A
Brief Description of the Khan Sarguroh Family
(This treatise dated
{The
source of information i.e. the manuscripts are very ancient & not entirely
delving into the specifics of the family hierarchy. Besides, as is the nature
of History, the information passed on by the word of mouth from generation to
generation may not necessarily be accurate. Hence, all the information provided
in the following pages may not be necessarily correct. Any suggestion,
recommendation, addition, edition, or correction is most welcome. We are indeed thankful to all those who have and/or will contribute by
providing relevant information and/or editing the treatise.}
In the year A.D. 1497, Daryakhan the head officer of the province of the Maimun Bander (which is now the Dabhol port) was, in accordance with a Royal Order, granted as Inaam, twelve villages & three hamlets which were under the territorial division of the said Bunder which is presently in the Ratnagiri District of the Konkan Region in the State of Maharashtra in India.
All the said villages & hamlets, under the Moamelah (Taluka - Tarf) of Jafarabad (Khed) & Hamzabad (Chiplun) were given as Inaam to the office of Sarguruhi (Head Officer) including Khoti (Zameendari), together with the revenue in kind & cash, all taxes & assessments, all pre-requisites of land, fields, immovable properties, services, Adhikmas (surplus), Pattawan, supply of grass, Vet Begar (unremunerated labour), Sadhak & Badhak (deficiency & surplus), jurisdiction in respect of murder, hidden treasure, all rights of the Hakdars, pre-requisites of the land-holders and all the expenses. Therefore the said villages were considered as a grant to Daryakhan, free of all taxes & assessments. According to the Royal Firman (Order) {issued by the Kings agent at Mustafabad (Parganah Dabhol)}, the aforesaid should also continue to his descendants, both in the male & female lines.
Under the Moamelah Hamzabad the following villages & hamlets were a part of the royal grant:
Village Kamthen
Village Nirbaden with the Hamlet Karoli
Village Pewah
Village Kutren with the Hamlet Ambil
Village Kalondah
Village Kalusten
Mouje (village) Gimvi was also previously under the said office of Sarguruhi (Daryakhan)
Under the Moamelah Jafarabad the following villages & hamlets were a part of the royal grant:
Village Panhaljen
Village Hodkhad
Village Talghar
Village Ashgani
Village Visapur with the Hamlet Khatloli
Village Dhamni
Daryakhan & Daudkhan sons of Alamkhan were, as described by the Firman of the Majesty (The Adilshahi Royalty who had their seat of power at Bijapur which is in the present day Karnataka) brave & loyal commanders and also efficient administrators of the government.
{The
above information has been obtained from the translation in English (which was
done many decades ago) of the original hand written manuscripts in Persian which
are in possession of Abdul Wahab Khan ibn Ibrahim Khan ibn Mohd. Sharif Khan of Panhalje.
The said manuscripts were originally in the possession of Cassimkhan
ibn Husseinkhan ibn Sharfuddinkhan of Pewe}.
The Khans who are Sunni Muslims were
originally migrants from
The following are some of the reasons which indicate our ancestral roots:
o We find names of our known ancestors which are common among Pathans
o The color of the skin of all those Sargurohs who are not the product of inter race marriages is distinctively fair & have features that are different from the local inhabitants.
o Our known ancestors were the Head Officers of the Adilkhani Majesty. Naturally we being Khans were more likely to be trusted & given responsibility by the rulers who had the same last name.
o Since Khan is not essentially a local surname, it has to be a foreign one.
o The
Khan Sargurohs are Hanafees
(followers of Imam Abu Hanifa) which is not the norm
among local Konkani Muslims who are Shafaes
(followers of Imam Shafee). The local Kokani Muslims have been in general, converted by the Arab
traders who landed on the shores of Konkan; whereas
those who are Hanafees have been in general,
converted by the Hanafees who came from the north by
land (possibly
o Furthermore, those Hanafees who came for the propagation of Islam to the north of the Indian Sub-Continent are not known to have traveled so far south to the Konkan.
o Our general characteristics like the flair, the magnanimity, the inclination for grandiose, the lucidity of language especially Urdu & Persian that some of the elder Sargurohs had & have is atypical of the local Moeslems.
o Many of the local converts even after embracing Islam continue to practice some of their local traditional customs & at times even incorporate them in their system of belief. This trait is not apparent in most of the Sargurohs.
The above factors suggests that our ancestors were Buddhists, since the majority of the Afghans were, before embracing Islam, Buddhists. This is in contrast to the local converts whose ancestors were probably Hindu.
It is believed that somewhere down the family tree, two brothers, Daud Khan & Mohd. Khan had settled in Pewe & Panhalje respectively.
Of the villages & hamlets which were under the control of the Khans only three remain: Pewe (Taluka – Guhagar), Panhalje & Hodkhad (Taluka – Khed). Besides, even in these the Khans do not today enjoy absolute power as they did in the earlier times. Also, some of the Khans still have ancestral property in the Khamshet & Kharekond villages in Taluka Guhagar. Moreover, most of the Khans have now for all practical purposes, effectively adopted the title (Sarguroh) conferred upon their forefathers as their surname.
These villages were electrified
approximately in 1975. Before that lanterns were the source of light. Also,
earlier the only means of transportation was non-mechanized boats on the
waterways. Later on it was mechanized boats. During this period BI (
Over the years Haji Qutbuddinkhan ibn Misrikhan’s Haveli at Panhalje, was the house
where the administrative officials were hosted. This house was instrumental in
making the Panhalje port as a passenger ship station.
Furthermore, they made the Postal Services accessible in the village Panhalje & mainly due to their efforts
The
All the three villages have
been gifted with different topographies which are captivating & enchanting.
These villages which are nested in the curvaceous hills have jungles with
various species of snakes, attractive birds, tigers & domestic animals. These
villages also have picturesque mangroves. Moreover the creek & the little
tributaries are full of frogs, fishes & crabs. There are a wide variety of trees
such as jackfruit, coconut, cashew nuts, nuts, berries, teak, aein, khair, shewri,
bamboos, different types of mango, papaya, ramfal,
banana, chikoo etc. Besides the waterfalls gracefully
gushing from the hillocks, there are springs, wells, and rivers as well.
These exotic tropical villages
which are the cradle of the Sarguroh heritage provide one with a spectacular
access to the ultimate in fascinating landscapes. The alluring & seamless meeting of the hills with the creek epitomize the bounty of
scenic beauty with which the region is blessed. Away from the crowds, pollution
and noise of the city, they present a tranquil & pleasant retreat. These
villages still retain some of the old world charm, potentially making them
ideal holiday destinations.
The following are broadly, the different Mohallas of Sargurohs in the village Panhalje:
· Lodheekhanwad
· Khailaghar
· Usman Tembir
· Kaatalwad (Masoodkhanwad)
· Kaatal
· Baigwad
· Chichaba (Qutbuddinkhan)/Gharukhan (Misrikhan) Area
Besides there are other non-khans as well:
o Sain, Dawre from Sainwad
o Chivelkar, Nadgavkar, Lore from Chivelkarwad
o Chikte, Papa, Pathan, Navshekar from Katalwad (Tyaawad)
o Baig from Baigwad
o Syed from Katal
The following are broadly, the different Mohallas of Sargurohs in the village Pewe:
· Sheri
· Khaari
Besides there are other non-khans as well:
o Mullah, Motlekar, Syed, Mukhri from Vailyamaalad
o Pewekar from Khaari
o Pathan from Sheri
The Kunbees (Marathas), the Bhois (Fishermen) & the Buddhists; who are the Non-Muslim residents of the said villages have primarily, over the centuries, thrived on the lands of the Khans. Besides, the villages have well maintained mosques & High Schools.
The population of the Khan Sargurohs today is almost equally distributed in Panhalje & Pewe with Hodkhad having a meagre population.
Moreover, many of the residents of these villages have migrated to various
other places: - Mumbai, Dapoli, Chiplun
etc. and even abroad: -
The descendants of the Daryakhan & Daudkhan were
quite well-to-do due to the income accruing from agricultural returns. However,
the income from the paddy & Alphanso mangoes is
no longer enough & rather unpredictable. Today, given the lack of
dependable means of income many Sargurohs living in
the villages have a hard time sustaining their families. Therefore many of the
Sarguroh clan are working in the Middle-East or in a
Metropolis like
The Khan Sargurohs in the earlier period used to have matrimonial relations among themselves or with the Qazis from Dhamni (who are also Hanafees). However, as of now they do enter into matrimony with other Konkani Muslims & at times also with non-Koknis. Furthermore, the Khan Sarguroh descendants have over the centuries in large measure, adopted the typical Konkani culture so much so that some of them are almost indistinguishable from other local Konkani Muslims and have become quite proficient in Marathi. The language which they speak is a corrupted form of Marathi known as Kokni. But those who have settled in Mumbai regularly converse in English & Hindustani; with some of them having good command over these languages as well.
In the contemporary era, Sargurohs in general, are generally honest, not of very elitist taste, middle-class people. Some of them are quite religious & reasonably refined in their mannerisms & conduct themselves in a respectable way. Some of them are quite intelligent & innovative while some not so intellectually gifted. Some of them are quite philanthropic & kind hearted whereas there are a few who aren’t quite as good-hearted. Some are graciously hospitable whereas some are narrow-minded. Some are quite nonchalant in their demeanour whereas most are predisposed to go off the handle with alacrity. Some are charismatic & have/had illustrious careers, whereas some are comparatively nondescript. Infact, there is a fair measure of diversity that one can find among Sargurohs.
As far as education is concerned the Sargurohs in the bygone eras weren’t all that educated. Whatever little education they had was in general, a privilege of the males. The females were mostly uneducated with little exposure. This picture however is increasingly changing for the better. Both the genders of the new generation are being educated. Today one can find among the Sargurohs, graduates in various disciplines of engineering, medicine, science, commerce, arts & management. Besides, there are Haafiz-e-Quran & Ulemas among the Sargurohs as well
Many of the Sargurohs have served private, government & semi-government organizations like BPT (Bombay Port Trust), Municipal Corporation, Courts, in the education field, financial organizations, and telecommunication & Information technology sectors with dignity, integrity, efficiency &.distinction.
Milestones:
§
Muneer Khan ibn Dost Mohd. Khan was the
person who founded the first
§ Ishaq Khan ibn Saheb Khan was a Corporator of Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation & Chairman of the health committee of BMC.
§
Akber Khan ibn Misri Khan (Gharu) was the Deputy Mayor of London Municipal
Corporation,
§
Gulzar Khan ibn Misri Khan (Gharu) was a Corporator of the
Cape Town Municipal Corporation,
Note: There
might have been other significant achievements which have not been mentioned as
the compiler of the treatise is unaware of them. Besides, there are & have
been several Executive Officers, General Managers, Principals, Assistant
Commissioners, & Gazetted Officers as well. Also,
among the Sargurohs there are & have been eminent
Advocates, reputed Doctors & other distinguished and renowned professionals
too.
Note:
Ø The
initial part of the first family tree is possibly a common ancestry of all Sargurohs from Pewe, Panhalje & Hodkhad.
Ø Most
of the entries in the following tree diagrams are of the 20th and/or
21st century.
Ø Special
characters used along with an entry in the following tree diagrams indicate
particular relationships with other entries with the same characters.
Ø Special
characters like *, +, % indicate that, that entry belongs to Pewe, Hodkhad, Panhalje respectively.
Ø Numbers
that appear along with the entries indicate that there is a related explanation
regarding that entry, in the References that follow at the end. Two or more numbers
(if required) are separated by a comma.
It is an earnest request to all the future
generations to kindly update the following Hierarchy Diagrams as and when
required so that the Khan Sarguroh History is always maintained.