_by_AC_Lovett_(1862-1919).jpg)
The Jats, also spelt as Jaat, Jatt, and Jutt, are an agriculturist and landowning community of Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists along the Indus river-valley, many Jats migrated into the Punjab, Delhi Territory, Jangladesh, and the western Gangetic Plain by the 17th and 18th centuries. Of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh faiths, they are now found mostly in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and the Pakistani provinces of Sindh, Punjab and AJK.
The Jats are a diverse community in the Indian subcontinent, ranging from simple landowning peasants to wealthy and influential Zamindars.
The origin of Jats is heavily disputed. Some attribute them to the non-Vedic Jartika tribe mentioned in the Mahabharata, while others argue they were from the Indo-Scythian Getae tribe. The Umayyad chroniclers also used the term "Zutt", derived from the native name Jit, to identify the various pastoralists of the Indus Valley.
The first indisputable references to Jats appear to be by Ghaznavid-era scholars, such as Gardizi and Al-Biruni, who clearly note Jats being spread out from the banks of the Indus to the city of Mathura.
Starting in the 10th century, Jat clans established independent chiefdoms in historical Jangladesh. From the 11th century onwards, Jats would migrate up from Sindh and Rajasthan into Punjab, adopting agriculture with tools like the water wheel. By Mughal times, “Jat” often meant “peasant” in Punjab, and some became landowners. By 1595, Jat Zamindars controlled about 32% of Punjab’s Zamindaris.
During the Mughal Empire’s decline in the 17th century, ambitious Jat chiefs would revolt. Gokula would lead the Brajwasi Hindus against Emperor Aurangzeb, leading to the formation of petty states which united under the Bharatpur State. Punjabi Sikh Jat chiefs would form most of the Sikh Misls, resisting Mughal and Durrani forces, and later uniting under the Sikh Empire. And in Rohilkhand, the Rohilla dynasty of Rampur State descended from an adopted Muslim Jat.
During the British Raj, some Sikh Jats would rule princely states such as Patiala, Faridkot, Jind, and Nabha. Jats were generally classified as a “martial race” by the British, favoured for recruitment into the British Indian Army due to perceived physical fitness, though considered politically subservient and intellectually inferior. Post-1881, Sikh Jats were prioritised for recruitment as the British deemed Hindus less suitable. Jat sepoys would fight in both World Wars. Following the Partition of British India, most Hindu and Sikh Jats settled in India, while most Muslim Jats settled in Pakistan.
In India, Jats and Sikh form 15-20% of Haryana’s population and 20–25% of Punjab’s, with 9% in Rajasthan, 5% in Delhi, and 1.2% in Uttar Pradesh. Classified as a General (forward) caste in few states and as Other Backward Caste Group (OBC) in most of the other states. Jats in Rajasthan (except Bharatpur and Dholpur) also qualify for central OBC reservation. Seven states include Jats in their OBC (Other Backward Castes) lists.
In 2009, the Pakistani Jat population was estimated to be roughly 21 million. The Jats, together with Rajputs and Gujjars, are part of the dominant Punjabi Muslim communities settled across eastern Pakistan.
Jats adopted Islam in West Punjab, Sikhism in East Punjab, and Hinduism in areas between Delhi and Agra, reflecting regional religious influences. Jathera (ancestor) worship was also historically common. Jats have a common surname ‘Chaudhary’ or ‘Choudhary’ which is widely used by the people of this community.
The Khap system was historically the prevailing system of organisation for the Jats of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Khaps are clan-councils, presided over by clan elders and notables. Historically, Jat Khaps would raise militias to capture new territory for the clan or push for increased autonomy. The system continues to exist today, albeit extrajudicially, policing social norms in Jat-dominated areas.
Many Jats serve in the Indian Army, including the Jat Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Rajputana Rifles, and Grenadiers, earning numerous gallantry awards. Jats also serve in the Pakistan Army, particularly in the Punjab Regiment.
Most of the Sikhs are Jats and owing to their numerical preponderance and landownership, they are a dominant caste in Punjab. The word Jat and farmer are synonymous in Punjabi. They are landowners and their occupation is agriculture.
Jat (also spelled as "Jatt" and "Jaat") people are an ethnic agricultural apparently setled in Northwest South Asia The term Jat is supposedly derived from Jatta, a broad word used for cattle gazers and camel breeders, moving in a group - jatha. Jats have been known as zamindars (landowner) since the period of Mogul emperor Akbar in 16th century".
Jatt/ Jaat: A section of Indian society which dominates the rural areas in the Northern India. These people are most agriculturist
Out of the 45 parganas of the sarkars of Delhi, 17 are reported to have Jat Zamindars. Out of these 17 parganas, the Jats are exclusively found in 11, whereas in other 6 they shared Zamindari rights with other communities
...[The Hephtalites were] driven away by Skandagupta and defeated probably by the Jartas, the Jartikas or Jats of the Sialkot region, as we learn from a remark of Chandragomin ajayaj-jarto Hūnān...
The evidence of both the ancient authors and the archaeological remains point to a massive migration of Sacian (Sakas)/Massagetan ("great" Jat) tribes from the Syr Daria Delta (Central Asia) by the middle of the second century B.C. Some of the Syr Darian tribes; they also invaded North India.
As the contemporary writer Gardizi reports, Mahmud had 1,400 boats built; each boat was to carry 20 archers and be equipped with special projectiles that could be filled with naphtha. Mahmud's fleet sailed down the Jhelum and then the Indus, until it met the Jat fleet. Although the Jats had far more boats than Mahmud, their fleet was set ablaze and destroyed.
There is good reason to believe that parts of the present north-eastern and north-western Rajasthan were inhabited by Jat clans ruled by their own chiefs and largely governed by their own customary law.
It is obvious that their leadership was largely in Jaț hands and eventually it was a Jaț misldār, Raňjīt Siṅgh, who secured total ascendancy. Individual chieftains such as Jassā Siṅgh Kalāl (later known as Jassā Siṅgh Ahlūwālīā) and his namesake Jassā Siṅgh Rāmgaṛhiā represent leadership derived from lower-status groups, but do not disturb the dominant pattern.
