Sodhi is a clan of
Khatris who historically lived in both eastern and western
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 ...
.
Some notable
Sikh Gurus
The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...
, including
Hari Das,
Guru Ram Das
Guru Ram Das (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਰਾਮ ਦਾਸ, pronunciation: ; 24 September 1534 – 1 September 1581), sometimes spelled as Guru Ramdas, was the fourth of the ten Sikh gurus. He was born to a family based in Lahore, who ...
,
Prithi Chand
Prithi Chand (Gurmukhi: ਪ੍ਰਿਥੀ ਚੰਦ; 1558–April 1618), also spelt as Prithia, was the eldest son of Guru Ram Das – the fourth Guru of Sikhism, and the eldest brother of Guru Arjun, Guru Arjan – the fifth Guru. , to
Guru Arjan
Guru Arjan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: ; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture called the Adi Granth, which later expande ...
were from the Sodhi clan.
Origin
According to a legend, some of the descendants migrated to Sanaudh where the clan chieftain married the daughter of the king and had a son named
Sodhi Rai whose descendants ruled over the
Sanaudh region now known as east and west
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 ...
and
Haryana
Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
and some parts of
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...
in northern India.
The Sodhis of Anandpur held revenue free lands in
Anandpur Sahib
Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur (), is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Si ...
and various other parts of
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 ...
. They were the ruling family of Anandpur Sahib.
History
File:Portrait of an unknown Sodhi from Himachal Pradesh, ca.1859–69.png, An unknown Sodhi from Himachal Pradesh
File:Portrait of an unknown Sodhi Sikh of Lahore, ca.1862–72.png, An unknown Sodhi from Lahore
At the time of the
Sikh Empire
The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...
, Maharaja
Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839.
Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...
awarded revenue-free grants to Sodhis, who were not strictly associated with any particular religion and usually "maintained a considerable number of horsemen". Towards the end of his reign, the total worth of their
jagirs (fiefs) was 500,000 a year. Ranjit Singh lavishly patronised a descendant of ''Dhir Mahal'', Sodhi Sadhu Singh, with a gift of several villages.
The original copy of the
Adi Granth, also known as the ''Kartarpuri Bir'', is reported to be in the possession of the descendants of Sodhi Sadhu Singh at
Kartarpur.
Notable people
Some notable people with the surname are:
*
Amandeep Sodhi
Amandeep Sodhi is a Canadian politician who was elected member of Parliament for the riding of Brampton Centre in the 2025 Canadian federal election as a member of the Liberal Party.
Early life
Sodhi was born in 2001 in Toronto, Ontario. I ...
, Indian politician
*
Daya Singh Sodhi (1925–2011), Indian politician
*
Harvinder Sodhi (born 1971), Indian cricketer
*
Ish Sodhi (born 1992), New Zealand cricketer
*
Ishmeet Singh Sodhi (1988–2008), Indian singer
*
Manku Ram Sodhi (1934–2017), Indian politician
*
Manreet Sodhi Someshwar, Indian author
*
Molina Sodhi (born 1993), Indian actress
*
Nauvdip Kumar Sodhi (1943–2021), Indian judge
*
Reetinder Singh Sodhi (born 1980), Indian cricketer
*
Ronjan Sodhi (born 1979), Indian sport shooter
*
Shellee (real name Shailender Singh Sodhi), Indian poet, lyricist and writer
*
Shruti Sodhi (born 1988), Indian actress
* Sukhman Sodhi (stage name
Sukha
''Sukha'' (Pali and ) means happiness, pleasure, ease, joy or bliss. Among the early scriptures, 'sukha' is set up as a contrast to 'preya' (प्रेय) meaning a transient pleasure, whereas the pleasure of 'sukha' has an authentic state o ...
, born 2003), Canadian Punjabi rapper and singer-songwriter
*
Surinder Singh Sodhi (born 1957), Indian field hockey player
*
Surinder Singh Sodhi (1962–1984), Sikh militant and terrorist
*
Surinder Sodhi, Indian film composer
*
Tania Sodhi
Tania Sodhi is a realtor and politician who resides in Moncton, New Brunswick. And was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2024 election. She was elected in the riding of Moncton Northwest.
Sodhi is originally from Pat ...
, Canadian politician
*
Vadbhag Singh Sodhi (1716–1761), Sikh general and religious figure
See also
*
Sood (disambiguation)
*
Sodha, Rajput clan of Sindh
*
Sodhian, village in Punjab, India
*
Sodhi Bala, village in Khushab District, Pakistan
*
Sodhi Village, village in Uttar Pradesh, India
*
Sud (disambiguation)
*
Murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, 2001 murder in the USA
References
{{Authority control
Jat clans
Jat clans of Punjab
Punjabi tribes
Khatri clans
Punjabi-language surnames
Surnames of Indian origin
Surnames of Hindu origin