In the subcontinent of India, Sangras are Hindu Brahmins in Jammu Region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Settled in Kootah village, District Kathua and Jammu. It is widely believed that the Sangras of village Kootah have migrated from village Sanghar near Purmandal. Settled in Kootah Sangras are also known as Shah Sangras because of their Rich and opulent history. The tales of their riches go to the extent that it was told that all the Kings of Jammu and Kashmir used to take loans from Sangra shahs of Kootah to run the state. They owned agricultural lands spreading to several hundred of square miles and also were traders of gold.
Sangras in other parts of the country are also Hindu jats in Punjab & Haryana settled in village Thol district Kurukshetra (Haryana), in the village of Jandiala in district Hoshiarpur (Punjab), India. Hindu Jats claimed that they got the surname Sangra from Raja Sangu as they are decedents of Raja Sangu.
The surname Sangra does not denote any religion but it has come from the name of a place called Sangra in Ladakh, India along river Suru.
There is a Sangra village in district Kargil of Ladakh, India along with Suru River. In this village there are Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus; all known as Sangras. There is a Sangar village near holy Purmandal in Jammu district of Jammu and Kashmir state.
From this village they probably moved to various places in search of fertile land and migrated to various regions nearby i.e. Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab (India), Haryana (India), J&K (India), Sindh (Pakistan) and Tibet.
Sangra is also a Muslim Rajput tribe found in Punjab, Pakistan.
The tribe claims descent from Sangra, a Bhatti Rajput from Bikaner, in what is now Rajasthan, India. In the 14th century, the tribe migrated from Rajasthan and settled in Kathala, the ruins of which are near Tibba Tanwi-Wala, near Bahwalpur, in what is now Pakistan. They are said to have converted to Islam in the 17th century. They use the surname Rai.
They are found throughout southern Punjab, with concentrations in Kalri Village, District Chiniot and Jhang District as well as in some other southern Punjab districts like Layyah, Multan, Okara, Faisalabad and Sahiwal.
They are also found in Indonesia.
Irrespective of any religion they all are very fond of lands and horse riding and have similar physical characteristics i.e. they are tall, broad shouldered and have pointed noses.
Some facts:
- There is a village known as Sangar village near Udhampur, India.
- There is a village known as Sanghar near purmandal in Jammu and Kashmir.
- There is a township known as Sangri in Tibet.
- There is a village known as Sangri in Kaithal district, Haryana, India.
- There is also an area called Sangra in Russia
- Also see Sanger, Sangar and Sangara in the Wikipedia, as, at times, the name is spelt differently.
- Towns, villages of the above name variations are also found in Iran, Afghanistan and Eastern Europe, indicating a possible migratory influence
- Sanger is also a surname in USA, Alaska and Germany.
- Sangra is a surname now found worldwide, due to immigration. Sangra's from Jandiala (Hoshiarpur, Punjab) have emigrated to the USA, Italy, UK, Canada, Greece, Abu Dhabi and many more places.