The Lohanas are said to be the descendants of Lord Rama. Lava, Lord Rama’s son is called Lohanas’ progenitor. One of the eighteen lines of Kshatriyas was called Lavan. ‘Lavan’ and ‘Lohana’ are said to be the corrupted forms of the word ‘Lavan’. The Lohana have 84 different surnames.
        History says that Lohanas are not of Gujarati origin. They have migrated to Gujarat from some other places and have become Gujarati as some other communities have done. They are stout.
        Lohanas, in the current century, have settled not only in different parts of India but also in far away corners of the world. The two large industrial complexes in Uganda-the Madhavani and the Mehta’s are those of Lohanas. Presecution by the former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin compelled the Madhavanis and the Mehtas to leave Uganda and settle in England.
        Besides setting up the Lohana schools, hostles and carvanseries in Gujarat, Lohanas have donated large sums to establish useful public institutions-the most famous of them being the Gujarati Samaj at Haridwar. Lohanas prefer to identify themselves with the places they hail from like the Kutchis, the Halaris, the Ghogharis or the Nagarthathhas. The Religious life of Gujarat has been greatly enriched by many Lohana saints, the most outstanding of them being Jalaram Bapa and Swami Swami Jnanjivandasji- ‘Yogiji Maharaj’ of the swaminarayana sect. Practically every Lohan house is found with a photograph or an idol of Jalaram Bapa- a symbol of Lohana’s great devotion to this noble saint. Inspired by reading of Shri Yogiji Maharaj, many Lohana families have embraced the Swaminarayana sect. The followers of this sect believe that shri Sahajanand Swami; the founder of the Swaminarayan sect was an incarnation of Lord Krishna. The names of Shri Bhikshu Akhandanand, the founder of ‘Sastu sahityavardhak karyalaya’ and Shri Thakkarbapa, known for his great services to the tribals of Gujarat are two well known.
        Late Shri Nanji Kalidas Mehta, another great personality, set up many social service institutions at Porbandar. His son Shekhar Mehta was first Gujarati to become a champion in the ‘Speed Car’ racing. Uttam Chandarana in table tennis; Maganbhai Radia in water-sports; Mohanlal Chandarana in cricket and Kishore Lotwala in badminton are a few leading Lohana names.
        Shri Vaju Kotak – The founder editor of a famous Gujarati weekly ‘Chitralekha’, Ramu Thakkar, Gokuldas Raichura, Karsandas Manek, Pandit Visanji Thakkur have made their mark in the fields of literature and journalism.