Agre

Sardar Singh Agre

Agre (अग्रे)/ Agha (अघा) Ag (अग) Agah (अगा) Agi (अगि) Agach (अगाच)Hunga (हुंगा) Henga (हेंग) Hanga (हंगा) Hanga (हांगा) Hainga (हैंगा) Hanga (हँगा) Haga (हागा) are some of the names of the clans or gotra of the Jats found in Haryana , Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in India. Ako and Aka of Afghanistan stand for the Aga Jats.

Origin

This Agre clan has descended from Hagamasha who was a satrap of Mathura appointed by the Kushan ruler Kanishka. According to Bhim Singh Dahiya, name of the country Hungary is after the Henga or the Hunas clan.

यदुवंश के शाखागोत्र - : 1. वृष्णि 2. अन्धक 3. हाला 4. शिवस्कन्दे-सौकन्दे 5. डागुर-डीगराणा 6. खिरवार-खरे 7. बलहारा 8. सारन 9. सिनसिनवाल 10. छोंकर 11. सोगरवार 12. हांगा 13. घनिहार 14. भोज ।

Agha in Bhagawata Purana

Aghasura from 18th C Rajasthani painting

'A study of the Bhagavata Purana; or, Esoteric Hinduism' by Purnendu Narayana Sinha, p. 247 mentions Agha as one of the tribes in alliance with Kamsa. Kamsa With the alliance of the Magadhas ( people of Magadha or ancient Bihar) and with the help of Pralamba, Baka, Chanura, Tri-navarta, Agha (अघा), Mushtika, Arishta, Dvivid, Putana, Kesi, Dhenuka, Vana, Bhouma and other Asuras, tormented the Yadus. They fled away to the kingdoms of Kuru, Panchala, Kekaya, Salva, Vidarbha, Nishadha, Videha, and Kausala. Some only remained behind and they followed the behests of Kansa.

Aghasura (अघासुर), is a demon (asura) in Hindu and Vedic mythology. He was one of the generals of King Kamsa. The Bhagavata Purana states that he assumed the form of a vast serpent. Krishna's companions, the cowherd boys, entered its mouth, mistaking it for a mountain cavern. After seeing this, Krishna then came to their rescue, killing Aghasura.

Aghapur (अघापुर) Village is in Bharatpur tahsil of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan. This is a very old village and just near Keoladeo National Park/ Bird Sanctuaary. It was probably the capital of Aghasura.

In Mahabharata

The Mahabharata Tribes - Agreya (अग्रेय) may be identified with Jat Gotra - Agre (अग्रे)

This is ancient Gotra and finds mention in Ramayana in Kishkindha Kand Sarga 41 as under:

तस्य आसीनम् नगस्य अग्रे मलयस्य' महोजसम्

द्रक्ष्यथ आदित्य संकाशम् अगस्त्यम् ऋषि सत्तमम् । ॥४-४१-१५॥

Jat clans linked with Kushan

डॉ धर्मचंद विद्यालंकार लिखते हैं कि कुषाणों का साम्राज्य मध्य-एशिया स्थित काश्गर-खोतान, चीनी, तुर्किस्तान (सिकियांग प्रान्त) से लेकर रूस में ताशकंद और समरकंद-बुखारा से लेकर भारत के कपिशा और काम्बोज से लेकर बैक्ट्रिया से पेशावर औए मद्र (स्यालकोट) से मथुरा और बनारस तक फैला हुआ था. उस समय मथुरा का कुषाण क्षत्रप हंगमाश था. जिसके वंशज हगा या अग्रे जाट लोग, जो कि कभी चीन की हूगाँ नदी तट से चलकर इधर आये थे, आज तक मथुरा और हाथरस जिलों में आबाद हैं. आज भी हाथरस या महामाया नगर की सादाबाद तहसील में इनके 80 गाँव आबाद हैं. (पृ.19 )

कुषाणों अथवा युचियों से रक्त सम्बन्ध रखने वाले ब्रज के जाटों में आज तक हगा (अग्रे), चाहर, सिनसिनवार, कुंतल, गांधरे (गांधार) और सिकरवार जैसे गोत्र मौजूद हैं. मथुरा मेमोयर्स के लेखक कुक साहब ने लिखा है कि मथुरा जिले के कुछ जाटों ने अपना निकास गढ़-गजनी या रावलपिंडी से बताया है. कुषाण साम्राज्य के अधिकांश क्षेत्र में जाटों की सघन जन संख्या उनको कुषाण वंसज होना सिद्ध करती है.(पृ.20)

यौधेय गणराज्य में अग्रेय

यौधेय गणराज्य ने कालान्तर में एक शक्तिशाली गण-संघ का रूप ले लिया था, जिसके अन्तर्गत अनेक गणों की शक्ति जुड़ गई थी। यौधेय गणसंघ के मुख्य गण थै- यौधेय, आर्जुनायन, मालव, अग्रेय तथा भद्र। आर्जुनायन गणराज्य आधुनिक भरतपुर और अलवर क्षेत्रों पर आधारित था तथा मालव गणराज्य पहले पंजाब के आधुनिक मालवा क्षेत्र में स्थित था परन्तु इण्डोग्रीक आक्रमणों के कारण मालव राजपूताना क्षेत्र चले गये। जयपुर क्षेत्र में मालवनगर नामक प्राचीन स्थानउनकी राजधानी थी। अग्रेय गण की राजधानी आज का अग्रोहा था। एक मत के अनुसार यहां के गणपति एवं गणाध्यक्ष को अग्रसेन की उपधि से अलंकृत किया जाता था। अग्रेय अपनी समाजवादी व्यवस्था के लिए प्रसिद्ध थे। जहाँ प्राचीन-काल में अग्रोहा अपनी समृद्धि और विकास के लिए प्रसिद्ध था वहाँ आज भी अग्रवाल जाति अपना विकास अग्रेहा से मानती है। वर्तमान अग्रवाल जाति का विकास इसी गणराज्य से हुआ है। इस गणराज्य में सिकंदर की सेनाओं का डटकर मुकाबला किया। जब उन्हें लगा कि वे युद्ध में जीत हासिल नहीं कर पायेंगे तब उन्होंने स्वयं अपनी नगरी को जला लिया।

जाट इतिहास:ठाकुर देशराज (पृ.-171) के अनुसार ज्ञातिवादी अर्थात् जाट लोग इसी संघर्ष में उत्तर में जगजार्टिस नदी तक और पच्छिम में ईरान की खाड़ी तक फैल गए। यहीं से वे अपने जत्थों द्वारा इधर-उधर भी गए। जदुकाडूंग से शनैःशनैः काश्मीर की ओर फिर दर्दस्तान को पार करके कुछ यादव पूर्वी चीन तक पहुंचे। चीन के प्राचीन इतिहास अपने को भारतीयों के वंशज बताते हैं। हियंगू नदी और हुंगा पर्वत के पास के लोग जो भारत में लौटकर आ गए, आज हग्गा जाट कहलाते हैं।

History

Ram Swarup Joon writes about Hanga Chaudhary: Hangamas was a General of the Kushan, Yuechi or Tushar kings. Hanga is very well known in history. He belonged to Tushar or Kasvan dynasty and was appointed as the Governor of Mathura. His descendants came to be called Hanga. They have about 80 villages in district of Mathura.

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In India, the Indo-Scythians conquered the area of Mathura over Indian kings around 60 BCE. Some of their satraps were Hagamasha and Hagana, who were in turn followed by the Saca Great Satrap Rajuvula. The Mathura lion capital, an Indo-Scythian sandstone capital in crude style, from Mathura, and dated to the 1st century CE, describes in kharoshthi the gift of a stupa with a relic of the Buddha, by Queen Nadasi Kasa, the wife of the Indo-Scythian ruler of Mathura, Rajuvula. The capital also mentions the genealogy of several Indo-Scythian satraps of Mathura.

According to Thakur Deshraj the Shivi gotra Jats of Shivaliks and lower reaches of Lake Manasarowar left this area after the Battle of Mahabharata and migrated to Uttar Kuru. Some of them settled in Punjab in the area known as "Yadu ki Dung", some settled in Kashmir and the rest moved far north upto Siberia.

The Krishna vamshi people in Sanskrit were called "Karshney" and "Karshniya". Karshniya or Kasaniya is a gotra of Jats found in Rajasthan. These Krishna vanshi people in China were known as Kushan or Yuezhi.

Bhim Singh Dahiya has established that Kushan or Yuezhi were Jats. There were two branches of Yuezhi people. One of the branches was called "Ta-Yuezhi" which means "The great Jat Sangh". The other branch was "Siu-Yuezhi" which means "General Jat Sangh". The Greek historian Herodotus has written Massagetae for Ta-Yuezhi and Thysagetae for Siu-Yuezhi. The Yuezhi people inhabited the Outer Mongolia and Gansu province of China.

Satyaketu Vidyalankar has mentioned that Rishika Jats were inhabitants of western China region near Lop Nur Lake. Tocharian people were settled in between the areas of Sakas and Rishikas (Yuezhi) in the north of Tarim River and Tian Shan mountain. Huns inhabited areas to the north of those occupied by Sakas, Rishikas and Tocharians. Rishikas and Tocharians were friends. They attacked the kingdom of Sakas and captured Bactria (Balkh). Following the settlement of the Yuezhi (described in the West as "Tocharians"), the general area of Bactria came to be called Tokharistan. From the 1st century CE to the 3rd century CE, Tokharistan was under the rule of the Kushans. After that they occupied Camboj situated in northwest Afghanistan.

Rishikas and Tocharians who were earlier defeated by Huns became powerful now. They jointly defeated the Huns and forced them to move towards Mongolia.

Rishikas and Tocharians along with Ta-Yuezhi Jats became Muslims in this region. Later when the pressure of Muslim religion increased these people moved down to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Ta-Yuezhi branch included Rishikas, Tocharians, Kushans, Chahars, Jadons, Sinsinwars, Kuntals, Sogadia gotra Jats. Tocharians and Rishikas were great warriors and they became strong followers of Budhhism. They also helped in spreading the Buddhism religion to far off places.

A branch of Tocharians was Hunga who came to Brij area in India and settled on the fertile banks of Yamuna River. Hunga Jats are believed to get their name from Hungamas satrap who came from the region of "Huang He" river and "hingu" hills in China. The Hunga over a period became "Aga". Aga in Sanskrit became "Agre" meaning advance, since these were the people first to come to Brij area. Kanishka had made the Hunga people the rulers of Mathura. Another branch of Tocharians moved to Afghanistan and upto Iran. Kanishka made these people the rulers of Ghazni.

According to Dharampal Singh Dudee, Agi gotra is different from Aga, Haga or Agre. Agi gotra started from a Jat named Aksha (अक्ष),; they are also considered as descendants of rishi Agastya.

Bhim Singh Dahiya writes that Finally we come to the conclusion that the Chinese name Hiung-nu is correct, after all. These Hiung-nu were a clan dominant at that time. It was this clan which produced emperors like Touman, Maodun, Giya in the first three centuries prior to the Christian era. These Hiung-nu are still existing as a Jat clan in India and are called Heng or Henga. We must remember that the Kang Jat were named by the Chinese as Kang-nu; similarly the Heng were called Heng-nu or Hiung-nu. These were the 'Huna Mandal' rulers who fought with almost all the Indian powers, right up to 10th century A.D.

They have now 360 villages in Mathura district of U.P. The late Har Prasad Singh, Commissioner of Income Tax, was a Henga Jat. As for the word 'Huna' itself, it may be a war cry of these people. In Punjab, it is used in the sense of 'now', i.e., the time for the attack and final kill. Again, Otto Macnchen-Helfen may be right when he says that Hun is a Proto-Germanic adjective, signifying 'High'.¹³¹ As already stated, all the Jat clan names mean 'high' or 'top' or 'head', 'crown' or 'king'.

In Rajatarangini

Rajatarangini tells us ...At the time of Murder of the king Sussala in 1127 AD, the king said in anger that he who remains here is a traitor. Only two remained there, the betel-bearer, an old man, and the learned Rahila, the minister for peace and war. At this time Aghadeva and Nishtavaishya, two spies of Tikka, came from him not knowing what Utpala was about. [VIII (i),p.112] (Aghadeva → Agha)

Hanga Khap

Hanga Khap is also known as Agrapal Khap. This khap has 150 villages in Sadabad tahsil of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh. The main villages are: Bisawar , Nauganv etc. Ch Devkaran of this khap fought bravely with British Govt.

Distribution in Rajasthan

Villages in Bharatpur district

Girdharpur Bharatpur,

Distribution in Madhya Pradesh

Villages in Gwalior district

Dabra Gwalior, Gwalior,

Villages in Shivpuri district

Shivpuri,

Distribution in Uttar Pradesh

Villages in Agra district

Jarua Katra (Agra), Kurkanda,

Villages in Hathras district

Bangarh Hathras, Teeket (Bisawar wali), Hathras, Nagla Chhatti, Nagla Ghani, Teeket, Teeket(Bisawar wali), Bagh Ka Nagla, Naugawan, Sadabad,

Villages in Aligarh district

Talesar,

Villages in Mathura district

Agha Chaudhary Khap has 105 villages in Mathura district.

Anta Ki Garhi, Bisawar, Chihattar, Khumani Ki Garhi, Kārab, Kursanda, Magorra, Nayabans Mathura, Sarai Daud, Tilhū, Vidhipur,

Notable persons

• Chaudhary Digambar Singh (Agre), from Kursanda (Mathura), was Member of Parliament elected to 3rd (1962), 4th (1967) and 7th Lok Sabha (1980) from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
• Kamlesh Bhartiya
• Sardar Singh Agre
• Bhondu Singh Hanga (सूबेदार भोंदू सिंह), from Girdharpur (गिरधरपुर), Bharatpur was a Social worker in Rajasthan.
• Late Har Prasad Singh, Commissiner of Incometax, was Henga Jat.
• Om Prakash Chaudhary (Agre), Date of Birth: 3-9-1964, IFS Madhya Pradesh, 1989
• Sanjay Kumar Chaudhary Agre, runs a social organization named "अवलोकन सेवा सूचना केन्द्र (आस्क)" - Address 99/8, Balkeshwar Colony, Agra, Mob 9927418193
• D L Verma, Sadabad
• O P Agre, Social Worker
• Jag Mohan Singh (Agre) - RAS, Land Acquisition Officer, Udaipur, Address : Mohalla Gopalgarh,Bharatpur, Phone : 02942430907, Mob:9414072223

Further reading

• Bhim Singh Dahiya: Aryan Tribes and the Rig Veda, Dahinam Publishers, 16 B Sujan Singh Park, Sonepat, Haryana,India,1991
• Bhim Singh Dahiya: Jats the Ancient Rulers, Dahinam Publishers, 16 B Sujan Singh Park, Sonepat, Haryana,India,
• Thakur Deshraj: Jat Itihas (Hindi), Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi, 1934.
• Jat Viron Ka Itihas (Hindi): Capt Dalip Singh Ahalawat
• Jat Samaj: Agra, January 1992

References

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