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| '''Atwal''' (also '''Attwal''' or '''Athwal''') is a clan name or '']'' of ]s from the ] of ] and ]. | '''Atwal''' (also '''Attwal''' or '''Athwal''') is a clan name or '']'' of ]s from the ] of ] and ]. | ||
| Atwal is a clan primarily of Dalits that has merged with Jatts through intermarriage. Overtime they have started to call themselves as Jatt. Many Jatts have outcaste Atwals and consider Atwal to be "degraded" Jatts for marrying into Dalits. | |||
| == Origin and geographic distribution== | |||
| Atwals are one of the oldest Jat clans. One theory says that they settled in the Punjab during the ] era. There is unanimity among historians that Atwals were mainly camel-herders and were originally known as ''Oonth Wala'' ("Camel Keeper"), which changed over time to "Atwal". They inhabited the ], ], ] and ] districts of Eastern Punjab. Some on the other hand, settled as far west as ], ], ], ] (today's ]), ] and ] in ], what is now Pakistan. Atwals are also found in large numbers in ] and ]. | |||
| According to H.A. Rose, the Atwals are descendants of the ] ] and they came to East Punjab from Multan. | |||
| == Among Dalits == | == Among Dalits == | ||
Revision as of 00:51, 14 August 2006
Atwal (also Attwal or Athwal) is a clan name or Gotra of Jats from the Punjab region of Northern India and Pakistan.
Atwal is a clan primarily of Dalits that has merged with Jatts through intermarriage. Overtime they have started to call themselves as Jatt. Many Jatts have outcaste Atwals and consider Atwal to be "degraded" Jatts for marrying into Dalits.
Among Dalits
Atwal is also the name of a Dalit clan/sub-caste in the Punjab.
Religion
After settling in West Punjab, many Atwal Jats converted to Islam although most Atwals in India are Sikh. Their villages of origin are Khurdpur, Shankar and Hakimpur, in the Doaba region of Punjab (India).
Atwals today
Members of the clan were originally based in villages in northwest India. Due to emigration during the 20th century, members can be found around the world, including in the United Kingdom, the U.S.A. and Canada.
Famous Atwals
- Arjun Atwal, prominent Indian golfer