Nur Muhammad Chattha (

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

:; 1704–1765) was an 18th-century

Punjabi Muslim Punjabi Muslims are Punjabis who are adherents of Islam. With a population of more than 112 million, they are the third-largest predominantly Islam-adhering Muslim ethnicity in the world, after Arabs and Bengalis. The majority of Punjabi Musl ...

chieftain of the Chattha clan of

Jats The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in ...

in the region of

Gujranwala Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...

, Punjab. A prominent figure during the waning years of Mughal authority in the region, Chattha rose to power by resisting the central control of Mir Mannu, the Mughal governor of Lahore, establishing the Chattha state.

Rise to power

When he grew up his friendship was sought by Raja Ranjit Dev of

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and 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 by the chiefs of

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

; for the Chatthas had now grown powerful, and Nur Muhammed was their acknowledged chief. Nur Muhammad Chattha emerged as a key political and military leader in

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 ...

amid the decline of Mughal influence. Around 1750, he asserted independence from Mir Mannu and established rule over parts of present-day

Hafizabad Hafizabad ( Punjabi / ; ; ) is a city and capital of Hafizabad District located in Punjab, Pakistan. Hafizabad is an old settlement. In 327 BC, during Alexander's invasion of Punjab, the territory of the Sandal Bar was reported to be a well popu ...

and

Gujranwala District Gujranwala District (), is a Districts of Pakistan, district that is a part of the in Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. Gujranwala District is bordered by the districts of Wazirabad District, Wazirabad, Sialkot District, Sialkot, Hafizabad Di ...

Legacy

Nur Muhammad Chattha is credited with founding the towns of

Ahmadnagar Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost imp ...

, Ghudi Gul Muhammad, and

Rasulnagar Rasool Nagar or Rasul Nagar ( Punjabi and ) is a small town in Wazirabad District, in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated on the bank of the Chenab River. It has its own municipality, which is governed by a chairman. The neighboring cities ...

, which later became significant during the Sikh campaigns in

. He was succeeded by his sons as he grew too old, Ahmad Khan Chattha and

Pir Muhammad Chattha Pir Muhammad Chattha was a Punjabi Muslim chieftain of the Chattha clan of Jats. He succeeded his father Nur Muhammad Chattha. Reign He is known to be a bitter enemy of Sukherchakia Misl.‘Chatthian di Var’ existed in oral form which was f ...

who continued resistance against the expanding Sikh Misls. He died in 1775.

References

{{Reflist 18th-century Indian Muslims Punjabi people Jat rulers People from Gujranwala District 1704 births 1765 deaths Sunni Muslims

Rise to power

Legacy

See also

References