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Gurjar

Gurjar
Regions with significant populations
South Asia
Languages
Gojri • Gujarati • Hindi • Kashmiri • Punjabi • Urdu • Pashto • Haryanvi • Sindhi • Balochi • Pahari • Bhojpuri • Marathi
Religion
Hinduism • Islam • Sikhism
Related ethnic groups
Jats • Rajputs • Ahirs and other Indo-Aryan People

The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara[1]) are an agricultural[2] ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan,[3] divided internally into various clan groups.[3] They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic[4][5][6] activities and formed a large heterogeneous group.[7] The historical role of Gurjars has been quite diverse in society: at one end they have been founders of several kingdoms and dynasties and, at the other end, some are still nomads with no land of their own.[1]

The pivotal point in the history of Gurjar identity is often traced back to the emergence of a Gurjara kingdom in present-day Rajasthan and Gujarat during the Middle Ages (around 570 CE).[8] It is believed that the Gurjars migrated to different parts of the Indian Subcontinent from the Gurjaratra.[9]

The Gurjaras started fading from the forefront of history after the 10th century CE. Thereafter, history records several Gurjar chieftains and upstart warriors, who were rather petty rulers in contrast to their predecessors. Gujar or Gujjar were quite common during the Mughal era, and documents dating from the period mention Gujars as a 'turbulent' people.

The Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan were known as Gurjaradesa and Gurjaratra for centuries prior to the arrival of the British. The Gujrat and Gujranwala districts of Pakistani Punjab have also been associated with Gurjars from as early as the 8th century CE, when there existed a Gurjara kingdom in the same area.[10][11] The Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh was also known as Gurjargadh previously, due to the presence of many Gurjar zamindars in the area.[12]

Gurjars are linguistically and religiously diverse. Although they are able to speak the language of the region and country where they live, Gurjars have their own language, known as Gujari. They variously follow Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism.[13][14]

The Hindu Gurjars are mostly found in Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab Plains and Maharashtra. Muslim Gurjars are mostly found in Pakistani province of Punjab, mainly concentrated in Lahore and northern cities of Gujranwala, Gujrat, Gujar Khan and Jhelum; Indian Himalayan regions such as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of Uttarakhand; and Afghanistan.

  1. ^ a b Mayaram, Shail (2017). "The Story of the Gujars". In Vijaya Ramaswamy (ed.). Migrations in Medieval and Early Colonial India. Taylor & Francis. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-351-55825-9. The heterogeneous category that is variously called gujar/Gujjar/Gurjara.
  2. ^ Zelin, Madeleine (6 October 2015). Merchant Communities in Asia, 1600–1980. Routledge. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-317-31789-0.
  3. ^ a b Rahi, Javaid, ed. (2012). The GUJJARS - A Book Series on History and Culture of Gujjar Tribe. Vol. 1.
  4. ^ "Welfare measures of nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes to be taken". The Tribune. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  5. ^ "As seen from the eyes of nomadic tribes". The Indian Express. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Finding identity: Nomadic Gujjar tribes". Independent. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  7. ^ Rahi, Javaid, ed. (2016). "The GUJJARS - A Book Series on History and Culture of Gujjar Tribe". The Gujjars -Vol: 06- ed Javaid Rahi. 6.
  8. ^ Baij Nath Puri (1957). The History Of The Gurjara Pratiharas (PhD thesis) – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Chattopadhyaya 1994, p. 6 "we have noted that Gurjaratra or Gurjarabhumi was the base from which several lineages tracing descent from the Gurjaras emerged"
  10. ^ Baij Nath Puri 1957, p. 12.
  11. ^ Buddha Prakash (1965). Aspects of Indian History and Civilization. Shiva Lal Agarwala. p. 157. ISBN 9780842616812.
  12. ^ Baij Nath Puri (1975). The History of the Gurjara-Pratihāras. Oriental Publishers & Distributors. pp. 14–17.
  13. ^ "Nuristan". Program for Culture & Conflict Studies. Naval Postgraduate School. October 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  14. ^ Singh 2012, pp. 48 & 51.

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