Mohyal Brahmins are an Indian sub-caste of

Saraswat Brahmins Saraswat Brahmins are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Kashmir and Punjab in North India to Konkan coast, Konkan in West India to Kanara (coastal region of Karnataka) and Kerala in South In ...

from the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

region. A sub-group of the

Punjabi Hindu Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis and are natives of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Punjabi Hindus are the third-largest religious g ...

community, Mohyal caste comprises seven clans named

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

Bhimwal Bhimwal is a Mohyal Brahmin clan found primarily in the Punjab region Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the India ...

Chhibber Chhibber, alternatively Chibber, is a clan of Mohyal Brahmins from the Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of th ...

Datt Datt/Dutt is a Mohyal Brahmin clan from Punjab. A faction of this community, called Hussaini Brahmin, has a legend claiming that their ancestors fought for Imam Hussain in the Battle of Karbala The Battle of Karbala () was fought on 10 ...

, Lau, Mohan and Vaid. According to an oral tradition, some Mohyal Brahmins helped

Imam Hussain Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muhammad's daughter ...

in the

Battle of Karbala The Battle of Karbala () was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 Hijri year, AH of the Islamic calendar) between the army of the second Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad caliph Yazid I () and a small army led by Husayn ibn Ali, th ...

; these Mohyal Brahmins are called

Hussaini Brahmin Hussaini Brahmins are a sect within the Mohyal Brahmin community of the Punjab region. The Mohyal community comprises seven sub-clans named Bali, Bhimwal, Chhibber, Datt, Lau, Mohan and Vaid. However, as consistent with their Hindu tr ...

s.Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * Prior to the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, Mohyal Brahmins lived primarily in the western

, including present-day

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 ...

and the

Pir Panjal The Pir Panjal Range ( ; ) is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indi ...

regions of

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 ...

and

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 ...

respectively. After the partition, most migrated to, and settled in the new created

Republic of India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area; the most populous country since 2023; and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by ...

. As per data by the Government of Punjab, the priestly practice of Mohyal Brahmins has slowly reduced after the partition. The Mohyals do not perform priestly duties.

Contributions to Sikhism

The majority of Mohyal Brahmins identify as

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, with some also identifying as

Sikh 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 ''Si ...

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

, continuing in the tradition of

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

Saints, revitalised Sanatan ('Hindu') wisdom in order to make to accessible for the common people of late

Medieval India Medieval India was a long period of post-classical history in the Indian subcontinent between the ancient and modern periods. It is usually regarded as running approximately from the break-up of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century to the star ...

. As a part of this transformation, many Punjabi Hindus, including the Mohyals, revered and followed Guru Nanak. This devotion towards Nanak's ''mat'' (teachings/wisdom) led them to follow Nanak's successors and then assist in the creation of the Sikh ethos. Moreover, as the latter Gurus became martial, this community was a natural home for the warrior-class of the Punjabi Hindus. Some notable Mohyals include the brothers

Bhai Mati Das Bhai Mati Das (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਭਾਈ ਮਤੀ ਦਾਸ; died 11 November 1675; also known as Dewan Mati Dasa), along with his younger brother Bhai Sati Das were martyrs of early Sikh history. Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Dayala, and Bhai ...

and

Bhai Sati Das Bhai Sati Das (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਭਾਈ ਸਤੀ ਦਾਸ; died 11 November 1675) along with his elder brother Bhai Mati Das were martyrs of early Sikh history. Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Dyal Das were all executed at ''k ...

, both died alongside the ninth Guru,

Guru Tegh Bahadur Guru Tegh Bahadur ( Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦਰ (Gurmukhi); ; 1 April 1621 – 11 November 1675) was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in ...

, for protecting

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 ...

from Aurangeb extremist policy.

References

External links

Official Website of General Mohyal Sabha

* ttp://www.merit.ac.in/ Official Website of Educational Institution Directly run by G.M.S. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mohyal (Jati) Indian castes Mohyal Brahmins Hindu communities Hindu communities of Pakistan Punjabi Brahmins Brahmin communities Brahmin communities of India Punjabi tribes Social groups of Delhi Social groups of Punjab, India Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir Tribes of Rawalpindi District

Contributions to Sikhism

See also

References

External links