The Bomba, also spelled Bambas, are a

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

found in the Pakistani-controlled territory of

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

and the Indian-controlled

Union territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

. In Azad Kashmir, they are primarily found in

Muzaffarabad Muzaffarabad (; , IPA: ʊzəfːərɑːbɑːd is a city in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

and Neelum districts, with a large number concentrated in and around the town of Ghori. Outside of Azad Kashmir, they are also found in the Boi and Kaghan valleys of

Mansehra District Mansehra District (Urdu, ) is a district in the Hazara Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Pakistan. Mansehra city serves as the headquarters of the district. The district has a Hindkowan majority, with a significant Pashtun and Kohista ...

, and the city of

Abbottabad Abbottabad is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in the country and 6th largest in the province by population, and serves as the headquarter of its namesake tehsil and district ...

, all located in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

. In Jammu and Kashmir, they are found in the Poonch and

Rajouri district Rajouri is a district in the Jammu division of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, in the larger Kashmir#Dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various re ...

s of

Jammu division The Jammu division (; ) is a Divisions of India, revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to t ...

History and origin

The Bomba clan claim descent were from

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

tribes but produce least claim to sustain this ancestry, in fact they are descendants of Khas people who inhabited the tracts of the Karnah (Karnav) region. The

raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

s of the Bomba clan ruled Karnah till the Sikh conquest of Kashmir. The Karnav Bombas and their supporters, the Khakha chiefs of Vitasta valley, were invaded in 1846. The Bombas (Bambas) style themselves as sultans. Others state that they are of indigenous hill

descent who converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

from

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. In the past Bombas ruled the Jhelum Valley and had a close alliance and kinship with the Khakha Rajputs who inhabited the same area. The success of this alliance earned them a warlike and refractory reputation, as they jointly fought the early Mughal rule of Akbar and later resisted the

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

Sultan Muzaffar Khan Sultan Muzaffar Khan () was a chief of the Bomba Tribe. He is the namesake for the city of Muzaffarabad in present-day Azad Kashmir. Khan united various hill tribes near the Kashmir– Hazara border region and convinced them to settle near the ...

Bomba established the city of

in present-day

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

. Sultan Sher Ahmed Khan Bomba was the last Bomba ruler, defeated by the Dogra ruler Maharaja Rambir Singh at Panzgam, Kupwara (Keran-Karnah) in the current Indian Kashmir in the early 19th century. The Kupwara Keran Bomba tribe consisted of prominent heads like Sofi Khan-Sheermar Khan, Feroz Khan, Zabardast Khan and Zakeria Khan. Before the partition of Jammu & Kashmir the state was ruled by Bombas in many parts of the state like Khori, Majhoi and Lawasi.

Bombas of Hazara Division

The Bomba are found in smaller numbers in the Boi tract of the

also in

Mansehra Mansehra (Urdu, ) is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. By population, it is the List of largest cities in Pakistan, 71st largest city in the country and the List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, ...

city of the

Hazara Division Hazara Division is an administrative Divisions of Pakistan, division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located along the Indus River and comprises eight districts: Abbottabad District, Abbottabad, Mansehra District, Mansehr ...

of the North West Frontier Province

. They are represented by three main families, one of Boi, Tarheri and the other of Jabri Kalesh. The laso Kagha and Tarheri families are also important in this region.

Descendants of sultans

The descendants of Sultans of Kashmir live in different area of world but the famous grand grand son "Khan of Jabri", "Khan of Boi", "Khan of Kashmir" justice Raza Ali Khan belongs to bomba tribe is presently Judge of Supreme Court . Some of the great names belonging to the family are: Sultan Matwali khan (jageerdar Kathai), Sultan Hassan Ali Khan (jageerdar Boe and the member of parliament of joint India on the seat of landlord), Sultan Qutub-ud-din Khan (jageerdar Lawasi), Sultan Feroz din Khan (son of jageerdar Lawasi), Raja Muhammad Hussain Khan (son of jageerdar Lawasi and son-in-law of jageerdar Boe), Raja Muhammad Nasir Khan (son of jageerdar Lawasi and secretary to Maharaja kashmir), Muhammad Muzaffar Khan (first Muslim judge in Kashmir), Khalid Muzaffar Khan (son of Muhammad Muzaffar Khan), Raja Nassar ud din khan (son-in-law of Muhammad Muzaffar Khan), Zafar Umar khan (Son of Feroz din Khan sahib), his cousin brother Raja Tanveer Hussain Khan (Son of Muhammad Hussain Khan sahib) and many more. Zafar Umar Khan son of Feroze Khan had three daughter and two sons. Former Member of Public Service Commission, Samia Fayyaz Raja is his daughter.

References

Books

External links