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{{Short description|Sub-caste of Saraswat Brahmins}} | {{Short description|Sub-caste of Saraswat Brahmins}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} | |||
'''Mohyal Brahmins''' are a sub-caste of [[Saraswat Brahmins]] from the [[Punjab]] region.<ref name=":0" /> A sub-group of the [[Punjabi Hindu]] community, Mohyal caste comprises seven clans named [[Bali clan|Bali]], [[Bhimwal]], [[Chhibber]], [[Datt]], [[Lau clan|Lau]], [[Mohan (clan)|Mohan]] and [[Vaid (surname)|Vaid]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hanks |first=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vG7MZ9J6dAgC&q=Mohyal |title=Dictionary of American Family Names: 3-Volume Set |date=2003-05-08 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-508137-4 |location=USA |pages=89, 414, 605 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
Several Mohyal families might also opt to use surnames like [[Bakhshi]], [[Bhai (surname)|Bhai]], [[Chaudhri]], [[Dewan]], [[Malik]], [[Mehta]], and [[Raizada]], as a hereditary courtesy title bestowed upon their families for their bravery and service.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-26 |title=Mohyal History – Mohyal History |url=https://mohyalhistory.com/mohyal-history/ |access-date=2025-08-14 |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
According to an oral tradition, some Mohyal Brahmins helped [[Husayn ibn Ali|Imam Hussain]] in the [[Battle of Karbala]]; these Mohyal Brahmins are called [[Hussaini Brahmin]]s.<ref name="HussainiBrahmins">Multiple sources: | |||
*{{cite news | date=5 November 2014 | language=en | publisher=Firstpost | url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/meet-the-hussaini-brahmins-hindus-who-observe-muharram-alongside-muslims-1788623.html | url-status=live | access-date=14 April 2022 | title=Meet the Hussaini Brahmins, Hindus who observe Muharram alongside Muslims | archive-url=https://archive.today/20220414061233/https://www.firstpost.com/living/meet-the-hussaini-brahmins-hindus-who-observe-muharram-alongside-muslims-1788623.html | archive-date=14 April 2022 }} | |||
*{{cite news |date=30 September 2019 |last=Datta |first=Nonica |url=https://thewire.in/religion/the-forgotten-history-of-hussaini-brahmins-and-muharram-in-amritsar |url-status= live |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101130440if_/https://thewire.in/religion/the-forgotten-history-of-hussaini-brahmins-and-muharram-in-amritsar |archive-date=1 November 2020 |title=The Forgotten History of Hussaini Brahmins and Muharram in Amritsar |publisher=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]}} | |||
*{{cite news |date=5 November 2014 |last=Akram |first=Maria |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/For-Hussaini-brahmans-its-Muharram-as-usual/articleshow/45039950.cms |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122165217/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/For-Hussaini-brahmans-its-Muharram-as-usual/articleshow/45039950.cms |archive-date=22 January 2016 |title=For Hussaini brahmans, it's Muharram as usual |work=[[The Times of India]]}} | |||
*{{cite news |date=21 September 2018 |first=Khalid|last=Alvi|author-link=Khalid Alvi |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/hussaini-brahmins-hindus-muslims-muharram-mohyal-brahmins-5367234/ |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928131917/https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/hussaini-brahmins-hindus-muslims-muharram-mohyal-brahmins-5367234/ |archive-date=28 September 2018 |title=In Good Faith: The Hindus with Hussain |work=[[The Indian Express]]}} | |||
*{{cite news |date=31 December 2017 |last=Sheikh |first=Majid |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1379906 |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101100115/https://www.dawn.com/news/1379906 |archive-date=1 January 2018 |title=Spiritual connect of two villages on both sides of the divide |publisher=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|location=Pakistan}} | |||
*{{cite news |date=4 October 2018 |last=Rasool Dehlvi |first=Ghulam |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/op-ed/041018/mystic-mantra-hussaini-brahmins-upheld-the-truth.html |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003234208/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/op-ed/041018/mystic-mantra-hussaini-brahmins-upheld-the-truth.html |archive-date=3 October 2018 |title=Mystic Mantra: Hussaini brahmins upheld the truth |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]]}} | |||
*{{cite news |date=25 November 2012 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/where-hindus-join-shias-to-mourn-imam-hussain/story-WYAq3mZrRbABPzSXlSCR0J.html |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815180628/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/where-hindus-join-shias-to-mourn-imam-hussain/story-WYAq3mZrRbABPzSXlSCR0J.html |archive-date=15 August 2017 |title=Where Hindus join Shias to mourn Imam Hussain |work=[[Hindustan Times]]}} | |||
*{{cite news |date=5 November 2014 |last=Tharoor |first=Ishaan |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/11/05/why-these-hindus-celebrate-the-muslim-festival-of-moharram/ |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220330150436/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/11/05/why-these-hindus-celebrate-the-muslim-festival-of-moharram/ |archive-date=30 March 2022 |title=Why these Hindus celebrate the Muslim festival of Moharram |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}} | |||
*{{cite web |date=16 May 2004 |first=Yoginder|last=Sikand|author-link=Yoginder Sikand |url=https://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2004/16-31May04-Print-Edition/1605200441.htm |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040824205552/https://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2004/16-31May04-Print-Edition/1605200441.htm |archive-date=24 August 2004 |title=Hindu followers of Muslim imam |work=[[The Milli Gazette]]}}</ref> Prior to the [[Partition of India]], Mohyal Brahmins lived primarily in the western [[Punjab]], including present-day [[Hazara Division|Hazara division]] and the [[Pir Panjal Range|Pir Panjal]] regions of [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] and [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] respectively. | |||
After the partition, most migrated to, and settled in the new created [[Republic of India]]. As per data by the [[Government of Punjab, India|Government of Punjab]], the priestly practice of Mohyal Brahmins has slowly reduced after the partition.<ref>{{cite web |date=31 January 2012 |url=https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1305628/1226_1374670688_ind39846.pdf |access-date=20 March 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107153948/https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1305628/1226_1374670688_ind39846.pdf |archive-date=7 January 2022 |title=Country Advice: India |work=[[Refugee Review Tribunal]]}}</ref> Mohyals do not perform priestly duties.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttcnAQAAMAAJ&q=Sharma|title=Multiculturalism: Public Policy and Problem Areas in Canada and India|last=Raj|first=Christopher S.|year=2009|publisher=Manak Publications |isbn=9788178311845}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Fazl |first=Abul |date=5 November 2014 |url=https://kashmirobserver.net/2014/11/05/the-brahmins-who-fought-for-imam-hussain-at-karbala/ |access-date=8 July 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204202830/https://kashmirobserver.net/2014/11/05/the-brahmins-who-fought-for-imam-hussain-at-karbala/ |archive-date=4 December 2021 |title=The Brahmins Who Fought For Imam Hussain at Karbala |work=Kashmir Observer Online}}</ref>{{Hinduism in India| collapse}} | |||
{{Hinduism in India| collapse} | |||
== Contributions to Sikhism == | == Contributions to Sikhism == | ||
The majority of Mohyal Brahmins identify as [[Hindu]], with some also identifying as [[Sikh]]. [[Guru Nanak]], continuing in the tradition of [[Bhakti movement|Bhakti]] Saints, revitalised [[Sanātanī|Sanatan]] ('Hindu') wisdom in order to make to accessible for the common people of late [[Medieval India]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bhakti religion in North India : community identity and political action|date=1995|publisher=State University of New York Press|others=Lorenzen, David N.|isbn=0-585-04526-7|location=Albany|oclc=42854916}}</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2024}} As a part of this transformation, many Punjabi Hindus, including the Mohyals, revered and followed Guru Nanak. This devotion towards Nanak's ''mat'' (teachings/wisdom) led them to follow Nanak's successors and then assist in the creation of the Sikh ethos. Moreover, as the latter Gurus became martial, this community was a natural home for the warrior-class of the Punjabi Hindus.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Who is a Sikh? : the problem of Sikh identity|last=McLeod, W. H.|date=1989|publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn=0-19-826548-4|location=Oxford|oclc=19125681}}</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2024}}<ref name="auto1">{{Cite book|title=The Construction of religious boundaries : culture, identity, and diversity in the Sikh tradition|last=Oberoi, Harjot.|date=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=0-226-61592-8|location=Chicago, IL|oclc=30157084}}</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2024}} | |||
Some notable Mohyals include the brothers [[Bhai Mati Das]] and [[Bhai Sati Das]], both died alongside the ninth Guru, [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], for protecting [[Hinduism]] from [[Persecution of Hindus#Aurangzeb|Aurangeb's extremist policy.]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=The history of Sikh gurus|last=Prithi Pal Singh, 1928-|date=2006|publisher=Lotus Press|isbn=81-8382-075-1|location=New Delhi|oclc=297207913}}</ref>{{page needed|date=July 2020}} | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 90: | Line 27: | ||
* [[Saraswat Brahmins]] | * [[Saraswat Brahmins]] | ||
* [[Hussaini Brahmin]]s | * [[Hussaini Brahmin]]s | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
| Line 96: | Line 32: | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* [ | *[https://sundayguardianlive.com/news/book-captures-indias-military-history-tales-warriors] | ||
* [ | * [https://www.mohyalonline.com/ Official Website of General Mohyal Sabha] | ||
* [ | * [https://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2004/16-31May04-Print-Edition/1605200441.htm Hindu followers of Muslim imam, The Milli Gazette, Vol.5 No.10, (16–31 May 04)] | ||
* [https://www.merit.ac.in/ Official Website of Educational Institution Directly run by G.M.S.] | |||
{{India topics}} | {{India topics}} | ||
| Line 117: | Line 54: | ||
[[Category:Brahmin communities]] | [[Category:Brahmin communities]] | ||
[[Category:Brahmin communities of India]] | [[Category:Brahmin communities of India]] | ||
[[Category:Punjabi tribes]] | [[Category:Punjabi tribes]] | ||
[[Category:Social groups of Delhi]] | [[Category:Social groups of Delhi]] | ||
[[Category:Social groups of Punjab, India]] | [[Category:Social groups of Punjab, India]] | ||
[[Category:Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir]] | [[Category:Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir]] | ||
[[Category:Tribes of Rawalpindi District]] | [[Category:Tribes of Rawalpindi District]] | ||
Latest revision as of 14:45, 16 December 2025
Mohyal Brahmins are a sub-caste of Saraswat Brahmins from the Punjab region.[1] A sub-group of the Punjabi Hindu community, Mohyal caste comprises seven clans named Bali, Bhimwal, Chhibber, Datt, Lau, Mohan and Vaid.[2]
Several Mohyal families might also opt to use surnames like Bakhshi, Bhai, Chaudhri, Dewan, Malik, Mehta, and Raizada, as a hereditary courtesy title bestowed upon their families for their bravery and service.[3]
According to an oral tradition, some Mohyal Brahmins helped Imam Hussain in the Battle of Karbala; these Mohyal Brahmins are called Hussaini Brahmins.[4] Prior to the Partition of India, Mohyal Brahmins lived primarily in the western Punjab, including present-day Hazara division and the Pir Panjal regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Jammu and Kashmir respectively.
After the partition, most migrated to, and settled in the new created Republic of India. As per data by the Government of Punjab, the priestly practice of Mohyal Brahmins has slowly reduced after the partition.[5] Mohyals do not perform priestly duties.[6][7]Template:Hinduism in India
Contributions to Sikhism[edit | edit source]
The majority of Mohyal Brahmins identify as Hindu, with some also identifying as Sikh. Guru Nanak, continuing in the tradition of Bhakti Saints, revitalised Sanatan ('Hindu') wisdom in order to make to accessible for the common people of late Medieval India.[8][page needed] As a part of this transformation, many Punjabi Hindus, including the Mohyals, revered and followed Guru Nanak. This devotion towards Nanak's mat (teachings/wisdom) led them to follow Nanak's successors and then assist in the creation of the Sikh ethos. Moreover, as the latter Gurus became martial, this community was a natural home for the warrior-class of the Punjabi Hindus.[1][page needed][9][page needed]
Some notable Mohyals include the brothers Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das, both died alongside the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, for protecting Hinduism from Aurangeb's extremist policy.[10][page needed]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 McLeod, W. H. (1989). Who is a Sikh? : the problem of Sikh identity. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-826548-4. OCLC 19125681.
- ↑ Hanks, Patrick (8 May 2003). Dictionary of American Family Names: 3-Volume Set. USA: Oxford University Press. pp. 89, 414, 605. ISBN 978-0-19-508137-4.
- ↑ "Mohyal History – Mohyal History". 26 April 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ↑ Multiple sources:
- "Meet the Hussaini Brahmins, Hindus who observe Muharram alongside Muslims". Firstpost. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - Datta, Nonica (30 September 2019). "The Forgotten History of Hussaini Brahmins and Muharram in Amritsar". The Wire. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- Akram, Maria (5 November 2014). "For Hussaini brahmans, it's Muharram as usual". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- Alvi, Khalid (21 September 2018). "In Good Faith: The Hindus with Hussain". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- Sheikh, Majid (31 December 2017). "Spiritual connect of two villages on both sides of the divide". Pakistan: Dawn. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- Rasool Dehlvi, Ghulam (4 October 2018). "Mystic Mantra: Hussaini brahmins upheld the truth". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- "Where Hindus join Shias to mourn Imam Hussain". Hindustan Times. 25 November 2012. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- Tharoor, Ishaan (5 November 2014). "Why these Hindus celebrate the Muslim festival of Moharram". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - Sikand, Yoginder (16 May 2004). "Hindu followers of Muslim imam". The Milli Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 August 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- "Meet the Hussaini Brahmins, Hindus who observe Muharram alongside Muslims". Firstpost. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- ↑ "Country Advice: India" (PDF). Refugee Review Tribunal. 31 January 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ↑ Raj, Christopher S. (2009). Multiculturalism: Public Policy and Problem Areas in Canada and India. Manak Publications. ISBN 9788178311845.
- ↑ Fazl, Abul (5 November 2014). "The Brahmins Who Fought For Imam Hussain at Karbala". Kashmir Observer Online. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ↑ Bhakti religion in North India : community identity and political action. Lorenzen, David N. Albany: State University of New York Press. 1995. ISBN 0-585-04526-7. OCLC 42854916.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ Oberoi, Harjot. (1994). The Construction of religious boundaries : culture, identity, and diversity in the Sikh tradition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-61592-8. OCLC 30157084.
- ↑ Prithi Pal Singh, 1928- (2006). The history of Sikh gurus. New Delhi: Lotus Press. ISBN 81-8382-075-1. OCLC 297207913.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links[edit | edit source]
- [1]
- Official Website of General Mohyal Sabha
- Hindu followers of Muslim imam, The Milli Gazette, Vol.5 No.10, (16–31 May 04)
- Official Website of Educational Institution Directly run by G.M.S.
Template:Demographics of India
| Assamese Brahmins | _by_Sophie_Charlotte_Belnos,_digitally_enhanced_by_rawpixel-com_16.jpg){kind=tracking} ,  | |
|---|---|---|
| Bengali Brahmins | ||
| Bihari Brahmins | ||
| Kannada Brahmins | ||
| Kashmiri Brahmins | ||
| Madhva Brahmins | ||
| Malayali Brahmins | ||
| Marathi Brahmins | ||
| Manipuri Brahmin | ||
| Maithil Brahmin | ||
| Nepali Brahmins | ||
| Punjabi Brahmins | ||
| Odia Brahmins | ||
| Saraswat Brahmins | ||
| Tamil Brahmins | ||
| Telugu Brahmin | ||
| Tuluva Brahmin | ||
| See also | ||
Template:Hinduism in Pakistan Template:Ethnic groups, tribes and clans of the Punjab Template:Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir Template:The seven Mohyal clans