Bhangu, Bhangoo, or Bhango (pronounced P'ngoo) is a Jat gotra or clan mainly found in the Punjab state of North India, Sindh and Punjab province of Pakistan.
History
The Bhangoo tribe was mentioned by the Greek historians, at the time of Alexander's invasion in the 4th century B.C. The Greek historians mention a ruler Phegelas or Phegus of a native tribe when Alexander approached the river Hyphasis (Beas) in 326 B.C . The name is translated to Sanskrit as Bhagala or Bhagoo .
The tribe is also mentioned during the Arab attack on Sindh in the 7th century A.D. The ruler of the lands at the time of Mohammad Bin Kasim’s invasion of Sindh was the chief of the Bhangoo tribe, Kaka . The Bhangoos were the lords of "Budhiya" around present day Sehwan, Sindh, Pakistan. Kaka was the son of Kotal, and the grandson of Bhandargu Bhangoo, a Jat of the Bhangoo tribe. The members of the Bhangoo tribe were the follower of the Buddhist faith as most of the Jat tribes were around the 7th century AD.
In the census reports of Punjab from 1883 and 1892, the Bhangoos have been described as one of the original Jat tribe and the earliest inhabitants of the Jhang district. The Bhangoo tribe held the area around Shorkot. The Bhangoos were later displaced by the migration of Sials into Jhang. The Sials were subjects of the Bhangoo chiefs until the beginning of the 16th century AD. They are fewer in number than other Jatt clans but they are considered one of the most prominent Jatt clans because of their fierce nature and their royal ancestry . The Bhangoo clan is one of the oldest Jatt clans.
Protectors of the faith
Several members of the Bhangoo clan have died in the service of the Khalsa. In 1740 Bhai Mehtab Singh Bhangoo slained Massa Ranghar and help liberate the Golden Temple from the Mughal clutches. He later achieved martyrdom in Lahore. In 1841 his grandson Bhai Rattan Singh Bhangoo wrote the first documented history of Sikhs, Prachin Panth Parkash. In 1984, the expert in guerilla warfare Gen. Shabeg Singh Bhangoo orchestrated the fortification in the defence of Sri Akal Takht with Sikh Khalistani militants. He died 6 June that year defending the premises of Golden Temple against the Indian Army that had been sent to arrest the militant leader Bhindranwale. Jagtar Singh Hawara from village Hawara (Dist. Fatehgarh) who is a prominent sikh warrior from modern times also belongs to Bhangoo's. Origins
The Bhangoos do not claim Rajput ancestry; according to Jat historian Ram Sarup Joon, the Bhangoos are said to be related to the Heer or Hayer tribe which migrated from the Central Asian region of Turkistan . This inter-relation has not been proved or studied extensively. Contrary to it Heer-Bhangu or Bhangu-Hira is a subdivision of Bhangoos' in Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar districts.
The Bhangoo (Bhangu) Jats are not related to the powerful Bhangi Misl (Confederacy) of Sikhs. Historians noted the existence of the Bhangu well before the Khalsa came to power in the Punjab. The descendants of Mehtab Singh Bhangoo are part of Karor Singhia Misl, not the Bhangi Misl. The Bhangi Sardars were of the Dhillon clan. These are often confused in order to attain association with the Bhangi Misl. Old customs
The customs and traditions are not in practice now and were current until the 19th century. The Bhangu clan was amongst the many Jats who denied a widow’s right to adopt in the 19th century . In Ludhiana district the Bhangu clan used to follow the chhatra tradition in which the bridegroom's forehead was to be marked with blood, from a severed goat's ear.
Chiefs of Punjab
In 1851, a Jodh Singh Bhangu was mentioned to be a former Jagirdar of Nurpur Suhutti, district Jhelum (present day district Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan) .
In 1890 Sardar Harnam Singh, a Bhangu Jat Sikh is listed in the “Chiefs and Families of Note in the Delhi, Jalandhar, Peshawar and Derajat Divisions of the Panjab” he is described to be residing in Moron village. Sardar Harman Singh was considered the chief of the Bhangu clan during his time.
Geographical distribution
The Bhangoo clan is found in Amritsar, Patiala (Rajpura), Ropar, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur (Sunam, Barnala), Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Mansa and Hoshiapur districts of Indian Punjab. They are also found in the district of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan since the 1920's. In the Punjab Province of Pakistan they are in Sialkot, Narowal, Montgomery (Sahiwal), Gujranwala, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Jhang districts. The Bhangoos hold large villages in the district of Amritsar . In the Sindh province of Pakistan the Bhangoo are found in Khairpur district. Sub-divisions
The Bhangoos in the adjoining Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar districts use Hir-Bhangoo, Bhangoo (Bhangu)-Hira or Hira as their surname. "Hir" in these areas is a sub-division of Bhangoos. In 1923-1924 the population of the Hir-Bhangoo subdivision was approximately 2176 people .
Bhangoo can be known as Rajpanggoo. "Raj" is the minor family name.
Prominent Bhangoos
Major General Shabeg Singh Bhangoo, Shaheed. He was an expert in guerrilla warfare. He trained the Mukti Bahini in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971; and later the Sikh separatists in Operation Blue Star in year 1984.
Chaudhary Iftikhar Bhangoo, MPA Punjab Assembly, Pakistan.
Bhai Mehtab Singh, Prominent Shaheed of the Sikhs
Gurdial Singh Bhangu, sportsman
Rattan Singh Bhangoo, prominent Sikh historian
Bhurinder Singh Bhangoo, Football Player.
Brigadier Zakaullah Bhangoo
Sami Ullah Bhangoo Deputy Manager R&D APTMA
"Harsharan Bhangoo, Soccer Player (USA)
EDIT BY= AMRIK SINGH BHANGU DHARAMGARH