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History & Origin Of Sudhan

Tribe Azad Kashmir Pakistan
October 3, 2020 by WIK

Finding the origin of the Sudhan Tribe of Azad Kashmir

Pakistan is a minefield for anyone trying to reveal the truth.
This is because of the extreme dislike for anything affiliated
with Hinduism, because of the treatment meted out by Hindu
dominated Indian forces in Kashmir valley closely.

I will try to be as objective in my conclusions regarding the

Sudhan tribe of Azad Kashmir Pakistan, as possible.

Sudhan tribe is concentrated around Kotli, Poonch, Sudhnoti,

Bagh districts of Azad Kashmir of Pakistan and is one of the
most educated groups of people in Pakistan. It is quite natural
that now they want to know their real history, origins based on
evidence. So, here is my bit.

Recorded History of Sudhan Tribe, Kashmir, Pakistan

Lt Col JM Wikely, a colonial British officer in his book, Punjabi

Musalman mentions that the “The Sudhan have pride of race
and look on themselves as superior to any of the other tribes
of Poonch, but they cannot be considered high-class Rajput,
which term, notwithstanding their claim to Pathan origin, they
apply to themselves.” [Verified by me]

The only evidence that brings the Sudhan tribe anywhere

close to being called Chibali or Pahari Rajput is mentioned
here in this recent research document. Even in this document,
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the “Sudhan” word is nowhere mentioned [It is an opinion

piece].

In his book, Castes and Tribes of Poonch by Muhammad Din

Folk, “Sudhan is shown as one of the 12 communities in
Hazara during the Vedic age. Sudhan is described as a Rajput
Tribe. Sud race is settled in East Punjab”. By this account,
Sudhan’ should have been in the tens of millions by now,
whereas they are only close to 1 million. [Reference verified
by me]

Muhammad Din Folk in Castes and Tribes of

Poonch by “Sudhan is shown as one of the 12 communities in
Hazara during the Vedic age. Sudhan is described as a Rajput
tribe. Sud race is settled in East Punjab”, but is also a very
ancient reference.

Major G Carmichael Smyth in his book, a history of the

Reigning Family of Lahore states that “in the year 1832,
several independent hill-tribes inhabiting the northwestern
regions of Punjab were reduced into subjection to the Lahore
State (of Sikh)” These were the Doondh, Soodhun (Sudhan),
Suthee, Hoteels (Mughal), and Murdiall (Mughal) tribes. The
Soodhun tribe inhabited a large tract of land on the eastern
bank of the same river opposite the Doondh, and numbered
about forty thousand souls” [Reference verified by me]

Frederic, Jammu & Kashmir Territory, 1875 states that

Sudhan is an important and high caste of Chibhal Rajput. Parl
speaks a Dogri dialect. [Not verified yet by me]

Captain E.G. Calvin, writes in his first settlement report on

Sudhnuti published in 1905 that Sudhan claim descent from
the Sudhzai tribe of Afghanistan.
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HINDU ANCIENT REFERENCES TO
SUDHAN
There is mention of the word Sudhan in Ancient Hindu
Texts Rig Veda Sinhita by HH Wilson as ” Sudhan-Wan the
leader of the sacrifice” Sudhan word in Sanskrit means ‘Son of
God’ or a slight variation Suthan means “very rich”; this
reference is too ancient for a fairly recent tribe. [Reference
verifiedThakar Kahan Singh, Tarikh Rajgan-e-Jammu-o-
Kashmir & Rajputan-e-Punjab 1930 states that the Sudhan
Chander Bansi dynasty ruled from the capital of Sudhnoti.
Sudhan nation is Rajput. The majority of them have become
Muslim.

According to D Mackenzie, India, 1994, Sudhan-van, is

synonymous with Indira, the King of Gods. He was the founder
of Vedic religion and his Pando dynasty did rule Kashmir for
thousands of years. [Reference not verified yet by me]

In Ebbettson’s book, A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of

Punjab & NWFP 1911, under the main heading of Brahmins of
Khatris, ‘Sudan’ is shown as one of the 12 tribes in Hazara in
the Vedic Period (1300-1000 BC). In the present day, Sudhan
is described as a Rajput Tribe in Rawalpindi, and Sud race is
settled in East Punjab. [Not verified yet by me]

According to Colonel Muhammad Khalil, Gazetteer of Kashmir

& Ladakh (1890 mentions Sudhan as “Lehr Muni (ancestor of
Sudhan) son of Bawa Muna (Chief of Katas Tirath) migrated
from Katas to Poonch in the 11th century. One of his
descendants Sudh Sain/Pal is the patriarch of Sudhan.
Sudhan Chander Bansi dynasty ruled from the capital of
Sudhnuti”. I could not find this reference myself, but this
reference is also debunked because as per my estimates, the
Sudhan tribe must have originated 1650 AD, as they were
about 30,000 in 1837.
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RECENT RESEARCH ON THE SUDHAN

TRIBE
The Sudhan Revolt (The News 19 October 1997.) by Sardar
Saleem Khan States that “Sudhan, and important and high
caste of Chihalis-Rajputs (Aryans)” but no evidence is
presented.

Pre-partition, the people of the Valley of Kashmir considered

the people of Rajouri-Poonch as “Pahari Gujjar”, a general
term they used for them and were considered backward.
[Muhammad Zubair Kails Asian Resonance 2013 “Identity
Crises and Perceptions of Regional Disparity: A Study of
Rajouri and Poonch Districts (J&K)”]

Zahur Ul Haq, Kashmir, 1991 states that Sudhan Rajput,

known for their fighting valor extended up to the Rawalakot
and Rajouri near Jammu. [Reference yet to the verified]

Sudhan population was 25300 in the Census of

1838. [Reference not verified yet]

Sir Denzil Ibbetson mentions “Sudhan” in his genealogy

tree “Castes and Tribes of Punjab and North Western Frontier
province”, but I couldn’t make any sense about it.
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Col Khalil also believed that the Sudhan tribe is “by origin
Mohyals (Sara swat Brahmins) and takes wives from the
group in Gujarat, while in Rawalpindi the five superior sections
(Sudhan, Sikhan, Bhaklal, Bhog, and Kali) used to give their
daughters to Mohyal Sarsuts”; [I couldn’t find this reference].

Sardar Saleem, The Sudhan Revolt, The News dated 19 Oct

1914 believes that the Sudhan migrated to Sudhnoti in the
14th century.

Captain Ashraf, Alnasabul Qabail Akbaria, 1997 states that

Jassi Khan, the recorded ancestor of Sudhan, conquered
Mong in 1300 AD. Saddulla Khan (Sudho Khan Patriarch of
Soddozai) born 1585 is shown as the forefather of Jassi Khan.
[Not verified my me yet] This is where the Soddozai
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controversy has started. There is no evidence to support the

fact that Soddo Khan is the same patriarch of the Soddozai
tribe of DI Khan, which is so far away.

Dr. Ganda Singh, Ahmad Shah Abdali 1977 states that

“Assadulla alias Soddo, patriarch of (Durrani) Soddozai was
born in 1585 AD”

Durrani (Soddozai) ruled Kashmir from 1752 to 1818 AD but

now are only in live in pockets in Qila Saifullah Baluchistan
and DI Khan, none in Kashmir.

SUDHAN REVOLT BY SHAMUS KHAN

SUDHAN
“Sudhun” is also mentioned by Gulab Singh Dogra in his
account of his massacre of Sudhan Rebels and their families
in 1837, especially Shamus Khan, the self-proclaimed tribal
leader of a lose confederate of clans, who was brutally killed
by Dogra Rulers of the time and his lieutenants’ Sabz Ali and
Malli Khan skinned alive at Mong. [Reference posted below].
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SUDHAN TRIBE DNA RESULTS

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Sudhan DNA tests in recent times show the origin of these

people is mostly around Kashmir and Indus Valley rivers, that
is, northwest India, but not Afghanistan or Central Asia at all.
There are some linkages with Sikhs too, which supports the
Tej Bahadur theory. The Sudhan gene pool has been mixed
with that of several rulers that took over Srinagar Kashmir like
the Durrani, Turks, Sikh, Greek, Europeans, Eurasians, and
even Bengalis. This also shows up in the DNA reports as a
very small percentage.

he DNA reports as a very small percentage.

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THE YAHOODI REFERENCE OF THE
SUDHAN TRIBE, KASHMIR PAKISTAN
Jamshed Yazdani, Kutch Qoam e Yahud kae baray main Jang
25 Oct 73, states that General Afghana, the commander of
King Solomon’s army, had forty sons, namely Suri, Salma,
Sudan, are worth mentioning. [Reference not yet verified] This
reference is too ancient to be valid. Also, how come the
Yehuda have never approached the Sudhan tribe for
information?

HINDU AND SIKH SOODHUN IN INDIA

Sardar Ibrahim Khan in his book “Kashmir ke jang-e-Azaadi”
writes that Hindu Brahmin Sudhan of Sudhnuti were usually
poor farmers like the muslim Sudhan. The lucky Hindu
Sudhan migrated to Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu in 1947 and
ones that stayed back, converted to Islam.

Navaldeep Sharma in his blog post

“thesoodans.blogspot.com/2011/11/soodan-aryan-community”
writes that the Hindu Sudhan met their relatives that had
converted to Islam with deep affection, after 1947.

Captain Sudhan (Hindu), 1981 “Hindu Sudhan live in Jammu

and proudly display Sudhan as their surname”

DFO Ghulam Ahmad Sahib, 2000 “Hindu Sudhan were our

class fellows in Poonch city”

There were many Sikh and Hindu Sudhan that converted after
1947, inside Pakistan

SUDHAN TRIBAL CUSTOMS

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The Punjabi dialect, homogeneity, treatment of women, cold

weather adaptation, and laid back lifestyle of Sudhan do not
resemble the rigid societal structure of Pathan, especially
blood feuds of Pathan’ and treatment of women.

Sudhan do not speak a word of Pashto, or Kashmiri — it is

mostly a Hindko-Punjabi mix dialect

Sudhan never had a lineage of the Sardari system that is

typical of socially superior people. This shows that this tribe
has lived in these mountains of Sudhnoti since its beginnings
around 1675 AD.

SOODHUN TRIBE AND SODDOZAI

CLAN
The Suddozai tribe of KPK is of Durrani origin and is a lot
smaller than the 0.8 million Sudhan of Kashmir. By pure
mathematics, the Sudhan tribe cannot originate from the away
smaller tribe.

The Sudhan do not even look like Suddozais that are

presently settled in the DI Khan district of KPK and
Afghanistan. Suddozai is short, stocky, dark-eyed, dark-
haired, and with heavy-set eyebrows. Sudhan is the opposite,
tall, lanky, light-haired, and light-eyed, chiseled brows and
reddish in complexion.

SUDHAN TRIBE AS INVADERS

The repeated revolts against Sikh Ranjit Singh and Hindu
Dogra Gulab Singh after 1800 indicate that this tribe owned
the land they reside in for centuries and were not invaders.
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HISTORY OF CONVERSION OF
HINDUS AND SIKH IN KASHMIR
The first wave of conversion from Hinduism in Kashmir took
place in 1350 AD, but that would be too early for a young tribe
like Sudhan.

I could not find any mention of the Sudhan tribe in the history
of Mughals up to 1700 when Muslims started losing power to
Hindus and Sikh backed by colonial British.

Mention of the Sudhan tribe appears after 1830 when the

British needed subjects that despised the Raj of Sikh and
Hindus in India and could work for them in their World Wars.

SUDHAN TRIBE CHARACTERISTICS

This tribe has always been desperately poor and illiterate,
unlike the residents of the Kashmir valley. This indicates they
could be nomadic people, settled in harsh snow-covered
mountains for safety.

Sudhan elders even today believe in several Hindu myths and

legends. Furthermore, their knowledge of puritanical Islam
was very limited.

MY FINDINGS BASED ON THE EVID MY

FINDINGS BASED ON THE EVIDENCE
ABOVE
There is evidence to suggest the ruling Sikh and Dogra
Hindus of Kashmir never got along with these Pahari tribes of
Poonch and Rajouri that were predominantly Sudhan, so they
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were deleted from the official genealogy records and

scheduled castes in Indian Held Kashmir.

As per Colonel Khalil, “Sudhan were converted to Islam by

Aurangzeb”; that could be plausible as Aurangzeb had a beef
against the Sufi order that was pervasive in Kashmir till 1600
AD, which Aurangzeb had vowed to eliminate.

A group of Kashmiri Brahmin was converted to Islam in 1675

by Aurangzeb Alamgir during the slain Guru Tej Bahadur
episode. Could Sudhan be this group of Kashmiris?

So mass conversion did take place in 1675 AD, right about the
estimated time of the formal origin of the Sudhan tribe by Jassi
Khan. It is highly unlikely that the Hindu Dogra Rajput would
not discriminate and marginalize another Brahmin Rajput
caste, even if they had converted two centuries back.
Therefore, something does not add up in the Rajput theory.

Soddo Khan (Assadullah) born in 1585 AD could be the

earliest recorded patriarch of the Sudhan tribe and is a close
predecessor of Jassi Khan who was given the nom de guerre
of Sudhan, not as a clan lineage.

Soddo Khan of the Soddozai people is from another time and

is being confused with Asadullah Khan of Mong.

The only question remaining is whether the Sudhan tribe was

once Brahmin? I have no direct evidence to support this claim.
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THE CONCLUSION TO WHO ARE THE

SUDHAN TRIBE THEN?

Summing up all the evidence I have to date, it seems like the

Sudhan tribe was converted by the Mughals around 1675 and
is a lost clan of Brahmin warriors, originating in the
Rawalpindi-Sehnsa area in 1500 AD when they expanded
northwards. They are neither Rajput nor Suddozai.

If anyone has real evidence before 1650, please write it in the

comments, I’ll update this page for everyone