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Revision as of 17:49, 14 July 2006 by Riana (talk | contribs) (disambig link repair - lend a hand)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Atwal (also Attwal or Athwal) is a clan name or Gotra of Jats from the Punjab region of Northern India and Pakistan.
Origin and geographic distribution
Atwals are one of the oldest Jat clans. One theory says that they settled in the Punjab during the Mahabharata 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 Ambala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala districts of Eastern Punjab. Some on the other hand, settled as far west as Sialkot, Multan, Jhang, Montgomery (today's Sahiwal), Muzaffargarh and Bahawalpur in West Punjab, what is now Pakistan. Atwals are also found in large numbers in Amritsar and Gurdaspur.
According to H.A. Rose, the Atwals are descendants of the Panwar Rajputs and they came to East Punjab from Multan.
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