07·

I -

PR·O·····C'·'Er S··' S·,···· OC" 'F' ·M···· E' .", ··S··' C . O·:·N·······V 't :··ER1·,S······ O·····:·····N··· T' "0" .... I·S····· L' A .. ·· M"

. ,>. ._ '.':.: ". I'::. " .. .:'. . ". . : . . ' : j"_: _. . :: _" .,:,.. " ' . .' . t, . '. '.,--.' ". _I r

Alia """ Ahm a d·:"·

, ,~ .. , .:'., '. '.'

Meos a .. bra .. ve fr ... e edom-lov ing an>' nd W'''·' . a:' n ng commun itv have h ad a

...... 1'1 . , : - '._ . ., I. . ~. '-- .', ' -. , .. ' "'" : .. ' .' ". ..•. .' "J .' . . . . . _ - _ ..

glorious history from. t.he ancient times, They could never be made to ccmpromise by force or political diplomacy. That's why they' were, against

an- y.: "p. IIO"W' ·:·· .. ·e···r .. 10: "r" g'" .ov .. · ·e· 'rn"j"-IIDI' : ent w ,,·h·!lc·:'h tried to ov .. er-po .. rw 'er o 'Ir imp 0'" se the eir aut h 0' rity rv '

. . '.':_.. : " __ "· __ .. c ' .. .I..... ..I.~ "'..._.''''_ . ' ' _'. _: .. :..... . 1:.. .. _: .. At '.' .", . "_" .'

." . ..". " _.

over this warring community, No doubt, in their so-called freedom struggle,

they lost their men. and. money and sometimes their very existence faced the threat of being wiped out. It is. also true that in their long history there 'have been very few' leaders who gave then. proper direction for upholding their' honour, dignity and. position. Most of their leaders oniy took pride in their stiff opposition to the government in. Delhi ;as their biggest and greatest achievem ien t It w: 'a S:' m ainly d ue to the Ir ]~11'11' e r:·a:: c-Y' as well a S··' t h e ne g: .. Jr ige .. mce .. on

. .: __ ,', 1,. -ill I, .r.~_.: .. ,I_._~ •. _" ._.:',' .. ",' ..:._~ '_ .••. 1"_.,,'1':. ,'-_: ...• \,A!, ",_ I.- ''':_:'~.' .. I''.,: •.. l._l .• ~.I .. "__:__:

the part of th .. e government in Delhi that made them, rebellious.'

In' the an'.: .···.C.·· .. l·.e .. ~n',·.t.·. per io ... .JJ they ... w·:. ere known a···s·· 'M ... ···, e ... ds an d the ..• ir s· ... tronghold

_.' ..," . ... .. . . . _.'. . . ~ - . ~ ~I ._. _ , .. ~ " . ,_. _ ,i .' •• _ " • J. • ~ ~. 't" . . .'

was Debal, a famous. port ofSindh .. They were engaged in agriculture and if we believe Elliot and Dowson, many of them were seafarers and pirates." After they embraced Islam" they were called Meos.' At present the area of

M······.· ewat I~S'" very sm ·a·',I'J. and .. 1::S···· distrib .. mted am .ong differen t sta t!e··-· .. s like." H' aryana,

'. .. . .. ...... '. . .... ~ . .'.- . . .. 1 _.. . .-. .... _, .__. .. J.l!I.. _. IL.. . -- ' .. , . ~ !II

Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh" n Haryana, Mewat includes some parts ·of Gurgaon and Faridabad districts. In. Rajas han, it comprises ofparts ofAlwar and. Bharatpur, In U .. P., it includes some villages of Aligarh a:nd Mathura Districts 4 It must not be forgotten that the Meos were a. warring community and troublesome to the British Government, that's why the government

,

,

cunningly divided the area ofMewat into many parts controlled by various

administrative authorities,

*Lecturer in His1,Or1Y~ Y.M .. D. College Nuh Mewat, Haryana,

I~, Wahiduddin. Khan- Maulana, Mewat Ka Safar, Delhi, 191;88; p. 6"

:2.. Elliot: & Dowson, The- History of India as told' by its Io.wr~ Historians, Vol, I" Allahabad, 1,1969;. p, ]24· (Hereafter quoted as. Elliot &. Dowson),

3j Mewati, Mohammad Habibur Rahman Khan, Tazkira Sufia-i-Mewai, Delhi, "'9.85;. :P't,

691 (Hereafter cited as Tazkirai.

4~ Abdul Shakoor, Tarikh -i-Meo Ksbatriya, Delhi, 197'5~ p. 114.~

1 ,tl~ ,r ANJI A.~ r AS,T AN:O t'RESENT

APRJiL :lUU7

When we look, at the geographical history of the Meos, we' have to contend with a, largenumber of'traditional sayings and even many:" Meo scholars

. . . - - - ,. . -' . " \. ,. . . . . '- '_ .. . _.' -- .' ,. ."_ - . • . ~ " . - - '. ,I :', _ -. . '.. , . - . '-' '. . - -' '. ~ .

who claim that the-ir geography consisted of many P arts of Arabia China,

" I. .. _ ", _'~ . .. ,_.." . ,.,~" . . : ": ,_. _ .~' . '.. __ " ".' _'. ' " _ '. . '_ . ., ' ,. , ,

Central Asia and whole olf' India. But we can only give ! his aboriginal

hili 'I I" h . Ii d b ... IIi h !II'. f . "t

geograp tear ciaim as mere rhetoric ani.', nraggmg witt IIOt an lola 0" truth,

about it'!!, As the historical evidences prove the Meos can only be traced, during the ancient period in the region ofSindh in the, form of Meds, Another major

.: '. ".-' ..... ,'. . .... ity th ~ '. t 11 'I' . red with the '.-: - .. ~. th ,C" J :.' t ..... , _ .. , -." "'" . -. ity Th···· b .. ·· th ',~. c, ."Q ccmmunr y tna .. uvea Wl,": . em was .. ae a commum .~.~ tey 01:,. were

agriculturists in profession and also barbarian in" nature. Their rollers were Brahman by caste." 'When did the Mees migrate to the: Indian Arawali Region

,

(Koh paya, according to Tabaqat-i-Nasiriy is not very clear, It also cannot be

sa' id with certa in .. ·tIY·· as to wh .. eth er they orig in ally inh ab ited this reg .. .io •. n B' '··:'-u, It·, a

,_'., I, : 1fT ._ _ .' ''::'.''., .. :., . . '... .. .... _ ."'. " "., .- . , , , .' .' ''',': '. I IL_ " ". . ".: .' .:.:. ,.' '. , 'Co :....' '., " ,II -." '. .. '.'.

• • ~" I" • '. _.

Meo scholar Maulana Habibur Rahman Khan claims that around second century

A D"· '.. "" f~-' .. ih .. M' ,-, - d" .-' f" S·· . db .. t . " -. d R' - til . '" t - " . , ... - d . - tt' . I' d .' - d- th

.' c'., a ,grou,p 0.1, ie e eos 0 .' mer enterec cajputana an: se nee arounc e

Arawali range and this area came: to be knownas Med-pat and, later on Mewat, 6

h a .... hi f ll h .' '.' ~ .t'; 1 b I d d th .' .' h M I'

In t, 'e light 0' a , sue ',', opmrons It can sare ,Y, e concru __ e. t iat t, e l_, eos

population around Arawali was also much older.

J,: .. [': .. ' 'T"d'- d·" ...... rlb ,_. ,'. th u th .. ,:· 'M ..... ,··' ... ,. -M"': . d "':' .: .... ' .. : ,'.', rt ..,-,.".. ::,. ,., ill .. nt H-~" d ' -

_ ames ioc cescneesn ar tne n er or .... e w,ere a very anc em run ·_.U,

,

race.? Habibur Rahman, by quoting Chachnama, claims that the Meds were

.c: '1-1 ' - 'f' B d d'h' 8 A···· . th .' . chol ' S':-"h .. - 'd"d: ."" S··· ham ,,'1 trie to orovt

,10 ow,ers. 0 . :.ll. 'lsm'i ~ z : not! er S,C; 0, ar,·,.,amsu!_, In -:":~I '.' S I .. ,les '0 prove

that the M-"- .C, ... ' "1 bel .~. d t th 'HU~d' ... -·9IB·: t" .. ' ·· .. t of the -ld'

': ~al' ._ .. ,-e: 'eos former ',Y . '~e, ong'e: . 0, .', !e' :. In,u race.' . 'U·, mos. O,_ I.' '.e 01'.

traditions agree with the opinion that before accepting Islam Meos followed .. the B-' d d····h· .. '· ." N· ,." d ',.' btth ... ' Iai .... th ... smsel .,'. "',.' Ra"~' t· .. ,· .. · d··' K:' sh t'" '."'" "-. 'b"'-

ne u'. ,~, Ism. -,.,0 aou I', ney ciatm .. emserves as ," ajputs an ·'S a nyas oy

origin and they still follow 'their customs, and traditions, but as far as religion is concerned, they followed the Buddhist cult. Because in Sindh the original place of the. Meos, the rulers and subjects followed the Buddhism. Chach (father of Dahir) the ruler of Brahmanabad was a Brahman but was very much under the influence of a Buddhist devotee Kinnan.'? After Chach his. brother Chander ascended the throne and patronized the Buddhist religion and monks and promulgated their doctrine." It was the trend at that time that when a king patronized and promulgated any religion, the subjects also followed

5'.. Elliot & Dowson, VoL~I~ Pi .. 124; see also Tazkira, p, 53.

Tazkira;1 p~, 3 :~i".

James Tod, Annals and Antiquities ofRajasthan, Die:" hi 1.971" :p~, 717'· 8~ Tazkira, p,~ ,53.

9;;. Shamsuddin Shams, Me-us' a/India'i New Delhi, 19183,~ P., 34~, 10.. Elliot & Dowson Vol. .I, ,PI. 1,5,1 ..

11. Ibid; p .. 15,,3.

' .. me. From all this it becomes amply evident that the Meds of that region :t > ave followed the religion of their rulers,

The modern Mewat .reg[iol·, (Arawali range) was also a stronghold [of - eos. .Hle:- e the Meosmight have practised both Hindu and Buddhist _- gions, as they still claim tha they are from the Rajput origin. Minas and

f hi Ii I .. d h 12 All h'''' h

-_ 8_SI C' 't>J1S region a so' practisec t -e' same customes." i ', t :'[15 proves t tat

: eds or Meos, Minas and J ats were of' the same origin. and they separated, '10m each. other for their social and political interests. Definitely the Meos of

, ewat practised mostly Hindu religion but it also can not be ignored that the last ancient Indian emperor Harshvardhana was a follower ofBuddhism and he might have left its impact on this region and some of the' Meos :migh.t have followed this religion also. For the Meos it: was. clear that whatever religion they' had practised they did not forsake the customs and traditions of their

£. .. ··'&:-·th· '. -, A'· . t . '11' t h ·M····· -. - .' .... , .. ty. . -'. - '. . .. - hiib' Ii- . ". ity

rorera .. ers. ," _ C uar y ne J. ieo commurnr was an ampmt lOUS. commumrv

hi h h ,. d b th B ddl ii, d H'''' d '.. '1

w~ ic r.'. pert aps practise '.~ .. iot r ' ·:U:.··-·, hist an.'_·. ,'In ... ' ·U. ntua .. S~

Islam came in. India along 'with Mohammad 'bin Qasim in 93H 'or 712.

A· D~'l A····· t·· th r., t ·'1 th .'. Kh"-" ~·l·~' ... "'., W:-":"I,!IId'" b ~ . A'·· b d ul M······1J .. k '. -f'--'U" :"1' .',. : .. ' sd d '. ny ..

·1·. ' .. : . _IStmoe. Ie .. ,_. a Ila.was'al_:lO. ""'" .·.all..O~ .mm3.:yy,a·'.,yn.as ... ~"

Thi.s was the golden period of Islam. because at that time Islam not only

d .. · 1-- d !Ii b ;01 C·· 1"']' I C-· 1 A '" T: d T k

sprea m n ia but in' ·:·entra Asia aiso.un Centra Asia, '. artars an, . .urks

were the most famous to accept Islam," While despatching Mohammad bin Qasim tOI Sindh, the governor of'Khurasan Hajja] bin Yousuf'gave instructions

. --

that. he would rule the Sindh leniently and have cordial relations with. the

subjects, ,~n,d the preaching of Islam would also 'be one of his aim ... 14 Mohammad bin Qasim attacked. Sindh, defeated and killed Dahir, 'the: king o.f

S·II!'·:··d·· h.. :'. d :Ii;... .' d '. '1" tt· .'. '," t . th :. .'. h .... +- f diffe .~: ". t . '::'., trt '-1 of s·:· ~, id h .... '. iti .. -

ID.,. anc issueo a, ener ro tne cmers [0" anterent parts 0 sman mvmng

them to make submission and. embrace Islam, 'This letter got a favourable response and the minister of Dahir, Sisakar came tal his, side and .. became

" f'M h d b iii Q' iii M h d bi Q" I,· t ld hi 11' h'!I!'

w,az'lr 0 .. ' •.. IO'll,amma'; ·-In.' aslm .... r o .. amma.. mn Oasim .. 0 :~ .. c_~lm a _ "-lS secrets,

alw · .. a ys took hi ~ adv /ice a n . d c ",0: m sulted h im o n a ·11- civil a; ffairs of th·,· e:.: go '.' V··" e' ernm · .. ient t5

, III..U .. __ " . iIooJI· .. l.i · __ ·v'· .'._'. ., ~.' !.1.l_ . .....;,1 ! .. _,- )! ":.11~1.'. _:1:." ". __ [ .. - :' .. ' .' .. I. I_·., .·'iI

. .

H'~··· aneth .... :. tr .:. sted ·I····d·~··· follc ';' ,-' M···· I.:: .~' 1,::'·1' .~ .. , ['. D' ebli ....... ,. ch ed 1-' ·1:·, .... ,'. r . IS ano ... er . us. ·e· .. n Ian 10 ·,ower ... <.,aU.lla-l- s.am.,,!·e,._ :.1 preac . en rsiam l.n

various parts of Sindh and, got a favourable response."

The rule of Mohammad bin Qasim was very" lenie nt and the s .. u .. bie cts

. , . . ••.•.• __ '_" ,- •.•... w' 1., ", "._ '.: ,'. ',:.'.'.,. _'. ',',_.__ ','- .... J:::_:: .... ,.,r" -. r , ,," ,-., "':J' ..... -'

(Meds and Jats) 'were given freedom to, live in. their houses in, whatever manner they liked and worship their gods." But in. 71.5-16 Ap-D. he was called, back.

],2.. James Tod, p. 7,89; see also Siddique Ahmad, Mewat EkKhoj, Delhi, '1199'7, p~ 44·. 13.~ Tazkira p, 43~.

14~ tu«, p. 45~

15. .Elliot & DOWSOR, Vol. 1'1 p'p.~ 1·7'S'-·t76~ 16.. Tazkira,. p. l77~

17. J.,L. Mehta, Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India, Vol, I, p, 39~

3,~ 8""

. ~ I'

THE PA'NJAB PAST ,AN'D PR,ESENT

APRIL 2007

and charged of' moral turpitude and put to death, Elliot and Dowson by

... F h I B" d, f'AII B·['I d ii' h h 1 f 'H" d (S·· dh)

quotlng':utu':,:"U'- naaan 0" :~,"I- '1. adury writes tat the peopre 0". , .... .In,: ,,::"ID: ':~:

wept for Mohammad bin Qasim." The subjects must have' accepted Islam because of the lenient and, cordial rulers .. Because before the invasion of

M h d Gh .' th . f thc t 1.1 I'''' h h h .' h

a_ mUI,_I.. .', .. ', iaznavt tl ere was no trace 0, t ~ 'e term stauc .. tcna 'W nc ,: was

Jan .. : 0"-" d .. ··" .... ·- ·", .. atoril- .,'~ ",' ." tc th '. M" ··1 .... ~" 19 1-"-' 9'9' 'H- '(-'7' 18,,":' A' D""'-) the --e"'"

,a er_n, ",:,eroga lOfty given ,0 . 'e :', US Jms,., ,n » zss.. ,~, ',' '. ,'~'. I.,' ~ ,I :e n ~W

Kh 1'-';:: U" bi Ab d lA [. t 1'- f~ hi- h' I I d~ R" hit h

sna ira umar :' m Abc U ',·Z.lZ wrote a etter 0 ,.la',-'lg':-, to Indian Rajas W:,_lC'

read like this .. "You accep t Islam, come: out of the darkness of idolatory, If

._ .. ',' _ , _. . . ".1' _'..' ',,' ' .. _ ;;!! .,' ".. .. "',, '.' , .. ~,_, - -' ' -',' , . , ,.', ..

you 'will accept Islam, then your suzerainty will be' intact, your sins will be forgiven Y" ou will be treated like' other Muslims and you will be accepted as

..... ,1'1':_," . .' It' 1, • ", , :.' '_ • ",1'. :. ".'_ "l. I .. ~." _' . I _,_, , • .:.~:.' ," .' , _". _ ,.>, '.'_ .' " _'_',' J.~ _ :, .. :: _"_" '_,'

O'u"r b r '0" ' tho e 'r's- n20

. . . .. _ l .. \,.,'. ' ...

As these Princes bad already' heard about the Khalifa keeping his promises and about his c · aracter, they accepted, Islam and thei subjects also followed them. Jaisia, the son of Raja Dahir also, turned Muslim and, took an Arab name .. 2'l 'Till that time the Meos of' Arawali re'gion were still untouched 'by Islam. In 160, H. (779 A~,D~), during the time ofKhwaja Abu Abdullah, some portion, of Arawali regio'n was conquered and the' Meds carne into contact with Islam, .. But the complete' Islamic practice was absent from, their day to day life. After t rat till] 0 12 A~,DI the history of Arawali region did not witness [any Muslim conquest." When Mahrnud Ghaznavi invaded India.the conversion flestarte,d, here at a large scale" His companions, were good scholars and preachers of Islam who startled, their work, with confidence and got a, favourable response. Among them the first and foremost preacher 'was Shaikh Abu Shakoor . .23After him Syed Salar Masood Ghazi" continued his work by conquest and Tabligh both,

1 [8~ Elliot & Dowson, Vol. J,. ,p~ 1,,24. 19~ J~L., Mehta, P'- ,40~

20~ 'Taz'klrla, P"~ 45;1 see also Ellio't & Dowson, VoL, I" p. 12,.5t. 21~ Ibid

22,., Ibid., p~ 4,5,~ 23. lbid., p. 167.,

24~ Syed Salar Masood Ghazi was, the son of Satar Ma'ali the sister of Mahmud Ghaznavi.

His father Sahu bin Ataullah Ghazi was 'the governor of Ajmer, Salar was 'born in 405H,. in Ajrner; He fought manybattles 'with Indian Rajas of Delhi, Kannauj, Kara, Manakpur etc A'·,c·-C."0, rding to' tlh- e·· loca II traditions h e own ed . 9··· ,89,· fort s, H'" 'e":, was a lso a 'r"e' pute .d S""""U"fi'~1

it! , ..... '.. ~. _J. _ [. .' _. • _ '.' • -_ ~ ~. I ~ " __ , .' '.' ., ,._. _ " ' ' • '_ . l~" . _ ~ _ . _ ~ I . ~. . _' '. . _'.. .' ,I

saint, His tomb is in Bshraich (U',~P~.) where both the Hindus and Muslims come to play him respects. In Mewat area alsohe is loved and, respected even today, Till 19160-7'0, in, many villages of Mewat, the custom of sa uting the fl .. ag ofSyed Salar Masood Ghazi was prevalent, In that custom the Mujawars (servants of Ghazi) used, to bring the, flag: and hoisted it in the village Chopal. Thechildren and women devotees offered Nazaro-Neyaz and youths performed military drill. On the third day '0,( the ceremony the Mujawars departed along 'with the flag, Another practice was the worship of flag of Syed Salar Ghazi, but due: to the, influence of the Maulvis and Tabligh movement these practices slowly and, gradually carne to an end, (Tazkira, PPI. 67-'6,8 [and, 180),R

, .'

,

, I

Munshi Mohammad Makhdoom Thanavi (a Tahsildarof Tijara in Alwar State) writes that when Syed Salar Masood Ghazi arrived in Mewat region, fiv .r ·e· Meo Pa {·:8·25 b .. · elonging .... to···· R~: a': '~.p' ·'···U· t Torna r D-:- iyu asty a. ccepted Is 1: a 'm' i· ... These

I ". ' _ '. _', _.. ' .. " ". _. _,' ,I., . .1 " _. . .' , ',:-- [-.",. _ "It .. ". . I . '." .. " ' . . 1 ~ . . . ' ..' I .• __ • . - - 9 iii '. '. _.

..... " , . ," -

Pals were as follows :26

l. Detrawal or Derwal, 2,~ Latawat, 3~ Ratawat, 4,. Balut, 5,~ Pahat, During the reigns of Mohammad Gouri, Aibek and Iltutmish, many Meos embraced Islam ·as a result of'the efforts of' Khwaia Moinuddin Chishti"

- [~

of Ajmer, His Khanqah was open to both Hindus and Muslims. The Meos

must have come in contact with this Sufi and embraced Is' am like many other non-Muslims, Qutbuddin Aibak sent Miran Syed Husain Khang Sawar to Mewat and some Meos accepted Islam as a result of' his efforts." Munshi Mohammad Makhdoom Thanvi writes that at the hands of Miran Syed Husain Khang Sawar, seven Pals of t.he Meos accepted Islam. These were as ,(;0' "110- . W·:··' s· • :29

JLII ... __ , _:_ _,.", ~,

11' Dehengal, 2~ Sengal, 3. Chhirklot, 4 .. Damrut, 5. Pandlot, 6. Dulot, 7'~ Nyai ..

Miran Syed Husain Khang Sawar along' with the Meos fought many battle's with non-Muslims."

It is an undeniable fact that since the: very beginning, Meos always fought for their independence, whether they were Muslims or non Muslims they' were always rebellious against Delhi rulers, and Mewat 'was the shelter place for the rebellious Sardars of Delhi. They were always a fiercely independent people and never permanently accepted the suzerainty of Delhi.

It I·S· .: · quite c .lca r fro un th ·e···· facts .. an d in iciden its tha .. ·t M' ".I·e~··w·'· .. at was neve "f'-: pe rm tan e"·:: tly

. " '.'. '_'.' .. ', .lJJ.'.,'· .. ~ " ". 1~ __ '.' ,.' ." '-. ...: .' .. 11:. :."'_" ' '._:.'. I .. ·•· • ,.', ", ."" .' i'. , , .:.1 .. ," .

\25 .. In Hindi .. Pal means a group orr party .. These were named after the names of their chieftains and predecessors. Many Gotras combine to, make a Pal .. iTarikh-i-Meo Ksh,atriyaJ, 'p~ 2.50).,

.26., Tazkira, p~ 7'O~

27~ Khw.aja Moinuddin Chishti, a great saint of that, period came tOI Indi.a from Khurasan and se tled .. in Ajmer, The tradition. has itthat before his arri v 8,1, t10 India hie heard a voice while performing Taw'af of Kaaba that he should go to Madina, In Madina Prophet appeared to him in his dream and said. "the almighty has entrusted, the country of India to thee. Go there and settle in Ajmer, B,Y God's help the faith of Islam shall, by thy piety 311d that ofthy followers, be spread in that land .. I~' (Elliot &, Dowson, Vol, II, p . .5,48; see also Tazkira, p~, 169).~

2'8~ Gazetteer of India, Hary8118, Distt, Gurgaon, 1. 983, p~ 36~ 29~, Tazkira, p, 7], ..

30i We stil find! the graves in most of the villages and cities of'Mewat, The most "important of'these graves are ofBhikam Shahid, Ghalib Shahid, MuzaffarShahid, Khwaja Rukne Alam Shahid, Roshan Shahid, Hamid Shahid etc .. They sti :1 has followers and devotees from both the Hindu and Muslim communities iTazkira, p. 72)~,

4·0

TH.E, PANJAB PAST AND PRESE.NT

A- P'L;'TL 2' 0:',0" 7-:

R LII, •• _~. ',~. '.' "

d 31 A' th ~ , h &: iI d h fi M I'" 1

conque.re '~··'.·S 1.1S area was very tough tor mvaoers, t :,·e: . 'irst ':~US_'lm ruier

Qutbuddin Aibak sent Hemrai, the son of'Prithvi Raj Chauhan to invade Mewat, but he was defeated and slain. Then he dispatched Syed Wajihuddin. He was also defeated and slain." Wolseley Haig writes that the Meos plundered the travellers on the roads, entered. 'the city by night and robbed the' inhabitants of' their' belongings." James Tod called them notorious and lawless p,e,ople'!134 M:inhaj Siraj writes that' in Koh-Paya (hill tract of Mewat) near the capital, there 'was a commun:ity of' obd urate' rebels who unceasingly committed highway robberies and plundered the' .pr:opert)' of' Musalmans."

In 12,59'-6110 th .. ey carried off herds and camels, the pro'perty of Vassals

and loyal followers of'U lugh Kh '. an ~'S" (Balban .. the W" 'az ir of'Na sirud din MI'" ah mud)

__ .. I .. ~ ':_:." . J '" yy "' , ' ~ '.'_." ~' .. '" .~ ':'" ,"'."., , 1..1. , _ , ' .·c .. '" ';.:.' '. ':. _.'_ ,..... '. "!." ',".

household from the outskirts of the Hansi territory, Their leader was Majka (from the Hindu faith). Then Ulugh Khan attacked Mewat and. combed them under swords &'0' 'r" tw enty days 3:6, When Balban becam ie the ruler of D'e'I"')l;1 h'-e'

": .. :.:, , ,..:.- ll_:.·~·:-II,./';_I.:_@ '.';.~-:'~~ I'.: __ " I_'.·' .. ~.·'_)·,.:._,'. ~! __;.:_.,.' '1.-.:

I. r- ;.

again massacred the Meos so they would not rose again, and th,e:y became cordial with the Turks fO'T at least 1 00 years." In order to strengthen the Meos against Balban a 'Iomar chieftain Balut Meo Kaku Rana reorganized the Gotr 'Q,:38 an d Pal system and redivided the M:··· eos into 13 P als and S-·~2:, G····· -otras

'_ .,'-'". •••• .' •• " J [" " ,Ii. ,,'[ '_'. I,' . _' .. ' . ,', -. I "._ n •• ,.,'. '., _"" ,' __ I', __ '_ ,'-,' -::__... , ... 1 •.•. "1 ..•

The' Meos' rebellious and suspicious nature and urge for independence created

I!ill .. d '. d di h M-' '1"'" 1 E' ~ lik

suspicton anc ... rmsunc erstan __ mg aJn.ong t.e -'··~US.lm ru ers.~ .ILJven a :rut.ler .. 1·.··,C

Aurangzeb did not give much attention to the' Meo community, He, preferred ·to favour the Hindus who agreed to accept his unquestioning over-lordship than r M" ,: u 'S':' lim "S" w····· rh '10"" wo uld c r ···la··:,:l·'m: > even insign "I"'fil' can t e"-q" uality on th ec ba sis of g

",'.';- {, ,',', "\'.'.1_ ' .. ", .. , •.... ,Ol,." ,'_ . .J. ,.'ii\. '.' ". ":...__. ,".J ,',--;-}!. , .. ' ,':', ,_ ,'_" ··· .. 'I_~I._ I' .I., J _ •• :: _" _ ,", •••• _ ,~'.I._' l ... ~ ",1

", . '_ Ii.

commo'n :religion .. 3;9

.

Meos,- due: to their illiteracy .. ··· and innocence: thoug-ht that calling themselves

- _' '. ", ~.' '., - '_ . , .".. _-_. . . '. ' . _ .. '.. "~'"_"'_ - .: " .' ~~. .. _'.- ,. .',- _", . . "', ". . '.

31,;0 Gazetteer, 'p. 37i .32,~ tu«, p~ 36~

'3~'3~" 111 I I H'~ T'L ..... C brid. LT.'. 'j,I"'_J'. ,-" 11 )]'1' D" lhl 19' 6'5- - 7- 6'

.··.~iiYVe: se ey rtarg, .1 ne r r am .. nage ttistory 0) .I.ilJAIQ·;vO'i "" I,.e .'1,; 1-::', p ... ',-.

3,4~ James Tod", Pi 717,~

35~Mi.nh.aju.ddin, Siraj, Tabakat-i-Nasiri, translation of'H'G .. Raverty, Delhi, .1970" P 8'50t. 36~. tu«, .PP., 850-52~

:37~ Mohammad H',abib and KhaJiq Ahmad Niz'ami, DilliSultanate (.Hin.di tran.) 'Part-II, Delhi., 1978., p. 99*-

3,8:.. Gotra 'is, a Sanskrit 'word meaning common house, It is said. that initially when the people started settling themselves, they constructed a large: common house' to protect

. the mselves from . enemies ' .. an d wild an im als T he co m m on h O,··:U·I s .. e w: B'- s~~· '0- arne d III,;Ii.S·· Go uras

_ ~ .'l . _ ,1.ll .. , , , w. _'.' I, . . . __ . _ 3,.11 "_ ~ . ._ iii .. _ .' '. , , _" . . _,. __ .,' . _ '~II.I.·~ Y 1 l ..

and inhabitants of that house were eonsi dered as people of the same Go Ita' " (Tarikh-iMe··o Kshatria, p, 2,45).

39,. Hashim, AmirAli, The Meos of Mew' a I, 'New Delhi, '1-967, pp ... 33· ... 34~,

•.

Pro CE·(lS··'· O"F-' ~"'PO':S-~ C·':-:-·O,':N'-V'··E-~R--."S:IO,·'-N":· To ",s'LA.','.·--_M-',:

.. Ir iI. ••• -.': ;]'.:..1 _',- JL V J..~ _ .. -, - . .... e _,' '. J ", . • :_, ....: ~_

41

independent and not accepting the rule of Delhi was their biggest and, glorious action, On the other hand the rulers of Delhi also, without, knowing the truth and, removing the misconception, crushed them brutally, 40 If the Delhi rulers 'had tackled them favourably and shown right direction to this brave: community, they:must have proved quite useful for the Delhi rulers and would have also changed their rebellious nature and disloyalty. From all these facts it becomes quite clear t.hat the Meos did not accept Islam under any' compulsion but

,

through the teachings of various Sufi saints who 'were by no means rigid or

bigoted. They realized the unity of God and also the oneness ofmankind,

'Ale also can not ignore the fact that these Muslim Meos never forgot the old customs of their forefathers. They were closer to the Hindus of'Mewat than to the Muslims or the rest of India, The customs of the Hindus and Muslims combined as integral part 0'[ 'the Meos' ell tural heritage" Regarding this a popular saying is qu 0' ned here U Iai Kva Hin tduAur ,I,,~~·O., K'<"l,J;a,J".I'.u:-" salm tan. n411

, _...' , :,' ,,' ". JfL,'" '. ' . . ,'_ ,. ,~, IJ, _ ;}!'I, . .1";1.., .. U~ ,"'" .' JY.IL '. ~ '_, 1'11'1 ~ U'. .. '_ WI III

The customs and traditions of the Meos invited the attention of' the Muslim

t he 0·, ilogians in the b egin n .ing Or" 0" f th e 2,'·,O"ih c .e mtury .. ~. T' '11.' e,"'Y:'" w""", e~ '~e' '. led by Ma u, ]. a ma

• .1" . ,,' -" ' ' . !1. '"pi' " -" _,._,.,:I,I,tIi,,_ "', .. ! - "~.,-'" I.U, l!Ii _" ..• " ,,'''_''' _ -.' ',: f¥·,_.- . '_,

- h- d II h d h rr: b l, h 'II! M rI; '110

Mo iammau Ilvas w ro startec te Tablieh movement In Mewat aunmg at

• ~,j,

religious and social purification and uplift of'the Meo community, in particula.r

an d to mCI~ ~ ak e M'"," UI slim IS:': ia gen eral aw .. 'a, re of th ie tru e Isla m'" .

' . .'. ' -, . . , ..II, , . . . . ..,,' ~'. . ,_' "'W , .' .. __ ... " ",., . I . .',,'. 1. _ '-I'

40'"1 Mewat Ka Safar, p, 6. 41.. Meos ,: of'ln~di:l;j 'l'm 361.~