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ravichaudhary
June 12th, 2003, 07:45 AM
RS Joon firts wrote his pionerring book on the history of the Jats inm1938, It wsa updated and trasnlated into English in 1967. It has been out of print since then,

I am in the interest of further research and respcting the wishes of the author posting some extracts from his book- Ch 1 in five parts.

Our community must honour and thank him for his efforts, and continue in his foot steps.

His son Risal Singh was killed in WW II, and was a much decorated war hero. Had he lived he may have been the C in C of the Indian Army

His other son Dal Singh, traslated this book and rose to Brigadier.


Ravi


History of the Jats - LT. Ram Swarup Joon - 1938

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION - part 1

TO THE JAT RACE

"The Jats are not only a Hindu Caste; of coarse they are a race"

(John Saymore in Round About India 1953)

HABITATION

In the present era, people called Jats live in Northern India all around Delhi. The entire land in this area is owned by Jats. A minority of tradesmen and the so-called low or scheduled castes who live along with the Jats are landless. Brahmins possess has been obtained, at sortie time or the other, in charity and that owned by businessmen has been mortgaged by some Jats to clear their debts. It is difficult to find, anywhere in the world, a more homogenous and closely-knit settlement than that of the Jats. Jat gotras are found mixed up amongst other communities in India like Rajput, Gujar and Ahirs but there is no adulteration amongst the Jats.


These Jats, however, are only a small representative group, of a once great and vastly populated race, who have retained their original name. The only other members of this race who are partially retaining the title of Jat are Jat Sikhs or Jut Sikhs, as they are called in Punjab. Some of these have even put forward the views that they are called as such not because they are originally Jats but because Jut means an agriculturist. Unless Jats regain their past glory, so that it becomes a matter of pride to be called a Jat, these Jat Sikhs may also, with the passage of time, stop calling themselves Jats, as has already been done by other communities comprising a major part of this race.

Jat is in fact only another name of Chandra Vanshi branch of Aryans which, at one time, extended in the entire area from Northern India to Central Asia and Central Europe. At different times, and -in the ancient histories of various countries they have been known by one of the derivatives of word Jat like Yayat, Yat, Yet, Yeti, Yates, Yuchi Jat, Jati, Jutes, Juton, Gat, Gatae, Gatak, Goth etc
or by the name of their major sub castes like Shavi, Takahak Madrak etc.

The word Jat may not be, but these names would be familiar to the student of modern history. In India most of the population of North Western part: of the country, including the area astride River Sindh in West, the Gangetic planes in the East and down to Prayag, BundhelKhand in the South is of Jat origin. This area contains Punjab, part of Himachal Pradesh Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Brij and Mewat. Jats have thus lived, from times immemorial, on the most fertile part of India. They did not find it necessary to spread in to the less fertile hilly tracts to the North, the waste lands of
Central India or the deserts in Southern and Western parts of Rajasthan. The density of the population of Jats, therefore, becomes thinner as one goes further East or South from Delhi. The reason for this homogenous settlement on the most productive part of India is that 9'5 percent Jats are of the Yayati Vansh, which inhabited North Western India from the earliest times and have never been dislodged from it inspite of loss of power.

In addition to the people who are known as Jats now, the Ahirs, who live in the area contiguous to the Jats, are purely of Yayati stock and thus a sister community of the Jats. A large number of Jat gotras are found amongst the Gujars. The Rajput sub castes of Chandel, Dahiya, Mohai, Malhi, Jakhar, Bhatti, Karwansra, Chhonkar, Johiya, Dagur, Jhamat, Condal, Ranjha, Noon and Khokar are all Jats who, in not too distant past amalgamated themselves in to, and started calling themselves, Rajputs. Bhardwaj, Kaushik, Mudgil and Kirayan Brahmins are descendants of Yayati. Jat Kings who took to penance and became Rishis. Gupta, Singhal, Dad, Deopura, Amrans, Oswal, Katariya and Chochani Baniyas are also of Jat origin. A majority of Muslims residing in Punjab and West Pakistan are converted Jats and still carry Jat gotras.

A Russian historian, K.M Safequadrat, delivered a speech in the International Congress at Moscow in Aug. 1964, which was published in Indian newspapers. He said," I studied the histories of various sects before I visited India in 1957. It was found that Jats live in an area extending from India to Central Asia and Central Europe. They are known by different names in different countries and they speak different languages but they are all one as regards their origin.

More on :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/589