a Pachhada is a man of low caste such as a Mochi or a Lohar, in which case the name Pachhada is used to conceal the real caste. The majority of the persons called Pachhadas claim to be Rajputs, and when asked their caste usually answer “Pachhada sadaunde,” they call us Pachhadas.
The tribes themselves have called themselves Rajputs, and had intermarried with long settled Rajputs of the Ghaghar such as the Bhatti and Chauhan. Groups that were sometimes included within the Pacchada category included the Wattu , Joiya and Kharal, however the term was strictly used to refer to four tribes, namely:
|Sohu||Traditionally, the Sohu claim to be Chauhan Rajputs, but the they have a number of traditions as to their origin. The Sohus of the village of Bhirrana, the head-quarters of the clan, stated that at the turn of the 20th Century that their ancestor came some eight generations ago from Rawalpindi, under a leader named Jatu, via Bhatner and Rania, to Bhirrana: Jatu returned to Rawalpindi, while Lal, his son, remained as leader, and he is regarded as the founder of the present Sohu clan.
Another version is that the Sohus are Chauhans who came via Delhi from Jilopattan near Jaipur, and settled on the Ravi, whence they again migrated to Sirsa.
|Sukheras||They claim descent from the Tunwar Rajputs of Bahuna. Thirpal, a Tomar of that place, married a Jatni, and was in consequencv outcasted. Thirpal is said to have settled in Basti Bhiman near Fatehabad, and his descendants subsequently spread into Sirsa and as far as Abohar. They were, however, driven backagain and settled in Begar; it and Basi Bhiman was their chief villages. They take their name from Sukha, the son of Thirpal.|
|Hinjraon||This clan claimed descent from the Siroha Rajputs, and was said to have migrated from the banks of the Ravi into this district. Their principal ·village was Hinjraon in the Fatehabad Tehsil of the then Hissar District. However, according to other traditions, they are infact Hanjra Jatts who arrived from the banks of the Ravi, in present day Okara.|
|Chotias or Bhanekas||According to their tribal traditions, they were originally Chauhan Rajputs, but they appear in reality to be Dandiwal Jats, who were converted to Islam a few generations ago. The Dandiwals themselves claim to have been originally Chauhans, and state that they emigrated from Delhi via Jaisalmer to Sirsa|
From the origin myths of these tribes, it is clear the Pachhada sat on the boundary between Jat and Rajputs, and at time intermarried with both groups.
The Pachhada were of among a number of Rajput pastoralist groups found the Ghaghar valley and north Rajasthan, and were often closely identified with the Ranghar and Bhatti communities, who have similar customs and traditions. With the establishment of British rule in the early 19th Century, the new authorities took the view that all pastoral nomads in the Ghaghar valley were a threat to their newly established control, and took stringent measures against all the nomad groups of the region such as the Ranghar, Johiya and Bhatti. Land was allocated to peasant settlers, and an attempt was made to forcibly settle the Pachhada. As a result of these policies, the Pacchada played an important role in the attack on Sirsa in the 1857 Indian War of Independence.
After the reestablishment of British colonial authority, the Pacchada were severely punished by British. There were considerable confiscations of land, and the Pachhada were forcibly settled. By the early 20thcCentury, the Pachhada were settled agriculturists, although animal husbandry remained an important subsidiary occupation. At the time of the partition of India in 1947, the Hissar District fell within the territory of India, and all the Pachhada immigrated to Pakistan.In their new homeland in Pakistani Punjab, mainly in Okara, Sahiwal, Muzaffargarh and Layyah districts, the Pacchada maintain their distinct identity. Many still speak the Haryanvi language. The Pacchada are entirely Sunni, and their customs are similar to other Haryana Muslims settled in Pakistan such as the Rangh