Follow
KOHLI
'Kohli' is a well-known surname originating from Punjab in north-western India. The Khukhrain are a group of eight specific clans of the Khatri sub-caste. The names of the eight clans are Anand, Bhasin, Chadha, Chandhok, Kohli, Sabharwal, Sethi and Suri,
HISTORY
The Kohli clan originated in the Gujrat region of Punjab Pakistan. One majority of the Kohli clan migrated to the towns of Nurmahal and Jamsher in the doaba region (Distt Jalandhar), about 700 years ago. The town of Nurmahal till date, has a 'Kohlian da Mohala' (the Kohli boulevard). Nurmahal a common phrase referenced to is “ye ghar hai ya nurmahal di sarai” (is this an individual’s home or the Sarai Nurmahal). Other Kohli's hail from what is currently called the Salt Range in erstwhile Pakistan. As part of the Khatri Khukhrain ancestry, with the advent of the Sikh warrior movement in Punjab, Kohli's too traditionally brought up one son as a Keshdhari Sikh. Today, this manifests with the Kohli surname also surfacing amongst those who follow Sikhism today. Predominately, the Kohli clan continues to follows dual religious traditions of both Hindu Arya Samaj and Sikh mores. As far as is known, the Kohli clan migrated from Pakistan to Punjab and then to Uttar Pradesh and the northern New Delhi part of India. Both Hinduism as well as Sikhism are seen practiced throughout the Kohli clan, although the probability of finding a Hindu member of the Kohli clan is higher.
-rewritten by Ishan Kohli