When Bhera was sacked by
Mahmud of Ghazni, the Khukhrain king, Biji Rai preferred to commit suicide using his dagger rather than submit to
Mahmud Ghaznavi.[2] Jaipal's son,
Anandapala, received support of the Khukhrains against the Ghazni rule in 1008-9 at Wahind.[4][full citation needed]
Religious beliefs
The Khukhrain clan was originally
Hindu. Later clan members embraced
Sikhism and
Islam. Khukhrains of all these faiths collectively form one
kinship. In Pakistan there continues to be a large number of Muslim Khukhrains living especially in the Pakistani Punjab. Some scholars such as Muhammad Ikrām Chutai believe that a number of Khukhrains were converted to
Islam by the Sufi
Baba Farid.[5]
Clans
Anand : Named after a common ancestor "Ananda" which translates to "joy" in
Sanskrit.[6]
Chadha : According to a local account, the ancestors of Chadhas fought with
Babur in a war. However, all of them died except for one man who hid behind an
aak bush. This person continued the progeny of the Chadha clan. To pay tribute to the aak bush which saved the Chadha clan from extinction, the Chadhas visit
Eminabad in
Gujranwala district to perform prayers and worship the Aak tree as a former tradition[8]
Ghai :They are mentioned in
Bhai Gurdas's Vaar 11 ਵਡਾ ਭਗਤੁ ਹੈ ਭਾਈਅੜਾ ਗੋਇੰਦੁ ਘੇਈ ਗੁਰੂ ਦੁਆਰੇ। (Translation : Bhaiara and Govind are devotees belonging to Ghai sub-caste. They remain at the door of the Guru.)[10]
Kohli : The Prakrit word "Koh" means a mountain and they lived in the hilly tracks of
Hazara and
Rawalpindi.[11]
Sabharwal : The sub-caste is also mentioned in
Bhai Gurdas's Vaar 11 "ਸਨਮੁਖ ਭਾਈ ਤੀਰਥਾ ਸਭਰਵਾਲ ਸਭੇ ਸਿਰਦਾਰਾ।" (Translation : Bhai Tirtha was the leader among all the Sikhs of Sabharval sub- caste.) [10]
Encyclopædia Britannica notes that: "The Khukhrain sub-group of the "52"s claims descent from a son of Manu and several clan names are traced to military terms in support of the claim to
Kshatriya descent.."[14]
^Khushwant Singh (8 January 2011).
"The brave Khokhrains". The Tribune (India newspaper). Retrieved 6 September 2019.
^
abThe Panjab Past and Present By Punjabi University Dept. of Punjab Historical Studies Published by Dept. of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University., 1981 Page 195
^The Panjab Past and Present By Punjabi University Dept. of Punjab Historical Studies Published by Dept. of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University., 1981 Page 200)
^The Panjab Past and Present By Punjabi University Dept. of Punjab Historical Studies Published by Dept. of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University., 1981 page 201}
^Babaji: Life and Teachings of Farid-ud Din Ganj-i Shakar By Muhammad Ikrām Chutai Page 433 Published by Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2006