Chhat

In some areas of eastern Punjab, primarily in the sub-montane districts, the Rajputs inhabited villages, known as Chhat, that were of the highest caliber.[1] The word "Chhat" is explained as an abbreviation of "chhatar makan", equivalent to the English word crown. A chhat is a village which enjoys a pre-eminence over, or is held in special veneration by, the other villages of the biradari. It is generally called simply chhat. Whereas, a makan is a village of lower status than a chhat. A person must execute a meritorious deed for a village to be granted the title of makan.

Hence, Makan is also a famous place, not an ordinary village.[2]

When a daughter gets married, the member of a chhat always gives twice as much to the mirasis as the member of a makan.[2]

References

1. Gait, Edward (1902). Census of India, 1901: Punjab and North West Frontier Province (2 v.). Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. p. 323.
2. Punjab District Gazetteers Hoshiarpur District. Punjab Government Press. 1905. p. 46.