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About The Lohanas Of Africa
रघुकुल रीते सदा चलि आइ  
प्रान जाइ पन वचन ना जाइ 



   ओम् नमः रघुकुल शिरोमणि कौशल्यानंदन  दशरथ पुत्र श्री राम:

    Aum Namah Raghukul Shiromani Kaushalya Nandan Dashrath Putra Shri Raam  
   
     I Bow To Lord Rama,The Son Of Dashrath,Born Of  Kaushalya,Scion Of The Raghu Clan                              





रमरज्यवसी त्वम्, प्रोक्च्रयस्व ते गिरम्
ण्ययर्थरिइ युध्यस्व, सर्वेसु समम कर
परिपलय दुर्बलम्, विद्धी धर्मम वरम्
प्रोक्च्रयस्व ते गिरम्,
रमरज्यवसी त्वम ।

Ramarajyavasi tvam, procchrayasva te giram
Nyayartharii yudhyasva, sarvesu samam cara
Paripalaya durbalam, viddhi dharmam varam
Procchrayasva te giram,
Ramarajyavasi tvam.

You  Live  In  The Kingdom Of Ram  
Hold Your Head High
Fight For Justice   
Treat All As Equal    
Protect The Weak            
Know  That  Dharma   Is   Above   All
For  You   Live   In  The  Kingdom   Of   Ram

				
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DEDICATION
  
Dedicated to:

SAKARBEN MANJIBHAI DATTANI,my grandmother,daughter of Vasanji Keshavji Thakrar of Khambhodar, could recount  seven generations of my Dattani  ancestors which inspired  me to search  for my larger family of Lohana Raghuvanshis.
 
Bhishmapitamaha Karamvir Shri Kanji Odhavji Hindocha - affectionally known as Hindocha Bapa-   could not bear to see the poverty,miseries and social ills prevalent among our  Raghuvanshis.During the first decade of the twentieth century he took it upon himself to  conduct a sort of census of  Lohanas of India.He traveled on a bullock cart which also became  his home and swore to go bare feet and without his paghdi till he achieved his goal of uniting  the Lohana Community and get them to  work for upliftment of our people who were in distress.

Pujya Bhagwanji Bhimji Thakrar who in 1943 created the first unified family tree of the  Thakrars of Khambhodar and late Shri Arvindbhai Vithaldas Thakrar of London,UK who took upon  himself to produce an updated and complete  English version in 2010.

Also dedicated to  Karamvir Chhaganlal Karamshi Parekh - Chaganbapa(June 27,1894 -Dec.14,1968)  who   convened the first historic Lohana Adhiveshan (Convention) in Mumbai in 1952.                               
   
 This project started as Dattani family tree.In last few years the sapling has grown to become   the largest integrated Lohana family tree with over 70,000 names.The growth also necessitated  title change - from Dattani Family Tree to Genealogy Of Lohanas Of Africa. Credit for the success of this endeavour goes to the passion and dedication of two individuals  in particular - vadils and mentors:

Late Shri Narottambhai Topanbhai Ghelani(May 24,1929-October 4,2021),Baroda,India

Late Shri Avanikantbhai Pranlal Dhupelia(Aug.26,1929-Aug.26,2019)Durban,RSA and later San Francisco,CA,USA


The title Lohanas Of Africa reflects our strong connection to East,Central and Southern Africa. Most Lohanas in our database were born in Africa or are descendants of them.I do regret errors and omissions.Please help us update  your family data.Message your updates to the site administrator.

Within the Indian subcontinent Sindh had been the home of Lohanas for a long time.Prior to that  their home was in Lahore-Multan area of Punjab. Vinod Jairath and Jürgen Schaflechner believe  Lohana clan  could be traced back to 300 BC.
The Lohanas are divided into many separate cultural groups as a result of centuries apart in different regions. Thus there are significant differences between the culture, language, professions and societies of Sindhi Lohanas, Gujarati Lohanas and Kutchi Lohanas.
 Sindhi hindus have nine subcastes :Amils, Bhaibands, Sindhwarkis, Chhaprus, Bhatias,  Masands,Thakurs,Bhagnari,and Lohanas.
Foreign Invasions forced Lohanas  eastward into Kutch,Gujarat and other parts of India.All these events  occured in recent memory-say within last 500 years or so.This is why Gujarati Lohanas still   exhibit typical Sindhi physical features.The family names resemble Sindhi names ending in"ani".
As per Vinod Jairath and Jürgen Schaflechner  Lohana clan  could be traced back to 300 BC.

SINDHI LOHANAS

Vast majority of Sindhi Hindus are Lohanas.Sindhi Lohanas have since been divided into several groups, among which are a traditionally more educated "upper section" called "Amils", who served as scribes to the Muslim rulers and a less educated "lower section" called "Bhaibands", who were traders.

Sindhi Lohanas.

AMILS 
The "upper section" of educated Lohanas who served the muslim dynasties as scribes in Sindh. In the 18th–19th century, they began working for the British. They currently are generally involved in clerical jobs in government offices, as working in posts of revenue collectors and other senior positions. They originally composed 10–15% of the Lohana community continued to draw members from those castes.
Bhaibands : The less educated of "lower section", mainly involved in trade and commerce and so mostly merchants. Most were shopkeepers and money-lenders. The community was involved in international and trade in interior of Sindh even before the arrival of the British. They also played an important part in the development of the city of Karachi.

SAHITIS
Placed somewhere between Amils and Bhaibands, they could be either in government service or traders
For hundreds of years, the Sindhi Lohanas absorbed other communities from the western Indian subcontinent.

GUJARATI LOHANAS

Divided into  four communities.

HALAI, KUTCHI, GHOGHARI  &  NAGARTHATTA

HALAI Lohanas

 Descendants of Lohanas who migrated to Halar (Saurastra) which was ruled by Raja Halaji, and stayed in  Halar were called Halai.

KUTCHI

Lohar - rana - Kanaksen from Lohar (sindh) defeated Suba Nahanpur in 3rd century, captured  Kutch. In 1094 AD after the defeat of Veer Jasraj as stated above, Lohanas who stayed in Kutch  were known as Kutchi Lohanas.

GHOGHARI

Descendants of Lohanas who migrated to Ghogha (Saurastra) were known as Ghogari.

NAGARTHATTA

Descendants of Lohanas who stayed in Nagarthatta,Sindh were called Nagarthatta Lohanas. They never migrated out  of Sindh until the partition in 1947.At the time of Adhivation in 1952, Nagarthatta Lohanas  rejoined with other Lohanas and became part of the community.


THE above four sects of our community are the main sects from their respective places. They  migrated to other parts of the world in search of work and business. Wherever they went they  stayed in groups, which were known as Mahajans. Thus Mahajans were known by the name of their  village, town, city and country.  In December 1916, 4th Adhivation took place at Bhavnagar  where our elders requested three sects to drop the words Halai, Kuchhi and Ghoghari, and start  calling themselves only Lohanas.Again at Rajkot in May 1956, 2nd Adhivationn (actual Viith  Adhivation), resolution was passed that words Halai, Kuchhi, Ghoghari and Nagarthatta must be  dropped. They must now call themselves only Lohanas.


MIGRATORY tradition and an irrepressible entrepreneurial spirit has led Lohanas to  far flung corners of the globe- Africa,Europe,North America and Australia. 
 
HISTORY & FOLKLORE:

THE LOHANA CLAN claims descent from the Raghu dynasty of ancient India. Aryan clans the 'Madras', 'Madrakas' or the 'Medes' (also: Madai) and the Kekayas (or the Kaikeyas) were the direct descendants of Raja Yayati's son: Anu. Yayati's other sons were: Puru, Yadu, Turvasha and Druhya. Puru founded the Puruvansh(the Puru clan)i.e. the Bharatas -from which 'Bharat-Varsh' derives its name.
 The eldest son Yadu founded the Chandravanshi Yadavvansh or the Moon-worshiping Kshatriya Yadav clan. The most famous member of this clan was: Krishna Vasudev Yadav or Bhagavan Shri Krishna.

The Suryavanshi Ikshvaku clan or the Kshatriya Sun worshiping Ikshvaku clan is a part of the  Puruvansh.The most famous  of this clan was: Ramchandra Dasaratha Ikshvaku,best known as: the 'Warrior-Saint'- Bhagavan Shri Ram.The Ikshvaku clan is also known as: Raghuvaṃśa or Raghukula  after Raghu a valourous king of this clan and founder of the dynasty.

Another son of the Puru clan (or the 'Puruvansh') was Siddhartha Śuddhodana Śākya - from the Kshatriya Suryavanshi or the Sun worshiping Śākya clan,best known as: the 'Sage-Prince'- BhagavanShri Gautam Buddh.He is also referred to as: Śākyamuni. [Muni and Buddh = an  enlightened person.]
          
Ramayana tells us that after Raja Dashratha, Shree Ramachandra inherited Ayodhya.It is stated in Raghu Vansh that Bharat,Shree Ramachandra’s  brother,inherited the Province of Sind.

Shree Ramachandra had two sons - Kush and Luv.They were twins but Kush was considered eldest.After Shree Ramachandra,Kush inherited Ayodhya.His descendants were called Vanhans.His brother Luv,inherited the northern part of Koshal,and his descendants were called Lohana.

According to the folklore, Lohana are Rathod Rajputs (Khatri).Raja Jaichand of Kanoj (Kanya Kabaj) tormented them. They prayed to their Deity who told them that the following  morning they should walk a mile or two in a certain direction till they reached an Iron Fort.  The Deity instructed the Rathods to take refuge in the Fort for sixteen days and leave  thereafter. The Rathods would then be able to defeat their enemy.The Iron Fort would vanish on  the twenty-first day and they were told to then construct a new Fort at that site. Having taken  refuge in the Iron Fort, the Rathods changed their name to Lohana (Loha = Iron and Na = Of) and  named all their Forts starting with Lo or La viz. Loh Gadah and Lahore. The Lohanas thereafter  migrated to Multan and Sind.In the 13th century, some of them migrated to Kutch.

Those Lohanas who lived in Sind,have many Nukhs i.e Asarpota,Panditpota,  Jobanpota,Popat,Chhug,Thakral,Chhabria,Sejpal,Somaiya,Karya,Katar(Khatar) and Mamotia etc. According to the History of Arorvanshi, persons belonging to above-mentioned Nukhs lived in Punjab as well.
  
 Prior to the Arab invasion, the Lohanas lived in Sind and were wealthy. But as a result of Arab invasion, many Rulers & Kings along with some of their subjects fled Sind and took refuge in Kutch and Punjab.They are identified in Punjab as ‘Arorvanshi’. Aror derived from Alwar, and Vanshi meaning hailing from, or resident of.

  According to Chachnama, Samma was a branch of Lohana tribe. Ala al-Din Khiljl (1296-1316) mounted a number of campaigns in the region battling the Sumra princes whose cycle of capitulation/rebellion could be charted exactly to the perceived military stress on the metropole. Yet, the Delhi Sultans and their governor rarely resorted to invading Sumra held territories - relying, instead, on alliances with tribal elite and local power struggles. Against the Sumras, Khiljl advanced the cause of the Lohana tribe of Samma. The conflict guaranteed a rolling supply of princes and tribal chiefs wanting alliances with the center. The tussle for dominance between the Sumras and the Samma lasted until the reign of Firuz Shah Tughluq (1351- 1388), when the Jam emirs of Samma were finally able to end Sumra dominance, taking over lower Sindh
 Those Hindus who stayed behind were asked by the Arabs to convert to Islam. Many Sindhi Muslims are descendants of those converts.In the year 1194, Mohamed Ghori invaded  and defeated Kanoj’s Raja Jaichand and murdered thousands of Hindus. The Lohanas and other  Hindus out of fear started serving the Muslim masters. The author Diwan Bherumal M. Advani, believes that this was the beginning of Muslim domination of Sind.The Kshatriya Lohanas now  became Vaishya (traders).

Dr.Hari Desai tells us that Lohana history begins with king Raghu, who belonged to the Suryavanshi lineage, since they worshiped the Sun(Surya). King Dasharath was grandson of Raghu. He had four sons with Rama being the eldest. The descendents of Rama and one of his two sons, Luv, the Lohanas were not only the rulers in Afghanistan and modern-day Pakistan but also in Kashmir for more than three  centuries. The Gandhar Desh(Kandahar in Afghanistan) and Kekay Desh( Iran) had matrimonial  alliances with ancient Indian States like Ayodhya, notes Historian Dr. Sharad Hebalkar in  “Bharatiya Sanskriti ka Vishwsanchar”. He adds : “Raghuvanshi Kings of Aryavarta(India) used to  come to extend military support to Gandhar and Kekay. During one of such incidents, King  Dasharath and the Princess Kaikeyeehad met.” She was the Princess of Kekay-King Ashwapati.

Under the instruction of King Rama of Ayodhya, his younger brother, Bharat, defeated the  Gandharva ruler of Gandhar (modern-day Kandahar, Afghanistan) and established Takshashila, now  popularly called Taxila, and Pushkarpur - Peshawar of  to-day. Bharat returned to Ayodhya,  handing over these towns to his sons Taksh and Pushkar respectively. The descendent of Pushkar,  Kapiraj,established Kapisha, present-day Kabul, and ruled over it along with the newly  established towns,Samarkand and Bukhara (in Modern-day Uzbekistan). Alexander the Great was defeated by King PUrushottam(Porus) - a descendent of Kapilraj. Some Greek soldiers stayed in India and  joined the army of Porus. They  married the Raghuvanshi daughters and their descendents are called  “Bhanushalis”, according to Parimal  Nathwani,a journalist now President of Reliance  Industries.
 The rulers of Samarkand-Bukhara, Raghuranas,established Loharkot in the hilly valley of Leh to  settle down. They had Leh or Loh States as republics and were called Lohranas. Gradually, they  were named Lohanas. In the history book of Lohana, Prof. Narottam Palan confirms that  Rajatanginini(Rivers of Kings) by Kalhana, which  narrates the history of Kashmir rulers, does  mention the Lohar rulers of Kashmir from 1003 AD to 1339 AD(336 years). Of course, their roots  are found in Lohan region of Sindh.(Asian Voice(UK)June 5,2017)
 Jagmohan, who was the Governor of Jammu - Kashmir and also  Union Minister in Vajpayee government, gives description of Lohana rule established by the  Princess Didda of Loharin. She “was married to the second Gupta King, Ksema Gupta(AD 950- 958)and dominated the Kashmir scene for about 50 years, first as queen, then as regent for her  son and grandsons, and finally a direct ruler.” “Before her death, Queen Didda was able to  manipulate the crown for Samgramaraja, a member of her family from Lohara-the principality to  which she herself belonged before her marriage. Thus, a new dynasty, the first Lohara dynasty  (AD 1003-1101), came into  being.With this the Kshatriyas came to rule Kashmir.” The track record of the Lohana Didda was not that popular but she ruled with iron fist. Jagmaon notes : “She conferred favours, including physical, to the courtiers and senior functionaries  of the kingdom, and then got rid of them, sometimes through secret killings. She is even  believed to have caused the death of her three grandsons.”(Jagmohan:Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir)
 Even in Kashmir during the time of Samgramaraja(AD1003-28), Sultan Mahmud of Gazni attacked  after defeating Trilochanapala of the Shahi kingdom and tried to capture the heaven on the  earth unsuccessfully. Rulers of Afghanistan were known as Shahis as they were descendents of  Kidarkushans who in turn had descended from Kushans. Kushans are believed to be descendents of  Kush, the other son of Rama. From Kabul, now the capital of Afghanistan, to Pataliputra(Patna) was ruled by Kanishka the Great of Kushan dynasty during the second century. Prof. Palan says, after 12th century in Punjab and after 1340 in Kashmir, when last adopted  Lohana ruler Ramji lost, no Lohana remained Kshatriya. “Till the time the descendents of Luv  were Kshatriya, they were Loharana. After they turned Vaishya, they became Lohana.” The turning  point was 1300 i.e. before Veer Jasraj fought Changez Khan, the Mongol warrior. Between 1350  and 1450, under the influence of Peer Yusufuddin some Lohana families converted to Islam - ancestors of  Memons. Sant  Uderalal tried to stop conversions. The period of 1450-1550 was the period of Lohanas migrating  from Sindh to Kutch and Saurashtra. Life of Jasraj is an example of courage and valor of Lohar  Ranas because he killed Sabuk-tigin, father of Mahmud Gazni in 997 in his own court in Kabul,  in the presence of his courtiers and still escaped with his party. Sabuk-tigin was originally a  Hindu slave converted to Islam.

Even today both the communities, Lohanas and Khojas, accept their common roots and forefathers.

Jalarambapa(1800-1881) of Virpur is considered the first Lohana who created a bond  between all the Lohanas.

Kanji Odhavji Hindocha did extensive research on the Lohana community which led to establishment of Shree Lohana Mahaparishad in 1910. In 1938, Harubhai Thakkar happened to  interact with Khan Abdul Gafar Khan, a popular Congress leader, at Haripura in south Gujarat,  where the  51st Convention of Indian National Congress was organized. Harubhai could gather the  history of the ancestors of the Hindu Pakhtoons of Waziristan being Raghuvanshi Lohars. A small  booklet on the history of Lohanas titled “Raghuvanshi Lohana Gnyatino Itihas” by Prof. Palan is  brought out in 2013 by Lohana Mahaparishad. Prof. Palan gives excellent information about the  historical evolvement of the community and does mention further scope to work on the history of  Lohanas in a scientific manner. Even the volume “Raghuvanshi Asmitano Unmesh”, brought out by  Mahaparishad under the guidance of Prof. Palan(82) and Kanu Acharya(67), makes an interesting  reading but gives stray  facts on the historical development of the community. Lohana  Mahaparishad, the world body of Lohanas, under the leadership of Yogesh Lakhani, brought out  various publications in 2013 and the team  of the present President, Pravin Kotak, is also  actively working on the synergy of the community. 
 There is hardly any country where the community has not spread the wings.

MUSLIM LOHANAS 

SUNNIS:
Memons - the first and earliest converts- are Hanafi Sunnis

The Samans ruled Sind from 1351 to 1521.Murkab Khan, a Saman, ruled Sind with Thhato as its  capital.Murbak Khan was infact Yaam Raidan (1454) who received and welcomed Syed Yusaf  Alluadeen Qadri- a Pir of Iran  as his guest and became his follower.Seth Maneckji, Mukhi of  eighty-four lacs Lohanas, was a trusted friend of Yaam Raidan or Murkab Khan the ruler.In 1422  AD,seeing Yaam Raidan convert to Islam,Seth Maneckji, with two of his three sons and 700  Lohana families (6178 souls)became followers of Syed Yusaf Alluadeen Qadri and converted to  Islam.Seth Maneckji’s son Raoji’s name was changed to Ahmed. Raoji’s two sons,Sunderji and  Hansraj,were named Adam and Taj Mohammed.The origin of the name Memon comes from Maumin, which  means “believer” and later evolved to present name. 
 Later owing to increasing lawlessness in Sindh the Memons split in small groups and migrated   out in different directions - an event that subsequently divided one big Memon community into  different factions.
 One group, under the leadership of Ladha, migrated to the State of Halar in Kathiawar and  became known as the Halari Memons. Another group proceeded towards Karachi and they became  known as Sindhi Memons. A third group, made up of fifty young men, proceeded towards Punjab and  settled in Lahore. The Kutchi Memons, on the other hand, migrated to Bhuj, the capital of  Kutch. They originally settled there under the leadership of Kaneya Seth, the son of Markun  Seth who assumed the Islamic name of Rukunuddin. Markun Seth was the son of Adam Seth, the  first leader of the Memon Community (appointed by Pir Yusuffuddin). When the Memons migrated in  different directions from Varaya, those left behind followed Kaneya Seth to Kutch.According  to Anthovan, those Lohanas of Thatta who converted to Islam became Memons and were invited by  Rao Khengarji Jadeja, ruler of Bhuj in the 16th century to settle in Bhuj. It is from there  that Kutchi Memons migrated to Kathiawar and Gujarat.

SHIAS:
Nizari Ismailis(Khojas) are relatively recent converts who  follow the Aga Khan.         
Ithna-Ashris are former Ismailis who broke with the Aga Khan.

Some 600 years ago a missionary by the name of Pir Sadruddin arrived in Sind in India. There  are a number of myths about his origins. The most common consensus among historians is that he  was Dai (representative or emissary) of the Nizari branch of the Ismaili sect. Some have  suggested that he was a Sufi teacher from Iran.
 Pir Sadruddin lived for some time amongst the rich Hindu landowners called Thakkars(Lohanas). He studied their way of life and of worship. The Thakkars believed that the god Vishnu had  lived through nine incarnations on this earth. They were waiting for the tenth. Pir Sadruddin  managed to convince them that Hazrat Ali  was the Dasmo Awtaar of Vishnu (The Tenth  Incarnation). He converted quite a number of the Thakkars into a faith called Satpanth (True  Path) - a peculiar admixture of Sufi/Hindu ideas. (The main book called Das Awtar was  considered a primary text for the followers of the Aga Khan until very recently.) Some historians maintain that he converted the Thakkars to Nizari Ismailis. Whatever may be the  case, these converts could no longer be called Thakkars in the Hindu community and Pir  Sadruddin gave them the title of Khwaja. The word Khoja is a phonetic corruption of the word  Khwaja.Over a period of time, several Pirs came after Sadrudin and gradually, the beliefs  crystallized to those of the Ismaili Nizari faith; particularly after the arrival of the Aga  Khan from Iran to India in the first half of the 19th Century. By this time the Khojas had  spread all over over Kutch and Gujarat. Some had also moved to Bombay and Muscat. They paid  their dues to the Ismaili Jamaat Khaana and lived quite harmoniously within their society. The  main place of worship was the Jamaat Khaana and the (Jamaat) community was organized round the  Jamaat Khaana - which served as a religious as well as a social centre. With the arrival of the Aga Khan in India, greater control was exercised by the Aga Khan in the  affairs of the community. This led to certain groups dissenting and being ousted from the  Jamaat Khaana. The most celebrated one was the case of the Bar Bhaya where an influential  family by the name of Habib Ibrahim refused to accept the dictate (firman) by the Aga Khan that  all the property that belonged to the Jamaat would now vest in the Aga Khan. Eventually this  group was out-casted and influenced by the Sunni Aalims they became Sunnites. This was followed by several court cases and much commotion in the community. In the early  1800s some Khojas went for Ziyarat and while in Najaf they met the Mujtahid of the time, Sheikh  Zainul Aabedeen Mazandarani. During their discussions they realized that there was a need for a  teacher to come to India to teach the community Islam. Soon after, at the behest of Sheikh  Mazandarani,Mulla Kader Hussein arrived in India and some Khoja families left the Ismaili sect  and learnt from Mulla Kader the principles of Shia Ithna Asheri faith. Of course the most well known Ismaili and for that matter Lohana is none other than Muhammad  Ali Jinnah - founder Of Pakistan.This is how his story goes:Jinnah’s grandfather Gokuldas  “Meghji” Thakkar, and his father Poonjabhai “Jinno” Thakkar, were Lohana businessman from the  Veraval coast near Somnath. Their dabbling in the lucrative local fish trade, though, was  unacceptable to the staunchly vegetarian Lohana community.According to the book written by Akbhar Ahmed , Jinnah’s father’s name was Jinnah Bhai Punja and he moved to Gujarat. Jinnah’s ancestors were Hindus and were from the Lohana clan in Gujarat. However, Jinnah’s grandfather converted to Islam due to his exclusion from clan. 
 The Meghji clan chose commerce over creed and switched religion with no intimation that one  family’s change of course would come one day to violently transform the geo-politics of the  subcontinent.
 Even today, Gujarati Lohanas who converted — Memons, Khojas — dominate the Karachi markets and probably constitute Pakistan’s most prosperous mercantile class.

LOHANAS To-day:

According to a rough estimate for 2013, there were 150,000 Lohanas in Ahmedabad, 1,700,000 in  Gujarat and 2,500,000 in the world(Source:DNA,Ahmedabad,Jan3,2013).UK has the largest number of Lohanas outside India followed by North America.

Lohana Notables:
 Veer Dada Jasraj-King Of LoharGadh,Saint Jalaram Bapa,Jhulelal-a saint of Sindh,Guru Nanak-First Guru and Founder Of Sikhism,Agham Lohana-Lohana chieftain of the Sind in 7th Century AD,Ajanbahu Lohana -Great general of Prithviraj Chauhan notable for his bravry. Muhammad Ali Jinnah(bhai)Poonja Gokuldas Meghji Thakkar,Rao Bahadur Sheth Curumsey Damji,Lekhraj Kripalani,Lal Krishna Advani,Azim Premji,Mahommedali Currim Chagla,Hindujas Of UK,the Madhvanis and the Mehtas[Badiani] of Uganda;late Ramu Parmanand Thakkar-Gujarati writer,

A NOTE ON GENETIC HISTORY:
 My DNA test indicates that I belong to Haplogroup R1a1.This probably is true of all Lohanas.The genetic markers that define our ancestral history reach back roughly 60,000 years to the first common marker of all non-African men,M168,and ending with M17,the defining marker of haplogroup R1a1.Members of R1a1 carry the following Y-chromosome markers:
                    M168>M89>M9>M45>M207>M173>>M17. 
The M17 marker arose about 10-15,000 years ago when a man of European origin was  born in Ukraine or Southern Russia.His descendents are to-days Indo-European  peoples.The Kurgans - a nomadic people from steppes of Ukraine and Southern Russia  are the most likely ancestors of the  Indo-Europeans who eventually spread out as far  afield as Northen India and Iceland.To-day almost 40% of the men living from the  Czech Republic to Siberia and South throught Central Asia ,Eastern Iran,and North  India carry the M17 marker.This is where our genetic trail ends.
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 LOHANA GOTRAS            
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 A Gotra is the lineage or clan assigned to a Hindu at birth. In most cases, the system is patrilineal and the gotra assigned is that of the person's father.An individual may decide to identify his lineage by a different gotra, or combination of gotras. For example Lord Rama was  Surya Vansha, also known as Raghu Vansha. This was because Lord Rama's great-grandfather Raghu  became famous.
 The term gotra, itself, according to strict Hindu tradition is used only for the lineages of Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vysya families.Gotra originally referred to the seven lineage segments of the Brahmans (priests), who trace their derivation from seven ancient seers: Atri, Bharadvaja, Bhrigu, Gotama, Kashyapa, Vasishtha, and Vishvamitra. An eighth gotra was added early on, the Agastya, named after the seer intimately linked up with the spread of Vedic Hinduism in southern India. In later times the number of gotras proliferated when a need was felt to justify Brahman descent by claiming for one’s line a Vedic seer.Originally, the Kshatriya , too, had their own dynasties, the principal traditional ones being the Lunar and the Solar dynasties, to which the heroes of the Hindu epics the Mahabharata and the Ramayana respectively belonged. Recently, the term "gotra" has taken broader meanings to include any lineage, Brahmin or  otherwise.Therefore, today, other terms are considered synonymous with gotra and the distinct  meaning of the word and the esoteric connotations are lost to many, even within the Brahmin  community.
Gotra is not  synonymous with  Kul. Kul is  a  set of people following similar rituals, often worshipping the same God (the Kul-Devata - the  God of the clan).Within a Kul one could find members belonging to different gotras. Kul has nothing to do with lineage or caste. In fact, it is possible to  change one's Kul, based on his faith or ista devata.
 It is common practice in Hindu marriage to enquire about the Kul-Gotra meaning Clan and lineage of  the bride and bridegroom before approving the marriage. In  Hindu families, marriages within the same gotra are prohibited.However,marriage within the kul is allowed and preferred.Upon marriage a woman loses the membership in her father's Kul by acquiring membership in her husband's Kul.She now worshops her new Kuldev(i). The word "Gotra" means "lineage" in the Sanskrit gotra, as given names may reflect the  traditional occupation, place of residence or other important family characteristic rather than  gotra. While it is somewhat akin to a family name, the given name of a family is often  different from its  gotra, as given names may reflect the traditional occupation, place of  residence or other important  family characteristic rather than gotra.People belonging to the  same gotra also belong to the same caste in the Hindu social system.Many lines of descent from  the major rishis were later grouped separately. Accordingly, the major gotras were divided into  ganas (subdivisions) and each gana was further divided into groups of families. The term gotra  was then frequently started being applied to the ganas and to the sub-ganas. Over the years, the number of gotras increased due to:
 descendants of original rishi also started new family lineage or new gotras,by inter marriage  with other sub-groups of the same caste, and inspired by another rishi whose name they bear as  their own gotra.While the gotras were classified initially according to nine (?) rishis, the  pravaras were classified under the names of the seven rishis mentioned above.

THE 84 LOHANA GOTRAS WITH Ataks,Kuldev(i) and Kulguru

KULDEV /KULDEVI: 
                          Family deity as distinct from Ishta Devta e.g Rama,Krisna,Shrinathji etc or village
                          deity.Kul means clan and dev or devi means deity.
                          Kuldev: is usually a warrior progenitor who sacrificed his  life in course of              
                          protecting the honour of his clan.A Khambhi(shrine) is built in his memory .It then
                          becomes the designated place of worship for the Kuldev.Kuldevs are known as           
                          Shurapura Bapa.
                          Kuldevi is the divine guardian of a clan's fortune and honour.
ATAK                  Lineage  
NUKH                 Cluster of lineages with an putative apical ancestor among whom intermarriage is
                         forbidden.
                  

 HOW TO FIND  YOUR GOTRA ,Kuldev or Kuldevi and Kulguru:

Go to the top horizontal bar,move cursor on  Media,click Files,click Lohana Gotra PDF file.Unfortunately the list is organised by Gotra NOT by your atak or nukh.So it will take bit of an effort  to scroll down till you find your atak under nukh or petanukh.Then look up your Gotra to the left.

SOME LOHANA SURNAMES(Ataks/Nukhs etc)

GUJARATI & KUTCHI:
Akhani Adwani Aahiya, Adhia, Ajwani, Ambiya, Amlani,Motwani,Mirchandani, Adatia, Anadkat, 
Bariya, Bhatadi, Bhayani, Bhimani, Bhimjiyani, Bhojani,
Chugani, Chadupotra, Chandan, Chandarana, Chug, 
Dattani, Davda, Devani, Dhanak, Dhakar, 
Gadhiya, Gajan, Gajjar, Gakhar, Ganatra, Gatha,Gokani, 
Hindocha,
Jobanputra,
Kataria,Kakkad, Kanabar, Kanani,Karia, Kariya,Katira, Khakkar,Khandhadiya,Khilochia, Kotak, Kotecha, 
Ladhak, Lodhiya,
Manghirmalani Madan, Madlani, Madhvani, Majithia,Mamtora, Manek, Mapara,Mahtani Mashru, 
Nathwani, 
Pandhi, Popat, Pujara, Pabari,
Raimagia, Raja, Rajvir, Rariya, Ruparel, Raychura, 
Sachdev, Shakrani, Sejpal,Sunchak,
 Tanna,Thakaral ,Thakkar
 Unadkat,
 Vasani, Vasant, Vithlani.

SINDHI:

Amil:

Advani, Ahuja, Ajwani, Bathija, Bhavnani, Bijlani, Chhablani, Chugan, Dadlani, Daryani, Dudani, Gidwani, Hingorani, Idnani, Issrani, Jagtiani, Jhangiani, Kandharani, Karnani, Kewalramani, Khubchandani, Kriplani, Lalwani, Mahtani, Makhija, Malkani, Manghirmalani. Manshani, Mansukhani, Mirchandani, Mukhija, Panjwani, Punwani, Ramchandani, Rijhsanghani, Sadarangani, Shahani, Sipahimalani, Sippy, Sitlani, Takthani, Thadani, Vaswani, Wadhwani and Uttamsinghani

Bhaiband:

Aishani, Agahni, Anandani, Aneja, Ambwani, Asija, Bablani, Bajaj, Bhagwani, Bhaglani, Bhagnani, Balani, Baharwani, Biyani, Bodhani, Chhabria, Channa, Chothani, Dalwani, Damani, Dhingria, Dolani, Dudeja, Ganda ,Gajwani, Gangwani, Ganglani, Gyanani, Gulrajani, Hotwani, Harwani, Jamtani, Jobanputra, Juneja, Jumani, Kateja, Kodwani, Khabrani, Khairajani, Khanchandani, Lakhani, Lanjwani, Longan, Lachhwani, Ludhwani, Lulia, Lokwani, Mamtani, Mirani, Mirwani, Mohinani, Mulchandani, Nihalani, Nankani, Nathani, Parwani, Phull, Qaimkhani, Ratlani, Rajpal, Rustamani, Ruprela, Sambhavani, Santdasani, Soneji, Sethia, Sewani, Tewani, Tejwani, Tilokani, Tirthani, Wassan, Vangani, Vishnani, Visrani, Virwani and Valbani


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EDITING,UPDATING,ADDING FAMILY MEMBERS,
PHOTO UPLOADS
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Please observe the following.

1.NAMING CONVENTION:

Traditional Hindu convention is followed as described below:
 1-1:Male:middle name is  father's first name. 
 1-2:Unmarried female:middle name is  father's first name; surname is same as   that of father. 
 1-3:Married female:upon marriage a woman acquires husband's surname and his first name as 
    her middle name.  Married woman's maiden name is shown in brackets after her married   family  
    name when her parental information is not available.Double barrelled names will create complications
    when tracing lineages so we humbly request you not to use them.
   
 2.NON-LOHANA SPOUSES: 
    This being a Lohana Genealogy Site extended families of non-Lohana spouses can not be added to
    the database.The children of Lohana & non-Lohana marriages can be added.
    However  names of  parents of non-Lohana spouse may be added  in the Notes field of the spouse.
3.PHOTOS
   Please note: Duplicates and untagged photos will be removed .
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Getting Around
There are several ways to browse the family tree. The Tree View graphically shows the relationship of selected person to their kin. The Family View shows the person you have selected in the center, with his/her photo on the left and notes on the right. Above are the father and mother and below are the children. The Ancestor Chart shows the person you have selected in the left, with the photograph above and children below. On the right are the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The Descendant Chart shows the person you have selected in the left, with the photograph and parents below. On the right are the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Do you know who your second cousins are? Try the Kinship Relationships Tool. Your site can generate various Reports for each name in your family tree. You can select a name from the list on the top-right menu bar.

In addition to the charts and reports you have Photo Albums, the Events list and the Relationships tool. Family photographs are organized in the Photo Index. Each Album's photographs are accompanied by a caption. To enlarge a photograph just click on it. Keep up with the family birthdays and anniversaries in the Events list. Birthdays and Anniversaries of living persons are listed by month. Want to know how you are related to anybody ? Check out the Relationships tool.


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