The Daudpotra

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This article is an extract from PANJAB CASTES SIR DENZIL CHARLES JELF IBBETSON, K.C. S.I. Being a reprint of the chapter on The Races, Castes and Tribes of the People in the Report on the Census of the Panjab published in 1883 by the late Sir Denzil Ibbetson, KCSI Lahore : Printed by the Superintendent, Government Printing, Punjab, 1916. Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees with the contents of this article.

Caste No. 79

The Daudpotra are the reigning family of Bahawalpur, and usually claim to he Qureshi Arabs, though occasion ally said to be Rajputs ; but all that is certain about their origin is that their ancestor Daud Khan was a Julaha by occupation, if not by caste. Besides the numbers shown in Table VNI A as Daudpotras, 1,421 persons have returned themselves as Shekh Daudpotra, of whom 1,287 are in the Multan district. The tribe is practically confined to Eahawalpur and the neighbouring portions of Multan, part of which was once included in the Bahawalpur State.

Their founder Daud Khan is said to have been the son of one Jam Junjar of Shikarpur, and brother of Muhammad the ancestor of the Kalhora dynasty of Sindh ; while another story makes him a Wattu Rajput. Both accounts are very probably false. Cunningham relates their origin thus : When Nadir Shah proceeded to establish his authority in Sindh, he found the ancestor of the family a man of reputation in his native district of Shikarpur. The Shah made him deputy of the upper third of the province; but, becoming suspicious of the whole clan, resolved on removing it to Ghazni. The tribe then migrated up the Satluj and seized lands by force. They fabulously trace their origin to the Caliph Abbas; but may be regarded as Biloches changed by long residence in Sindh. In establishing themselves on the Satluj, they reduced the remains of the ancient Langahs and Joyas to still further insigni ficance.^' {History of the Sikhs — 11.3, note.)

SeeThe Dogars