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The
Lohanas trace their roots in history right up to the time of
the Aryans in the Indian sub-continent (which then included
today's Afghanistan), making theirs the oldest surviving community
in the world. According to ancient Indian texts, the Aryan civilization
was established by king Ishaku some two to three millennia before
Christ (BC). His 63rd descendant was the great king Raghu, who
established the Rahguvanshi Dynasty.
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Lohanas'
history begins with King Raghu, who belonged to the Suryavanshi
lineage, thus called because they worshiped the Sun (Surya).
Raghu"s grandson was the legendary King Dashratha of Ayodhya,
of whom Prabu Shri Ram, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu was the
eldest.
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Ram chose to give up his throne he split the kingdom between
his sons, Luv & Kush. The younger son Luv was given the
northeast region of his kingdom, which came to be, called Luvalka
or Luv's land. |
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In
the Ramayana, Luv
is portrayed as a brave warrior. In one episode, even though
he is a mere boy in the hermitage, he brings the entire army
of his father Lord Rama to a standstill by the prowess at archery.
His descendants too were of the same mould, but they were not
satisfied with Luvalka and pushed to the west and annexed today's
Afghanistan and adjoining areas.
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| Around
580 BC, Hindu society came to be divided into different castes
based on their occupation. One of these castes was called Kshatriyas
and King Luv's descendants were classed with them and came to
be known as Luvanam, which was also referred to as Luvana. The
Luvanas from Loharghat became known as Loharana (masters of
swords), which later became Lohana. |
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historians have paid tribute to Lohanas as warriers of great
bravery. A possible reason for the bravery is that they had
placed themselves for centuries in the direct path of invaders
from northwest like Persians, Macedonians, Mughals, etc.
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| Ruling
in Afghanistan for many centuries they braved onslaughts of
invaders looking for converts in India. From 7th to 11th century
A.D., living on the small hills in the northwest which saw hordes
of Muslim invaders at the gates of India, the Lohanas fought
bravely against these invaders. |
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They
held their grounds for long in northwest but finally were defeated
and had to fall back and moved initially to the Sindh province
of today's Pakistan. Meanwhile, Prophet Mohammed established
Islam. His followers spread out in different directions to preach
His religion and in due course they turned towards India too.
When these hordes reach northwest, they had to contend with
the brave Lohanas and were held back for many years. So Sindh
fell to Muslims and Lohanas disintegrated into small segments.
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Lohanas felt their identity was increasingly threatened in Sindh
and they began to migrate towards Kutch, Saurashtra and Gujarat.
Famous warriors once, they took to trade and business. Their
instincts of the warrior past were tested in 1764, when Gulam
Shah Kora attacked Kutch and they had to account for themselves
in the battle of Zora. Lohana women fought alongside their men
in this battle and the land of Kutch is strewn with memorial
stones marking the deaths of brave Lohanas. |
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Lohanas
are still to be found in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are
now Islamic states. In Afghanistan, they still maintain their
religious identity and are known as Lokhathra. The Lohanas who
keep their Hindu identity in Sindh are known as Sindhi Lohana.
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Lohanas who were converted to Islam are known as Khojas. Many
of them retain their Hindu names. The most celebrated among
them was the creator of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Zinnah, whose
father's name was Jinabhai Thakkar. |
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few names of the long list of great Lohanas are Shri Guru Nanak,
Saint Jalaram Bapa, Saint Lal Bapu, Yogiji Maharaj, Bhikshu
Akhand Anand, Maharishi Priyanath, Thakkar Bapa, Shree Nanjibhai
Kalidas Mehta, Seth Shree Virjibhai Maskai, Madhvanis, Vajubhai
Kotak, Samrat Ranmal Lakha and Dada Jashraj. |
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