Lohana
Lohanas or ‘Ace of Swords’ are an Indo-Aryan ethnic gathering and are a suryavanshi Kshatriya people group of India that started in Iran and Afghanistan. In India, they principally live in Gujarat, Mumbai and different pieces of the nation. They have additionally spread to all parts of the world. It is a Pashtun sub-clan of Ghilzai clan.
Initially, Lohanas were an unmistakable network of the Kshatriya Rajput standing (Sanskrit Kshatriya) that started in Iran and Afghanistan, at that point in the locale of Punjab and later on moved to Sindh and present-day Gujarat state in India around 800 years back. As directors and rulers, Kshatriya Lohanas were doled out with securing the individuals and serving humankind. After some time, notwithstanding, because of financial and political exigencies, most of Lohanas are presently virtually occupied with all the commercial occupations.
A portion of the Lohanas changed over to Sunni Islam; they are called Memon.
Ismaili Dai’ PirSadardin changed over a large number of them to the Ismaili group of Islam. They are known as “Khoja” (ethno Khawaja).
The Lohanas, otherwise called Thakkar, follow their underlying foundations in history straight up to the rise of Aryans, a phonetic of Indo-Iranians in the Indian sub-landmass (which at that point incorporated present Afghanistan) making theirs the most established enduring network on the planet. As per Puranic (old Indian writings of legend and legends) sources, the Aryan development was set up by lord Ishaku (Ikshvaku) approximately a few centuries before Christ (BC). His 22nd relative (Ref: Valmiki Ramayan; BalkandSarg 70 shlok 38 to 43;) was the extraordinary ruler Raghu, an incredible hero, who built up the Rahguvansh Dynasty.
Legend accepts that the Lohanas are relatives of the legendary saint Rama (Son of King Raghu), who bore two children: Luv and Kush.
Relatives of Kush are known as Kushwaha. His more youthful child Luv was given the North (uttarKaushala) of his realm (Refer: ValmkRamayan Uttar Kandsarg 107], which became, called Luvalka or Luv’s territory comprising of present-day Lahore (Pakistan) as it’s Capital.
Luv is depicted in the Ramayana as an extraordinary warrior. In one of the scenes of the Ramayana even though he is a simple kid in the seclusion, he brings the whole multitude of his dad Lord Rama (under the order of his uncle Laxman) to a halt by the ability at bows and arrows (obviously alongside his more seasoned sibling Kush). His relatives also were projected in a similar shape; however, they were not happy with Luvalka and pushed toward the west and attached present Afghanistan and abutting zones.
Around 580 BC., when lord Bimbisara controlled over Bharat (India), the general public came to be isolated into various networks dependent on their occupation. One of their networks was called Kshatriyas, and King Luv’s relatives were classed with them and came to be known as Luvanam, which was additionally alluded to as Luvana. The Luvanas from Loharghat got known as Loharana (bosses of blades; or iron (“Loha”) bosses (“Rana”)), which later became Lohana.
Chinese explorer Fa-hien, who visited India somewhere in the range of 414 and 399 B.C., calls Lohanas a courageous network controlling the northwest domain of India, in his journal. Another Chinese voyager, Kurmang who came in the eleventh century A.D. talks about a Lohana realm as a strong force. History specialist Burton composes Lohanas were bold individuals and says they were spread over the present Baluchistan (Pakistan), Afghanistan and eastern edges of Central Asia. Col. Todd, who dove into the history of Rajasthan, portrays Lohanas as the most seasoned Kshatriya people group.
The feasible explanation behind this title of grit is that they were the main line of safeguard for the Indian subcontinent in the immediate way of trespassers from northwest like Persians, Macedonians, Huns, Mughals, and so on. Then, Muhammad built up Islam. His supporters spread out in various ways to lecture his religion, and at the appropriate time, they turned East towards India.
Between the seventh and eleventh century, the Lohanas held their grounds in Afghanistan, hindering the coming of Islam eastwards. In the eleventh century, they at long last needed to fall back and moved at first to the Sindh region of the present Pakistan, where again for more than two centuries they gave the bleeding edge of guard against the attacking swarms. At last, at the turn of the thirteenth century, the Loharana ruler, Chahir Ray, was double-crossed by his friend Kualnger of the Brahmin Narsvatcommunity, who turned deceiver for an enormous fortune in gold and pearls. The Lohana realm crumbled into little fragments. After the network split, another pioneer rose who again brought together the Lohanas. Veer Jashraj, who is respected as Veer DadaJashraj, was conceived in the city of Lohar (the present Lahore in Pakistan), which was the Capital of Lohargadh. His space reached out from Lahore to Multan (likewise in Pakistan today).
As the legends go, Mongol intruder Changez Khan assaulted Multan and was slaughtered by DadaJashraj, Rana of Lohargadh.
This discovers notice in Mongol fables, which state, “Lord of Mongols was murdered by Mirana, the tiger of Multan fortification”. His relatives who gladly convey the family name of ‘Mirana’ protect the memory of this incredible warrior lord. DadaJashraj was additionally misleadingly slaughtered when just 28 – a daily existence so short however loaded with gallant deeds.
After the passing of DadaJashraj, the decay of the Lohana realm started and their rule at Lohargadh finished. Ruler Dahir controlled for some time from Narayankot (the present Hyderabad, Sindh). After his destruction in a war against Muslims, Narayankot and Sindh tumbled to Muslims. It was around this time that some Lohanas changed over to Islam.
Ongoing history
In 1422 AD, 700 Lohana families including nearly 6,178 changed over to Islam because of one SaiyedYusuffuddinQadri in Thatta Sindh — these are currently known as Memons.
It was around this time that Uderolal who is venerated as Jhulelal (by Sindhis) or Dariyalal (by Gujaratis), child of Ratanchand Thakur and Mata Devki of Nasarpur, around 90 miles from Narayankot (presently Hyderabad, Sindh) accepted the job of Lohana authority. Uderolal battled with Muslim boss Mirkshah and started him into the genuine significance of religion. Uderolal won the opportunity of faith for Hindus from the Muslim rulers and dedicated an amazing remainder to profound and network administration. Today Uderolal is adored as Jhulelal, the supporter holy person of Sindhis, the two Hindus and Muslims who visit the site of his samadhi.
The Lohanas felt their character was progressively undermined in Sindh, and they started to relocate towards Kutchchh, Saurashtra, Gujarat and even similar to Thailand. In Gujarati, Lohanasperforming the puja (custom love) of Dariyalal are referred to as Pujaras and Dariyalal’s relatives as Ratnani.
Celebrated warriors once, Majority of Gujarati Lohanas took to exchange and business. Notwithstanding, their strength as warriors past was again tried in 1764, when Gulam Shah Kora assaulted Kutchchh, and they needed to represent themselves in the clash of Zora. Lohana ladies battled close by their men in this fight, and the place that is known for Kutchchh is flung with commemoration stones denoting the passings of Lohanas. A colloquialism in Gujarati commendations Lohana ladies in this manner: Only Rajputani, Loharani and Miyanai deliver jewel of kids.
Lohanas today
Lohana culture has separated throughout the hundreds of years between various districts. Consequently, there are critical contrasts between the way of life, callings and social orders of Sindhi Lohanas, Kutchi Lohanas and those of Gujarati Lohanas.
Gujarati Lohanas floated towards exchanging since the eighteenth century. An enormous number of Hindu Lohana from Gujurat relocated to the British states of East Africa during the early aspect of the twentieth century. Gujarati Lohanas in East Africa were incredible business visionaries. The Madhvani and Mehta families being the noticeable industrialists in Uganda. Today in East Africa, post the Idi Amin period, new conspicuous Lohana families have additionally experienced comparative achievement like the Ruparelia family. The relatives of these East African pioneers have moved to either Kenya and Tanzania or Great Britain in late decades. A large number of them can be found in North West London and Leicester.
Today, a decent number of Gujarati Lohanas dwell in Gujarat and different pieces of India. In Gujarat, a significant number of them are in Rajkot, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. Outside Gujarat, they can be found in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Bangalore, Mangalore and other significant Indian urban areas. Likewise, Gujarati Lohanas own most of the food organizations, particularly “farsan stores,” in Ahmedabad and Vadodara. They too have a perceptible offer in different organizations. A significant number of Gujarati Lohanas also live in external India.
Sindhi Lohanas, including the Bhaiband people group, were principally occupied with Agriculture, Industries and Professional Services before the Partition of India. Nonetheless, after the segment, Sindhi Lohanas scattered all through the world, and having lost their rural property, have zeroed in on Industry, Trading and Professional Services. The Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar(Sonara) people group, likewise subsidiary with the Sindhi Lohana group of the warrior Kshatriya station of Hindu society, were generally in the adornments business.
Lohanas are still to be found in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are presently Islamic states. In Afghanistan, they keep up their strict Hindu character and are known as Lokhathra. The Lohanas who keep their Hindu personality in Sindh are known as Sindhi Lohana.
Those Lohanas who changed over to Sunni Islam are known as Memons. The individuals who changed over to Shia Ismaili Nizari Islam or became Ismaili Nizari Muslims are known as Khojas. A large number of them hold their Hindu last names from which many are antiquated Persian family names. Among them was the maker of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, whose father’s name was JinabhaiPoonja and granddad was PoonjaGokuldasMeghji, a Hindu Bhatia from Paneli town in Gondal state in Kathiawar.
Not solely Khoja Ismaili Muslims, however, Memon Sunni Muslims conjointly retain their Hindu and Persian surnames, among the foremost far-famed of those is Lakhani. Some of the top teams derived from the principal professions they follow or the crafts they follow, as an example, the cattle-breeding cluster takes the numerous name of Gawli, derived from a Sanskritic language word for cow. The names of the shepherd castes appear to be derived from words that mean sheep. Such is a minimum of the case with Gadaria from ‘gadar’, on previous Hindi word for sheep. Several others of those major teams known as castes bear just social group or ethnic names. Such area unit, for example, Arora, Gujjar, Lohana, Bhatia, Meena, Bhil, Dom, Oraon, Munda, Santal, Koch, Ahir, Mahar, Nayar, Maratha, Gond, Khond, etc.
List of well known Lohanas
Shree Jalaram Bapa
Thakkar Bapa
Yogiji Maharaj: 4th spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan
Kal Penn (Kalpesh Modi)
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Rao Bahadur Sheth Curumsey Damjee
LekhrajKripalani founder of the BKWSU
NanjibhaiKalidas (Badiyani) Mehta 20th century business tycoon and founder of The Mehta Group
Gopaldas Kotecha- Gopaldas Madhawji Empire in Pemba, Tanzania (1938-1974)
Manubhai Madhvani
Shriti Vadera- Baroness and UK Government Minister.
Vinesh Panditpotra – Indian Glamour Model and Writer
