Gazetteer Of The Ferozepore District 1888-89

· 1888 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1Ferozepore District. ]

2CHAP II —HISTORY 15

3During tho decay of the Delhi Empire, iho country, which

4had appaiently become almosu depopulated, was occupied by the

5Dogars, a clan of Rajput o1lgtn, W ho are still prominent among

6the occupants of the distict The Dogars were a wild and

7lawless race, owning no permanent habitations, and delighting

8rather m large herds of eittlo thin im the more laborious occu-

9pations of the soil. Originally they wero alternately grazieis

10and cattle-stealers, but at all times bad cultivitors, and holding

11but loosely the bonds otallegiunce They pnd tribute to the rulers

12set over them according tothe means bionght to enfurce the claim,

13and when hud pressed they hid little to lope by deserting their

14dwellings On such occusions the Dogius would place their few

15chattels, their women ord childicn, ou buffaloes, and fiving into

16the tamarisk forests of whitas now the Brhawilpir territory, or

17into the almost equilly inaccessible dosert of Abohu in Susa,

18there defy then pursuers, or tthe then time for coming to terms,

19These people, who aro Muhammidins and eill themselves con-

20verted descendants of the (hauhans of Dcllu, emigi ited some

21yeais ago to tho neighbourhood of Pakpattin, and trom thence,

22two centuries igo, sprcid for whundred miles along both banks

23of the rive: Sutlcy trom i few milcs above Ferovepore to the

24bordeis of Bahéwalpm. At one time they were undoubted

25masters of Mimdot ani Khu, as well i ot Ferozepore; their

26seats were principilly in the Ahadar ot the Sutla, and their

27occupations pistoru and preditory But « colony of several

28thousinds wcttled miny years igo in the large inlind town of

29Sundm, and both about Jauhore ind Dera Tsm al Khin they are

30to be found The clanas subdivided mto mins brinches ; but

31amost all the Ferozeporo Dogars trace then ongin to Bihlol,

32a Muhammadan Dogar, who must lave lived two hundicd

33years 1g0.

34It was gridually that the Degars moved fiom vbont the

35neighbomhood of Pakpattan, and not until about 1740 A. D,

36that they reached Ferosc pore, which ip; ears at that time to have

37formed part of a district called the Gikha jungle, and to have

38been administered by a fawdar, enjoying civil and military

39authority, residing at Kasi, and acting under the Governor of

40Lahore. A few villages occupied by Bhittis were at this time

41scattered over the Ferozepne plain ; but on the coming of

42the Dogars the forme: moved southward, and Dogars soon

43established themselves in them room = ho ight of occunancy

44of the new possessors wis allowed by the Lihore ruler, “ho,

45however, on then failing to give security tor the payment

46of Government dues, took them clildien as hostiges. Their

47rebe'lious spirit, however, soon broke ont, and they slew the

48faudar, Ahmed Khan Lalu, but in the weak state of the vize-

49regal Government they escaped punishment, and for a time

50remained independent of all authority

51Sukha Millu, the head of a tiibe as wild as that of the

52Dog irs, and himself a cittle-steale: by profession, was then ap-

53pointed faujdar ; and such was the terior of his name, that many

54Chapter IT.

55History.

56The Dogars.