Jat Sikh


Jat Sikh, also known by the more conventional endonym Jatt Sikh, is a sub-group of the Jat people, and the Sikh ethnoreligious group from the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the dominant community in the Punjab, India owing to their large land-holdings. They form an estimated 21%-25% of the population of the Indian state of Punjab. They form at least half of the Sikh population in Punjab, with some sources estimating them to be about 60% to 66% of the Sikh population.

History

According to censuses of the British Raj period, most Sikh Jats were converted from Hindu Jats. The relationship between the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities of the Punjab region, and between communities such as the Jats and the Rajputs, has been ambiguous over many centuries. The various groups often claim similar origins while asserting their distinctiveness.
Some Jats started to follow the teachings of Guru Nanak in small numbers and these swelled after the formation of the Khalsa. They formed the vanguard of Sikh resistance against the Mughal Empire from the 18th century onwards. W. H. McLeod, basing his work on the martial race theory, says that the Jats began to join Sikhism in large numbers during the period of the sixth guru, Hargobind, but this theory has been rebutted by Jagjit Singh, a Sikh historian.
At least seven of the 12 Sikh Misls were led by Jat Sikhs.

Influence of Sikhism on Jats

has argued that Sikhism did much to uplift the social status of Jat people, who were previously regarded in the Punjab as being of Farmer or Vaishya status in the Hindu ritual ranking system of varna. Kishan Singh says

Army recruits

Jat Sikhs, according to Major A. E. Barstow, were very good soldiers due to the influence of Sikhism, and possessed more of a martial quality than their non-Sikh Jat brethren. Barstow further comments, that due to their diet and their fondness for wrestling and weightlifting, they possessed good physical attributes for soldiery. According to R. W. Falcon, Jat Sikhs were seen as a good source for recruitment. According to Captain A. H. Bingley they were particularly loyal soldiers.
The Jat Sikh community has constituted an important source of recruits for the Indian Army.

Agriculture

In Punjab, Jat Sikhs are associated with agricultural pursuits and land ownership. They own more than 80%, and possibly as much as 95% of available agricultural land in Punjab. They often reside in the rural areas, and are economically influential in the state.

Notable people