Dara

Dara (डारा) Dar (डार) Daara (डारा), Darwal (डारवाल)/ Daarvaal (डारवाल) Dar (दार) is gotra of Jats found in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Pakistan. Darah clan found in Afghanistan. Darah (दरह), a Dogar clan is found in Amritsar.

Origin

• Darius the Great (डारियस) (550–486 BCE) was the third king of the Achaemenid Empire. Probably he was a king of Dara clan.

Jat Gotras Namesake

• Darad = Darada = Dardae

• Darar = Darada = Dardae

• Daral = Dardae

• Dar = Dara = Darada = Dardae
• Dar = Dari (Pliny.vi.22)
• Dara = Dari (Pliny.vi.22)
• Darwal = Dari (Pliny.vi.22)

• Dara = Darangae (Pliny.vi.23)
• Dara = Daron (Pliny.vi.35)
• Dar (Jat clan) = Drangikas (द्राङ्गिक) (L.3). Drangikas (द्राङ्गिक) (L.3) is mentioned in Nagardhan Plates Of Svamiraja : (Kalachuri) Year 322 (=573 AD) as an officer.....Swamiraja's brother Nannarâja (नन्नराज) (L.2), who meditates on him, honours all his (officers) such as Rajasthaniyas (राजस्थानीय) (L.2), Uparikas (उपरिक) (L.3), Dandapashikas (दाण्डपाशिक) (L.3), Chatas (चाट) (L.3), Bhatas (भट) (L.3), Dutasampreshanikas (दूतसम्प्रेषणिक) (L.3) and Drangikas (द्राङ्गिक) (L.3) (p.616).

• Dara (डारा) (Jat clan) → Daroli (डारोली) is a village in Tendukheda tahsil in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh. Author (Laxman Burdak) visited it on 13.12.1990.

Mention by Pliny

Pliny mentions Ethiopia.... Aristocreon informs us that on the Libyan side, at a distance of five days' journey from Meroë, is the town of Tolles, and then at a further distance of twelve days' journey, Esar, a town founded by the Egyptians who fled from Psammetichus²³; he states also that they dwelt there for a period of three hundred years, and that opposite, on the Arabian side, there is a town of theirs called Daron.²⁴ The town, however, which he calls Esar, is by Bion called Sape, who says that the name means "the strangers:" their capital being Sembobitis, situate on an island, and a third place of theirs, Sinat in Arabia.

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23 Who is mentioned again in B. xxxvi. c. 19.

24 Ptolemy, however, speaks of Esar and Daron as the names of towns situate on the island of Meroë.

Mention by Pliny

Pliny mentions Arabia.... We then find the Clari, the shore of Mamæum, on which there are gold mines, the region of Canauna, the nations of the Apitami and the Casani, the island of Devade, the fountain of Coralis, the Carphati, the islands of Calaëu and Amnamethus, and the nation of the Darræ.

Dara village

• डारा (जाट गोत्र - डारा) : डारा नाम का गाँव झारखंड के पश्चिमी सिंहभूम जिले की तांतनगर विकास-खंड में है।

History

Alexander Cunningham writes The ruined city near Dārāpur, which has been described by Burnes¹ and Court,² is situated on the west bank of the river, 20 miles below Jhelam, and 10 miles above Jalalpur. In their time, the old mound was unoccupied, but about 1832 A.D. the people of Dilawar abandoned their village on a hill to the west, and settled on the site of the ruined city. Before that time, the place was usually called Find, or " the mound," although its true name is said to have been Udamnagar, or Udinagar. The same name is also given by Burnes, but Court, who twice alludes to these ruins, mentions no name, unless he includes them under that of Gagirakhi, the ruins of which he describes as extending along the banks "of the Hydaspes from near Jalalpur to Darapur." According to this account, the ruins would not be less than 6 or 7 miles in length. I think it probable that there has

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1 ' Travels in Panjab, Bokhara, etc.,' ii. 51. 2 Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1836, 472, 473.

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[p.162]: been some confusion between two different places, which have here been joined together as one continuous extent of ruins. Girjhāk, which I take to be the original of Court's Gagirakhi, is an old ruined fort on the top of the hill to the north of Jalalpur, to which the people assign a fabulous extent ; but it is at least 8 miles from Darapur, and is, besides, separated from it by the deep Kandar ravine, and by the precipitous range of hills at whose west foot Dilawar is situated. Burnes also describes the old city as extending "for three or four miles." But this is certainly an exaggeration, as I was unable to trace the ruins for more than one mile in length by half a mile in breadth. The ruins consist of two large mounds just half a mile apart, with two smaller mounds about midway between them. The south mound on which Dilawar is situated, is about 500 feet square at top, and 1100 or 1200 feet at base, with a height of 50 or 60 feet. The north mound, on which old Darapur stands, is 600 feet square, and from 20 to 30 feet in height. Between these mounds the fields are covered with broken bricks and pottery, and the whole place is said to be the ruins of a single city. The walls of the Dilawar houses are built of the large old bricks dug out of this mound, which are of two sizes, one of 11½ by 8¼ by 3 inches, and the other of only half this thickness. Old coins are found in great numbers in the Dilawar mound, from which the Jalalpur bazar is said to be supplied, just as Pind Dadan is supplied from the ruins of Jobnathnagar. The coins which I obtained belonged to the first Indo-Scythians, the Kabul-Brahmans, the kings of Kashmir, and the Karluki Hazara chiefs, Hasan and his son Muhammad. The site.

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[p.163]: therefore, must have been occupied certainly as early as the second century before the Christian era. Its foundation is attributed to Raja Bharati, whose age is not known. I conclude, however, that the dominating position of Dilawar, which commands the passage of the Jhelam at the point where the lower road from the west leaves the hills, just below the mouth of the Bunhar river, must have led to its occupation at a very early period.

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Rajatarangini tells us that ...Dāraka and others frightened Majika with rumours which might have been true or false, of some harm from king Lothana. (p.170)

Mention by Pliny

Pliny has mentioned ....Lying to the east of the Caspii is the region known as Apavortene, in which there is a place noted for its singular fertility, called Dareium. We then come to the nations of the Tapyri, the Anariaci, the Staures, and the Hyrcani, past whose shores and beyond the river Sideris the Caspian begins to take the name of the Hyrcanian Sea: on this side of that stream are also the rivers Maxeras and Strato: all of them take their rise in the Caucasian chain. Next comes the district of Margiane, so remarkable for its sunny climate. It is the only spot in all these regions that produces the vine, being shut in on every side by verdant and refreshing hills.

Mention by Pliny

Pliny mentions 'The Indus.'....Below these deserts are the Dari and the Surve, and then deserts again for one hundred and eighty-seven miles, sands in general encircling these spots just as islands are surrounded by the sea. Below these deserts, again, are the Maltecoræ, the Singæ, the Marohæ, the Rarungæ, and the Morontes. These last peoples, who possess the mountains throughout the whole range of country as far as the shores of the ocean, are free, and independent of all kings, and hold numerous cities upon the declivities of the mountains.

Jat clans mentioned by Megasthenes

Megasthenes also described India's caste system and a number of clans out of these some have been identified with Jat clans by the Jat historians. Megasthenes has mentioned a large number of Jat clans. It seems that the Greeks added 'i' to names which had an 'i' ending. Identified probable Jat clans have been provided with active link within brackets. (See Jat clans mentioned by Megasthenes)

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Jat clans as described by Megasthenes
Location	Jat clans	Information
10. Below the deserts are	The Dari (Dar, Dara, Darwal), the Surae (Sur, Sauran, Soora, Surve), the Maltecorae (Maltiya), Singhae (Sangha, Singa, Singad, Singala, Singhal, Singhar, Singwa), Marohae (Maru, Maurya, Marohi), Rarungae (Rangi,Rara), Moruni (Mor)	These inhabit the hills which in an unbroken chain run parallel to the shores of the ocean. They are free and have no kings, and occupy the mountain heights, whereon they have built many cities

Villages founded by Dara clan

• Daron Ki Dhani (डारों की ढाणी) - village in Merta City tehsil of Nagaur district in Rajasthan.
• Dara Ki Dhimdi (डारा की ढीमड़ी) - village in tehsil Sojat of Pali district in Rajasthan.
• Dara Kalan Thanesar
• Dara Khurd Thanesar
• Dara Ki Dhimdi

Dara in Parthian Stations

See Parthian Stations

Parthian Stations by Isidore of Charax, is an account of the overland trade route between the Levant and India, in the 1st century BCE, The Greek text with a translation and commentary by Wilfred H. Schoff. Transcribed from the Original London Edition, 1914. The Parthian Stations of Isidore of Charax, fragmentary as it is, is one of the very few records of the overland trade-route in the period of struggle between Parthia and Rome.

1. For those who cross the Euphrates, next to Zeugma is the city of Apamia, and then the village of Daeara (Dara). It is 3 schoeni distant from Apamia and the river Euphrates. Then Charax Sidae, called by the Greeks the city of Anthemusias, 5 schoeni: beyond which is Coraea, in Batana (Bhatona), a fortified place: 3 schoeni.

13. Beyond is Apauarcticena (the Zapaortenon of Justin), 27 schoeni, in which is the city of Apauarctica (Possibly Dara, built by the Parthian King Tiridates about B.C. 230 as his residence, supplanting the Greek city of Hecatompylos; very near the modern Meshed). Then the city of Ragau and two villages.

Dara by Megasthenes

Dara is one of Jat clans mentioned by Megasthenes. He mentions them below the deserts: The Dari (Dara), the Surae (Soora), the Maltecorae, Singhae (Singhal), Marohae (Maurya), Rarungae (Rara), Moruni (Mor). These inhabit the hills which in an unbroken chain run parallel to the shores of the ocean. They are free and have no kings, and occupy the mountain heights, whereon they have built many cities

Distribution in Rajasthan

Dara village in Kota district

List of protected monuments by archaeological survey of India in Rajasthan in Kota district has three sites out of them one is Dara:

1. Charchoma-Shiva Temple and two unpublished Gupta Inscriptions
2. Dara- Temple, Fortwall and Statues
3. Kanswa - Temple with Inscription

Villages in Sikar district

Garinda, Roru Chhoti, Shahpura Sikar,

Villages in Jhunjhunu district

Angasar (5), Kishorpura Jhunjhunu,

Villages in Pali district

Alawas, Chandawal Nagar, Dara Ki Dhimdi (Bagrinagar, teh Sojat) Mandiyan,

Villages in Nagaur district

Badoo, Borawar, Dangawas, Daron Ki Dhani, Degana Ganw, Dhatiyad, Dobri Kalan, Genana, Gular, Kalwa, Palot (90), Rabdiyad,

Villages in Jodhpur district

Basni, Bisalpur, Olvi, Sargiya Kalan,

Locations in Jaipur city

Ambabari,

Villages in Tonk district

Darwal (डारवाल) gotra Jats live in villages:

Bhurtiya, Darda Hind, Deoli Gaon, Deoli, Dodwadi (1), Hadi Gaam, Haneempur (1), Loharwada (3), Nalaa, Pahadi (32), Sandera Farm (5), Harbhagatpura

Villages in Jaipur district

Darwal (डारवाल) gotra Jats live in villages:

Jhonpariya (3), Madhorajpura, Nadha Madhorajpura (3), Parwan (6), Sawaimadhosinghpura (1), Dosra (दौसरा)

Dara gotra Jats live in villages:

Itawa Tejya Ka Bas,

Villages in Churu district

Sujangarh (2)

Villages in Hanumangarh district

Bhakranwali,

Villages in Ajmer district

Kotri Ajmer,

Distribution in Madhya Pradesh

Villages in Ratlam district

Villages in Ratlam district with population of this gotra are:

Badauda 2, Bhatkheda 2, Damottar 13, Delanpur 2, Dhamottar 16, Dheekwa 1, Ghatwas 2, Hanumanpalia 1, Kalori khurd 1, Namli 9, Narayangarh sailana 18, Negarda 4, Ramgarh sailana 1, Sakrawada, Songarh 1, Surana 2

Villages in Ujjain district

Barkheda Tarana, Munjakhedi

Distribution in Haryana

Villges in Sirsa district

Kumharia Sirsa

Distribution in Pakistan

According to 1911 census the Dara were the principal Muslim Jat clan in Districts:

• Multan District - Dara (1,040)

Distribution in Afghanistan

Darah District is in Panjshir Province of Afghanistan.

Notable persons

• Bunti Ram Dara (चौधरी बूटीराम डारा), from village Kishorpura Jhunjhunu, was a leading Freedom fighter who took part in Shekhawati farmers movement in Rajasthan.

• Babu Lal Chaudhary (Dara) - From village Bagrinagar district Pali. Retd from Indian Air Force in 1993. Now engaged in Business in Sikanderabad (AP). Mob - 4027227926
• Panna Ram (Dara) - Date of Birth : 14-April-1965, AO (Cash) BSNL, Vill- Huldhani, Post- Bhadwa,Via- Badu,Tehsil- Parbatsar,Distt.-Nagaur,(Raj), Present Address : H/O SH.Roopa Ram,282-283,Subhash Nagar,Pal Road,Jodhpur(Raj), Resident Phone Number: Mobile Number : 9413394250, Email Address : pramdara@yahoo.co.in

• Dr.(Smt.) Ram Kanwar Choudhary (Dara) - Doctor S.R. Choudhary Memorial Hospital, Date of Birth : 3-March-1962, VPO- Dangawas, teh.- Merta City, distt.- Nagaur, Rajasthan, Present Address : Choudhary Memorial Hospital, Behind Shiv Mandir, Fatehpur Road, Sikar, Phone: 01572-259144, Mob: 9460151467

• Vikash Dara (04.08.1992 - 28.11.2020) became martyr on 28.11.2020 in a vehicle accident in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh while carrying CRPF people for an anti-naxal campaign. He was from Kishorpura village in Chirawa tahsil of Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan.

Unit - 208 Cobra Battalion, CRPF

See also

• Daria (डारिया)

References

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