Paliwal
Paliwal is a surname in India. Its bearers practice many religions and belong to different Hindu castes. Most are Brahmins. Jainism is common. Practitioners call themselves Digamber Paliwal Jains. Their typical surnames are Lodaya and Khedikar.
Etymology
The origin of Paliwal is Pali+wal(e) (a person from Pali, a district in the princely state of Rajasthan). Most inhabitants of Pali are called Paliwals. It is believed that people from Pali migrated to other places when the Mughals invaded Rajasthan.
Distribution
Many Paliwal Brahmins live in the Almora district and Kumaon division of the Indian state of Uttarakhand; in Agra, Shikohabad, and Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh; and in Indore and Hoshangabad in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.
Origins
Two major theories describe the Paliwal's origins. One suggests that Pali was a small kingdom in the Thar desert of India that the inhabitants turned into an oasis. At some point in the 13th century, in response to what they viewed as tyrannical behavior by the king of Pali, the kingdom's Brahmins migrated to Kuldhara, in the state now known as Jaisalmer. Their origin was identified by the appellation Paliwal.
A second theory was passed down by tribes through generations. According to this theory, the grandfather of the tribe sat by a fire with his grandchildren and told them a story to make them proud of their family history. Long ago, he said, the first man of the family roamed the desert in the hot sun looking for a place to rest and find water. Finally, he stumbled on a cave area that housed a small river. He was glad that he had found water, but he still had no peace because he did not know who he was. He knew that he had to have a name, a name that would be great for generations to come. As he sat in the cave pondering what he should call himself, he saw a panda. He sneaked up on the panda and killed it for food and clothing. Then he named himself Pali, meaning "victory over the panda".
History
Most of the stories about the group's history and lineage are anecdotal and not based on written records. Some historical texts about the Paliwal are housed in the royal library of Mewar at Udaipur.
When the inhabitants of Pali first migrated, each Paliwal family was welcomed into the 84 villages around Kuldhara with a brick and a gold coin from every other family in the village. The brick was used to build a house, and the gold was used to start a business or a farm. As the community gained prosperity, it became a target of Mughal invasions. During a raid in the 18th century, the inhabitants' wells are said to have been poisoned by animal carcasses, causing the Brahmin community to migrate.
Some Paliwal clans are Rajputs whose ancestors migrated to Uttar Pradesh. Paliwal Rajput villages spread across the Azamgarh and Ambedkar Nagar districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Ahirauli Rani Mau is one of the main villages in the Ambedkar Nagar district. According to Shri Hawaldar Singh, the retired village principal, the king of Pali used to send his representative to these areas to communicate with the people of his gotra, or clan. Some of these families later migrated to northern Bihar and to the Gorakhpur district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. In northern Bihar, Paliwal Rajputs have five villages in Gopalganj District: Sasamusa, Rampur, Dauda, Rampur Uchkagaon, and Paharpur. Paliwal Rajputs influence politics there and in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Paliwal Rajputs claim to be the descendants of Pandavas and belong to the Vyagrapath clan. Some claim that their ancestors were traders who carried gold, and that this is the main reason they migrated from one place to another.
The Paliwal Brahmins are prosperous in comparison to other communities. Wealth and fame became their enemy, and in 1156, the tribes of Aravali started to trouble them. Around the same time, the founder of the Rathore dynasty, the Prince of Kannauj, Sihaji, was returning from a holy visit to Dwarka. The Paliwals asked Sihaji to protect them from the invading tribes. Sihaji did so but was then tempted by the Paliwals' wealth. On the day of Holi, he killed the people of Paliwal Samaj and took control of Pali. Around 1292, Delhi's King Nasimuddin sent his army to capture Pali. Paliwal Brahmins fought for 12 days before leaving Pali forever and proceeding toward Jaisalmer.[1]
References
- ↑ "History of Paliwal Brahmans". Paliwalsamaj.stormpages.com. Retrieved 2016-01-06.