Alreja

Origin

The clan, like the rest of the Arora community, claim an origin in the town of Aror or Alor in the Sindh region of the Indian Subcontinent. The word "Arora" itself is derived from Aror; the word "Alreja" means - belonging to/from Alor (another Arabic version of Aror)

Migration from Aror

A part of the Alreja clan, over the course of time, migrated from Aror and travelled northwards along the course of the Indus river, passing through northern Sindh and southwestern Punjab. They went to places such as Shikarpur, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Mithankot, Rajanpur, Umarkot, Chacharan, Multan, Kalat and the neighboring towns and villages on the banks of the Indus. A significant number of Alreja families lived in and around Mithankot since early 18th century until 1947. Some Alreja families remained in Sindh and almost all dispersed to many parts of north India after the partition in 1947.

Arab invasion

Following the Arab invasion of Sindh and adjacent Punjab, Mithankot and adjacent areas gradually became dominated by foreign Muslim dynasties hence, members of the Alreja clan and associated families continued to migrate individually or in small groups to other parts of the Punjab and Indo-Gangetic Plains.

After the Partition

After the Partition of India in 1947, like other Hindu and Sikh communities, they migrated en masse to India and were dispersed to the various towns in Northern India, in the modern day states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Alrejas today

Alrejas have further dispersed to different parts of India, and some of them have migrated to the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe.

Either due to personal choice or due to bureaucratic errors, some members have changed the family name to Aneja, Alrenja and Alrenga.

Religion

Alrejas are primarily Hindus, with a significant Sikh population.