Gondal Bar

The Bars on this map

The Gondal Bar (Urdu: گوندل بار), named before the dominant caste in region (Gondal Jats), is a region between the rivers Chenab and Jhelum in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northern part of Chaj Doab. "Bar", in the local language, means a forested area where there are no resources for cultivation, like water. Mandi Bahauddin District and some parts of Sargodha District and Gujrat District are known as Gondal Bar. It is a very fertile area. The Jats are the dominant people in the region.Gondal Bar is a vast area with a number of Punjabi tribes sharing same culture and the Punjabi as other bars.

History

According to local traditions, this area was first inhibited by Gujjars and Ranjhas in 12th century. But after Gondal arrival, Ranjha(Jats) and Gondals formed alliance and a battle took place between Gondals and Gujjars. Gondals defeated Gujjars in this battle and Gujjars were forced to leave the area.

Another tale that is associated with this area is of Dillo Gondal and Saidoo Gondal. According to this story, when Nadir Shah invaded India in 1736, he met with resistance from local Jat tribes which included Ghakkars, Khokhars and Gondals.Initially, Ghakkars and Khokhars fought against Nadir Shah but they were defeated easily. Then the inhabitants of Gondal bar led by two brave leaders Saidoo and Dillo organized local Jats and fought bravely against the army of Nadir Shah. Due to this fierce resistance, Nadir Shah's army suffered great losses. But eventually Saidoo and Dillo were captured. Nadir Shah released them because he was impressed with their valor.