Khakha
The Khakha of Kashmir are descendants of Khatri, and converts to Islam.
"Khaka" was an epithet to describe any petty Khatri trader. Khakhas are found in the hills of Kashmir, lying along the left bank of Jhelum. They are also found in Rawalpindi and Hazara in smaller numbers.[1]
History
The Khakha is a warrior tribe that ruled western Punjab since the 13th century.[2]
Sikh Empire
During the Sikh conquest of Kashmir, the Khakha Rajputs, and also the Bhamba tribe, occasionally ventured into the valley on looting expeditions and thus annoyed the Sikh invaders.[3]
It is recorded, that upon a British Officer's visit to Kashmir in 1822, he had to return from Uri as the Khakha chief would not allow him to pass.[3]
The Khakhas began to intensify their raids in consequence to the weakening Sikh power. Eventually, when Maharaja Gulab Singh assumed rulership of Kashmir, he managed to drive back the Khakhas with great difficulty. But knowing the unrelenting fierce reputation of the rebellious Khakhas, he immediately installed strong garrisons in the forts guarding the passes.[4]
Despite facing the best of the Sikh power to subdue them, they still enjoyed a highly privileged position, paying little if any taxes, openly wearing arms and defying orders where possible.[5]
Ancestral title and reputation
The Khakhas continue their tradition of recording their genealogy.[6]
References
- A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province: A.-K. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. 1997. p. 489. ISBN 978-81-85297-69-9.
- History of Mediaeval Hindu India by Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya, Cosmo Publ. 1979, p129
- Culture and Political History of Kashmir by Prithivi Nath Kaul Bamzai, MD Publ. Ltd., 1994, p637
- Culture and Political History of Kashmir by Prithivi Nath Kaul Bamzai, MD Publ. Ltd., 1994, p637, p669, p670
- History of Operations in Jammu & Kashmir, 1947-48 by Sri Nandan Prasad, Dharm Pal, Govt. of India 1987, p4
- Kashmiris Fight for Freedom by Muhammad Yusuf Saraf, Ferozson 1977, p77