Mahton

Mahton or Mehton is not a caste in India.This is a group of Rajput clans in Punjab since 11th century when Raja Bhoja then organized his armies to attack Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi who had invaded Somnath. Ghaznavi fearing the powerful army of Bhoja retreated via the desert of Sindh to avoid a clash (reported by Turkic author Gardizi as Indian Padshah Parmar Dev) with the Indian king and lost many of his men. At that time Rajput families settled in Punjab area. They were enlisted as "Rajput Mahta Sikh" by the British by mistake in 1892 and after that they were called Mahton. Mahtam is also another separate caste, the two castes are distinct ^[1]

Citations

1. The A to Z of Sikhism ,WH McLeod, Scarecrow Press, Jul 30, 2009, page 127

Bibliography

• Guru Nanak journal of sociology. Other Creators Guru Nanak Dev University, Sociology Dept., Published Amritsar, India : Sociology Dept., Guru Nanak Dev University, 1980-
• The making of Little Punjab in Canada : patterns of immigration, Author: Archana B Verma Publisher: Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, 2002
• Punjabis in Canada : a study of formation of an ethnic community, Author: Paramjit S Judge, Publisher: Delhi Chanakya Publ. 1994
• The Sikhs, an Ethnology: An Ethnology, A. E. Barstow Published by B.R. Pub. Corp., 1985
• Final Report of Revised Settlement, Hoshiarpur District, J. A. L. Montgomery
• A glossary of the tribes and castes of the Punjab and North-West ..., Volume 3 By H.A. Rose, IBBETSON, Maclagan