Chopra is a Ror and Punjabi Khatri surname.[2][3] They belonged to the Barah-Ghar / Bahri family-group of the Khatris, which also includes the clans of Dhawan, Kakkar, Kapoor, Khanna, Mehra, Malhotra, Sehgal, Seth, Tandon, Talwar, and Vohra.[4]
Chopra | |
---|---|
Jāti | Khatri, Ror[1] |
Religions | Hinduism, Sikhism |
Languages | Punjabi |
Country | India |
Region | Punjab |
Ethnicity | Punjabi |
Lineage | Bahri |
Related groups | Dhawan, Kakkar, Kapoor, Khanna, Mehra, Malhotra, Sehgal, Seth, Tandon, Talwar, Vohra |
The Chopras claims to originate from one man called "Chaupat Rai" who was killed in a battle with Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. His descendants who were born before his death took the name of their forefather and hence came to be known as Chopra.[5] Most Chopras are Hindu, with a minority also being Sikh.
Todar Mal was Chopra. Diwan Mulraj and Diwan Sawan Mal were from Chopra Khatri families and served as army generals under Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Sikh Empire. Sawan Mal Chopra was renowned for capturing Multan from the rule of Afghans while Mulraj was known to have rebelled against the British which led to the 2nd Anglo-Sikh war.[6][7] The ancestors of the Chopras were expert gamblers, so much so that they were called the incarnation of Maharaja Nala.[8]
They were concentrated in Majha region of Punjab in modern-day countries of India and Pakistan which includes Gujranwala, Amritsar, Lahore etc.[9][10] Dr. Satyapal, a prominent freedom fighter from Gujranwala who was arrested by the British along with Saifuddin Kitchlew was a Chopra Khatri.[11][12] Kavi Tahikan was a soldier by profession who also served as one of the 52 poets/writers of Guru Gobind Singh belonged to a Chopra family of Jalalpur town of Gujrat district.[13][14]
People listed may or may not be affiliated to the clans or the religions, include:
Khatri Khatri surnames like Bhatia , Bhandari , Chopra , Chowdhri , Dhawan , Kakar , Kapoor , Khanna , Kochhar , Mahendru , Sami , Sahni , Sethi , Tandan , Uppal , Vohra etc.