Batwal

The Batwal are a Hindu caste found in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan in India.[1][2] They are also known as Batwal Rajput They are the oldest community of Hindu Rajput with now have separate customs as well as traditions This caste is influenced and/or the part of suryavanshi rajput are an Indo aryan ethno linguistic group who speak the Punjabi Dogri and Hindi language and are native to the Punjab Jammu & Kashmir provine of Pakistan a part of pre - partition British India .

History The community provided the traditional fighters of the Punjab 337 BC. According to the community own tradition, the Batwal were forced to flee their settlements when India was attacked by Alexander the Great. Once the Greek armies retreated, the Batwal found that their neighbours had seized their lands, and they were forced to become village fighters to watchman.

In the Jammu region, from where the Punjab Batwal claim to have originated, there are a number of traditions as their origin. One traditions refer to the fact that the Batwal were tied to the land by the Dogra landowners, and the word Batt in the Dogri language means someone who is bonded. They were for generations bonded to particular families of Dogras, and were practically serfs. The Batwal are found mainly in Kathua, Jammu and Udhampur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar, Jalandhar, chandigarh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Mumbai, Surat and Ahmadabad in Kolkata.[2] And Sialkot Pakistan.

   The Batwals have the following clans in Jammu province

           BASSE , CHANJOTRA , KAITH , LAHORIA,  LAKHOTRA, LEANDER,  MAANDI ,  MOTTAN ,NANDAN , SARGOTRA , SUNDE, TAGGE and TARGOTRA

Gotra –

The institution of gotra appeared during Later Vedic period. It seems to have been particularly important for Brahmans while later, as against tribal endogamy(marriage within the tribe in order to maintain the purity of the tribe)there developed a full–fledged system of gotra exogamy(Marriage outside from common ancestorhegotra) signifying widening socio-political.Gotra signified descentfrom a common ancestor and marriages could not take place between couples belonging to the same gotra.

A Gotra is the lineage or clan assigned to a Hindu at birth. In most cases, the system is patrilineal and the gotra assigned is that of the person's father. Other names used to refer to it are Vansh, Purvajan, Pitru.  

According to strict Hindu tradition, the term gotra is used only for the lineages of Brahmin,Kshatriya and Vaishya varnas. Brahminical Gotra relates directly to the original seven or eight Rishis of the Vedas. Later, the term "gotra" was associated with broader meanings of any lineage, Brahmin or otherwise.

A common mistake is to consider gotra to be synonymous with clan or kula. A kula is basically a set of people following similar cultural rituals, often worshipping the same God (the Kula-Devata - the God of the clan). Kula has nothing to do with lineage or caste.

It is common practice in preparation for Hindu marriage to inquire about the Kula-Gotra (meaning Clan-Lineage) of the bride and bridegroom before approving the marriage. In almost all Hindu families, marriages within the same gotra are prohibited, since people with same gotra are considered to be siblings.

Following is the list of Gotras,presently being followed by the community

Following is the distribution of various clans with respect to their gotras
ASSAR MAANDI
ATTRI KAITH,TARGOTRA
BHARDWAJ BASSE,MOTTAN,LAKHOTRA
JAJUA/KESSAR NANDAN
KANDAL SARGOTRA
KASHYAP CHANJOTRA,LAORIA,LEANDER,SUNDE, TAGGE

Present Circumstances

Like other neighbouring Hindu communities, the Batwal are striucly exogamous, never marrying within the clan. The major clans include the Basae, a name derived from the Beas River and meaning those settled along the banks of that river, and the Chariya, i.e. those who were inhabitants of Shimla.

Most Batwal in India have been strongly influenced by/and part of the Sindhis, while some Batwals have come under the influence of other Hindu reformists.[1] Like the Punjab Batwal, the Jammu Batwal community also consists of clans. Their main clans are the Nakodar and Kasim. The Batwal shares the customs and traditions of the locally dominant Sindhis ethnic group and speak Punjabi, Sindhi and Dogri languages.[2]

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References
  1. People of India Punjab Volume XXXVII edited by I.J.S Bansal & Swaran Singh page 82 to 89 Manohar Publications
  2. People of India Jammu and Kashmir Volume XXV edited by K.N Pandita, S.D.S Charak & B.R. Rizvi page 115 to 120 Manohar Publications
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