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Aror (or Alor(c) near Rohri in Sind was the capital of the Rai dynasty and Brahmin rulers till 615 A.D. Between 638 A.D. and 711 A.D., the Arabs launched as many as 15 attacks against Sind and were consistently defeated. Finally in 711 A. D., Mohammed Bin Qasim started for Sind, and defeated Dahir, who ruled Upper Sind at Aror. Thus many families left Aror and migrated north to Punjab -- and are still known as Aroras. Other Hindus shifted to Multan, Jaisalmer and Kutch for safety. A good number of them returned to Sind during the Kalhora rule in the 1700's.
The Advani family is named after Diwan Adoomal who was the son of Kilumal and grandson of Jasoomal. They were residents of the village of Luha (or also called as Lahpur near Multan(c) in Punjab in the late 1600's. Their Nukha (or tribe name or identity(c) is Maghu Khatri (a warrior caste(c) and are originally Arora-Vanshi Rajputs. Their Gotra (meaning a family village or a caste village(c) is Bhardwaj. Ved is Shukla Yajur and Shakha is Madhyandini.
Adoomal was a swordsman with Mian Nur Mohamad Kalhoro, who succeeded as the ruler in Sind on the death of his father, Yar Mohamad Kalhoro, in 1719. It appears that in 1736, Nur Mohamad Kalhoro visited Multan and brought Adoomal and also Gidumal Belomal (a great great grandson of Adiomal Shahwani from whom are descendent the families of Ajwani's, Bhavnani's, Gidwani's, and Jagtiani's(c) to Sind with himself.
Thus Adoomal along with his father Kilumal and his brother Askarandas must have moved from his original village of Luha in Punjab to Multan some years earlier, perhaps due to persecution of Hindus by Aurangzeb or for the sake of service. This migration probably started after 1670.
Adoomal settled down first in Naushahro Firoz. Later he moved to Khuda-abad, which had been established in 1701 near Dadu on the left bank of the Indus River. Khuda-abad had become the capital of whole Sind, as the rule of Nur Mohamad Kalhoro now extended from Thatta (in Lower Sind(c) to Multan (in Upper Sind, which was then part of Greater Sind).
ADOOMAL'S 1ST MARRIAGE
Adoomal married his first wife in Punjab. From her, he had three sons - Chandumal, Ditomal, and Lakhumal.
Adoomal | ------------------------------------------- | | First Wife (Punjab) Second Wife (Sind) Chandumal, Ditomal & Lakhumal Baharmal, Sunderdas, Wasaiomal & Tharumal
DESCENDANTS OF 1ST SON -- CHANDUMAL
Chandumal had two sons, Chatomal and Jethmal. A partial family tree of Chandumal's 2nd son, Jethmal, is given below:
Chandumal Adoomal | Jethmal | Ajumal | ---------------------------------------------- | | Ailmal Kishinchand | | Mahirchand ----------------------------- | | | | -------------- Sachanand Kewalram Teckchand | | | | Bherumal Thanverdas Gidumal ---------- | | | | Pribhdas Jhamrai Bulchand Santdas | Nebhraj | Narain
Bherumal, son of Munshi Mahirchand, traveled widely in Punjab and Sind on official business as Distillery Inspector. Thus he gathered considerable information about the "The Origins of Ami‾s of Sind" and wrote the book in 1919, which was translated into English by Narain Nebhraj Advani. But his chief claim to immortality, per Lalsing H. Ajwani's book titled "History of Sindhi Literature", is "in Sindhi literature arising from the fact that beginning with his treatise on Sindhi Language in 1925 he was able to write his History of Sindhi Language in 1941 which, in Pakistan as well as in India, is taken to be the standard work on the subject".
Another descendant of Chandumal was Sitaldas and now from Diwan Belomal's time call themselves as Sitlani's. And also Gopaldas Jhamatmal, father of Barrister Hotchand Advani who still practices in Bombay High Court. Chandumal Adoomal
| ------------------------------ | | Chatomal Jethmal | | ------------- | | | | Devanimal Balchand Lalchand | | | Sidhumal Sitaldas Kouromal (Sidhwani) | | Belomal (Sitlani's) Jhamatmal | Gopaldas | -------------------- | | Thakurdas Hotchand
Sidhumal's descendants include Pribhdas Shewakram who founded the Nav Kanya Vidyalaya in Hyderabad, Master Dharamdas Khubchand and his grandson Lal Kishin Advani, who is the current President of the Bharatiya Janata Party. A partial family tree is as follows:
Sidhumal | --------------------------------------------------- | | | | | Khanchand Baharmal Jhuromal Asardas Bhavandas | | Tilokchand Ailmal | | Shewakram Khubchand | | Pribhdas Dharamdas | Kishinchand | Lal
DESCENDANTS OF 2ND SON -- DITOMAL
From Adoomal's second son, Ditomal, are descendent the families of Diwan Nandiram, Mukhi Khubchand, Sadhu Navalrai and Sadhu Hiranand. A partial family tree is as below:
Ditomal Adoomal | ------------------------------------------------------ | | | | Varakhmal Kandharimal Nihalsing Maherchand | ------------------------------- | | | Mayaram Mansharam Kirparam | | --------------------- | | | | Valiram Hirdaram Mustakram | -------------------------- | | | Nandiram Chandiram Tuljaram | | ---------------------- | | | | Showkiram Khubchand Santokram | | ---------- | | | | Navalrai Hiranand Chatomal
It appears that Munshi Valiram Mayaram, a great grandson of Ditomal Adoomal, was a Chief Minister of Mir Nasirkhan. The descendants of Munshi Valiram changed their surname to Manshani's or Munshani's based on the word Munshi.
Sadhu Navalrai and Sadhu Hiranand, sons of Mukhi Showkiram, had a lot of impact on the Sindhi community in Hyderabad, particularly in bringing the Brahmo Samaj movement coupled with social reforms and education. The N. H. Academy in Hyderabad bears their name. BRANCH OF KANDHARIMAL DITOMAL
The branch of Kandharimal Ditomal started calling themselves as Kandharani's, and became Akali Khalsas. Khalsa Maniksing Kishinchand and his brother Khalsa Manghirsing Kishinchand, sons of Diwan Kishinchand Ramsing, along with Khalsa Jethsing Chandoomal, son Diwan Chandoomal Nihalchand, were chiefly responsible for bringing Sihkism into the family. They built the family Gurdwara, Akal Bunga Sahib, in Hyderabad, Sind, about the year 1843. The first Guru Granth Sahib was sent by Raja Ranjit Sing from Lahore. A partial family tree is as follows:
Kandharimal Ditomal | --------------------------------------------------- | | | Lakhmichand Ambatrai Assanand | | Nihalchand Sachanand | | ------------------------------------------- | | | | | | | Manjimal Chandoomal Dandoomal Aidas Bhopatrai Ramsing | | | Jethsing Tiloksing Kishinchand | | | ------------ | | | Khushalsing Maniksing Manghirsing | | Tolasing Achalsing | ----------------------------------- | | | | Bhagsing Jotsing Mohansing Gobindsing DESCENDANTS OF 3RD SON -- LAKHUMAL
From his third son, Lakhumal, are descendent the families of surveyor Gopumal (aka Gopaldas(c) as shown below:
Lakhumal Adoomal | Rochiram | Kiratrai | Gopaldas | Kushiram
ADOOMAL'S 2ND MARRIAGE
After the death of his first wife, Adoomal remarried. His second wife, daughter of Bhai Adumal, was from the village of Thatt in Navabshah district of Sind. From her, he had four sons .... Baharmal ( aka Biharimal), Tharumal, Wasaiomal and Sunderdas.
Thatta was originally one village. In 1825, Indus river flooded and submerged Thatt, Mithiani, Tagar, Kamalderah and other villages. Thatt was rebuilt but again Indus submerged it and other villages in 1870. Though Thatt was rebuilt a third time, by 1903 the inhabitants had scattered and built three new villages namely Thatt Bhojraj, Thatt Goraho and Thatt Hotchand. The first two were close to each other and at a distance of a mile and a quarter from the town of Mithiani. Thatt Hotchand was about two miles from the first two Thatts, adjacent to Dalipotan and five miles from Navabshah.
DESCENDANTS OF THE 4TH SON -- BAHARMAL
Baharmal's descendants are the family of Rai Bahadur Diwan Hiranand Khemsing and Diwan Himmatsing Khemsing. A partial family tree is as follows:
Baharmal Adoomal | Gurmukhdas | Dhulumal | Gulabrai | Khemsing | -------------------------------- | | Hiranand Himmatsing | ------------------------------------------- | | | | Harising Tahilram Bhagwandas Dharamdas | | | ------------------ | --------- | | | | | | | Kishu Mithu Sunder Indu Lalit Indursen Suren
Rai Bahadur Diwan Hiranand Khemsing was a lawyer who took up the cases of the Mirs and went to Great Britain to represent them a few times. He was thrice the President of Hyderabad Municipality, probably between 1900 to 1910. It was he who conceived and developed a new township as an extension to the town of Hyderabad. This township was named after him as Hirabad Quarters. He was reputed to be the brainiest man produced by Sind in those days. He also became an Advisor to the Governor of Sind during the British rule when dyarchy was introduced in India at the centre and in the provinces.
Diwan Himatsing Khemsing was a prominent Zamidar of Badin in Lower Sind. ADOOMAL'S OTHER SONS
Tharumal was blind from birth and did not marry. Hence he was called "Tharu the Celibate". Though Tharumal did not possess outward sight, he possessed considerable inner intelligence. Once Adoomal expressed his feelings of sorrow regarding his blind son to Mian Nur Mohamad Kalhoro and beseeched him, as the story goes
"Sire, you are a Royal Being blessed by God Almighty. You may
kindly be pleased to put your hand of mercy on Tharu".
Nur Mohamad was taking meals at that moment. Immediately he
called Tharu and asked him in the presence of his father,
Adoomal, " Tharu, what am I eating?"
After asking him, Nur Mohamad put a piece of bread loaf in
his mouth and took curds over it. Tharu said immediately "
Curds over bread".
Nur Mohamad told Diwan Adoomal "See! Your son has not got
outward sight but has inner light so much so that he could
say at once that I was taking bread with curds."
Many had faith in Tharumal. His Samadhi was made in the mohalla of Rai Bahadur Diwan Hiranand Khemsing. A light would burn at the Samadhi every evening. Among the dwellers in the mohalla, he was referred to as Dado Tharu, and his spirit made his presence felt by several unusual happenings. It was not understandable why these unusual phenomenon occurred, perhaps indicating that the spirit of this Sanyasi was not at peace. The manner of his death, of which there is no record, might explain it. At last there was a written note from him which appeared in one of the houses in the mohalla. The note stated that "if Brahmins in Naraimsir in Kutch were fed in his name, his spirit would find peace". This was done immediately and thereafter his soul was at rest.
The other two sons, Sunderdas and Wasaiomal, were killed in a war with the Mughals, along with their father Diwan Adoomal. The sword of Adoomal found its way into the hands of Diwan Hiranand Khemsing, who may have got it from the Mirs of Sind for whom he took a case to the Privy Council.
MOVE FROM KHUDA-ABAD TO HYDERABAD
Earlier Diwan Adoomal had moved from Naushahro to Khuda-abad and later to Hyderabad, which had become the new capital of Sind. Adoomal and his descendants lived in the Advani lane in Hyderabad. While in Khuda-abad, Adoomal had taken Punwani's and Gulrajani's as his proteges. Thus when the Khuda-abadi Amils moved to Hyderabad, Adoomal took these two families along and settled them close by. Hence the Punwani's lived on one street off the Advani Lane and the Gulrajani's live on another street off the Advani Lane.
BRANCHES OF ADVANI'S
As the number and size of the Advani clan grew, some of them separated out as Sitlani's, Shamdasani's, Manshani's or Munshani's, Sidhwani's and Kandharani's as mentioned above. Some separated out as Akali's. There were Advani's in Larkhana and Naushahro also. Many persons of Nukha Maghu Khatri (same Nukha of Advani's(c) are also found in Amritsar and Multan to this day.
Compiled by Harish J Jagtiani, 1990
Reference: "Sindh Je Hindun Jo Tarrickh, Volume 1 & 2", by Bherumal Mahirchand Advani, 1946.
Added by Harish J Jagtiani, March 2011