Khanna clan from the 11th–18th century — what we can (and can’t) trace

What you’re trying to learn	What the records usually show	What they usually don’t show
“What did the Khanna clan do in 1100–1700?”	Most pre-1800 sources talk about broader groups like Khatris (merchant/scribe communities) rather than modern surnames like “Khanna.”	A clean, century-by-century “Khanna-only” story is rare because sub-clan surnames are not consistently recorded in state chronicles.
“So how do we connect Khanna to history?”	Treat Khanna as a Khatri clan grouping (often linked with “Dhai Ghar” traditions).	That link is social-history context, not a guarantee that every Khanna family branch shares identical origins.
“Can we still map a likely role?”	Yes: where sources document Khatri roles (trade, revenue, finance, scribal work), that is the best historical proxy for many Khanna branches in that period.	It’s not proof of your specific branch unless you also have family records (bahi, deeds, letters, temple/gurdwara records).

Table 1 — Timeline: 11th to 18th century roles (Khanna via Khatri evidence)

Century / period	North India context (very high level)	What we can cite about Khatri roles (best proxy for Khanna)	What it likely means for Khanna branches	Evidence
11th–12th (1000s–1100s)	Punjab and North India see repeated political shifts; long-distance trade continues through towns and caravan routes.	Direct, citable “Khanna” mentions are not typical for this early period in commonly accessible sources.	Treat this period as low-confidence for surname-level tracing; focus on later records + family archive.	(No strong surname-level evidence surfaced in the sources I could access reliably.)
13th–14th (1200s–1300s)	Delhi Sultanate era administration and urban economies expand; literacy + record-keeping become important for governance.	Surname-level “Khanna” is still uncommon, but Khatris appear as a visible urban group by the late Sultanate-era record tradition.	The “administration + commerce” pathway becomes plausible: clerks, accountancy, traders, suppliers.	A later Delhi Sultanate narrative explicitly notes royal patronage toward Khatris of Delhi, showing their visibility in the polity.
15th (1400s)	Regional Sultanates, court politics, and city-based elites.	A Delhi Sultanate account records Khatris involved in court circles and political events, naming “Kanku and Kaju Khatri” among accomplices in a conspiracy narrative, and also notes the Sultan “patronized the Khatris of Delhi.”	Shows Khatris were integrated into urban elite networks—not just “traders,” but connected to court administration and influence.
Late 16th (1500s, Mughal consolidation)	Mughal peace + centralization increase trade volume and formal bureaucracy.	A scholarly article on Mughal state-building states: Punjab overland trade expanded, and Khatris had an “unprecedented share” in it—helped by Mughal stability.	For many Khanna/Khatri branches, this is the strongest “through-line”: trade + documentation + institutional trust.
17th (1600s, mature Mughal system)	Big imperial administration; expansion of market towns; formal revenue and finance offices.	The same study notes Khatris were associated with Mughal administration and included notables, plus large numbers working as petty functionaries/minor officials in revenue and finance departments.	Very plausible roles for Khanna branches: accountancy, revenue collection support, clerical finance work, trade brokerage.
17th (community infrastructure)	Growth of community networks, including Sikh/Hindu institutions and merchant support systems.	A referenceworks summary notes continued commercial and scribal growth in the 17th century and links that growth with creation of Sikh sangats across North India (community networks).	Explains why many Khatri/Khanna families show ties to education, record-keeping, and community institutions.
Early 18th (1700s, upheavals)	Post-Aurangzeb instability; uprisings in Punjab; state fragmentation pressures trade.	The same Mughal study states: when rural uprisings shook the Mughal state in Punjab, Khatri traders lent significant support to the Mughals, and many sought/held roles across key departments and finance.	The “merchant-administrator” profile becomes even more visible: financing, supplies, revenue paperwork, local office roles.
18th (trade diaspora angle)	Overland networks connect Punjab/Sindh merchant groups into wider Asian trade circuits.	A JNU thesis summary (search snippet) describes the diaspora (Multani/Shikarpuri networks) as comprising mainly Khatri merchants from Punjab (tool access to full PDF timed out, but the snippet is explicit).	Supports why some Khatri/Khanna lines may have family lore of Afghanistan/Central Asia trade links, or “Multani/Shikarpuri” identity.

Table 2 — The “connection thread” across 11th–18th centuries (what stays consistent)

Recurring theme	How it shows up historically	What to look for in a Khanna family archive
Trade + networks	Strongly documented by the Mughal period: Punjab overland trade, Khatri share, merchant influence.	Mentions of caravan trade, “arhat/commission,” “multani,” “shikarpuri,” bills, ledgers, shop seals, marketplace addresses.
Revenue/finance + documentation	Khatris appear as minor officials and functionaries in revenue and finance departments.	Old receipts, land/revenue papers, family roles like munshi, karkun, patwari-linked work, accountant (titles vary by region).
Urban elite visibility	Delhi Sultanate narrative shows patronage toward Khatris and named Khatri figures in court politics.	City anchors: Delhi/Lahore/Multan/Jalandhar references; family stories of “old city,” “bazar,” “kothi,” guild ties.
Community institutions	17th-century growth tied to Sikh sangats/community structures in broad summaries.	Links to mandir/gurdwara/arya samaj institutions, donation records, committee names, old photographs with plaques.

Table 3 — How to turn “Khatri history” into “Khanna branch history”

Step	What to do	Output you want
1	Identify your earliest confirmed place (town/tehsil) from family documents.	A single “anchor town” repeated across generations.
2	Build a mini timeline (3–6 generations): names, occupations, migrations.	A clean “who/where/what” table (even if some cells are blank).
3	Search for role-clues that match what’s documented historically: trade, revenue/finance clerical work, community office roles.	Stronger confidence that your branch fits the broader historical pattern.
4	Use “Dhai Ghar / Khanna as Khatri grouping” only as context, not proof.	No over-claiming; just a grounded connection story.

Table 4 — A careful “blog-style conclusion” (still in table form)

Takeaway	What it means
Khanna-specific records (11th–18th) are rare	It’s normal that you won’t find “Khanna” named cleanly in medieval chronicles; most evidence appears at the Khatri level.
The strongest documented roles are trade + revenue/finance documentation	Mughal-era sources explicitly connect Khatris to overland trade expansion and revenue/finance functionary roles.
A late Sultanate snapshot shows real political visibility	Delhi Sultanate narrative notes patronage of Khatris and names Khatri figures in court events, showing they were a recognized urban community.
Your best “connection” is a family archive + this historical scaffold	Once you attach your branch’s town + occupations to this scaffold, you get a credible “how we fit into history” story—without guessing.