Khangar Family History & Genealogy

History

Khangars are an ancient Kshatriya clan of Indian origin.


They ruled large areas of Bundelkhand after the fall Chandels in 1182 A.D. Their seat of power was at Garh Kundar, a splendid fort built by Maharaja Khub Singh Khangar


During Khangar rule, Bundelkhand was called as ‘Jujhauti' implying the land of warriors. Khangars ruled Jujhauti from their capital at Garh Kundar till the middle of 14th century A.D. The story of decline of Khangar empire is a saga of sacrifices, heroism and betrayal. It is said that the daughter of last Khangar king Maan Singh, whose name was Rajkumari Kesar Dei, was very beautiful. When Mohammad bin Tughlaq, the contemporary ruler of Delhi Sultanate, came to know about the beauty of Kesar Dei, he sent a marriage proposal to Maharaja Maan Singh Khangar, with a warning of bad consequences in case of refusal. It was a totally unacceptable thing for the proud Khangars, who vowed to fight the ill-intentions of Delhi sultan till the end. Mohammad Tughlaq got very annoyed at the adamancy of Khangars and sent a large army to attack and captureGarh Kundar.


A fierce battle ensued between sultan's powerful army and brave warriors of Jujhauti. Many Khangar brave-hearts laid down their lives to save their honour, including the crown prince Bardai Singh and king Maan Singh himself. When it was known that Khangars would lose the war, Rajkumari Kesar Dei decided to jump into the holy fire and commit ‘jauhar' along with other princesses. It was a fateful day of Chaitra month in 1347 A.D. A large pool of fire was built by the chief priest of Khangar king, and into it jumped the brave Rajkumari Kesar Dei from a high platform. After her, other princesses also committed ‘Jauhar' (a ritual of killing oneself by jumping into the fire, committed in medieval times by kshatriya and Rajput ladies to protect their honour). A few rock inscriptions have been found in the ruins of Garh Kundar that tell the story of Kesar Dei. The folk songs of Bundelkhand mention about the courage and sacrifice of ‘Jujhauti' women

Name Origin

Khangars are a sub-clan of Arkawanshi kshatriyas of Awadh (also called Arakhs). 'Arkawanshi' is the synonym of 'Suryawanshi'. After their evolution from Arkawanshi kshatriyas (Arakhs), Khangars developed as exogamous clan of Arakhs. ‘Khangar' is derived from the word ‘Khangdhaar', which can be broken as ‘Khang' (meaning ‘sword') + ‘Dhaar' (meaning ‘to wield'). Thus, ‘Khangar' implies ‘one who wields the sword'. Originating from Awadh the Khangars slowly moved to Bundelkhand and Bihar and from Bundelkhand, they spread across Rajasthan, Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat. Some Khangars claim their descent from Yaduwanshi (Lunar line of kshatriyas) clan, but actually they originally belong toSuryavanshi clan of kshatriyas. The confusion of being Yaduwanshi arose probably because of intermixing with Lunar clans of kshatriyas at some point of time in history.

Spellings & Pronunciations

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Nationality & Ethnicity

Orchha ORCHHA -Garh Kundar tour helps the tourists to explore the rustic charm of Madhya Pradesh. Garh Kundar is situated in Madhya Pradesh in the district of Tikamgarh. It is a small village, which is named after the Kundar fort.


Garh Kundar is one of the picturesque sites in Madhya Pradesh and forms an important part of Orchha-Garh Kundar tour. Apart from the fort, it also possesses a number of sites that attracts many tourists from across the world. One can also come across the temple of Gajanan Maa, built by Maharaja Khub Singh and the temple of Giddha Vahini Devi in Garh Kundar. The forts, temples and ancient structures of Garh Kundar highlight the rich past of the territory.


Kundar came into prominence in 1180s with the decision of Khet Singh to built his capital at this site. Khet Singh annexed the Jinagarh fortress of the Chandelas and established his own capital. Maharaja Khub Singh Khangar, the grandson of Khet Singh, built a fort in place of the fortress after the death of his grandfather. This fort built by Maharaja Khub Singh was named 'Garh Kundar'. It remained the capital of the Khangar kings, until it was captured by Mohammad Tughlaq. Garh Kundar passed on to Bundelas, who were the vassals of the Mughals.


The fort is one of the principal attractions in Garh Kundar. It is a magnificent complex with a large, spacious courtyard. It is said that Princess Kesar De committed 'jauhar' in the courtyard of the fort. The fort also possesses few inscriptions on its pillars. One can also come across beautiful flooring.

Famous People named Khangar

Maharaja Khet Singh
The main hero of Khangar clan was Maharaja Khet Singh, who was a friend and an associate of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. Khet Singh was with Prithavi Raj in all his ventures, including Chandel-Chauhan war and twin battles of Tarain (in 1191 A.D. and 1192 A.D.) with Muhammad Ghori. After the defeat of Chauhans in the second battle of Tarain at the hands of Turks, Khet Singh established an independent Khangar state in Bundelkhand (named as ‘Jejak Bhukti' by the Chandels). His grandson Khub Singh built the grand fort of Kundar and named it ‘Garh Kundar'. The ruins of Garh Kundar are still standing in the Tikamgarhdistrict of Madhya Pradesh, quietly telling the story of Khangars. On December 27 and 28, every year, a festival is held at Garh Kundar to commemorate the heroic deeds of Maharaja Khet Singh.

Early Khangars