The Hans

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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.

Hans

The Hans is one of the tribes which I regret having included among the Shekhs. The numbers according to our returns are given in the margin ; but it is very probable that many of the Hans have returned themselves as Shekh or Qureshi and not as Hans, since they claim Qureshi origin. They say they emigrated from' Arabia to Afghanistan and thence to the Panjab, where they settled at Pakka Sidhar in the Montgomery district. _ In the time of Alamgir the Hans tribe, under their chief Shekh Qutb, attained independent rule over a portion of that dis trict and retained their independence till the time of the Sikhs, when about the middle of the 18th century the streams which fertilized their country dried up and they lost their home. At present they do not own a single entire village, and have preserved none of their former influence.

Khaggas

The Khaggas are another tribe which I have classed as Shekh, but had better have kept separate. The numbers returned are shown in the margin. But here again many of them have probably returned themselves as Shekhs or Qureshi. Mr. Purser thus describes them : The Khaggas came to the Montgomery district after the conquest of Multan by Ran jit Singh. They claim to be Qureshi, and name as the first Khagga, Jalal-ul-din, disciple of Muhammaxl Irak. Khagga is said to mean a peculiar kind of fish ; and the name was given to Jalal-ud-din by his spiritual teacher on the occasion of his rescuing a boat over taken by a storm.