Gakhars (also Gakkhar or Ghakhar
or Ghakkar) (Urdu: گاکھر) were a fiercely independent and warlike clan
now located in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Jhelum, Kashmir, Gilgit,
Baltistan, Chitral, Khanpur (NWFP) and Mirpur regions in modern day
Pakistan. They formed a feudal aristocracy over the territories they
controlled. A similar clan was recently portrayed in Asif Kapadia's
critically acclaimed and BAFTA award winning 2001 film "The Warrior".
The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition of 1911 states that "the
Ghakkars seem to represent an early wave of conquest from the east, and
they still inhabit the whole eastern slope of the district; while the
Awans, who now cluster in the western plain, are apparently later
invaders from the opposite quarter. The Gakhars were the dominant race
at the period of the first Mahommedan incursions, and long continued to
retain their independence. During the flourishing period of the Mogul
dynasty, the Gakhar chieftains were prosperous and loyal vassals of the
house of Babur; but after the collapse of the Delhi Empire Jhelum fell,
like its neighbours, under the sway of the Sikhs. In 1765 Gujar Singh
defeated the last independent Gakhar prince, and reduced the wild
mountaineers to subjection. His son succeeded to his dominions, until
1810, when he fell before the irresistible power of Ranjit Singh."
The 1893-94 Gazetteer of the Rawalpindi District also notes that "from
the moment where oral traditions give way to more authentic historical
records, the history of the Potohar becomes that of the Gakhar clan. The
Gakhars became prominent at the time of the early Muslim era and have
more or less maintained their rule over the city of Rawalpindi and parts
of Hazara and Jhelum districts, independent of the sovereign powers at
Delhi and Agra, until being defeated at the beginning of the nineteenth
century by the Sikhs."
Important early sources for the Gakhars are "Kaygawharnāma" by Rāyzāda
Dunīchand Bālī, completed in 1725 (a copy is held in the British
Library), Ferishta's The History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in
India Till The Year A.D. 1612, Zahir-ud-din Mohammad Babur's, Baburnama
and the Akbarnama of Abul Fazl.
The Ancient Gakhars
History Of Gakhars In Urdu Gakhar History In Urdu The best ancient
sources for the Gakhars are Ferishta's history completed in 1606 and the
Gakhar history "Kaygawharnāma" by Rāyzāda Dunīchand Bālī which was
written in 1725.
The "Kaygawharnāma" claims the Gakhars were Sassanian Persian nobles
who, with their knights, went beyond the northeast frontier of the
Sassanian empire. seeking lands in China, Tibet and Kashmir. Gakhars
therefore use the ancient royal Persian title "Kay or "Kayani as did the
Sassanian aristocracy as they claim descent from the semi-mythological
Kayani Kings of ancient Iran. Eventually after centuries of wandering,
the Gakhars joined forces with the Mahmud of Ghazni in his invasion of
1008 and were rewarded with the kingdom of Potohar, which has since been
the territory of the clan.
However in Ferishta's view, the Gakhars were a Indian tribe who resisted
Mahmud of Ghazni invasion of India. Anandapal, son of Jayapala Maharaja
of Punjab, "...with the Gakhars, and other warlike tribes..." forght a
critical battle against the Muslim invader Mahmud of Ghazni in the
Punjab in the year 1008. "Mahmud, having thus secured himself, ordered
six thousand archers to the front to endeavour to provoke the enemy to
attack his entrenchments. The archers were opposed by the Gakhars, who,
in spite of the King's (Mahmud of Ghazni) efforts and presence, repulsed
his light troops, and followed them so closely, that no less than
30,000 Gakhars with their heads and feet bare, and armed with various
weapons, penetrated into the Muslim lines, where a dreadful carnage
ensured, and 5000 Muslims in a few minutes were slain."
The Gakhars most likely left the Sassanian Empire after 565 AD when
Khosrau I in coalition with the Western (Oghuz) Turks invaded north west
India, maintaining weak Sassanian control over it until the 10th
century, long after the fall of the last Sassanian ruler Yazdgerd III in
651 AD to Arab invaders. Most likely it would have been as exiles - the
Kaygawharnāma records many years of wandering - from the fall of the
Sassanian Empire possibly as late as 682 AD which is when Ferishta
records that the Raja of Lahore submitted to terms from the Gakhars.
"This treaty included the cession of certain territories in perpetuity
to the Gakhars... that they should protect the Indian frontier from the
Muslim invasions." In these lands they would have likely formed a small
feudal aristocracy controlling many Hindu villages. Despite forced
conversion in 1204, according to Ferishta, the Gakhars maintained a
largely successful resistance to the Muslim kingdoms that followed
before the coming of Babar.
The Medieval Gakhars and Babur
From the Baburnama (The Memoirs of Babur), his chapter "Recent History
of Bhera", in 1519 Babur noted: "There were the Jats, the Gujjars, and
many other peoples living in the mountains between the Nilab and Bhera
(in Jhelum district), which are connected to the mountains of Kashmir.
Their rulers and chieftains belong to the Gakhar clan whose chieftain
ship is like that of the Jud and Janjua."
It was worth noting that up to this point, the Gakhars and Janjua
Rajputs had engaged in a never ending battle for sovereignty over the
Salt Range.
“
The history of this region (the Salt Range) from the thirteenth century
onward had been a sickening record of wars between the Janjuhas and the
Gakkhars for political ascendancy
”
Advanced History of Medieval India
[1]However,
the alliance of Raja Sahib Khan (Janjua overlord) and Malik Bir Khan
Gakhar, saw a period of peace between the two tribes (both being
visionary princes, and with a legendary friendship of treating each
other as half brothers)
[2]This
was later abruptly ended upon the ascension of Hathi Khan Gakhar as the
leader of the Gakhar tribe, who assassinated Malik Hast Janjua's
father, thereby reawakening the old feud between the two warrior clans.
Of the Jud and Janjua, Babur noted: "Seven kos from Bhera to the north,
there is a hill. This hill, in the Zafer-nāmeh and some other books, is
called the hill of Jūd. At first I was ignorant of the origin of its
name, but afterwards discovered that in this hill there were two races
of men descended of the same father. One tribe is called Jūd, the other
Janjūa. From old times, they have been the rulers and lords of the
inhabitants of this hill, and of the tribes and clans which are between
Nilāb and Bhera; but their power is exerted in a friendly and brotherly
way. They cannot take from them whatever they please. They take as their
share a portion that has been fixed from very remote times. The one
never takes, and the others never give, a single grain more or less.
Their agreement is as follows: They give a shahrokhi for each head of
cattle; seven shahrokhis are paid by each master of a family, and they
serve in their armies. The Jūd are divided into various branches or
families, as well as the Janjūa. This hill, which lies within seven kos
of Bhera, branching off from the hill-country of Kashmīr, which belongs
to the same range as Hindū-kūsh, takes a south-westerly direction, and
terminates below Dīnkot, on the river Sind. On the one half of this hill
are the Jūd, and on the other the Janjūa. This hill got the name of Jūd
from a supposed resemblance to the celebrated hill of Jūd. The chief
man among them gets the name of Rai. His younger brothers and sons are
called Malik. These Janjūa were the maternal uncles of Langer Khan. The
name of the ruler of the clans and tribes in the neighbourhood of the
river Sohān was Malik Hast. His original name was Asad, but as the
people of Hindustān often drop the vowels, calling, for instance,
khabar, khabr, and asad, asd, this word, going on from one corruption to
another, ended in becoming Hast. Immediately on reaching our ground I
sent Langer Khan in order to bring in Malik Hast. He galloped off, and
by impressing him with a persuasion of my generosity and favourable
intentions in his behalf, returned, accompanied by him, about bed-time
prayers. Malik Hast brought a mail-clad horse with him and made his
submission. He was about the twenty-second or twenty-third year of his
age."
Concerning the Gakhar clan, Babur goes on to say: "At
that time (1519), the chieftains of the peoples on the mountainsides
were two cousins, Tatar Khan and Hati "Elephant" Gakhar. Their
strongholds were the ravines and cliffs. Tatar's seat was Pharwala,
which is way below the snow-covered mountains. Hati, whose territory was
adjacent to the mountains, had gained dominance over Kalinjar, which
belonged to Babu Khan of Bisut. Tatar Khan had seen Dawlat Khan and owed
him total allegiance; Hati, however, had not seen him and maintained a
rebellious attitude towards him. With the advice and agreement of the
Hindustan Begs, Tatar had gone and camped at a distance as
though to lay siege to Hati. While we were in Bhera, Hati seized upon
some pretext to make a surprise attack on Tatar, kill him, and lay hands
on his territory, his wives, and everything he had."
In the case of both the Janjua and the Gakhar clans in the Medieval
period, Babur paints a clear picture of heavily armed warrior elites
living off the tribute of many acquiescent villages and in turn paying
reluctant homage to their Turko-Mongol overlords.
What follows is Babur's vivid account of his attack on Hati Gakhar at
the fortress of Pharwala: "Those who knew the lay of the land
hereabouts, especially the Janjua, who were old enemies of the Gakhar,
reported that Hati Gakhar had recently turned outlaw. He was engaging in
highway robbery and bringing ruination upon the people. It was
necessary to do something to drive him from the area or else to teach
him a good lesson. In agreement with them, the next morning we assigned
Khwaja Mirmiran and Mirim Nasir to the camp and left the camp at
mid-morning to ride to Pharwala against Hati Gakhar, who had killed
Tatar a few days before and taken over Pharwala, as has been mentioned.
We stopped in the late afternoon, fed the horses, and rode off by night.
Our guide was a servant of Malik Hast’s, Surpa by name. We cleared the
road and stopped near dawn. Beg Muhammad Moghul was sent back to camp.
As it was becoming light we mounted, and at midmorning we put on our
armour and charged. With one league left to go, we could see the outline
of Pharwala. Off we galloped. The right wing went to the east of
Pharwala. Qoch Beg, who was with the right wing, was sent to reinforce
its rear. The men of the left wing and centre were pouring down on
Pharwala. Dost Beg was directed to support the rear of the left wing,
which was also attacking. Pharwala, situated among ravines, has two
roads. The one to the southeast—the road by which we were traveling—is
atop the ravines and is surrounded by ravines and gullies on both sides.
Half a kos from Pharwala, the road becomes such that in four or five
places before reaching the gate the ravines are so precipitous that it
is necessary to ride single file the distance of an arrow shot. The
other road to Pharwala is to the northwest and leads through a wide
valley. It too is precarious, and there is no other road on any side.
Although it has no ramparts or battlements, there is no place to bring
force to bear either. All around are ravines seven, eight, or ten yards
straight down. The men farthest forward in the left wing passed through
the narrows and gathered at the gate. Hati drove back the attackers
with thirty to forty armed horsemen and many foot soldiers. When Dost
Beg, who was reinforcing the rear of the attackers, arrived, he brought a
lot of force to bear, unhorsed many men, and defeated the foe. Hati
Gakhar was renowned in those parts for his valour, but regardless of how
well he fought he could not maintain his stand and was forced to
retreat. He was unable to hold the narrows, and when he made it to the
fortress, he could not make it fast either. The attackers poured into
the fortress behind him and ran through it to the narrow ravine on the
northwest, but Hati got out and fled unencumbered. Here Dost Beg
performed a good action and received the fiuldu. Meanwhile I entered the
fortress and dismounted at Tatar’s quarters. Some of those who had been
assigned to stay with me while the attack was launched had nevertheless
gone on to join the fray. Among them were Amin-Muhammad Tarkhan Arghun
and Qaracha, who for their disobedience were attached to the Gujar
guide, Surpa and sent into the wilderness without their cloaks to meet
the camp. The next morning we got across the northwest ravine and camped
in a grain field. Wali KhizanachI was assigned a few valiant warriors
and sent to meet the camp. On Thursday the fifteenth [March 17] we
marched out and stopped at Anderana on the banks of the Sohan. [231]
Long ago the Anderana fortress had belonged to Malik Hast’s father, but
after Hati Gakhar killed Hast’s father, it fell to ruins, which was its
condition when we found it. That night, the part of the camp that had
been detached at Kalda Kahar arrived and joined us. After Hati took
Tatar, he sent his relative Parbat to me with a mail clad horse and
gifts. Before catching up with me, Parbart encountered the men of the
camp who had stayed behind and came along with the uruq to present his
gifts and pay homage. Langar Khan also came with the uruq on several
matters of business, and when finished, he and some local people were
given leave to depart for Bhera. Marching on and crossing the Sohan, we
stopped on a hill. Parbat was given a robe of honour, and Muhammad-Ali
Jang-Jang’s servant was sent to Hati with letters of appeasement.
The medieval Gakhars and Humayun
Humayun, Baburs son, ruled from 1530–1540. Humayun lost his Indian
territories to the Afghan Sultan, Sher Shah Suri, and, with Persian aid,
regained them fifteen years later.
According to the Akbarnama, Sher Shah Suri started a genocidal war
against Sultan Sarang Khan Gakhar who remained loyal to Humayun,
building the massive Rohtas Fort in 1541-43 (designated a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1997) in an effort to crush the Gakhars, to whom the
fort was finally surrendered ten years after Sher Suri's death. Sultan
Sarang built Rawat Fort nearby and is buried there with many of his
sons.
"From thence he (Sher Shah Suri) advanced as far as Khushab and was for
some days in Bhera. He sent a summons to Sultan Sarang Ghakkar and
Sultan Adam who were the leading landholders in that neighbourhood, but
as they had been clients of his Majesty Giti-sitani Firdusmakani, and
had prospered by the favour of that exalted family they did not listen
to his overtures. he advanced as far as Hathiapur in the Ghakkar
territory and sent a large force against them. The Ghakhars fought
bravely and defeated the Afghans so much that many of them were captured
and sold. Sher Khan (Sher Shah Suri) wanted to march against them in
person. He consulted his followers and they advised that as this tribe
had strong mountains and remote heartlands they should be dealt with by
degrees and by policy. the proper course was to leave a large army in
that neighbourhood which could both watch the royal army and devastate
the country of the Ghakkars. It was also desirable that a strong fort
should be built for the carring out of these two objectives. In
consequence of this advice he laid the foundations of the Fort of Rohtas
and having left a large force there he marched back and came to Agra".
Akbarnama, vol. 1, pp. 398–399.
"The brief account of this affair is that Sultān Sārang waged brave war
with Sher Khān (sher Shah Suri), but at last he and his son Kamāl Khān
were made prisoners. Sārang was put to death and Kamāl Khān was
imprisoned in Gwāliār fort. But in spite of such disaster their country
could not be conquered and the clan was governed by Sultān Adam, the
brother of Sultān Sārang. When Sher Khān died and Salīm Khān's turn
arrived, he too made great efforts to take the country, but was
unsuccessful. One of the wonderful things was that Salīm Khān ordered
that all the prisoners in Gwāliār fort should be put to death, and that
for this purpose a pit should be dug under the prison and filled with
gunpowder and set on fire. There was an explosion, the building was
destroyed and the prisoners were blown to pieces; Kamāl Khān was inside,
but fate sheltered him from this calamity. In the corner where he was,
not a breath of the fire reached him. When Salīm Khān heard of this
Divine protection he took an oath (of fidelity) from him and released
him. From that time Sultān Adam, his uncle, was in full possession of
the country while Kamāl Khān passed his days in frustration.",
Akbarnama, vol.2, p.298.
The Medieval Gakhars and Akbar
Jalaludin Muhammad Akbar also known as Akbar the Great was the son of
Humayun whom he succeeded as ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to
1605. He was the grandson of Mughal conquerorZaheerudin Babur who
founded the Mughal dynasty, a contemporary of Elizabeth the 1st of
England and widely considered the greatest of the Mughal emperors. The
Akbarnama written by Abul Fazl is the main source but also the records
of European travellers such as "The Commentary of Father Monserrate S.J.
on His Journey to the Court of Akbar".
The first act of homage by the Gakhars to Akbar was the capture and
surrendering of the traitor Mirza Kamran, brother of Humayun who had
joined with the Afghans. The Akbarnama records:
"... the delegates of Sultan Adam Gakhar, the chief of the Gakhar clan,
arrived with a letter and were graciously received. The contents of the
letter were that M. Kāmrān had come in distress to his territory; that
Sultan Adam, in whose head was the breath of loyalty, did not wish the
Mīrzā to spend his days in this vagabond fashion; that if His Majesty
would come, he would produce the Mīrzā in order that the latter might
make amends for his crimes and become a servant of dominion's threshold;
and that Sultan Adam himself would also do homage."
"Be it known that the Gakhars are a numerous clan and that they live
between the Bihat (Jehlam) and the Indus. In the time of Sultan.
Zainu-l-‘ābidīn of Kashmir, there came a Ghaznīn officer, named Malik
Kid, a kinsman of the ruler of Kābul, and took this country by force
from the possession of the Kashmīrīs. He was succeeded by his son, Malik
Kalān, and he again by his son Bīr. After him came Tatār Khān who had
much contest with Sher Khān and his son, Salīm Khān. He regarded himself
as attached to His Majesty's family, for at the time when His Majesty
Getī-sitānī Firdūs-makānī conquered India, he entered his service and
did good work. He was especially devoted in the war with Rānā Sānkā. He
had two sons, Sultan. Sārang and Sultan. Adam. After Sārang the headship
of the tribe fell to Sultan. Adam. The sons of Sārang Kamāl Khān and
S‘aīd Khān submitted but were secretly disaffected. Jōgī Khān, a
confidential servant of M. Kāmrān, arrived with as Sultan Adam's
ambassador and tendered a petition from the Mīrzā, full of smooth and
baseless words."
"Meditating evil, he (Miza Kamran) went to Sultan. Adam Gakhar thinking
that perhaps he might induce the Gakhar tribe to act with him and to do
things which ought not to be done. But Sultan. Adam approved of loyalty.
He kept the Mīrzā, by various pretexts, under surveillance and sent to
represent the matter at the sublime Court. The Mīrzā also, when he saw
disappointing indications in the behaviour of the tribe, was compelled
to adopt feline ways and to send a petition, as already stated. Though
he tried to induce the Gakhars to join him, he had no success. He did
not trouble himself about escaping because he had no refuge; moreover
owing to the guard kept over him and to his own fatigue, he saw that it
would be difficult to get away. He was obliged to subsist with this
people and he learnt that every harmful thought becomes null and void
which is entertained by the ill-wisher to a dominion adorned by the
Divine splendour and safe-guarded by its protection; and that such an
ill-wisher sinks into eternal punishment."
"When the envoy of Sultan. Adam had represented the state of affairs,
His Majesty determined to make an expedition into India as far as the
Gakhar country. He sent Khw. Jalālu-d-dīn Maḥmūd to guard and govern
Kābul and marched on himself, taking the King of Kings with him, for the
furtherance of good fortune. He bound the girdle of determination on
the waist of energy that he might end the affair of M. Kāmrān and ease
the world from his strife and sin. When the standards of victory reached
the Indus, he sent Qāẓī Ḥamīd, the chief judge of the victorious camp,
to Sl. Adam, requesting his presence. He also sent the Mīrzā sage
counsel and exhortations, to the effect that he should scour from his
heart the rust of opposition and discord. When later, he crossed the
Indus, there was no sign of Sultan. Adam who apparently was affected by
the misplaced apprehensions of a landholder. His Majesty despatched
Mūn‘im Khān to soothe him and bring him in. He also sent a few words to
the Mīrzā such as might guide him to fortune. Mūn‘im Khān was moreover
to ascertain from their actions and manners what were their secret
thoughts and to report accordingly. He displayed his abilities and after
cajolery and stratagem, Sultan. Adam brought the Mīrzā and did homage
near Parhāla."
"They entered the Mīrzā's tent. He thought they had come to kill him and
at once ran at them with his fists. ‘Alī Dost said, “Mīrzā, compose
yourself: the order is not for death. Why are you agitated? As justice
demands,—for you blinded Saiyid ‘Alī* and many other innocent
persons,—you will behold in your own eyes the retaliation thereof.” On
hearing this, the Mīrzā agreed to submit to the royal commands and
endured the insertion of the needle. They blinded both his eyes,—the
sentinels of a seditious heart. These loyal servants took the precaution
of using the lancet many times. The Mīrzā being thankful that his life
was spared, uttered no remonstrance. With his natural kindness, His
Majesty expressed his regrets and marched onwards. Many affectionate and
loving words rose to his lips. This catastrophe occurred in the end of
1553."
The Akbarnama also records the growing popularity of Kamal Khan in the Imperial Court:
"During the time the camp was at Jalandhar (1556), Kamal Khan Gakhar,
son of Sultan Sarang, younger brother of Sultan Adam, warmly followed up
the old loyalty and attained the blessing of kissing the threshold. He
became the recipient of princely favours and was included in the list of
officers. He did good service in the war with Hemu and at Mankot, etc.,
and became the object of special attentions from His Majesty The King
of Kings.", Akbarnama, vol 2, p.38.
"Of the events which occurred during this fortunate year (1558) was the
engaging in battle of Kamal Khan Gakhar and his victory. The facts of
this beautiful story are that at the time when Agra became the adode of
sovereignty it came to the royal ears an Afghan tribe called the Miyana
was stirring up strife in Sarnaj which is in the province of Malwa, His
Majesty sent Kamal Khan Gakhar against them as he showed marks of
courage and was fit for this employ. He went off with a body of troops
and fought a battle. He was victorious and returned to kiss the
threshold He was rewarded with a robe of honour and received the towns
of Karah, Fatehpur, Hanswah, and other places in fief.", Akbarnama,
vol.2, p.119
"Among the glorious victories which made this year (1561) illustrious
was that won by Khan Zaman over the Afgans...Khan Zaman was aware of
their designs and set about strengthening the fort of Jaunpur. He sent
information to the neighbouring officers and with the exception of
Sikandar Khan Uzbeg, be collected them all together, viz, Bahadur Khan,
Ibrahim Khan Uzbeg, Majnun Khan Qaqshal, Shaham Khan Jalair, Mir Ali
Akbar, Kamal Khan Gakhar and others.", Akbarnama, vol.2, p.215.
The Akbarnama also records the falling out of favour of Sultan Adam and
his overthrow in Chapter XLVIII : "Conquest of the Country of the
Gakhars Owing to the Valour of the Imperial Troops", Akbarnama, vol. 2,
pages 296-307.
"(1561) Their country is between the Indus and the Beas, in the folds of
the mountains, and among hillocks and caverns. Though in former times
the rulers of India had attempted with large armies and abundant
equipment to establish tranquility there, they had not succeeded,
inasmuch as they had no skill beyond that of outward show, and as they
had not a good intention. The knot was not untied by their efforts, as
has already been related. Now that the world had received grace and
ornament from the excellent intention and pure acts of His Majesty The
King of Kings, and that the celestials and terrestrials had gained
spiritual and temporal welfare from his existence, this great
undertaking, which had not been effected by former rulers of India, was
admirably carried out by the fortune of the King of Kings. The country
came into the possession of the imperial servants. The account of this
great boon is that as the Gakhar clan was always boasting of its loyalty
and singleness of heart, that mine of clemency and liberality (Akbar)
cast nought but eyes of favour upon their country. Though with reference
to the courtesies of service it is most proper that the great men of
the land should, if they cannot always be in attendance, occasionally
obtain the auspiciousness of kissing the threshold, Sultan Adam and the
headman of the country who had been encompassed by the King of Kings
favours, did not at all perform these duties. However, His Majesty
preserved the recollection of the small service which Sultan Adam had
performed (the capture and surrendering of the traitor M. Kamran), and
so passed over such offenses. When afterwards the throne of world-sway
was adorned by the radiance of His Majesty The King of Kings, Kamāl Khān
in accordance with the former services and devotion of his family which
were graven on his heart, brought the countenance of supplication to
the lofty court, and by kissing the threshold gave a new foundation to
the pillars of hereditary devotion, and showed himself to be an adherent
of the victorious stirrup. The ray of favour fell upon him, and he
received appropriate fiefs. At the time of the struggle between the Khān
Zamān and the son of 'Adlī, he held fiefs in the Sirkār of Lucknow and
in parganas Hanswah and Fatḥpūr, etc. Also, in accordance with orders,
he brought a considerable force with him and took part in the service.
He distinguished himself in that man-testing war, and when his merits
were reported by truth-tellers to His Majesty, more favour was shown to
him and he became the object of increased confidence. Accordingly H.M.
was pleased to say, “Kamāl Khān has done his duty, now is the time for
us to show him favour, whatever desire he may have shall be gratified.”
At this auspicious time Kamāl Khān represented through His Majesty's
intimates that the King of Kings had shown him favour above his deserts.
It was his hope now in consequence of his affection for his native
country that he might obtain from the royal grace the possession of his
father's territories. For since misfortunes came upon him, and he was
imprisoned by Salīm Khān, his ancestral lands had been in the possession
of his uncle Adam. From this uncle he had suffered a thousand
vexations."
"When he had represented his misfortunes and had begged for his old
native land, a world-obeyed order was issued from the point of justice
that the country of the Gakhars which Sultān Sārang had held, and which
was now possessed by Sultān Adam, should be divided into two portions,
and that Sultān Adam should have one of them and Kamāl Khān the other.
Orders to this effect were issued to the Khān Kilan Mīr Muḥammad Khān,
and to Mahdī Qāsim Khān, Qubu-d-dīn Muḥammad Khān, Sharīf Khān, Jān
Muḥammad Khān Bahsūdī, Rajah Kapūr Deo, and Rajah Rām Cand who all held
fiefs in the Panjub. If Sulṭān Adam did not submit to these orders, the
army was to march from the Panjab against his territory and punish him
for his contumacy so that all savage rustics might receive warning. When
Kamāl Khān obtained the highest point of his hopes he left the sublime
threshold and came to the Panjab. The great officers communicated to
Sultān Adam His Majesty's commands. He and his son Lashkarī, who managed
all his father's affairs, turned away their heads from obedience to the
world-adorning order, and proffered excuses which were worse than their
offence. They would not agree to descend even a little from their
borrowed sovereignty or to Kamāl Khān's obtaining his inheritance. The
officers out of precaution reported the state of the case to the Court.
Again an order of justice inscribed with the majestic sign-manual
(ughrā) came directing that though Adam had at the outset broken the
bond of obedience, yet as he was the subject of royal favours he would
be allowed to keep the half of his territory if he made over the other
half to his brother's son. If he still remained recalcitrant they were
to chastise him and confirm Kamāl Khān in the whole of the territory. As
his refractoriness had been shown, the army marched and entered the
Gakhar territory. Adam stuck to his folly and prepared to resist. A
great battle took place in the vicinity of the town of Hīlān.* As
courage and activity are implanted in the nature of the Gakhars, there
was fighting and carnage, but as the imperial armies are always aided by
God, the flashing of the victorious swords scoured the rust of the
oppressors' battlefield, and those wild beast-like savages traversed the
desert of defeat. By the good fortune of the King of Kings, a victory
which might fittingly be the embroidery of great victories was won, and
Sultān Adam was made prisoner. His son Lashkarī fled and went to the
hill-country of Kashmīr. For some time he was a vagabond, and then he
too was captured. The whole country of the Gakhars, which none of the
rulers of India had conquered,was by sublime inspiration subdued by a
few of the imperial servants. In accordance with the sacred order the
great officers gave the whole of the Gakhar country to Kamāl Khān, and
confirmed him therein. They returned after making over Sultān Adam and
his son to him. Because Kamāl Khān was firm and constant in his
obedience to the sublime court he obtained a fortune which had not even
entered into his dreams. He sent Lashkarī to a place from which there is
no coming back, and he imprisoned Sultān Adam and kept him under
surveillance to the end of his days. If they had submitted their necks
to the royal commands, which are always visitations from heaven, they
would not have been caught by these misfortunes. And if they had been
content with half of the territory, they would not have been afflicted
with the loss of the whole. By their disgraceful disobedience to the
royal orders, which are a mirror of the Divine orders, they gave up to
destruction their lives, their estates and their homes."
In order to further cement his relations with the Gakhars and use them
as an ally against the tubulent Afghans, Akbar in accordance with his
well-known policy, contracted matrimonial alliances with them. Prince
Salim was married to a daughter of Sayd Khan, a brother of Kamal Khan.
Sayd Khan had fought under the Mughal General Zayn Khan against the
Afghans in Swat and Bajaur. Later Aurangzeb also honoured the Gakhar
chief Allah Kuli Khan (1681-1705) by marrying one of his daughters to
his son prince Muhammad Akbar. Thus two Gakhar women found their way
into the Imperial harem.
Akbars policy of pacification and reconciliation had its desired effect
and we find the Gakhars leading a peaceful and uneventful life during
the major part of the Mughal rule. They seem to have have only
reluctantly accepted Mughal rule however as a celebrated Gakhar
warrior-chief, Mukarrab Khan, sided with Nadir Shah and took part in the
Battle of Karnal (1739), which showed up the crumbling fabric of the
Mughal empire. As a reward for his services, he was confirmed in his
possession of the fort of Pharwala and on his return to Kabul, Nader
Shah conferred upon him, as a mark of further favour, the title of Nawab
(this seems to have been a personal title as no later Gakhar chief ever
used it). In his days the Gakhar power was greater than it had perhaps
ever been before. He defeated the Yusafzai Afghans and Jang Kuli Khan of
Khattak, and captured Gujrat, overrunning the Chib country as far north
as Bhimber. He was finally defeated by the Sikhs at Gujrat in 1765 and
had to surrender the whole of his possessions up to the Jehlum.
Gakhar clans
Currently, there are forty one clans/branches of Gakhars but the following six are well-known and are the most important ones:
Adamal (descended from Sultan Adam)
Sarangal (descended from Sultan Sarang)
Hathial (said to be descended from Sultan Hathi)
Bogial (said to be descended from Malik Boga)
Firozal (said to be descended from Malik Firoz)
Iskandrial (said to be descended from Malik Sikandar)
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