List of Khatris explained

Following is a list of notable members of the Khatri community in India.

Historical figures

Sikhism

• Sikh Gurus^[1]
  • Guru Nanak Dev Bedi, founder of Sikhism
  • Guru Angad Dev, Trehan
  • Guru Amar Das, Bhalla
  • Guru Ram Das, Sodhi
  • Guru Arjan Dev, Sodhi
  • Guru Har Gobind, Sodhi
  • Guru Har Rai, Sodhi
  • Guru Har Krishan, Sodhi
  • Guru Tegh Bahadur, Sodhi
    • Guru Gobind Singh, Sodhi, founder of Khalsa Bhai Daya Singh Sobti, the first of the Panj Pyare (the initial members of the Khalsa), belonged to the Sobti clan of the Khatris^[2]
• Baba Sri Chand was the founder of the ascetic sect of Udasin and was the elder son of Guru Nanak, first Guru and founder of Sikhism.
• Baba Prithi Chand Sodhi (1558–1618), the eldest son of Guru Ram Das after the younger brother Guru Arjan was the founder of the Mina sect.
• Bhai Gurdas (1555-1636), a Bhalla Khatri who served as the first Jathedar of Akal Takht and the first scribe of the Adi Granth
• Ram Rai Sodhi, the eldest son of Guru Har Rai was the founder of Ram Raiyas sect of Sikhism.
• Shiv Dayal Singh, founder of the Radhasoami religious movement.^[3]
• Baba Dayal Singh Malhotra, founder of Nirankari^[4]

Sikh Empire

• Hari Singh Nalwa (Uppal Khatri) (1791–1837), the Commander-in-Chief of the Khalsa army of the Sikh Empire under Ranjit Singh^[5]
• Dewan Mokham Chand Kochhar (1785-1814), General of the Khalsa Army under Ranjit Singh^[6]
• Diwan Sawan Mal Chopra, Governor of Lahore and Multan, Commander in the Khalsa Army^[7]
• Diwan Mulraj Chopra (1814–1851), Governor of Multan, leader of a rebellion against the British which led to the Second Anglo-Sikh War^[7]
• Sardar Gulaba Khatri, founder of Dallewalia Misl which controlled Nakodar, Talwan, Badala, Rahon, Phillaur, Ludhiana at its peak.

Others

• Sultan Muzaffar Shah I, the founder of the Gujarat Sultanate, a Muslim Khatri kingdom and its ruling Muzaffarid Dynasty. He was a Tanka Khatri convert to Islam.^[8]
• Maharaja Bijay Chand Mahtab Kapoor GCIE, KCSI, IOM, with origins from Kotli, Sialkot was the ruler of Bardhaman Raj in Bengal from 1887 till his death in 1941. At its height, the kingdom extended to around 5,000 square miles (13,000 km) and included many parts of what is now Burdwan, Bankura, Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly and Murshidabad districts^[9]
• Maharaja Uday Chand Mahtab of Bardhaman Raj, K.C.I.E., (14 July 1905 – 10 October 1984) was the last ruler of Burdwan Raj, who ruled from 1941 until 1955^[10]
• Maharaja Chandu Lal was the prime minister (1833–1844) for 3rd Nizam of Hyderabad Sikandar Jah.^[11]
• Maharaja Kishen Pershad, GCIE (1864-1940) came from a Peshkari Hyderabadi Noble family and served as the Prime Minister of Hyderabad State twice ^{[12] [13] [14]}
• Raja Sukh Jiwan Mal, The ruler of Kashmir (1754-1762)^[15]
• Raja Todar Mal Tandon, finance minister of Akbar. He rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in 1585.^{[16] [17]}
• Haqiqat Rai Puri, beheaded at the age of 14 for refusing to convert to Islam by Governor Zakariya Khan. Puri stood up against his classmates ridiculing Hindu deities.^[18]

Indian military

• Vikram Batra, Param Vir Chakra awardee during the 1999 Kargil War.^{[19] [20]}
• General Pran Nath Thapar, 4th Chief of the Indian Army.^[21]
• General J.J Singh Marwah, 21st Chief of Indian Army^[22]
• Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda, 7th Chief of the Indian Navy.
• Air Marshal Om Prakash Mehra, Chief of the Indian Air Force.

Indian independence activists

• Sukhdev, Indian freedom fighter, he participated in several actions alongside Bhagat Singh and Shivaram Rajguru, and was hanged by the British authorities on 23 March 1931 at the age of 23. He was a Thapar Khatri.^[23]
• Madan Lal Dhingra, Indian freedom fighter, While studying in England, he assassinated William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, a British official.^[24]
• Prem Krishan Khanna, Indian freedom fighter and a member of the Hindustan Republican Association. One of the revolutionaries prosecuted for the Kakori Conspiracy.^{[25] [26]}
• Purushottam Das Tandon, Indian freedom fighter who opposed the partition of India, British rule over India. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award in 1961.^[27]

Science, technology and academics

• Satish Dhawan, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)^[28]
• Narinder Singh Kapany, Indian-American physicist and the inventor of fiber optics. ^{[29] [30]}
• Har Gobind Khorana, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 for his work on nucleic acid structures.^[31]
• Harish-Chandra Mehrotra, Indian-American mathematician and physicist, recipient of the Padma Bhushan and the Cole Prize in Mathematics for his papers on representations of semisimple Lie Algebras and Groups. He was considered for a Field's Medal in 1958.^[32]
• Daya Ram Sahni, first director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
• Ram Nath Chopra, Father of Indian Pharmacology
• Birbal Sahni, Indian Paleobotanist and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS)
• Mahesh Prasad Mehray, Indian ophthalmologist who was awarded the Padma Shri in 1955 and the Padma Bhushan in 1970.
• Mahatma Hansraj, co-founder of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools (D.A.V) on whose memory Hansraj College was established.^[33]
• Faqir Chand Kohli, founder of Tata Consulltancy Services (TCS)

Business and finance

• J.C and K.C Mahindra, founders of Mahindra & Mahindra. It is a part of the Mahindra Group, an Indian mu conglomerate^{[34] [35]}
• Mohan Singh Oberoi, founder and chairman of The Oberoi Group
• Karam Chand Thapar, of the Thapar Group of companies.
• HP Nanda, founder of Escorts Limited
• Ponty Chadha, founder of Wave Group^[36]
• Om Prakash Munjal, founder of Hero MotoCorp and Hero Cycles
• Lala Jagat Narain, founder of Punjab Kesri
• Lala Harkishen Lal, co-founder of Punjab National Bank^{[37] [38]}

Bollywood

• Dev Anand, Indian actor
• Kanika Kapoor, Indian singer^[39]
• Prithviraj Kapoor, Indian actor^[40]
• Raj Kapoor, Indian actor^[41]
• Balraj Sahni, Indian actor^[42]
• B.R Chopra, Indian director
• Rajesh Khanna, Indian actor^[43]
• Ayushmann Khurrana, Indian actor
• Parineeti Chopra, Indian actress

Literature and poetry

• Mirza Hasan Qatil, 18th century Urdu and Persian poet^[44]
• Sujan Rai Bhandari, 17th century historian^[44]
• Amrita Pritam (born in Gujranwala), Punjabi author^[45]
• Devaki Nandan Khatri, Hindi author and novelist^[46]

Politics

• Inder Kumar Gujral (born in Jhelum), 12th Prime Minister of India^[47]
• Gulzarilal Nanda (born in Sialkot), Two-time Acting Prime Minister of India
• Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir (born in Attock), Former Chief Minister of Punjab^[48]
• Balraj Madhok, RSS veteran and founder of ABVP & BJS^[49]
• Sheila Kapoor Dikshit (born in Kapurthala), Former Chief Minister of Delhi^[50]
• Madan Lal Khurana (born in Lyallpur), Former Chief Minister of Delhi^[51]
• Tara Singh, Indian political and religious leader^[52]

Notes and References

1. Book: The A to Z of Sikhism . limited . W. H. McLeod . 978-0-8108-6828-1 . Scarecrow Press . 2009 . 86 .
2. Book: Singh, Sangat . The Sikhs in History: a Millennium Study, with new afterwords . Uncommon Books . 2001 . 978-81-900650-2-3 . 71 .
3. Book: Seth, Partap Singh. Jivan Charitar Hazur Maharaj. 6 and 36.
4. Book: Jones, Kenneth W.. Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British India. 1989. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-24986-7. 87. en.
5. Book: Nalwa, Vanit. Hari Singh Nalwa, "champion of the Khalsaji" (1791-1837). 978-81-7304-785-5. 228. 13 January 2009.
6. Book: Khushwant Singh A History Of The Sikhs Vol. 1 . 216 . English . Mokham Chand, the most distinguished of the Darbar's generals was the son of Wisakhi Mal, a Khatri tradesman of the village Kunjah, near Gujrat.
7. Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 December 2015
8. Watt. W. Montgomery. January 1965. The Rise of Muslim Power in Gujarat: A History of Gujarat from 1298 to 1442. By S. C. Misra. pp. xii + 252. Asia Publishing House. London. 1963. 45s.. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 97. 1. 79. 10.1017/s0035869x00123998. 163457073 . 0035-869X.
9. Web site: Burdwan Municipality. 23 September 2020. burdwanmunicipality.gov.in.
10. "No. 37119". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1945. p. 2938.
11. News: 29 April 2018. Telangana: The Deccan's hidden gem is a sikh Gurudwara. Deccan Chronicle. 24 July 2022.
12. Book: Patel. Alka. Indo-Muslim Cultures in Transition. Leonard. Karen. 7 December 2011. BRILL. 978-90-04-21887-1.
13. Book: Leonard, Karen Isaksen. Social History of an Indian Caste: The Kayasths of Hyderabad. 1994. Orient BlackSwan. 978-81-250-0032-7. en.
14. Book: Bawa, Basant K.. The Last Nizam: The Life and Times of Mir Osman Ali Khan. 1992. Viking. 978-0-670-83997-1. en.
15. Book: Jagmohan. My FrozenTturbulence in Kashmir (7th Ed.). 2006. Allied Publishers. 978-81-7764-995-6. 62. en.
16. Book: McLane, John R.. Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. 25 July 2002. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-52654-8. en.
17. Book: Udayakumar S.P. "Ramarajya: Envisioning the Future and Entrenching the Past" : Presenting the Past: Anxious History and Ancient Future in Hindutva India.. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2005. 99.
18. Book: Gaur, I. D., 1956-. Martyr as bridegroom : a folk representation of Bhagat Singh. 2008. Anthem Press. 978-81-905835-0-3. New Delhi, India. 227921397.
19. Web site: 24 January 2013. 'Yeh Dil Mange More': An ode to Captain Vikram Batra. https://web.archive.org/web/20180630203940/https://daily.bhaskar.com/news/CHD-yeh-dil-mange-more-an-ode-to-captain-vikram-batra-4158610-PHO.html. dead. 30 June 2018. 27 September 2020. dailybhaskar. en.
20. Web site: 22 August 2021. Vikram Batra's parents say Shershaah 'well made', open up about Dimple Cheema: 'Said she would live with his memories'. 26 August 2021. The Indian Express. en.
21. Book: Puri, Baij Nath. The Khatris, a Socio-cultural Study. 1988. M.N. Publishers and Distributors. 175–176. en.
22. Book: Singh, General (Retd) J. J.. A Soldier's General-An Autobiography. 21 November 2012. Harper Collins. 978-93-5029-515-1. en.
23. Web site: 13 May 2007 . Mark of a martyr . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071221213929/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070513/spectrum/main1.htm . 21 December 2007 . 27 September 2020 . The Tribune.
24. News: Revolutionary Madan Lal Dhingra (Tribute On Death Anniversary). 27 September 2020. Dainik Jagran.
25. Book: Puri. Baij Nath. The Khatris, a Socio-cultural Study. M.N. Publishers and Distributors. 1988. 142–146. en.
26. Book: Dr. Mehrotra N.C.. Swatantrata Andolan Mein Shahjahanpur Ka Yogdan. 133.
27. Book: Puri, Baij Nath. The Khatris, a Socio-cultural Study. 1988. M.N. Publishers and Distributors. 137. en.
28. Book: Puri, Baij Nath. Khatris, a socio cultural study. M.N Publishers and Distributors. 1988. India. 128–131.
29. Web site: Narinder Singh Kapany – The Global Sikh Trail . 2023-11-25 . en-US.
30. Book: Kapany, Narinder . Narinder Singh Kapany: The Man Who Bent Light . 2021-10-04 . Roli Books Private Limited . 978-93-92130-00-7 . en.
31. Web site: shepherd. kancha ilaiah. Why Haven't the Shudras Got a Nobel Prize So Far?. 26 August 2021. www.thecitizen.in. 27 October 2020 . en-US.
32. Book: Howe, Roger . Harish Chandra, a Biographical Memoir . National Academy of Sciences . 2011 . Washington DC.
33. Book: Cush. Denise. Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Robinson. Catherine. York. Michael. 21 August 2012. Routledge. 978-1-135-18978-5. 283. en.
34. Book: Damodaran, Harish. India's New Capitalists: Caste, Business, and Industry in a Modern Nation. 15 May 2008. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-0-230-20507-9. 69–72. en.
35. Book: Chopra. Pran Nath. Religions and Communities of India. East-West Publications. 1982. 978-0-85692-081-3. 115. en. 20 November 2020.
36. Book: Damodaran, Harish. INDIA'S NEW CAPITALISTS: Caste, Business, and Industry in a Modern Nation. 25 November 2018. Hachette India. 978-93-5195-280-0. en.
37. Web site: Sheikh. Majid. 15 February 2015. HARKING BACK: Man who introduced electricity to Lahore. 3 September 2021. DAWN.COM. en.
38. Web site: The rise and fall of Harkishen Lal Political Economy thenews.com.pk. 3 September 2021. www.thenews.com.pk. en.
39. Web site: 21 June 2016. I'm not Punjabi, I don't know Punjabi: Kanika Kapoor. 23 September 2020. The Indian Express. en.
40. News: Remembering an icon: Prithviraj Kapoor . 26 November 2020 . New Indian Express . 9 September 2010.
41. Book: Khilnani . Sunil . Incarnations India in 50 Lives . 2016 . Penguin Books Limited . 9780241208236 .
42. Book: Dwyer, Rachel. Yash Chopra. 25 July 2019. Bloomsbury Publishing. 978-1-83902-132-9. 4. en.
43. Web site: Farook . Farhana . Rajesh Khanna's rooh is still in Aashirwad . Filmfare . 8 February 2021 . en . 10 July 2015.
44. Book: Alam . Muzaffar . Subrahmanyam . Sanjay . Writing the Mughal World: Studies on Culture and Politics . 2012 . Columbia University Press . 978-0-231-15811-4 . 423 . en.
45. Book: Roy . Anjali Gera . Partitioned Lives: Narratives of Home, Displacement, and Resettlement . Bhatia . Nandi . 2008 . Pearson Education India . 978-81-317-1416-4 . en.
46. Book: Puri, Baij Nath . The Khatris, a Socio-cultural Study . 1988 . M.N. Publishers and Distributors . en.
47. News: Ghai. Rajat. 7 May 2014. The office of Prime Minister: A largely north Indian upper-caste, Hindu affair. Business Standard India. 26 September 2020.
48. News: Verma. Sanjeev. 19 July 2021. Punjab cabinet 60% mafia, need non-Jat CM: Shamsher Singh Dullo to Sonia Gandhi. The Times of India. 14 July 2022.
49. Book: Jaffrelot, Christophe . Religion, Caste, and Politics in India . 2010 . Primus Books . 978-93-80607-04-7 . en.
50. Book: Padalkar, Ravindra. Ruling Dynasties of Independent India - Volume 1. 16 January 2021. Notion Press. 978-1-63714-799-3. en.
51. Book: Jaffrelot, Christophe. Religion, Caste, and Politics in India. 2010. Primus Books. 978-93-80607-04-7. 298–299. en.
52. Book: Tambiah, Stanley J. . Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah . Leveling Crowds: Ethnonationalist Conflicts and Collective Violence in South Asia . 1996 . . 978-0-520-20642-7 . 104 . ... and Master Tara Singh, a Khatri, a leading figure in the Akali Dal, ....