Marhal
The Marhal, are sometime prounounced Mandal, are a a Jat gotra, now found mainly in Sindh, Pakistan, although few are still found in Jarauda, in Muzaffarnagar District of Uttar Pradesh.
History & Origin
The Marhal or Mandal are a tribe that orignally came from Samana, and settled in Karnal, in what is now Haryana. It acquired the name Marial or Marhal from an ancestor who was found newly born by his dead mother's side. In the local dialect of Hindi and Urdu (Haryanwi), marhi is a tomb or shrine.
During the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam, a member of the tribe converted to Islam. In return, he was a granted an estate in Muzaffarnagar, Charthawal and Saron. In 1806, after providing assistance to the British in the Anglo-Maratha wars, the family was granted a Jagir (estate) in Karnal.
The Karnal branch of the tribe produced Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan. The fact that the Samana branch spoke Punjabi, has historically created debates over the ethnic identity of Liaquat. Both the Karnal and Muzaffarnagar branches of the tribe spoke Urdu, as did other Mula Jats.
Present Situation
Presently, both the Samana and Karnal branches of the tribe emigrated to Pakistan, many are now found in the city of Hyderabad. But many of the Jarauda Marhal are still found in India.