Malik (clan)

Malik or Malak is a gotra of Jats found in Pakistan and India.^[1] The Malik Jats were originally called Ghatwal (or Gathwala); they later began calling themselves malik ("lord").^[2] They were zamindars (landowners) during the Mughal era.^[3] The Gathwala (गठवाला) Khap comprises 52 villages in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh.

History

The Malik Jat principality was established in the 15th century during the reign of the Sayyid dynasty. Neya, the son of Ch. Pathu Malik, was married to the daughter of Rao Bohrang, a Bedha Jat of Kethra (near present-day Karaina). Rao Bohrang, having no son, transferred his property to his son-in-law. Envious Bhinders killed Neya. His wife sought help from the Maliks of Ahulana, and the Chaudhary of Ahulana ordered Malik horsemen to destroy Kethra. The town was razed, and the property of the Tomars was seized. Neya's infant son was given Kethra, which was renamed Lisad. Lisad became the headquarters of the Maliks in the Doab.^[4]

The Maliks expanded and gained control of 52 villages around Lisad. They founded Barla, Fugana, Kurava, Kharad, and other places. Fugana soon became the chief town of the territory, as confirmed by the Ain-e-Akbari, which listed Fugana as one of the parganas under the Delhi Sarkar. By the 18th century, the Malik rulers had become very powerful and remained semi-independent. The principality came to an end when the British occupied the Doab.^[5]

Notable figures

Rai Bahadur Ghasiram Gathwala (Malik) of Ahulana, a village in Gohana in Sonipat district of Haryana, was the head of the Gathwala (Malik) Khap (Khap of the Gathwala clan). He was renowned for his high standards of living and decisions. He was honoured with the title of 'Rai Bahadur' by the British.

References

^ Kumar, Dharma; Desai, Meghnad; Bhattacharya, Sabyasachi; Raychaudhuri, Tapan, eds. (2010). The Cambridge Economic History of India. Vol.2: C. 1757 - c. 2003 / ed. by Dharma Kumar with the editorial assistance of Meghnad Desai. Introduction by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya. Vol. 2 (1st impr ed.). New Delhi: Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-250-2731-7.
^ Stokes, Eric (1980). The Peasant and the Raj: Studies in Agrarian Society and Peasant Rebellion in Colonial India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 17, 293. ISBN 978-0-52129-770-7.
^ Raychaudhuri, Tapan; Habib, Irfan; Kumar, Dharma, eds. (1983). The Cambridge Economic History of India. Vol. 2 (Reprinted ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 37, 70. ISBN 978-0-52122-802-2.
^ Jarrett, H. S. (1949). Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazl-i-ʻAllami. Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta.
^ H R Nevill (1920). Muzaffarnagar A Gazetteer District Gazetteers Of The United Provinces Of Agra And Oudh Vol Iii.

[1] Kumar, Dharma; Desai, Meghnad; Bhattacharya, Sabyasachi; Raychaudhuri, Tapan, eds. (2010). The Cambridge Economic History of India. Vol.2: C. 1757 - c. 2003 / ed. by Dharma Kumar with the editorial assistance of Meghnad Desai. Introduction by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya. Vol. 2 (1st impr ed.). New Delhi: Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-250-2731-7.

[2] Stokes, Eric (1980). The Peasant and the Raj: Studies in Agrarian Society and Peasant Rebellion in Colonial India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 17, 293. ISBN 978-0-52129-770-7.

[3] Raychaudhuri, Tapan; Habib, Irfan; Kumar, Dharma, eds. (1983). The Cambridge Economic History of India. Vol. 2 (Reprinted ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 37, 70. ISBN 978-0-52122-802-2.

[4] Jarrett, H. S. (1949). Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazl-i-ʻAllami. Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta.

[5] H R Nevill (1920). Muzaffarnagar A Gazetteer District Gazetteers Of The United Provinces Of Agra And Oudh Vol Iii.

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