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	{{short description\|Sikh and Jat sub group from the Indian subcontinent}}		{{short description\|Sikh and Jat sub group from the Indian subcontinent}}
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{{short description|Sikh and Jat sub group from the Indian subcontinent}}
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{{EngvarB|date=November 2019}}
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{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Jat Sikh
| image =
| caption =
| total = 9,052,000[https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18777/IN]
| popplace = [[India]]
| langs = [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
| rels = [[Sikhism]]
| related = [[Jat people]]
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| flag =
| flag_caption =
}}
'''Jat Sikh''' (also known by the more conventional [[endonym]] '''Jatt Sikh''') is a sub-group of the [[Jat people]] and the [[Sikh]] [[Ethnoreligious group|ethnoreligious]] group from the [[Indian subcontinent]]. They are one of the dominant communities in the [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] owing to their large land holdings.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Yeoman Jats of Punjab: Time, Expertise and the Colonial Construction of Jat Sikh Identity|author=Nicola Mooney|journal = Anthropologica|year=1995|volume = 55|issue = 2|pages = 277–290|publisher=Anthropologica, vol. 55, no. 2, 2013, pp. 277–290|jstor = 24467328}}</ref>

They form an estimated 21%-25% of the population of the [[Indian state]] of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref name="India Today 2012">{{cite web | title=The Jats in Punjab comprise only 21 per cent population of the total 60 per cent Sikhs, yet they have been ruling and dominating politics in Punjab for decades. | website=India Today | date=16 January 2012 | url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dalit-votes-to-decide-ruling-party-of-punjab/1/169026.html | access-date=27 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/parties-in-punjab-decry-exclusion-of-jat-sikhs-from-reservation/article5497692.ece|title=Parties in Punjab decry exclusion of Jat Sikhs from reservation|first=Sarabjit|last=Pandher|date=24 December 2013|access-date=18 December 2019|work=The Hindu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209083132/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/parties-in-punjab-decry-exclusion-of-jat-sikhs-from-reservation/article5497692.ece|archive-date=9 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Congress-for-OBC-quota-to-Jat-Sikhs/articleshow/14107198.cms|title=Congress for OBC quota to Jat Sikhs|work=The Times of India|access-date=18 December 2019}}</ref> They form at least half<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9GG4__JJNwC&pg=PA377|title=Terrorism in context|author=Martha Crenshaw|year=1995|publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press|isbn=978-0-271-01015-1}}</ref><ref name="E. Marty 1991 623">{{cite book|last= E. Marty|first=Martin|author2=R. Scott Appleby|title=Fundamentalisms observed |publisher=The University of Chicago Press|year=1991|pages=623|chapter=Chapter 10|isbn=0-226-50878-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_-yQsX6oRcC&pg=PA623|access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> of the Sikh population in Punjab, with some sources estimating them to be about 60%<ref name="E. Marty 1991 623"/><ref name="Taylor, S. 2007">Taylor, S., Singh, M., Booth, D. (2007) Migration, development and inequality: Eastern Punjabi transnationalism. School of Social Sciences and Law, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, UK; Department of Sociology, Punjab University, Chandigarh, India.</ref> to 66%<ref>Puri, H. K. (2003) The Scheduled Castes in the Sikh Community – A Historical Perspective. Economic & Political Weekly (28 June 2003); Dalits in Regional Context (2004).</ref> of the Sikh population.

==History==
Initially, some Jats started to follow the teachings of [[Guru Nanak]], which did much to remove social barriers raised to them by ''savarna'' caste society.{{sfn|Singh|1981|pp=205-207}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Jagjit |title=Perspectives on Sikh Studies |date=1985 |publisher=Guru Nanak Foundation |url=http://www.globalsikhstudies.net/pdf/per-sikh-studies.pdf}}</ref>{{rp|59}} Jats were previously indifferent towards deep religious affairs.{{sfn|Singh|1985|p=93}}

While followers important to Sikh tradition like [[Baba Buddha]] were among the earliest significant historical Sikh figures, and significant numbers of conversions occurred as early as the time of [[Guru Angad]] (1504-1552),<ref name=mandair/> the first large-scale conversions of Jats is commonly held to have begun during the time of [[Guru Arjan]] (1563-1606).<ref name=mandair/><ref>{{cite book | title=The Sikh Revolution: A Perspective View | publisher=Bahri Publications |last1=Singh |first1=Jagjit | date=1981 | location=New Delhi |url=https://archive.org/details/TheSikhRevolutionAPerspectiveView/page/n271/mode/2up | isbn=9788170340416}}</ref>{{rp|265}} While touring the countryside of eastern Punjab, he founded several important towns like [[Tarn Taran Sahib]], [[Kartarpur, India|Kartarpur]], and [[Sri Hargobindpur|Hargobindpur]] which functioned as social and economic hubs, and together with the [[dasvandh|community-funded]] completion of the [[Golden Temple|Darbar Sahib]] to house the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] and serve as a rallying point and center for Sikh activity, established the beginnings of a self-contained Sikh community, which was especially swelled with the region's Jat peasantry.<ref name=mandair>{{cite book |last1=Mandair |first1=Arvind-pal Singh |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |date=2013 |publisher=A&C Black |location=London, U.K. |isbn=9781441102317 |pages=36–42 |edition=illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&q=Jat+peasantry}}{{rp|42}}</ref> They formed the vanguard of Sikh resistance against the [[Mughal Empire]] from the 18th century onwards.

It has been postulated, though inconclusively, that the increased militarization of the Sikh panth following the martyrdom of [[Guru Arjan]] (beginning during the era of [[Guru Hargobind]] and continuing after) and its large Jat presence may have reciprocally influenced each other.<ref>{{cite book |quote=The Jats have long been distinguished by their martial traditions and by the custom of retaining their hair uncut. The influence of these traditions evidently operated prior to the formal inauguration of the Khalsa. |title=Who is a Sikh?: the problem of Sikh identity |first=W. H. |last=McLeod}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=September 2014}}{{sfn|Singh|1981|pp=190, 265}}

At least eight of the 12 Sikh ''[[Misl]]s'' (Sikh confederacies) were led by Jat Sikhs,<ref name=dhavan60/> who would form the vast majority of Sikh chiefs.<ref name="Dhavan">{{cite book |last1=Dhavan |first1=Purnima |title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799 |date=2011 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0199756551 |page=63 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7HJ5idB8_QC&pg=PA63 |access-date=5 November 2018}}</ref>

According to censuses in gazetteers published during the colonial period in the early 20th century, further waves of Jat conversions, from Hinduism to Sikhism, continued during the preceding decades.<ref>The transformation of Sikh society — Page 92 by Ethne K. Marenco - ''The gazetteer also describes the relation of the Jat Sikhs to the Jat Hindus ...to 2019 in 1911 is attributed to the conversion of Jat Hindus to Sikhism. ...''</ref><ref>Social philosophy and social transformation of Sikhs by R. N. Singh (Ph. D.) Page 130 - ''The decrease of Jat Hindus from 16843 in 1881 to 2019 in 1911 is attributed to the conversion of Jat Hindus to Sikhism.'' ...</ref> The relationship between the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities of the Punjab region, and between communities such as the Jats and the [[Rajput]]s, has been ambiguous over many centuries. The various groups often claim similar origins while asserting their distinctiveness.<ref>{{cite book |title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799 |first=Purnima |last=Dhavan |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9780199756551 |page=134 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aFvyzStjpf8C&pg=PA134}}</ref>

==Influence of Sikhism on Jats==

[[Irfan Habib]] has argued that Sikhism did much to uplift the social status of Jat people, who were previously regarded in the Punjab as being of [[Shudra]] or [[Vaishya]] status in the Hindu ritual ranking system of [[Varna (Hinduism)|varna]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.punjabiuniversity.ac.in/newspup/pages/archiveSep08.html |title=Sikhism uplifted the social status of Jat community of Punjab says Irfan Habib |publisher=Punjabheritage.org |date=16 September 2008 |access-date=10 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127182238/http://punjabiuniversity.ac.in/newspup/pages/archiveSep08.html |archive-date=27 November 2010 }}</ref> Kishan Singh says {{quote|A serious contradiction afflicts the Jat farmer of the Punjab. He has unflinching faith in Guru Gobind Singh, yet at the same time he is imbued with traits typical of a Jat. There are two sides to the Jat’s known traits. One has a positive effect in the sense that it saves him from feeling inferior; and the other side is negative. It makes him overbearing and arrogant which is a disease. A Jat’s negative traits can be suppressed only through the true spirit of Sikhism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldsikhnews.com/13%20August%202008/The%20Malaise%20of%20Jat%20Consciousness.htm |title=WSN-Op-Ed-The Malaise of Jat Consciousness |publisher=Worldsikhnews.com |date=13 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124063735/http://worldsikhnews.com/13%20August%202008/The%20Malaise%20of%20Jat%20Consciousness.htm|archive-date=24 January 2010|access-date=10 August 2009}}</ref>}}

==Army recruits==
Jat Sikhs, according to Major [[Arthur Edward Barstow|A. E. Barstow]],<ref>[[Arthur Edward Barstow|Barstow, A. E.]], (Major, 2/11th Sikh Regiment-Late 15th Ludhiana Sikhs), The Sikhs: An Ethnology (revised at the request of the Government of India), reprinted by B.R. Publishing Corporation, Delhi, India, 1985, pp. 62–63, first published in 1928.</ref> were very good soldiers due to the influence of Sikhism,<ref>Barstow, A.E., (Major, 2/11th Sikh Regiment-Late 15th Ludhiana Sikhs), The Sikhs: An Ethnology (revised at the request of the Government of India), reprinted by B.R. Publishing Corporation, Delhi, India, 1985, pp. 155, first published in 1928.</ref> and possessed more of a martial quality than their non-Sikh [[Jat]] brethren. Barstow further comments, that due to their diet and their fondness for wrestling (something encouraged and taught by Guru Angad<ref>{{cite book | title=The History of Sikh Gurus [Paperback] | publisher=Lotus Book | author=Prithi Pal Singh | author-link=Development and Transformation of Sikhs into the Khalsa | date=30 September 2007 | location=UK | pages=184 | isbn=978-81-8382-075-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sikhism.about.com/od/angaddev/tp/Angad_Dev_Second_Guru.htm |title=Guru Angad Dev – Profile of Angad Dev – Second Sikh Guru |publisher=Sikhism.about.com |date=17 February 2009 |access-date=10 August 2009}}</ref> to the Sikh people) and weightlifting, they possessed good physical attributes for soldiery. According to R. W. Falcon, Jat Sikhs (alongside other Sikhs) were seen as a good source for recruitment.<ref name="Falcon">Falcon, R.W. (Captain, 4th Sikh Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force), Handbook on Sikhs: for the use of Regimental Officers, Printed at the Pioneer Press, Allahabad, India, 1896, pp. 64–65.</ref> According to Captain A. H. Bingley they were particularly loyal soldiers.<ref>Bingley, A.H. (Captain, 7th-Duke of Connaught's own Bengal Infantry, Handbook for the Indian Army: Sikhs, Compiled under the orders of the Government of India, Printed at the Government Central Printing Office, Simla, India, 1899, pp. 90–91, 11, 92.</ref>

The [[Jat]] Sikh community has constituted an important source of recruits for the Indian Army.<ref>{{cite book
| title = The Garrison State: The Military, Government, and Society in Colonial Punjab, 1849–1947
| author = Tan Tai Yong
| publisher = [[SAGE Publications]]
| isbn = 978-0-7619-3336-6
| oclc = 57043090
| year = 2005
| page = 187
}}</ref>

==Agriculture==
In [[Punjab (India)]], Jat Sikhs are associated with agricultural pursuits<ref>{{cite book|last=Leaf|first=Murray J.|title=Information and behavior in a Sikh village: social organization reconsidered|publisher=University of California|year=1972|pages=[https://archive.org/details/informationbehav0000leaf/page/219 219]|chapter=8|isbn=0-520-02115-0|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQfPI3GtZT8C&pg=PA219|access-date=9 May 2010|url=https://archive.org/details/informationbehav0000leaf/page/219}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Singh |first=Jasbir|author2=SS Dhillon|title=Agricultural geography|publisher=Tata Mcgraw-Hill|year=2006|edition=3rd|pages=176|chapter=4|isbn=0-07-053228-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zBo_1ZJAQDAC&pg=PA176|access-date=9 May 2010}}</ref> and land ownership. They own more than 80%,<ref name="Taylor, S. 2007"/> and possibly as much as 95%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/node/18221|title=Caste System Among Sikhs In Punjab|author=Ratan Saldi|date=6 June 2009|publisher=Asian Tribune}}</ref> of available agricultural land in Punjab. They often reside in the rural areas, and are economically influential in the state.<ref name="Taylor, S. 2007"/>

==Notable people==
* [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]] - the [[Jat]] [[Sikh]] (other sources state Sansi Caste)<ref>Multiple sources: The Sansis of Punjab; a Gypsy and De-notified Tribe of Rajput Origin, Maharaja Ranjit Singh: The Most Glorious Sansi, p 13, by Sher Singh, 1965, Original from the University of Michigan Tribalism in India, p 160, by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, Edition: illustrated, Published by Vikas, 1978, Original from the University of Michigan Sociological Bulletin, p 97, by Indian Sociological Society, Published by Indian Sociological Society, 1952 Indian Librarian edited by Sant Ram Bhatia, p 220, 1964. Item notes: v.19–21 1964–67, Original from the University of Michigan The Sikhs in History, p 92, by Sangat Singh, Edition: 2, Published by S. Singh, 1995, Original from the University of Michigan Some Aspects of State and Society Under Ranjit Singh, p 5 By Fauja Singh, Published by Master Publishers, 1981, Original from the University of Michigan Preminder Singh Sandhawalia (1999). Noblemen and Kinsmen History of a Sikh Family: History of a Sikh Family. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. {{ISBN|81-215-0914-9}} Jean-Marie Lafont, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lord of the Five Rivers. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).</ref> Emperor of the [[Sikh Empire]]
* [[Nawab Kapur Singh Virk]], leader of Singhpur Misl.<ref name=dhavan60>{{cite book |last1=Dhavan |first1=Purnima |title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799 |date=3 November 2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |isbn=978-0-19-975655-1 |page=60 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7HJ5idB8_QC&q=Kapur+Singh&pg=PA63 |language=en}}</ref>

* [[Baba Deep Singh]] first head of Misl Shaheedan Tarna Dal.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bhagata|first=Siṅgha|title=A History of the Sikh Misals|publisher=Publication Bureau, Punjabi University|year=1993|page= 241|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BihuAAAAMAAJ&q=sandhu+jat|quote=Deep Singh Shahid, a Sandhu Jat and resident of the village of Pohuwind of the ''pargana'' of Amritsar ...}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Khalsa]]
*[[Misl]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book |last1=Mooney |first1=Nicola |title=Rural Nostalgias and Transnational Dreams: Identity and Modernity Among Jat Sikhs |date=2011 |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |isbn=978-0802092571 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Hu4X3AOhS8C |access-date=1 April 2019}}
*{{cite book |author1=Pettigrew, Joyce J. M. |title=Robber noblemen: A study of the political system of the Sikh Jats |date=1975 |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |isbn=978-0710079992 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YzEMAAAAIAAJ |access-date=30 April 2019}}

[[Category:Sikh communities]]
[[Category:Punjabi tribes]]

Jat Sikh - Revision history

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