Bakarwali

Bakarwali
Native to
EthnicityBakarwal Gujjars
Native speakers
5,941 (1961 census)
Takri, Perso-Arabic script, Devanagari
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologbaka1270

Bakawarli also known as Bakerwali or Bakarwal Gujari, is a dialect of the Gujari language. It is spoken by the Bakarwal people of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) in India and Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. It is slightly different from other Gujari dialects spoken in various parts of Azad Kashmir.

The Glotto code for the Bakawarli is "baka1270". In the 1961 census of India, Bakarwali speakers were recorded separately from Gujari speakers in Jammu and Kashmir (state).

In 2016, Veterinary experts from the Sheep Husbandry Department of Jammu and experienced Bakarwals worked together. They translated scientific research about hot weather effects on animals and people into the Bakarwali dialect. This translation made it easier to get feedback and responses from Bakarwal nomads.

Classification

Bakarwali is classified as a dialect of Gujari spoken by Bakarwals. But in terms of vocabulary it is quite different from Gujari. It share similarities with other Indo-Aryan languages including, Marwadi, Haryanvi, Pashto and Urdu.

References

  1. ↑ Sharma, Jagdish Chander (1979). Gojri Phonetic Reader. Central Institute of Indian Languages. p. 1. It has been observed by the author that Bakarwali form of speech spoken by Bakarwals numbering 59413 in 1961 Census.
  2. 1 2 Dar, Hilal Ahmad; Wani, Zahoor Ahmad (2024-10-01). "Paradox of Tribal Integration Amidst Resistance: A Study of Bakarwals in Jammu and Kashmir". Sociological Bulletin. 73 (4): 431–442. doi:10.1177/00380229241287352. ISSN 0038-0229. Most Bakarwals speak Bakarwali, a dialect of Gojari related to Rajasthani–Haryanvi.
  3. ↑ Rao, P. Durga; Khan, Dilnaz (2021). "Bakarwals Of Kashmir: An Observation". Psychology and Education. 58 (2). Department of Anthropology Bule Hora University: 11492. The territory of Bakarwals is surrounded by the PirPanjal and Himalayan ranges with thick and thin forests. They speak Bakarwali language and use Arabic scrip, they use other languages like Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi while communicating with others.
  4. ↑ Kaul, P. K. (2006). Pahāṛi and Other Tribal Dialects of Jammu. Vol. 1. Eastern Book Linkers. p. 280. ISBN 978-81-7854-101-3.
  5. ↑ Kumāra, Braja Bihārī (1998). The Tribal Societies of India: A Macro Perception. Omsons Publications. p. 104. ISBN 978-81-7117-165-1
  6. ↑ Kumar, Vikas, ed. (2024), "Inventing Boys and Miscounting Tribes and Languages", Numbers as Political Allies: The Census in Jammu and Kashmir, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 126–218, ISBN 978-1-009-31721-4, retrieved 2026-07-06, Bakerwali-speaking population entirely based in Jammu and Kashmir and Azad Kashmir...
  7. ↑ Collier, Gordon; Delrez, Marc; Fuchs, Anne; Ledent, Bénédicte (2012-01-01). Engaging with Literature of Commitment. Volume 2: The Worldly Scholar. BRILL. p. 50. doi:10.1163/9789401207850_005. ISBN 978-94-012-0785-0.
  8. ↑ Rensch, Calvin Ross (1992). Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan: Hindko and Gujari. National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University. p. 108. There are known to be landless Gujars continuing to pursue a nomadic herding lifestyle, particularly the Bakarwals in Azad Kashmir. The general opinion of settled Gujars in Azad Kashmir was that the Bakarwal Gujari was only slightly different from their own, the lifestyle being the main difference between the peoples.
  9. ↑ "Glottolog 5.3 - Bakarwali". glottolog.org. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  10. ↑ "hortensj-garden.org". www.hortensj-garden.org. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  11. ↑ Rensch, Calvin Ross (1992). Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan: Hindko and Gujari. National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University. p. 97. The 1961 Indian census reported Bakarwali speakers (nomadic Gujars) separately from Gujari speakers, listing approximately 5941.
  12. ↑ Sharma, Dinesh (1988). Education and Socialization Among the Tribes: With Special Reference to Gujjars of Kashmir. Commonwealth Publishers. p. 23. ISBN 978-81-900066-6-8.
  13. ↑ Sharma, Rakesh (July 2018). "Bakarwal Pastoralists Livelihood Resilience to Hot Weather" (PDF). Asian Resonance. 7 (3). Punjab University, Chandigarh: 112. eISSN 2349-9443. The help of veterinary experts from sheep husbandry department Jammu and the help of experienced pastoralists have been taken to develop the Bakarwali translated version of scientific literature on the effect of hot weather on livestock and human being. Thus the scientific literature was translated into Bakarwali dialect which helps to draw the responses from the pastoralists.
  14. ↑ Raha, Manis Kumar (1992). The Himalayas and the Himalayans: Studies on Ecology, Biology, and Culture. Anthropological Survey of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Culture, Government of India. p. 345. ISBN 978-81-85579-11-5. They speak their own language which they call ' Bakarwali'. They say it is of course a part of ' Gojri ' language but there are some sort of vocabulary differences. The language of the Bakarwals is also related to Harara and Swat dialects...
  15. ↑ The Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India. Vol. 52. The Survey. 2003. p. 14. The Bakarwals, on the other hand, speak a language that seems to bear affinity with the Pushto group of languages in north-west Pakistan.
  16. ↑ Piani, Alexis (2025-05-16). AI Explains: Kashmir. Blue Tensor LLC.