Janjua Rajput I Descendants of Pandava Dynasty I Prominent Tribe of Punjab I Co-owners of Pothohar

#janjua #rajput #mahabharata
Janjua Rajput I Descendants of Pandava Dynasty I Prominent Tribe of Punjab I Co-owners of Pothohar

Special Thanks: Raja Altaf Hussain Janjua, Life President, Janjua Welfare Society
Raja Mushtaq Ahmed Janjua, Janjua Rajput Historian
Raja Muhammad Sudheer Janjua, Researcher
Raja Waqas Nawaz Bhatti, Researcher
Raja Mudassar Ahmed Janjua
Music: Binu Kumar, Kerala, India
‪@SoundSFX‬ (Under License)

The Janjua Rajputs are a prominent tribe of Punjab (both Pakistani and Indian Punjab). They have a history that spans centuries through various notable rulers, tribal chiefs, princes and kings since the time of the Mahabharata to the present age.

According to their traditions, the Janjua claim descent from the Pandava dynasty through Arjun, the cousin of Krishna.

They were amongst the earliest Rajput converts to Islam and established their own Riyasats (kingdoms) during the 12th century which up until the early 19th century remained in their respective control. Janjuas rebelled against the Delhi Sultanate in the early 13th century and also later aided the Mughal conqueror Babur's route into India with other allied mountain tribes and served in the Mughal army in their conquests of India.

Many forts within Punjab are still remnant of their royal past, such as the Kusak fort, Sohava fort, Girjaak fort in Makhiala Jhelum, Malot fort in Chakwal District, Nagi fort, Dalowal fort, Dhandot fort, Kath Saghral and Masral fort, Dhak Janjua fort, Akrand fort and many more. They have played a major part in Punjabi history in their regions through their alliances and rebellions with invaders and other mountainous warrior tribes.

Raja Dhrupet Dev Janjua ruled Mathura state in about 1150AD. Dhrupet Dev was also the ruler of the Mandu fort of the Siwalik hills. He was well known for being a Pandava descendant through Prince Arjun's great grandson Maharaja Janamejaya. Raja Dhrupet's rule of Mathura ended in 1195 AD when Qutb ud-Din Aibak, the general of the Ghurid army, attacked Mathura and exiled the ruling royal family. According to Mohyal historians (Gulshan-e-Mohyali) Raja Dhrupet's younger brother Raja Shripat Dev, accompanied the exile back to the Siwalik hills. Shripat Dev later, "established his dominion at Katasraj (old name Namaksar) in Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan, Distt. Jhelum."

Raja Dhrupet Dev was the father of a famous Janjua Chief Raja Mal Khan Janjua who embraced Islam in the 12th century and rose to become the next rising force of the Janjua Rajput. He was among the first Muslim Rajputs recorded in Indian history. Raja Mal Khan migrated from Mandu fort in the Siwalik Hills to the Jodh mountain and settled at Rajgarh which he later renamed Mal-Kot (Malot).

The expansion of the Sikh empire, spearheaded by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was met with a rebellion by the Janjua Sultan of Watli, Sultan Fateh Muhammad Khan. A six-month siege of Kusak Fort in Watli followed and this was ended when the inhabitants ran short of water.

By the time the British Raj took an interest in conquering the Sikhs in 1848–49, they were joined by opportunistic tribes such as the Janjua, Gakhars and Awans who had lost control of centuries-old ancestral kingdoms and sought revenge. Tai Yong Tan says that "Besides being impressed with their track record, the British saw in them, with their traditional and historical enmity against the Sikhs, an effective counterpoise against the latter."

During the 19th century, the British rulers of India acknowledged the martial potential of the Janjua, designating them as a martial race. Peter Kirsten says that they "... were held to be among the best Muslim soldiers, and were also the one of the really pure Rajputs in the plains of Punjab ... the British preferred their Martial races to be as socially exclusive as they were themselves."

During this period, due to their high aristocratic status, Janjua princes refused to serve in any regiment that was not commanded by either a Janjua or another commander of equal social standing. This preference was honored by the British when selecting regiments for them.

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