udal left mahoba and joined the forces of Rathores, the adversary of Gujjars. The Chandels king Parmal sent a message to Alha and Udal and they gladgully responded to his call at the time of the crisis in thier motherland. Still the Parmal was defeated but Prativi Raj Chauhan did not capture Mahoba, but the bitterness was developed between two clans of Gujjars, the Chauhans and chandels and this helped Ghori to win the second battle since Chandels also did not help Chauhans at the time of crisis.

 

One Baba Gujjar from Chandels left Mahoba and got settled in Punjab and the place he settled was called Gujjarwal. All Gujrals in Punjab are are descendents of Gujjar Chandels.