::: Maharaja Suraj Mal :::

Jats are tolerant in their religious outlook. They were previously ardent followers and supporters of Buddhism and Jainism, along with the Vedic religion, and its successor, modern Hinduism. Today they follow Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism.

Jats usually speak Hindi and its dialects (Rajasthani, Haryanvi, Malvi), Punjabi and its dialects, Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri, Sindhi and Gujarati. Sikh and Muslim Jats from the Punjab mostly speak Punjabi and its various dialects (such as Maajhi, Malwi, Doabi,Seraiki Pothohari, and Jhangochi).

Many Jat clans are also cross-listed as Rajput, Choudhary, Zamindar, Gujjar, Tarkhan and Kamboj especially Sial, Kashyap, Kakkar (Khakkar/Ghakkar), Rai and Walia. It is not entirely clear in the case of many clans and surnames as to which subdivision of the Kshatriya caste they belong to. Eventually, Scythian, Parthian, Greek-Bactrian, and various other Central Asian tribal peoples (such as the Hephthalites, and the Tocharians or Yuezhi) were absorbed into the Kshatriya caste, given their warlike nature, and thus became one of the subgroups or in many cases, assimilated completely into older Indo-Aryan clans. It is probable that Khatris, Rajputs, Jats, Gujjars, Tarkhans and Kamboj, have varying degrees of both foreign and indigenous Indian stock.

In many parts, it is largely due to familial tradition that some members of a certain clan dub themselves Khatris and others of the same clan are Rajputs, Jat, Gujjar, Tarkhan and Kamboj. This is more often the case in the Punjab, where there was already a large indigenous Kshatriya population when the invading tribes arrived.Many of the jat leaders were Sodhis as they were followed after a lot of the clans.

List of Jat Clans have been compiled by many Jat historians like Ompal Singh Tugania [35], Bhaleram Beniwal [36] [37] Dr Mahendra Singh Arya and others [38], Thakur Deshraj [39], Dilip Singh Ahlawat [40], Ram Swarup Joon[41] etc. The above lists have more than 2700 Jat gotras. Thakur Deshraj, Ram Swarup Joon and Dilip Singh Ahlawat have mentioned history of some of Jat gotras. Some websites of Jats have also prepared list of Jat Gotras with details of history and distriburion. [42]

	According to Jat historical traditions the ancient Jat Kingdoms include:

The Jats of Balhara clan and the Rai Dynasty ruled Sindh and followed Buddhisms, Shaivism, Vaishnavism,Jainism. There were internal dissentions shortly before the invasion of the Arabs under Muhammad Bin Qasim. It is said 4000 Jatts supported Quasimand fought against the Raja Dahir.

During Raja Dahir's rule, he supplied the Persians with war elephants and Jatt soldiers who they used to fight against the Arab Muslims. Some captured Jatt soldiers may have converted to Islam and may have been employed in the armies and defenses of prominent Muslim leaders such as the Caliphs Ali and Muawiyah.

Many Jats continued to resist, and a century later, Jatts would stage rebellions against the Abbasid Caliphs, even killing some of their Amirs.


	According to the Rajputana Gazetteer, the Jagir of village Bamrauli near Agra, was transferred to the Chauhan and Kachwaha Rajputs of Bairath (near Alwar), during the rule of the Tomar Rajputs in Delhi in the 11th century. During Firuz Shah Tughluq's regime , his satrap in Agra, Muneer Mohammad, forced the Jats of Bamrauli to leave the village in 1367. The Bamraulia Jats moved to the region of Gwalior beyond the Chambal river. According to Cunningham and William Cook, the Bamraulia Jats founded the city of Gohad near Gwalior in 1505. Later it developed into an important Jat State that continued till Indian Independence. The Jat rulers of Gohad were awarded the title of Rana. Singhan Deo was the first Jat ruler of the state of Gohad. The chronology of Jat rulers of Gohad has 17 names: Singhan Deo I, Singhan Deo II, Devi Singh, Udyaut Singh, Rana Anup Singh, Sambhu Singh, Abhay Chander, Ratan Singh, Uday Singh, Bagh Raj, Gaj Singh, Jaswant, Bhim Singh, Girdhar Pratap, Chhatra Singh, Kirat Singh and Pohap Singh.


	The present town of Dholpur, which dates from the 16th century, stands somewhat to the north of the site of the older town built in the 11th century by Raja Dholan (or Dhawal) Deo, a Tomara Rajput chieftain; it was named as Dholdera or Dhawalpuri after him. In 1450, Dholpur had a Raja of its own. However, the fort was taken by Sikander Lodi in 1501 and transferred to a Muslim governor in 1504. In 1527, after strenuous resistance, the fort fell to Babur and came under the sway of the Mughals along with the surrounding country. It was assigned by Emperor Akbar to the province of Agra. A fortified sarai built during the reign of Akbar still stands in the town, within which is the fine tomb of Sadik Mohammed Khan, one of his generals. During the dissensions which followed the death of emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, Raja Kalyan Singh Bhadauria obtained possession of Dholpur. His family retained it until 1761, after which it was taken successively by the Jat Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur; by Mirza Najaf Khan in 1775; by the Scindia ruler of Gwalior in 1782; and finally, by the British East India Company in 1803. It was restored by the British to the Scindias under the "Treaty of Sarji Anjangaon", but in consequence of new arrangements, was again occupied by the British. Finally, in 1806, the territories of Dholpur, Ban and Rajakhera were handed over to Kirat Singh of Gohad, in exchange for his own state of Gohad, which was ceded to the Scindias. From this point begins the history of the princely state of Dholpur, a vassal of the British during the Raj. After Independence, it was incorporated into the newly-formed state of Rajasthan.


	The founders of the princely state of Ballabhgarh had come from village Janauli, which is more than 2000 years old. The Tevatia Jat Sardar Gopal Singh left Janauli in 1705 (in Palwal) and got settled at Sihi, a village of Tewatia Jats in Ballabgarh at a distance of about 5 km from Ballabhgarh. Charan Das's son, Balram Singh, rose to a powerful king in this dynasty. Princely state of Ballabgarh is after his name. He was brother in law of Maharaja Suraj Mal and mama of Jawahar Singh. Raja Nahar Singh (1823 – 1858) was a notable King of this princely state. The forefathers of Jat Raja Nahar Singh had built a fort here around 1739 AD. The small kingdom of Ballabhgarh is only 20 miles from Delhi. The name of the Jat Raja Nahar Singh will always be highly regarded among those who martyred themselves in the 1857 war of independence.


	Patiala was an important Jat state in Punjab. Its area was 5932 sq. mile and annual income Rs 1,63,00,000/-. The rulers of the erstwhile states of Patiala, Nabha and Jind trace their ancestry to Jat sardar Phul.[31] Apparently the appellation of dynasty "Phulkian" is derived from their common founder. One of sons of Phul, Ram Singh had son Ala Singh, who assumed the leadership in 1714 when Banda Bahadur was engaged in the fierce battle against the Mughals. Ala Singh carved out an independent principality from a petty Zamindari of 30 villages. Under his successors, it expanded into a large state, touching the Shivaliks in north, Rajasthan in the south and upper courses of the Yamuna and Sutlej rivers while confronting the most trying and challenging circumstances.


	Nabha was a state of Siddhu Jats founded by grandson of Chaudhary Phul Singh. Chaudhary Phul Singh had six sons namely, 1.Tiloka 2.Ram Singh 3.Rudh 4.Chunu 5. Jhandu and 6.Takhtmal. Annual income of Nabha state was Rs 1,50,000/-. [32]Claiming descent from Jaisal, founder of the State of Jaisalmer in 1156, the founder of this Sikh dynasty, Phul, was Chaudhri (Governor) of a country located at the south east of Dihli. Phul’s descendants founded 3 States: Patiala, Jind and Nabha. Nabha was founded by the great-grandson of Phul in 1755. [33]ances.


	Jind state in Haryana was founded by descendants of Phool Jat. Jind was a state of Siddhu Jats founded by grandson of Chaudhary Phul Singh. Chaudhary Phul Singh had six sons namely, 1.Tiloka 2.Ram Singh 3.Rudh 4.Chunu 5. Jhandu and 6.Takhtmal. Tiloka had two sons namely, 1. Gurudutta 2. Sukh Chain. Sukh Chain's decendants ruled Jind state and Gurudatta's descendants ruled Nabha state.Area of the state was 1259 sq mile and annual income of Jind state was Rs 30,00,000/-. [34] Claiming descent from Jaisal, founder of the State of Jaisalmer in 1156, the founder of this Sikh dynasty, Phul, was Chaudhri (Governor) of a country located at the south east of Dihli. Phul’s descendants founded 3 States: Patiala, Jind and Nabha. By the nineteenth century, Jats ruled the states of Bharatpur, Dholpur, Gohad, Kuchesar, Ballabhgarh, Patiala, Nabha and Jind. The Jats established a reputation of being determined and sturdy.