Luthra

Origins

The Luthras are usually bhalpuriya of the Khatri or Arora castes of the Punjab and Sindh. They are of the Kshatriya Varna, which in Vedic times, was the civil ruling and administration group which also included warriors. A number of Luthras migrated to Aror (modern-day Rohri, near Sukkur in Sindh, Pakistan) in ancient times and joined a group of Aroras which had settled there.

Some Luthras are Mair Rajputs and originate from the Rajput clans of Rajasthan. These Luthras are related to the Arora Luthras, but originated in Ajmer and migrated to the Punjab later in their history and began their relation after reaching the Punjab. The two divisions of the Luthras are closely related but have sometimes been split over their history, particularly in ancient battles where Mairs were inclined to protect their homeland of Ajmer and Aroras were inclined to defend Aror. Thus, some Luthras identify as Mair Rajputs while other Luthras identify as Aroras and/or Khatris.

The origin of the Luthras as a subcaste is ambiguous. However, the broader parent-castes of the Luthras, the Aroras or Khatris, are Indo-Aryans who have inhabited India since 2000 BC (some estimates indicate earlier dates). They belong to the region where the Rig Veda, Hinduism's most ancient scripture, was written.

Middle Period

In Iron Age Vedic India (c. 1000 BCE), they were inhabitants of the Kuru Kingdom. The dynasty was later ruled by Yudhishthira, who led the Kurukshetra War against the Kauravas which is detailed in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In this war, the Kshatriyas assumed the role of warriors for either side of the battle.

Dispersal and dissolving of such kingdoms resulted in a Mauryan invasion of most of India. The Mauryan Empire ruled the region inhabited by the Luthras in a period of conflict followed by peace. Greek and Mauryan forces clashed on numerous occasions, with the Greeks eventually being defeated. The Kshatriyas (Khatris and Aroras) of the Punjab joined hands with the Mauryans in defeating the foreign force.

After the fall of the Mauryan Empire, a power vacuum shortly existed in the region. In about 100 CE, the Kushans from Central Asia invaded the Punjab, whom the Aroras including the Luthras resisted but failed in the face of the nomadic hordes from Central Asia. However, the Kushans were benevolent rulers and assimilated within Indian culture with many converting to Hinduism and Buddhism. The Gupta Dynasty assumed control of Northern India in 400 CE, and the Kshatriyas, including Luthras, joined forces with the Guptas to maintain law and order in what became India's Golden Age.

The Islamic Period

The Luthras were affected by the Islamic invasion of India as much as numerous other communities of the region. A number of Luthras came under pressure to convert to Islam as the city of Aror fell. Most of them spread across to further parts of the Punjab and Sindh. The Mughal Empire brought great hardships to the local remaining Hindus, as they refused to accept the new faith. Kshatriyas like the Luthras, prominently including Rajputs, failed to protect their lands. Mair Rajput Luthras were particularly involved in fighting for their lands. During 661-680 AD, Muslim Arab generals failed to gain land in northern Punjab reportedly because of the resistance of the Khatris, Aroras, Jats and Mairs.

The Dal Khalsa

In the 1600s, the rise of Sikhism and the Dal Khalsa (Sikh Army) provided incentive for Hindu Kshatriyas to fight for the creation of a Sikh Empire in the Punjab. Traditionally, the first son of Luthras were brought up as Sikhs to protect Punjab. This tradition has been wiped out recently but was prominent in the past. The Sikh Army wherein Luthras were major part eventually expelled the Mughals from large parts of the Punjab in 1716 and continued to resist Mughal attacks up till 1799. They united together to form the Sikh Confederacy in the Punjab, where former Kshatriyas (Sikhism rejects casteism) held prominent positions as rulers and warriors. From 1801-1849, Maharaja Ranjit Singh being a kshatriya united the Punjab under the Sikh Empire. The Empire was the strongest in India, rivalled only by the Maratha Empire, with which it was friendly. Kshatriya Luthras formed an integral part of the military, which included 35000 regular soldiers and approximately 300000 irregular or militia troops. The military also had 188 heavy artillery guns and 70000 cavalry. The Sikhs were later faced with an external threat from the British Empire, which had sought conquest over all of India. The Punjab was the last state to fall, in 1849, as the troops failed to hold off against the British in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.

Independent India

Most of India was involved in the struggle for Independence and the Luthras also played a part in this. They did so both as part of the Indian National Congress. Most of their efforts was limited to the Punjab region however and no Luthras are particularly famous for their independence efforts.

The Luthras were also affected by the Partition of India in 1947. Some were forced out amidst the violence in West Punjab. The Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslims migrated to Pakistan. Thus, they left the Aror region and settled in Indian Punjab and in regions such as Uttar Pradesh and Delhi

Current Spread

The Luthra clan is currently based all over the world as part of the Indian Diaspora. They are also prominent in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and have small populations in states like Maharashtra and West Bengal. The Muslim Luthras forced to convert to Muslim live in Pakistan. In recent years the name Luthra has also been converted to Ludhra and there are a growing number of Ludhra's living in the Punjab region of India and overseas.

Role in society

Luthras are Kshatriyas and are known for their prominence as warriors and of the ruling and administrative class. However, later they expanded into mercantile classes and lived as merchants. Mainly Luthras were involved as warriors in various Indian military battles. As Kshatriya, They were generally at the front-line in battles.

In modern times, with the changing world, the position of 'warrior' does not fit in. Many Luthras have entered the Indian military and some have entered politics, but the vast majority have involved themselves with businesses across the world. This trend began as early as the Muslim conquest of the subcontinent. Many Luthras are quite successful in terms of business and in the original system of varnas, have expanded into domains previously held only by Vaishyas while many retain their Kshatriya ways.

In terms of politics, Luthras mainly subscribe to the Bharatiya Janata Party (or its ally the Shiromani Akali Dal), with a minority supporting the Indian National Congress.

Religion

Coming from the period in which Vedic traditions were founded, Luthras are predominantly Hindu. However, after the foundation of Sikhism and the Dal Khalsa, members of subcastes like Luthra would devote their first child to the Sikh Gurus and pronounce him as a Sikh, thus increasing the number of Sikhs who are also Luthras. The tradition has fallen out of prominence in modern society.

Many Luthras converted to Islam due to missionary Sufi saints in the period of Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire. They settled in Rasool Nagar, Hafizabad, Gujranwala and Lahore in Pakistan.

Prominent Luthras