Punia is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari
A glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province By H.A. Rose Vol II/J,p.363 writes -
We may regard
Shiva here as the earth-god and the
Shivaotri as autochthones. In Hissar, where they are few in numbers, they say that their forefather was created from the
matted hair of Shiva, who consequently was named Jat Budhra. Regarding their origin there is no historical account. But tradition tells that one of the clan, named Barh, became , master of a large portion of Bikaner ; where, at first he created a village which he called after his name ; and thereafter went and resided at Jhansal, where his descendants live to this day, and which ilaqa belongs to them. He had 12 sons: — Punia. Dhania, Chachrik, Bali, Burbura, Sulukhun, Chiria, Chandia, Khok, Dunaj, Liter, and Kakkar. From these sprang 12 sub-divisions. (Khok is also a Gil muhin. Punia was ancestor of the Punnu). The descendants of the first were most in number, and had the largest possessions. They owned the country round
Jhansal which was called the
Punia ilaqa and which is mentioned in the
Ain-i-Akbari.