Pelkha


Pelkha is a village that lies 10 km north-west of Shamli in the district of Shamli in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is situated in the ancient land of Kuru, now western Uttar Pradesh, one of the most fertile and agriculturally advanced regions of India along with the Punjab and Haryana. Geographically, it is situated in the upper Doab, the area between the 2 great rivers- Ganges and Jamuna.
The village is inhabited by Hindus as well as Muslims. The main language spoken is Khadi boli, a local dialect which is very similar to Haryanvi. Land is distributed between Jats, Brahmins as well as dalits. The village has one of the highest land holdings per capita in the region and is consequently quite prosperous. The village has total land holdings of for a population of around 1500.
The village is also home to the family of Chaudhary Nathu Singh and his sons Kallu Singh and Bhullan Singh of the Dahiya Gotra, one of the Jat Zamindar families of western UP not much bigger like many other Jat aristocracies.The family had land holdings in 5 villages including Pelkha, Malehandi, Dhaulra, Majra and Badena Kalan. This family trace their ancestors to the borders of Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab in the 17th century. Chaudhary Kallu Singh, the last landlord in the family before the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act,
1963 came into force, was a prominent figure in the region and was succeeded by 4 sons.
The family has a very old nineteenth century mughal styled 36 room Haveli in the village which is architectural delight, and was once known all over the region for its sets of engraved stones, brought especially for its construction from Rajasthan.
The village is also the home to Udayveer Singh Pelkha, a local politician who unsuccessfully fought the Lok Sabha elections twice on a BJP ticket.
It has two primary schools that are run by the state government.

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