Gill

From Jatland Wiki

Gill (गिल) Gila (गीला) Geela (गीला) Gela (गेला) Gull (गुल) is a gotra or surname found in the Jat community mainly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in India. Dilip Singh Ahlawat has mention it as one of the ruling Jat clans in Central Asia. ^[1] They get this name from Ch Gangara (गंगारा). ^[2]

History

Most of the Gills are settled in Malwa (Punjab) and Majha. They lived along the rivers Sutlej and Beas and further in the foothills up to Sialkot. They claim lineage from Raja Prithipat of Garh Mathila.

They came to Punjab from South via Rajasthan. Waryah King Vinepal came to Rajasthan and built the fort of Bhatinda along the banks of Sutlej at Bathinda. Setting up his capital here, he captured the territories up to Peshawar. This dynasty was in power in Punjab till 1010 AD. Waryah was from the 26th generation of Vikrmaditya. Vineypal, Vijaypal, Satpal and Ganpal were from the lineage of Waryah.

Bhim Singh Dahiya^[3] traces Gills to the people of Greece. They are the Aegi of Herodotus, Gelae of Strabo and others and Gili/Gille of modern Central Asia. Gelanis are mentioned in a passage of Ammianus Marcellinus. J. Marquart tried to substitute Segestian in place of Gelan perhaps to prove that Sakasthan (Sacestene of the Greeks) was independent up to 350 AD. In the heyday of Gills, the Caspian sea was called the Sea of Gilani. He^[4] opines that people of this tribe came in the company of Alexander. Then settled in Kabul, Kandahar and Punjab. One of the sons of Hercules was named Gilla. It is also possible that ancestors of Gills came to Greece from Middle Asia and then to India.

Most of Gills converted to Sikhism during the period of Guru Hargobind. Gills also sided with 6th Guru in the battle of Mehraj. The descendants of Shergill, one of the eight sons of Gillpal, settled in Zira area.

The chiefs of Nishanwali Misl, Sukha Singh and Mehar Singh were Shergills. Majithia Sardars of Majha were also Shergills.

There are 40 villages of Gills in Jagraon area of Ludhiana.

In the beginning of the 12th century, the descendents of Jhalli son of Gillpal, made Payal their center and founded the village of Chemo Naame. Dhamot, Gouriwala, Gill, Sihora are old Gill villages. Gills and Dhaliwal are also settled in Jagdeo Kalan village in Majha.

The people of Sipra Sub-Clan of Gill clan had mostly migrated towards Jhang. Most of them converted to Islam. Gills in Kabul are Moslems.

In Sandal Baar, Kakkar Gill was the only prominent village of Gills. The Gills settled in Jhang, Montegomery and Shahpur in the West Punjab had converted to Islam.

Shahi are also from the Clan of Gills. Some of Gills had settled in Assam in 1505 during the times of Guru Nanak. Many gypsies in France are Gills (also a very common French name,probably derived from the name Jill)

Distribution in Punjab

Gills were numbered at 124172 in the 1881 Census. Population of Gill in Patiala district was 45,900. This clan is quite numerous in the sub-districts of Bhikhi and Rajpura and its sept "Jhala" holds 11 villages in the subdistrict called Sahibgarh. ^[5]

In Amritsar Gill population was 48,210. This clan holds 142 villages in total and specifically its large concentration is in the Tarn Taran area where it holds about 25 villages. ^[6]

In Ludhiana Gill population was (28,101): It appears that this clan settled in the Ludhiana district about 350 years ago during the reign of Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor of India, and claims its ancestor was a king in the southern area of "Gharmela" . The "Gills" own about 50 villages mostly around the area of Jagraon. ^[7]

According to B S Dhillon the population of Gill clan in Jalandhar district is 10,500.^[8]

In Hoshiarpur district the Gill population is 8,160. This clan owns 22 villages: Khararawal Bassi, Achharwal, Rajpur,Lakhsian, and so on.^[9]

In Firozpur district the Gill population is 78,000. ^[10]

Distributions in Uttar Pradesh

Villages in Jyotibaphule Nagar district

Daspur, Jyotibaphule Nagar,

Villages in Ghaziabad District

Kaniya Kalyanpur, ^[11]

Locations in Jaipur city

Gandhi Nagar, Mansarowar Colony, Murlipura Scheme, Queens Road, bajaj nagar, vidyadhar nagar(vijay gill), vaishali nagar, viswakarma.

Villages in Jhunjhunu district

Gill ki Dhani, Bisanpura.

Distribution in Haryana

Umra (Hansi), Neemri Aali (Bhiwani).

Notable persons from this gotra

• Sukhbir Singh Gill - Hockey player
• Shish Ram Gill - Vir-Chakra
• Shivnath Singh Gill - Ex. MP
• Ram Dev Singh Gill - Amar Shaheed
• M S Gill - IAS, Ex Chief Election Commissioner, Present Minister Govt of India
• Nidhi Gill - Actress
• Mahi Gill - Actress
• GDR CHAMPA LAL GEEL - The Grenadiers Regiment OP RAKSHAK(J&K) Rajasthan

References

1. ↑ Dilip Singh Ahlawat: Jat viron ka Itihasa
2. ↑ Dr Mahendra Singh Arya, Dharmpal Singh Dudee, Kishan Singh Faujdar & Vijendra Singh Narwar: Ādhunik Jat Itihasa (The modern history of Jats), Agra 1998 p. 237
3. ↑ Bhim Singh Dahiya, Jats the Ancient Rulers, p. 254
4. ↑ Bhim Singh Dahiya, Jats the Ancient Rulers
5. ↑ History and study of the Jats. By Professor B.S Dhillon. ISBN-10: 1895603021 or ISBN-13: 978-1895603026. p. 126
6. ↑ History and study of the Jats. By Professor B.S Dhillon. ISBN-10: 1895603021 or ISBN-13: 978-1895603026. p. 124
7. ↑ History and study of the Jats. By Professor B.S Dhillon. ISBN-10: 1895603021 or ISBN-13: 978-1895603026. p. 123
8. ↑ History and study of the Jats. By Professor B.S Dhillon. ISBN-10: 1895603021 or ISBN-13: 978-1895603026. 127
9. ↑ History and study of the Jats. By Professor B.S Dhillon.ISBN-10: 1895603021 or ISBN-13: 978-1895603026. 127
10. ↑ History and study of the Jats. By Professor B.S Dhillon.ISBN-10: 1895603021 or ISBN-13: 978-1895603026. 127
11. ↑ Added by parul86 01:17, 7 September 2007 (EDT)Raman Kumar Dhariwal

• History of the Jatt Clans - H.S Duleh (Translation from original Punjabi work "Jattan da Itihas" by Gurjant Singh)

Back to Gotras