Bal

The Bal (Hindi: बल) (Urdu: بعل) surname, of differing origins, is common among several communities.

History and origin

Bals are descendents of Indo-Aryan tribes. According to the Mahabharata (Chapter -Adi Parva) they are the descendents of Bhagat Prahlada's grandson Raja Bali (Mahabali).^[1][2]

Distribution in India

• Several people belonging to this Jat gotra can be found in Haryana. In Punjab the gotra can be found in the district of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala.

• An village of Bal's can also be found near Ajeetpur, Uttrakhand. According to them they moved from Amritsar around the time of partition.

• People belong to this gotra can also be found in Maharashtra. They trace back their origins to the village of Ladghar which is located in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.^[3]

• The Bal gotra can also be found in Northern Kashmir ^[4]
• People having 'Bal' surname are also found in Orissa. They belong to Kshatriya community and mostly found in coastal belt of Orissa like Kendrapara,Jajpur,Cuttack, Bhadrak etcs.

Distribution in Pakistan

• Bal is one of the largest Jat tribe, found throughout the central districts of Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, and Okara.

• Many have also settled in the canal colony districts of Faisalabad, Sahiwal and Sargodha.

• Prior to partition, Muslim Bal were also found in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala.

Distribution elsewhere

The Arabic derived surname is also found in Afghanistan and Turkey.

Prominent Bals

• Bülent Bal, Turkish footballer
• Davinder Singh Bal, British-Indian entrepreneur and owner of The Sikh Channel
• Duygu Bal, Turkish volleyball player
• Harigopal Bal, Bengali revolutionary
• Jagmeet Bal, Indian music video director
• Nanda Kishore Bal, Indian poet
• Rohit Bal, Indian fashion designer
• Sambit Bal, Indian journalist
• Vidya Bal, Indian writer/editor and social activist

Random facts

• Bal is derived from a Sanskrit word bala meaning strength
• In Turkish Bal means honey
• In Marathi Bal means a baby with a full head of hair

See also

• List of Jat Clans of West Punjab

References