Jats

PRONUNCIATION: JAHTS
ALTERNATE NAMES: Baluch; Pathan; Rajput
LOCATION: India; Pakistan
POPULATION: About between 33 and 43 million (estimate)
LANGUAGE: Language of the region in which they live
RELIGION: Hinduism; Islam; Sikhism

INTRODUCTION

The Jats (Jâts) are a peasant caste widely distributed throughout northern India and Pakistan. They form geographically separate endogamous groups that have become integrated into the local community as distinct castes. These groups are possibly of differing origins and go by various names. In some regions they call themselves Baluch, Pathan, or Rajput, rather than Jat. They are, however, quite separate from the communities of peddlers, artisans, and entertainers of Afghanistan who are also designated by the name Jat.

The origin of the Jats is a matter of much conjecture. Some authorities see them as being of Aryan stock and entering the subcontinent as part of the great Aryan migrations of the past. Others hold that they are Indo-Scythians who arrived from their home along the Oxus River during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Still others argue that they are a Rajput tribe. Whatever their origins, they spread across a wide area of the northern plains and rapidly emerged as the dominant cultivators in the regions they settled.

In 1699, the Jats around Mathura, in Uttar Pradesh, rebelled against the powerful Mughal rulers in Delhi, essentially as a result of political provocation aggravated by the economic discontent, and further aggravated by religious persecution and discrimination. Although defeated by the Mughals, Jat resistance resumed in 1707 in the disorder following Aurangzeb's death. The Jats under Badan Singh (1722–1756) established a kingdom centered at Deeg, from which Jat rule was extended over Agra and Mathura and much of the neighboring area of the Ganges plain. Suraj Mal, described as one of the greatest Jat rulers, moved his capital from Deeg to Bharatpur in 1733 and Rustam, a Jat king of the Sogariya clan, laid the foundation of the modern city of Bharatpur. Bharatpur has the distinction of being one of the few states in India to defeat the British, who unsuccessfully besieged the city under Lord Lake in 1805. During the British Raj, the princely state of Bharatpur covered an area of 5,123 square kilometers, and its rulers enjoyed a salute of 17 guns. The state of Bharatpur, now a part of Rajasthan State and site of the famous Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary, which was designated a World Heritage Site in 1985, acceded unto the dominion of India in 1947.

LOCATION AND HOMELAND

There is no accurate data available concerning the number of Jats in South Asia. In the late 1980s, the Jat populations of India and Pakistan were estimated at 8 million and 13 million, respectively. Assuming these initial estimates are accurate, and that growth rates for the Jat communities has approximated that for their respective countries, Jats in India must number around 12 million, and in Pakistan over 21 million, for a total Jat population of over 33 million. However, some estimates place the Jat population in 1988 at 31 million, which would place their current population at around 43 million. At best, these are crude estimates.

Jats are distributed across the northern and western plains of the Indian subcontinent in a belt extending from the middle Ganges valley to Sind. They form the bulk of the population in the Punjab (both Indian and Pakistani), in the land between the Ganges (Ganga) and Jumna (Yamuna) rivers, and in a belt extending through the western and central districts of Uttar Pradesh. They are the most-numerous caste over much of the western half of Rajasthan. Significant Jat communities are also found in northern Kashmir and in Sind (in Pakistan). The physical environments occupied by the Jats consist mostly of the alluvial plains and doab (land between rivers) of the Indus, Ganges, and Jumna rivers, or the semiarid and desert regions of Rajasthan and Sind. Climate and vegetation conform to the broad patterns found in these areas of the subcontinent. In recent years, increasing population pressure has led to significant emigration of Jats to North America, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and the Middle East.

LANGUAGE

Jats speak the languages and dialects that are current in the regions where they live. Thus, Jats in Sind speak Sindhi, an Indo-Aryan tongue with a large number of Persian and Arabic words, written in a script similar to that used for Urdu. In Pakistan's Punjab Province, they speak Punjabi and use the Perso-Arabic script introduced to the region during the Muslim conquests. Jats in the Indian Punjab speak Punjabi but write in the Lahnda script, which is related to Devanagari, or the Gurmukhi script in which the Sikh sacred books are written. In Rajasthan, local Rajasthani dialects are spoken and written with the Devanagari (Hindi) script.

FOLKLORE

Tejaji is a local folk hero revered by Jats in Rajasthan. Tejaji, it is said, was a Jat who lived about 900 years ago. One day he noticed that a Brahman's cow was in the habit of going into the jungle, where milk from her udder fell into the hole of a snake. Tejaji undertook to supply the snake with milk every day so that the Brahman would not suffer a loss. One day, when Tejaji was preparing to visit his father-in-law, he forgot to give the snake any milk. The snake appeared to Tejaji and declared he would have to bite him. Tejaji asked for permission to complete his visit, to which the snake agreed. On his journey, Tejaji rescued the village cattle from a gang of robbers but was desperately wounded in the encounter. With much difficulty he presented himself to the snake, as he had promised. However, he was so badly wounded that the snake could not find a spot on his body to bite. Tejaji put out his tongue for the snake to bite, which he did, and Tejaji subsequently died. Today, Tejaji is worshiped as a protector against snake-bite. He is represented as a man on horseback with a snake biting his tongue, and this image is common on local shrines throughout the region. Tejaji is revered not only by Jats but by the local population as well.

RELIGION

Jats may be Hindu, Muslim, or Sikh by religion. Hindu Jats (47% of all Jats) know and worship the gods of the Sanskrit tradition and, like all Hindus, hold the cow in high regard. But they also follow many local religious practices and observances, and worship local deities. Ancestor worship is also an important part of Jat religious life. The Jats of western Uttar Pradesh pay homage to their ancestors during the festival of Kanagat (September-October). At this time, offerings of water are made to the spirits of the deceased. The head of the family, assisted by a Brahman priest who performs rituals and recites Sanskrit hymns, presents offerings (pindas) to the clan ancestors, who are believed to look after the welfare of their descendants. Jats in the Indian Punjab are mostly Sikh (c. 20% of Jats), though they preserve many Hindu elements in their ritual life. The tradition of pir (saint) worship is widespread among Muslim Jats (c. 33%), who belong mainly to the Sunni sect of Islam.

MAJOR HOLIDAYS

Jats throughout South Asia observe the holidays and festivals of their respective religious communities. Thus, Muslims celebrate the two great religious festivals of Id ul-Fitr, celebrating the end of Ramadan, and Bakr-Id, the Feast of Sacrifice. Sikh festivals include Vaisakhi, which marks the beginning of the new year in the Punjab, and the gurpurbs, holidays related to events from the life of the gurus. Hindu Jats keep Holi, Divali, and other festivals of the Hindu calendar. In addition, many regional festivals such as the Urs of Sufisaints are celebrated at the saints' shrines. These local festivals are often celebrated by the community at large. Sakhi Sarwar, for instance, is a Jat saint worshiped in the Punjab, but he is revered by Hindus and Sikhs as well.

RITES OF PASSAGE

Rites of passage conform to the customs of the community to which each Jat belongs. Thus, male babies among Muslim Jats are circumcised, Sikhs are baptized into their religion, and Brahmans officiate at Hindu rituals. However, many ceremonies are common to all Jats, whatever their religion. Many Sikhs, for example, follow Hindu marriage rites and even use Brahmans for some of their ceremonies. Sikhs and Hindus cremate their dead, while Muslims resort to burial.

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

Jats use greetings such as "Salaam," "Sat Sri Akal," or "Ram Ram," according to their religious affiliations and local customs.

LIVING CONDITIONS

Jat settlements and house-types conform to broad regional patterns. Over much of the northern plains, villages are compact clusters of houses situated in the middle of agricultural land. In Pakistan's Punjab, grid-patterned "canal colony" villages are added to the mix. Houses are kacca (built of mud or unfired brick) or pukka (made with fired brick), reflecting the economic standing of their owners. In mixed villages, the houses of different castes (including Jats) are segregated into distinct neighborhoods. A Jat house in the doab (land between rivers) of the Sutlej and Jumna (Yamuna) rivers typically consists of a courtyard around which are the women's quarters, a room used exclusively by men, and cattle sheds. The more-prosperous villagers may have two-story houses and refinements such as studded wooden doors and Moorish-style arches. By contrast, nomadic Jats in Sind live in tents or flimsy, easily collapsible structures built of reed mats. Household furnishings vary according to the resources of the individual.

FAMILY LIFE

Jats are organized into clans, with clan members living in villages in a fairly compact area. Each clan has a hereditary leader called a Chaudhry. Clans are divided into lineages (thok), sublineages, and minimal lineages (khandan). The minimal lineage comprises the families of living brothers whose father is deceased. The Jat family may be an independent nuclear family or an extended joint family. Among Sikh and Hindu Jats, one cannot marry a woman if any of her four grandparents comes from the same clan as oneself. Muslims Jats, however, are not subject to such restrictive rules of exogamy. Until recently, Jats practiced polygyny (i.e., a man could have more than one wife at the same time), but in India this has been declared illegal. Under Islamic law, however, a man may have up to four wives. Today, most Jats are monogamous. Marriage ceremonies follow Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu patterns. Divorce is not common and often leads to conflict between the two lineages involved. Widow remarriage is permitted by all Jat groups.

CLOTHING

Jat clothing reflects regional dress-styles. Punjabi men wear tight-legged trousers covered by a long shirt (kurta) worn hanging down outside the trousers. This is accompanied by a turban, the style of which is determined by where one comes from and whether one is a Sikh, Muslim, or Hindu. Women of all denominations wear trousers and a tunic (salwar-kamiz), accompanied by a scarf (dupatta) thrown over their shoulders or around their heads. In Uttar Pradesh, men wear Western-type shirts over trousers or a cotton dhoti (a long piece of cloth wrapped around the waist, then drawn between the legs). Women in Uttar Pradesh dress in full, wide, colorful skirts (ghaghri), a kurta or a bodice, and a shawl. Their clothes are sometimes decorated with rhinestones and mirrors.

FOOD

The Jat diet is determined in part by agricultural ecology, and in part by culture. As Jat populations are found in the drier wheat-growing areas of the subcontinent, wheat and other cereals form their staple starch. Roti (flat bread made from wheat or millet) is eaten every day, along with a vegetable curry, lentils, curds, and—for those who can afford it—ghi (clarified butter). Hindu Jats are usually vegetarian, while Sikhs and Muslims eat meat. Many Sikhs, however, share Hindu attitudes towards beef-eating, while pork is banned by the Muslim religion.

EDUCATION

Attitudes toward education vary among Jat populations. A study in a village near Delhi, for example, showed 92% of Jat boys between 6 and 15 years of age attend school. The percentage dropped to 40% for girls, this difference reflecting the relative positions of males and females in Jat society, and indeed in South Asian society in general. Yet even the figure for Jat girls compares favorably with those of the Bhangis (0%), Kumhars (10%), and other castes in the village. Access to educational facilities for groups such as the nomadic Jats of Sind in Pakistan is clearly limited.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism all have ancient traditions of music, dance, and literature. Jat communities share in this cultural heritage. They also share in the folk culture of the regions in which they live. Thus, Hindu Jats living in the middle Ganges valley are familiar with the great traditions of Brahmanical Hinduism. But in regions such as Braj, southeast of Delhi, where folk culture is closely tied to the life of Krishna, they also participate in Krishna-related rituals and practices that are localized in nature. Similarly, the writings of the Sikh gurus, Sikh sacred music, and Sufimysticism are part of the heritage of the Punjabi Jats—as are dances such as the Bhangra, and the Punjabi folk tunes that are popular in the region. Muslim Jats are the successors to centuries of Islamic cultural dominance in northwestern India. This is seen not only in religious practices and social customs, but in areas such as the Indo-Islamic style of architecture, and the poetry and music of the Sufis. Music forms such as the qawwali and ghazal continue to be popular among the Muslim population today.

WORK

Jats are known throughout northern India and Pakistan as skilled and industrious agriculturalists. They are the dominant landowning caste in many areas. Jats make up the bulk of the farming community in the Punjab, one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the entire subcontinent. They are open to change and receptive to innovation in farming techniques. It is no accident that the advances in agriculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s known as the Green Revolution were implemented in the Punjab. Some Jats are pastoralists, raising water buffaloes and camels for sale. The Jats were viewed by the British as one of the martial races of northern India, and many served in Jat regiments in the British Indian Army. This tradition of military service has carried over into the armed forces and police forces of India and Pakistan. Today, many Sikh Jats are heavily involved in the trucking business.

In Pakistan, the word "Jat" is used as an occupational term for "landlord," so the Sikh and Muslim Jats in Pakistan who originate from the Punjab may be different in appearance from "Jats" in the rest of the country, who belong to local communities.

SPORTS

Games played by children are typical of those found throughout India. These include hide-and-seek, various games of tag, marbles, kite-flying, spinning tops, and gulli-danda (Indian cricket). Wrestling and team wrestling (kabaddi) are popular among youth and young adults. Traditional rural pastimes among men include gambling, cockfighting, partridge-fighting, and camel-racing. Hunting (shikar) is a favorite sport among the well-to-do classes. Young people have taken enthusiastically to modern sports such as cricket, field hockey, and soccer.

ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION

With the advent of the mass media, Jats throughout northern and western India are able to receive radio and television broadcasts. Moreover, with the advent of cable and satellite television, those who can afford it can access overseas networks such as CNN. Movies and sports events are the most commonly watched programming. Movie theaters are found in almost all towns of any size. It is only the most isolated and economically depressed Jat groups, such as the nomadic pastoralists of Sind, who have to rely heavily on traditional pastimes for their entertainment.

FOLK ART, CRAFTS, AND HOBBIES

Folk arts and crafts vary from region to region. The nomadic Jats of the delta region of the Indus are known for their elaborate embroidery work and mirrored textiles.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Problems facing the Jats vary according to location and the specific communities involved. Relatively affluent landowning Jats in Uttar Pradesh, for example, do not face the problems of economic hardship, illiteracy, and lack of access to schools and other amenities that confront the nomadic Jat pastoralists in Sind. In such communities, internal factions and caste relations are often of greater concern than social ills. In Sind, expansion of agriculture has reduced grazing areas, and many pastoral Jats have had to turn to other occupations. Sikh Jats in the Punjab, on the other hand, have had to live through the unrest, violence, and political instability generated by the Sikh separatist movement over the last two decades (many Sikh Jats actively supported the movement, as well).

As agriculturalists, Jats in India, especially in the upper Ganges plains where they are concentrated, were negatively affected by Prime Minister Jawarhala Nehru's agricultural policies. Chaudhary Charan Singh opposed Nehru's socialistic and collectivist land use policies. A politician from Uttar Pradesh, Singh was born into a Jat family in 1902 and served as India's sixth prime minister from 28 July 1979 until 14 January 1980, leading the Bharatiya Lok Dal party. His association with the causes dear to farming communities in the North caused his memorial in New Delhi to be named Kisan Ghat (in Hindi, Kisan is the word for farmer).

The Jat people have a discrete and distinct cultural history that can be historically traced back to ancient times. However, to a large extent, because of their diversity, the question of a Jat identity remains an issue. Several religious traditions played an important role in shaping Jat identity. The Jats had no patience for the intricate symbols and elaborate practices of orthodox Hinduism. They described their religion as "kachha mazhab"—simple and earthy—as contrasted with the "pukkaa mazhab" of the high castes. Second, the reformist tradition in the Jat community had a pronounced non-Brahmanical orientation. There was nothing sacred about the Ganga or the Yamuna for them. Idols and temples were emblems of superstition, and the Brahmans had no role to play in their rituals and ceremonies. The Naths, followers of Gorakhnath, an 8th century Hindu sage, who are well-represented among the Jats in some areas, eat meat and drink alcohol. Such practices resulted in Jats being placed on the lower rung of the Hindu social order and they had no illusion of belonging to the twice-born Hindu varnas till the advent of the Arya Samaj (Ârya Samâj), which tried to engineer a basic shift in the Jat psyche. Whatever the current notions about the superiority of the Jat "quom" (community), Jats were stigmatized by the higher castes. The Brahmans treated the Jats as Shudras and denied them the right to wear the sacred thread. The Jats were largely free from the Brahmanical orthodoxy and caste rigidity. The Arya Samaj's attack on Brahmanical rituals, orthodoxy, superstitions, and caste rigidity had a natural appeal for the Jats and they easily took to it.

The Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement, dating back to the late 19th century, that denies traditional Brahmanical dominance in Hindu society, but that also promotes Hindu values. For instance, cow-protection societies form a major plank of the Arya Samaj movement in north India and the cow-slaughter theory is specifically used to justify violence against the Dalits and Muslims by Jats. The brutal lynching in 2002 of five Dalits in Jhajjar in Haryana State by Jats reflects the growing success of the Hindutva forces in the State. The "cow" has suddenly emerged as the principal symbol for the mobilization of dominant caste groups into the Hindutva fold. The Dalit victims have become the culprits; the Jats have emerged as warriors, like the Rajputs, defending the cow against the depredation of non-Hindus or low caste Hindus. Popular ballads and stories abound, highlighting the virtues of kshatriya values embodied in acts of saving the cow from the assaults of Muslim butchers, who were allegedly supplied cows by Chuhras and Chamars (low caste Hindu groups). One of the most powerful images in the Jat belt is that of a gaurakshak (cow-protector), who is venerated for protecting the community through an act of saving the cow, and killing the "culprits" and "infidels." Protection of the cow has become a centerpiece of the emerging Jat identity.

Many Jats see themselves as equal to the martial Rajputs and some regard themselves as belong to the "twice-born" castes, i.e. the three upper levels of the Hindu caste system, but in general they are looked down upon by the higher castes in India. In fact, in 1999 the Vajpayee government in New Delhi included Jats in the Center's list of Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and they are also classed as OBCs in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. Designation as an OBC indicates a caste needs assistance in the sphere of socio-economic development and gives a group access to reserved quotas (27%) in public sector employment and places in educational institutions, as well as special political representation. Such as designation is, of course, subject to political patronage and causes much resentment in the community at large, other castes having to compete with the Jats, whom they see as successful and economically prosperous. The agitation in 2008 amongst Gujars in Rajasthan for classification as a Scheduled Tribe stems, in part, from Jats being classed as an OBC in the state and the Gujars having to compete with them in the areas of employment and access to education.

In general, while there are some who live in poverty and are economically disadvantaged, Jats are a prosperous farming caste who form the backbone of the rural communities where they are found.

GENDER ISSUES

Gender issues among Jat depend to a large extent on the community to which women belong. Thus among Hindu Jats, traditional Hindu constraints prevail. A recent study in Shahargaon, an urbanizing Jat village just south of Delhi in Haryana State, found that sex-selective abortion was practiced within a system of patriarchy, manifested in terms of preference for sons over daughters. Although the overall impact has been a decrease in family size, the sex ratio in the village increasingly favors males. Even among Sikhs, whose gurus preached gender equality, there is a preference for sons. In Nanowal village, part of Fategarh Sahib district in Punjab State, in which 70% of the families are landed Jat Sikhs, 18 boys and six girls were born in 2003, the latter all belonging to the Scheduled Castes. According to the 2001 census, Fatehgarh Sahib district recorded the country's lowest sex ratio of 754 girls per 1,000 boys in the age group of 0–6 years. The State of Punjab has legislation preventing ultrasound sex-determination being used for sex-selective abortion, although clearly this does occur.

Literacy among Hindu Jat women is only 27.5 % though it is even less for Sikh Jats (20%) and Muslim Jats (14%). In Pakistan, of course, Muslim Jat women are subject to purdah and wearing the burqa in public. While many Jat communities are quite prosperous, poverty and illiteracy are problems among rural groups of lower socio-economic standing, where women tend to be actively involved in agricultural activities.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dabas, Bal Kishan. The Political and Social History of the Jats. Delhi: Sanjay Prakashan, 2001.

Lewis, Oscar. Village Life in Northern India. New York: Random House, 1958.

Pradhan, M. C. The Political System of the Jats in Northern India. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1966.

Singh, Jagbir. The Jat Rulers of Upper Doab. Jaipur: Aavishkar Publishers, 2002.

Singh, Vir. The Jats: Their Role & Contribution to the Socio-economic Life and Polity of North & North-West India. 2 vols. Delhi: Originals, 2006.

Westphal-Hellbusch, Sigrid, and Heinz Westphal. The Jat of Pakistan. Islamabad: Lok Virsa Publishing House, 1986.

—by D.O.Lodrick