MOHYAL A WARRIOR BRAHMIN

A Mohyal is a Brahmin as well as a warrior. This paradox runs in every Mohyal family. Their history is an unending saga of sacrifice and gallantry.

When Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 BC he was challenged near Taxila by a mere chieftain. He was King Porus, a Vaid Mohyal. After his encounter with Porus, Alexander met with more resistance near Multan where the forces were predominantly Mohyal. Multan in those days was the capital of Bali rulers. They engaged Alexander's army in skirmishes in which many senior Generals died. The long and bitter fighting forced Alexander to call of his dream of conquering India and order a retreat.

The Mohyals also used their fighting prowess to uphold nobler values of life. They shed their blood at Karbala in 681 AD to show their solidarity with the Prophet's kin. In 1527, they were slaughtered to the last man, just to safeguard the viriginity of a Khatri girl.

During the Mughal and Sikh rule, they were bestowed with titles like Bakshi, Dewan, Mehta etc. in reward for their bravery. Maharaja Ranjit Singh appointed many Mohyals to his famous Vadda Risala-the Life Guards of the Lion of Punjab. During the British period, fifty percent of the Mohyal commisioned officers, were decorated with awards for their distinguished services.

After independence Mohyals have won laurels during the wars with China and Pakistan. When the Military Academy results are published Mohyals figure in large number amongst the successful candidates. When gallantry awards are announced, they form a sizeable number. top

COURTESY TITLES
All castes of Mohyals have the rare privilege of using certain titles with their names that were bestowed on them by the Mogul and Sikh rulers for their bravery and unimpeachable loyalty. These appellations which are still in use are:- Bakshi, Bhai, Chaudhri, Dewan, Malik, Mehta and Raizada. These epithets have a Persian connotation and imply status.

'Bakshi' means benevolent,
'Chaudhri' means head of the family or village,
'Dewan' means a landlord,
'Mehta' means the in charge of finance/property
'Raizada' means a wise man or adviser.

The title of 'Bhai' was specially conferred on the Chibbers of Karyala by the Sikh Gurus for their great sacrifices and devotion to dharma. The Dewans (prime ministers) of all the ten Gurus were Chibbers of Karyala. The title of Chaudhri was a mark of distinction of the Datts of Kanjrur, Veeram and Zaffarwal. The title of Dewan was used by the Datts hailing from Guliana and certain other places, Raizada was used mostly by Balis and occasionally by Vaids. The prefixes of Mehta and Bakshi are commonly used by the various castes of Mohyals. As some of the titles currently used by the Mohyals are also used by certain non-Mohyal communities, it is desirable to mention both the courtesy title as well as the caste with the name, to clearly denote the Mohyal identity

ANIL DUTTA
(Senior Vice President)
MOHYAL SABHA AMRITSAR
+91-9878391830, 9780588582