Ancestry Of Jats

[Samar Rathi]

The Jat people (Jat: जाट, also spelt Jatt: जट्ट), are a 33 million strong ethnic group of people[1][2] native to South Asia in mainly the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Other regions include Balochistan, NWFP, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,Maharashtra. They are a ethnic group, race, tribe and a people.[3][4][5][6] James Tod places it in the list of Thirty Six Royal Races.[7]

The Jat people are considered to be the merged descendants of Indo-Aryans, Indo-Scythian tribes of the region, merging to form the Jat people.[8]

An uninformed view is that Jat is a farmer-caste (caste = social group) but Jat is really a race (race = ethnic group). Only a subset of the over 900 million farmers in south Asia are Jats. There are specific Jat DNA markers in the genetic profile, as highlighted in the Jat Genetics section.

The Jat people follow different faiths and are engaged in different professions. They have a discrete and distinct cultural history that can be historically traced back to ancient times.[9][10]

The Jat people were designated by the British Empire as a Martial Race. Martial Races were races & peoples that were naturally warlike and aggressive in battle, and possess qualities like courage, loyalty, self sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness, hard working, fighting tenacity and military strategy. The British Empire recruited heavily from these Martial Races for service in their Armies. A strategy that is still used today (21st century) in Armies of South Asian countries e.g. The famous Jat Regiment & the Gurkhas.

It would be relevant to know the core concepts of Jat people, their culture and history. Read Learning Jat people's history to understand why Jat people regard it is so important to understand their culture and history.

People


The Jat Regiment Battle Insignia
Col. James Tod notes that The Jats hold place amongst the 36 Royal Races of ancient India.[11][12][13][14] Some historians consider Jats, along with Kayasthas and Gujars, out of purview of varna system.[15] The Jat people are an ethnic group[16][17][18] spread over Northern India andPakistan (mainly in the Punjab region).[19], but also including large numbers living in the EU, US, Canada, Australia and UK. The Jat people have traditionally been mainly agriculturalists and members of the military. Historically, there have been many Jat kings and other leading figures,[20]including several prominent political leaders in Pakistan and India, such as Chaudhary Charan Singh, Chaudhary Bansi Lal, Chaudhari Devi Lal,Aitzaz Ahsan and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. This includes American Senator Satveer Chaudhary (the first South Asian senator in American history).[21]

A large number of Jats have served in the Indian Army and Pakistan Army, including in the Jat Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Rajputana Rifles and the Grenadiers, where they have won many of the highest military awards for gallantry and bravery. The Jat Regiment is one of the longest serving and most decorated infantry regiments of the Indian Army[22] having won 24 battle honours between 1839 and 1947, along with numerous decorations of individual members.[23] Jat people in the Pakistan Army, especially in the Punjab Regiment (Pakistan), have also been highly decorated and won medals of the highest orders or bravery.

The Jat people are one of the most prosperous groups in India on a per-capita basis (Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat are the wealthiest of Indian states).[24] Traditionally they have been a predominant political class in Punjab.[25]

People Demographics


The Jat People Religious Demographic


The Jat People are mainly concentrated in the greaterPunjab region


The Punjab region is the old land which includes Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab State and Pakistan Punjab province


South Asian map distribution of Jat people. Jat people, in South Asia, are mostly concentrated in the greater Punjab region
The census in 1931 in India recorded population on the basis of ethnicity. In 1925, according to Professor Qanungo[26] the population of Jatts was around nine million in South Asia and was made up of followers of three major religions as shown below.



Religion Jat Population %
Hinduism 47%
Sikhism 20%
Islam 33%

Professor B.S. Dhillon, states by taking population statistical analysis into consideration the Jatt population growth of both India and Pakistan since 1925, Professor Quanungo's figure of nine million could be translated into a minimum population statistic (1988) of 30 million.[27]

According to earlier census reports, the Jati or Jat people accounted for approximately 25% of the entire Sindhi-Punjabi speaking area, making it the one of "largest single socially distinctive group" in the region.[28]

Hukum Singh Pawar (Pauria) states, adequate statistics about Jat people population are available in the Census Report of India of 1931, which is the last and the most comprehensive source of information on the Jat people, who were estimated to be approximately ten million in number at that time.[29] From 1931 to 1988 the estimated increase in the Jat people population of the Indian subcontinent

including Pakistan respectively is 3.5% Hindu, 3.5% Sikh and 4.0% Muslim.[30] Dr Sukhbir Singh estimates that the population of Hindu Jatts, numbered at 2,210,945 in the 1931 census, rose to about 7,738,308 by 1988, whereas Muslim Jatts, numbered at 3,287,875 in 1931, would have risen to about 13,151,500 in 1988. The total population of Jatts was given as 8,406,375 in 1931, and estimated to have been about 31,066,253 in 1988.

The region-wise break-up of the total Jatt people population (including the Jat Hindu, Jat Sikh and Jat Muslim) is given in the following table. The Jat people, approximately 73%, are located mainly in the Punjab region:[31]

Military & Political People


A Jat Infantry Soldier
A large number of Jatt people serve in the Indian Army, including the Jat Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Rajputana Rifles and the Grenadiers, where they have won many of the highest military awards for gallantry and bravery. Jat people also serve in the Pakistan Army especially in the Punjab Regiment, where they have also been highly decorated. The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, it is one of the longest serving and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army[32]. The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 to 1947[33] and post independence 5 battle honours, eight Mahavir Chakra, eight Kirti Chakra, 32 Shaurya Chakras, 39 Vir Chakras and 170 Sena medals[34] Major Hoshiar Singh of Rohtak won the Paramvir Chakra during Indo-Pak war of 1971. Rohtak district, which has a high density of Jat people, has the distinction of producing the highest number of Victoria Cross winners of any district in India.



A WW1 (1914-1918) Jat Army Officer's Brass Button - from the famous 9th Jat Regiment an elite-fighting Unit of the Jat Regiment
The Jat people were designated by British officials as a "Martial Race". "Martial Race" was a designation created by officials of British India to describe "races" (peoples) that were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle, and to possess qualities like courage, loyalty, self sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness, hard working, fighting tenacity and military strategy. The British recruited heavily from these Martial Races for service in the colonial army.[35]

Traditionally they have dominated as the political class in Punjab.[36]

A number of Jat people belonging to the political classes have produced many political leaders, including the 6th Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. Moreover, there have been many Jat Kings and warriors throughout history.[37]

The Jat people are one of the most prosperous groups in India on a per-capita basis (Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat are the wealthiest of Indian states).[38]

 

[Samar Rathi]

Origin & lineage
The Jat people are considered to be the merged descendants of Indo-Scythian tribes of the region, merging with Indo-Aryans to form the Jat people.[39] DNA studies have proved that Jat people are Indo-Scythian (see Jat DNA Genetics section). The original home of the Jats was inCentral Asia near the country we now call Ukraine. Many recent DNA studies have provided scientific confirmation & proof that the Jats came from Ukraine, due to them having many Ukrainian DNA markers & Genes.[40][41] DNA studies have proved that Jat people are Aryo-Scythians.(see Jat DNA Genetics section).

Indo-Aryan lineage
See main article: Indo-Aryan origin of Jats


Jat habitations vedic period
The Indo-Aryan origin of Jats has been advocated on the basis of ethnological, physical and linguistic standards by many historians like Ernest Binfield Havell,[42] Qanungo,[43] Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya,[44] Sir Herbert Risley,[45] Thakur Deshraj,[46], Dr Natthan Singh[47], Mangal Sen Jindal[48], etc. Sir Herbert Risley declared the Jats to be the true representatives of the Vedic Aryans.[45]

On the basis of historical facts the Jats are reported to be present in India from 3102 BCE.[49][50] [51] Dr Natthan Singh, Hukum Singh Panwar consider Jats to be the Aryans and their original homeland was 'Saptasindhu'. They had to migrate from India on economic, social and political reasons after Mahabharata war for some period but they returned back to India. During the migration also they did not leave their language and cultural traditions.[52] This view is also supported by Thakur Deshraj, who writes that on the basis of ethnological, physical, cultural and linguistic characteristics that Jats are pure Aryans, who inhabited the areas on the banks of Ganga-Yamuna or Sarswati-Sindhu during Vedic civilization.[53] Thakur Deshraj also highlights that after the great Mahabharata war,Krishna formed a democratic federation or sangha of clans known as Jñātisangha (ज्ञाति-संघ). Initially, Vrishni and Andhaka clans were included in this sangha and later many clans joined it.[54][55][56] Due to political situations, Jats had to migrate from India. They went up to Iran, Afghanistan, Arab, Turkistan .Chandravanshi Kshatriyas known as Yadavas spread to Iran Sindh, Punjab, Saurashtra, Central India and Rajasthan. In north-east the went upto Kashmir, Nepal, Bihar etc. They even went to Mongolia and Siberia. Greeks call themselves descendants of Krishna and Baladeva. China vanshi also consider themselves descendants of Aryans. The same people returned to India in later periods with the names Shaka, Pahllava, Kushan, Yuezhi, Huna, Gujar [57]

According to Maheswari Prasad of Banaras Hindu University, Jats belong to the Proto-Vedic Aryan stock. But being on the periphery of Madhyadesha, the cradle of Vedic culture, they did not undergo the social transformation on the line of varna system and monarchial political organizaion. The power of decision-making remained with elders and clan organizations.[58]

The Sinsinwar Jat rulers of Bharatpur have been recorded as Yadav, by Prakash Chandra Chandawat.[59] Historian U. N. Sharma has mentioned the chronology of Krishna, in which starting from Sindhupal in 64th generation of Krishna to Bharatpur ruler Maharaja Brijendra Singh (1929-1948), all the rulers are mentioned as Yaduvanshi Jats.[60] Sidhu Jats are also Bhattis in origin, and thus Yaduvanshi in origin.

Indo-Scythian lineage
See main article: Indo-Scythian origin


A Scythian Warrior horseman from 300 BC.


The Jat People Genetic DNA Profiles


Map of area around the Oxus River valley (modern name Amu Darya)


Asia in 323 BC, showing variousCentral Asian tribes including theMassagetae, Scythians, Dahae and their neighbors.


Map showing Scythia, including the Indo-Scythian region (modern name Punjab region).

Professor B. S. Dhillon states that Jat people are mainly of Indo-Scythian lineage with composite mixing of Sarmatians, Goths & Jutes inHistory and study of the Jats. Historian James Tod agreed in considering the Jat people to be of Indo-Scythian Stock.[61] Moreover, Sir Alexander Cunningham, Former Director-General of the Archeological Survey of India, considered the Jat people to be the Xanthii (a Scythian tribe) of Scythian stock who he considered very likely called the Zaths (Jats) of early Arab writers.[62] He stated "their name is found in Northern India from the beginning of the Christian era." These people were considered by early Arab writers to have descended from Meds and Zaths.[63][64] Sir Cunningham believes they "were in full possession of the valley of the Indus towards the end of the seventh century.[65]The Kipling Society has certified and advocated that, "The Rajputs proper were of mixed origin – pre-Muslim invaders such as Scythians, Bactrians, Parthians, Hunas and Gurjaras who came in before, say, the end of the 7th century."[66]

 

[Samar Rathi]

Jat People Genetics


The Jat People Genetic DNA Profiles
Main article: Indo-Scythian origin
A recent study of the people of Indian Punjab, where about 40% or more of the population are Jat people, strongly shows that the Jat people are Indo-Scythians.[102] The study involved a genealogical DNA test which examined single nucleotide polymorphisms (mutations in a single DNA "letter") on the Y chromosome (which occurs only in males). Jats share many common haplotypes with Ukrainian people, Germanic people, Slavic people, Baltic peoples, Iranian people, and Central Asian groups.[103] This strongly indicates they originate from near or in Ukraine.[104] It found Jat people share only two haplotypes, one of which is also shared with the population of present-day Turkish people, and have few matches with neighbouring Pakistani populations.[105] This haplotype shared between the two Jat groups may be part of an Indo-Aryan (or Indo-European people) genetic contribution to these populations, where as the haplotypes shared with other Eurasian populations is due to the strong DNA contributions of Indo-European Scythians (Saka, Massagetae) and White Huns.[106] The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) female DNA, Jats contain haplogroups typical of Northern India, Pakistan, and West Asia. This indicates that for the female mtDNA, there is very little connection with Central Asian and northwest European populations, even though Jats share many Y-SNP markers with these populations. Therefore, this DNA Study proves that there has been male DNA into the Jat people from Ukrainian Scythians (Saka, Massagetae) and White Huns.[107]

The highlighted DNA Study suggests that there has been male DNA into the Jat people from Ukrainian Scythians (Saka, Massagetae) and White Huns.[108]

http://www.jatland.com/home/Jats

1. thakur_ritesh,
2. TejasMK3,
3. blueblood,
4. pmaitra,
5. Prashant12,
6. prahladh,
7. NSG_Blackcats,
8. steve.mavros,
9. shiphone,
10. MananNarainSharma

@Rowdy @Ray @Akim

Please provide your opinions guys.Am I not Indian

 

[pmaitra]

The Scythian Link

In Independence Square in Almaty is the national monument symbolizing Kazakhstan’s independence and identity. The reason why it’s in Almaty is remind visitors that Kazakhstan’s capital city was Almaty until 1997 before it was moved to Astana. The monument is a 91 foot pillar and on top is a winged snow leopard known in Kazakh folklore as barys. On top of the barys is the “Golden Man” or “Golden Warrior”. The story behind “Golden Warrior” is very interesting.

The Golden Warrior, also known as Zolotoi Chelovek (Russian) or Altan Adam (Kazakh), is a statue of a Scythian warrior recovered from a kurgan, or burial mound, some 70 kilometers from Almaty in Issyk in 1969. In this burial mound, a skeleton was found and its believed to have been an 18 year old Scythian warrior prince dating back to the 3rd or 2nd century BCE.

Source: http://kazakhworld.com/the-golden-warrior-a-kazakh-icon-of-independence-prosperity-and-heritage/
________________________________________________________________
Ancient texts refer to peripheral people as Saka, Javana, Pahlavas. The Sakas are the Scythians, the Javanas Ionians (Greeks), and the Pahlavas the Parthians/Persians/Iranians.

 

[pmaitra]

1. thakur_ritesh,
2. TejasMK3,
3. blueblood,
4. pmaitra,
5. Prashant12,
6. prahladh,
7. NSG_Blackcats,
8. steve.mavros,
9. shiphone,
10. MananNarainSharma

@Rowdy @Ray @Akim

Please provide your opinions guys.Am I not Indian

Also including @Virendra, with whom I had some disagreements over the foreign lineage of some Rajputs, and @Singh, who informed us about Ionians.

 

[Samar Rathi]

Also including @Virendra, with whom I had some disagreements over the foreign lineage of some Rajputs, and @Singh, who informed us about Ionians.

We talking about jats here bro but do share those too.

 

[Simple_Guy]

What are the original community traditions of Jats? Before the British civil servants concocted their pet aryan/scythian theories?

From Mathura a district memoir:

whatever may have been the status of the Jats in remote antiquity, in historic times they were no way distinguished from other agricultural tribes, such as the Kurmis and Lodhas, till so recent a period as the beginning of last century.

Many of the largest Jat communities in the district distinctly recognize the social inferiority of the caste, by representing themselves as having been degraded from the rank of Rajputs on account of certain irregularities in their marriage customs or similar reasons.

Thus, the Jats of the Godha sub-division, who occupy the 18 villages of the Ayra-khera circle, trace their pedigree from a certain Thakur of the very ancient Parmar clan, who emigrated into these parts from Dhar in the Dakhin, They say that his sons, for want of more suitable alliances, married into Jat families in the neighbourhood and thus came to be reckoned as Jats themselves.

Similarly the Dangri Jats of the five Madem villages in the same pargana have a tradition, the accuracy of which there seems no reason to dispute, that their ancestor, was a Sissodiya Thakur from Chitor.

 

[Samar Rathi]

What are the original community traditions of Jats? Before the British civil servants concocted their pet aryan/scythian theories?

We follow jathera religion basically and we used to be farmers basically.

 

[pmaitra]

We talking about jats here bro but do share those too.

Yes, but the purpose of me mentioning the Rajputs is that, just like Rajputs, for Jats too there could be a dispute about their foreign origin.

 

[Peter]

When I talked about AIT/AMT in another thread people got angry at me and asked for proofs. Well I personally believe that Indians are a mixed race. As for foreign origin we all came from Africa,the birthplace of humans.

 

[Razor]

When I talked about AIT/AMT in another thread people got angry at me and asked for proofs. Well I personally believe that Indians are a mixed race. As for foreign origin we all came from Africa,the birthplace of humans.

Indians have input from differnet parts of India's neighborhood no doubt.
AIT/AMT is a theory just like the OIT one. I not sure which one is right, but based on the linguistic data I leaning towards AIT/AMT. As for genetic data, I currently have less knowledge of that domain and therefore I think I need more information there to come to a conclusion.

Now similarly the OOA (Out of Africa) is also just a theory I think. Correct me if I m wrong.

Also, I think these "humans" mixed with various other species.
One example we know of is the Neanderthals.
Only humans outside of Africa have neanderthal admixture. And humans outside of Africa usually have between 1.5-2.1% neanderthal ancestry.
I did a 23andme DNA test and found that mine is 3.1%.

 

[Simple_Guy]

Rajput ancestry has already been discussed in this thread:

Rajput origins from Panini times kshatriyas

 

[Singh]

When I talked about AIT/AMT in another thread people got angry at me and asked for proofs. Well I personally believe that Indians are a mixed race. As for foreign origin we all came from Africa,the birthplace of humans.

I have a different theory - We all came from India.

 

[Mad Indian]

Indians have input from differnet parts of India's neighborhood no doubt.
AIT/AMT is a theory just like the OIT one. I not sure which one is right, but based on the linguistic data I leaning towards AIT/AMT. As for genetic data, I currently have less knowledge of that domain and therefore I think I need more information there to come to a conclusion.

Now similarly the OOA (Out of Africa) is also just a theory I think. Correct me if I m wrong.

Also, I think these "humans" mixed with various other species.
One example we know of is the Neanderthals.
Only humans outside of Africa have neanderthal admixture. And humans outside of Africa usually have between 1.5-2.1% neanderthal ancestry.
I did a 23andme DNA test and found that mine is 3.1%.

Actually AiT is shit even by linguistic theory. The more you read about it the more you will understand it is shit.

Anyway, not all theories are equally valid. Some are more valid than the others- OIT for instance is much more plausible and valid right now with current data than the AIT/AMT.

 

[Razor]

Actually AiT is shit even by linguistic theory. The more you read about it the more you will understand it is shit.

Anyway, not all theories are equally valid. Some are more valid than the others- OIT for instance is much more plausible and valid right now with current data than the AIT/AMT.

Where did you read the linguistic points of the AIT/AMT.
I wanted to read that AIT thread here on this forum, but never really got that interested in it.

Anyway, some (not all) of the questions which I have with regards to this is AIT/AMT are: why we find the dravidian languages in areas like Iran, how come I-E languages didn't spread to S. India while on the other side it spread to British isles.
I am assuming by OIT you mean that I-E speakers originated and moved out from India.

 

[Peter]

Indians have input from differnet parts of India's neighborhood no doubt.
AIT/AMT is a theory just like the OIT one. I not sure which one is right, but based on the linguistic data I leaning towards AIT/AMT. As for genetic data, I currently have less knowledge of that domain and therefore I think I need more information there to come to a conclusion.

Now similarly the OOA (Out of Africa) is also just a theory I think. Correct me if I m wrong.

Also, I think these "humans" mixed with various other species.
One example we know of is the Neanderthals.
Only humans outside of Africa have neanderthal admixture. And humans outside of Africa usually have between 1.5-2.1% neanderthal ancestry.
I did a 23andme DNA test and found that mine is 3.1%.

Actually all humans came from Africa. The Out of Africa theory is beyond doubt.

As for Neanderthal genes different studies have throw out different results. A few years back people said that Neanderthal genes do not exist in humans. Now this has changed. However there are still skeptics. Anyway I believe that in the future we will have a clear picture of the human race and its ancestry.

 

[Mad Indian]

Where did you read the linguistic points of the AIT/AMT.
I wanted to read that AIT thread here on this forum, but never really got that interested in it.

Anyway, some (not all) of the questions which I have with regards to this is AIT/AMT are: why we find the dravidian languages in areas like Iran, how come I-E languages didn't spread to S. India while on the other side it spread to British isles.
I am assuming by OIT you mean that I-E speakers originated and moved out from India.

Yes, You are right about What OIT means, as the current genetic data is that genetic diversity in Indian subconitnent is higher than that in the Europe. So the origin must have been IndoIranian plains and not europe.

Also, linguistics can only tell that few things are linked -and not in what timeline they were linked and how they are linked. For example, the migration could have occured in 60000bce(as per OIT) or could have occured in 1500BCE(as per AMT/AIT). So how do you explain at waht date the migration occured ? OTOH, genetics pretty much confirm that the Indians migrated into India well before 12000 BCE, which means that AMT/AIT count never have happened. So IVC must have been completely Aryan. And Dravidian is actually a british concoction to d divide and rule.. There is no equivalent term for Aryan/Dravidian divide in Tamil or any of the Dravidian languages. Dravidian itself is a sanskrit word meaning southern.

And note that Tamil and the supposed dravidian languages have much more in common with Sanskrit than Latin languages have in common with Sanskrit regarding grammar - correct me if I am wrong, since I am basing it from the little knowledge I have of Hindi. For instance unlike the European languages, Both Tamil and Sanskrit are phonetic languages

And also, the genetic studies do note that there are two anscesteries to Indian population - Anscesteral south and Ancesteral north Indians, both of whom migrated at about 45000 BCE and 60000BCE. And Indians are a complete mixture of both.SO the IVC must have made up of Mixed race Indians of ANI/ASI origin, not much different from the current Indians . Also, note that the term Aryan itself only refers to "learned man"

 

[Mad Indian]

Actually all humans came from Africa. The Out of Africa theory is beyond doubt.

As for Neanderthal genes different studies have throw out different results. A few years back people said that Neanderthal genes do not exist in humans. Now this has changed. However there are still skeptics. Anyway I believe that in the future we will have a clear picture of the human race and its ancestry.

No one has disputed the Out of Africa theory. Dont argue on a strawman

 

[Razor]

No one has disputed the Out of Africa theory. Dont argue on a strawman

Actually I stated earlier that OOA theory is a theory and not proven fact. It could be revised in the future as more finds in the field of archeology are made, and @Peter was replying to that post of mine.

 

[Peter]

No one has disputed the Out of Africa theory. Dont argue on a strawman

Where I am bringing a straw-man. I was just replying to Razor about OOA. Also I think we should keep to our own views.


Those who believe in AIT, it is good for them. Those who don`t, for them it is better. After all ignorance is bliss.