Gurjar

Gurjar or Gujjar
Ethnicity
Ethnic Gujjar elder from Rajasthan
EthnicityPunjabi, Kashmiri, Haryanvi
LocationSouth Asia
LanguagePunjabi, Kashmiri, Hindi-Urdu, Gujarati, Sindhi, Haryanvi, Gojri, Pashto, Balochi
ReligionIslam • Hinduism
SurnamesChaudhary, Choudhary

Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as Goojar , Gujar and Gochar) are a pastoral, agricultural and peasant ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. They are a nomadic pastoral group of sheep and goat herders in Jammu and Kashmir, Northwestern India, northern and central Pakistan, Azad Kashmir and northeastern Afghanistan. They fall under scheduled caste (ST) category in Jammu and Kashmir, parts of Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh while in other states they fall under the other backward caste (OBC) group.

Historians often link their early movement to the Huna invasions and completely deny any relatability between the 6th century Gurjara Pratihara dynasty and the modern Gujjar tribe, with some theories suggesting they migrated from areas near the Caucasus region or Central Asia along with the Huns.The Genetic data regarding the origin of Gurjars support a mixed-origin model characterised by an indigenous South Asian maternal substrate, measurable West Eurasian autosomal contributions, and paternal affinities to northwestern regional groups like Pashtuns and Pakistani populations.

While according to the research of Dr. Javaid Rahi (National Secretary of Tribal Foundation), the word “Gujjar” originated in Turkey and was initially used by Turks of Central Asia in third millennium BC. In Turkish language the word “Gujjar” was spelled as “Göçer” which stands for an agricultural ethnic group that later turned into seasonal pastoralist nomads. The Gurjars also claim to have originated from the Rajputs or Kshatriyas like the Khatanas of Himalaya who claim to be descendants of Tur (Tanwar) Rajputs, Rawal Gurjars of Panipat claim descent from Khokhar Rajputs, Chamain Gurjars from a Tuar (Tomar) Rajput, the Mavis from a Chauhan Rajput, the Pilwan from a Pundir Rajput, the Adhana from a Raghav/Badgujar Rajputs, and the Bhati Gurjars from Rana Kansal, a Bhati Rajput ruler from Jaisalmer. Kalsian Gurjars claim descent from Rana Har Rai, a Chauhan Rajput of Jundla and his Gurjar wife. According to Priyanka Khanna, in Marwar's royal Rajput households, women who underwent concubinage also included women from the Gurjar community of that region and thus, they claimed Rajput origin in census of Marwar, 1861. Similarly, Tomar Rajput ruler, Man Singh Tomar built the Gujari Mahal in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh for his beloved Gurjari wife Mrignayani as she felt she would be insulted for her caste by the other upper caste queens of Tomar.

The Gujari language is closely related to Rajasthani and Marwari. As per historical accounts, some parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat were known as Gurjarabhumi or Gurjaratra prior to Mughal period in India due to the presence of a large number of nomadic Gujjar shepherds and pastoralists in this region. During the 15th-16th century, there were Hindu Gurjars in the areas of Meerut and Dadri. The Gurjars in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan are mostly Muslims.

After this time, they had both struggles and alliances with the rising Mughal power and later with the Britishers. It is recorded that they were poor nomads and used to live in jungles and forests. With Muslim rule in North India, the Hindu Gurjars of the area surrounding Delhi had to live in jungles in order to survive. The Gurjars of the Punjab region converted to Islam in masses while the Gurjars inhabiting the areas of present-day Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan largely remained Hindu. Modern social theorists and political commentators argue that food-producing and agrarian community such as Gurjar, historically belonged to Shudra varna rather than the Vaishya or Kshatriya varnas, despite their aspirations of the upper varnas. Similarly, the book, The Shudras: Vision for a New Path, states that the Gurjars originally belong to the Shudra or Vaishya Varna and their claim of Kshatriya status is false, merely based on an attempt to raise their social status.

Geographical Distribution

Today, Hindu Gurjars are found in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and to a smaller extent Punjab. Muslim Gurjars are found in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab, Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in the Afghanistan province of Nuristan.

Reference

  1. ↑ 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 (2015-10-06). Merchant Communities in Asia, 1600–1980. Routledge. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-317-31789-0.
  3. ↑ Wilson, Jon (2016). India Conquered Britain's Raj and the Chaos of Empire. Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 9781471101274. Gujars , belonging to a community of cattle herders who had a reputation for their warlike behaviour
  4. ↑ Rahi, Javaid, ed. (2012). The GUJJARS - A Book Series on History and Culture of Gujjar Tribe. Vol. 1.
  5. ↑ Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1969). Caste and Race in India. Popular Prakashan. pp. 232–. ISBN 978-81-7154-205-5.
  6. ↑ Pandey, Aditya (2005). South Asia: Politics of South Asia. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-8205-303-8.
  7. ↑ Sharma, Ram Sharan; Sharma, R. S. (2003). Early Medieval Indian Society (pb). Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-250-2523-8.
  8. ↑ Bharadwaj, A. N. (1994). History and Culture of Himalayan Gujjars. Jay Kay Book House.
  9. ↑ Nijjar, Bakhshish Singh (2008). Origins and History of Jats and Other Allied Nomadic Tribes of India: 900 B.C.-1947 A.D. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-269-0908-7.
  10. ↑ Zahid, Hussain,. "Origins of the Gujjar (Gurjar) Tribe: A Genetic Perspective". Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17170462.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Warikoo, Kulbhushan; Som, Sujit (2000). Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya.
  12. ↑ "Gujjars are of Turk Origin: Latest Study". Javaidrahi's Blog. 2009-06-21. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
  13. ↑ Bharadwaj, A. N. (1994). History and Culture of Himalayan Gujjars. Jay Kay Book House. There are also Hindu Khatana Gurjars who have been residing in different parts of the Punjab and other states. They claim Tur Rajput origin, deriving their name from Khatu nagar, a village in Jaipur.
  14. ↑ Elliot, Henry M. (1969). Memoirs on the History, Folk-Lore, and Distribution of the Races of the North Western Provinces of India; being an amplified Edition of the original: Supplemental Glossary of India Terms By the late Henry M. Elliot. Edited, revised, and re-arranged by John Beames. In 2 Volumes. I. Trübner & Company. In these provinces, how-ever, they do not aspire to so high an origin, contenting themselves generally by saying their ancestors on the male side were Rajputs, who had united themselves with women of inferior lineage. Thus the Ráwal Gújars of Panípat say that they are descended from a Khokhar Rajput (a clan which has been considered to be the same as the notorious Ghakkar); the Chhokar from a Jadon; the Chamáyin from a Túar; the Kalsian of Kaírana, and the Mavi, from a Chauhán; the Pilwan from a Púndír; the Ádhaná from a Badgujar; and the Bhatti from Raja Kansal, a Bhatti Rajput from Jaisalmir.
  15. ↑ Crooke, William (1996). “The” Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh: In Four Volumes. Government printing.
  16. ↑ Contemporary Social Sciences. Research Foundation of India. 1978.
  17. ↑ Dass, Arvind (2002). Caste System: Caste commentaries and documentation. Dominant Publishers and Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7888-029-7.
  18. ↑ Ibbetson, Sir Denzil; Maclagan (1990). Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-0505-3. Kalsan; Claims descent from Rana Har Rai, Chauhan of Jundla by a Gujar wife; had part of his conquests in Doab, still in force here, also hold a little land in Chauhan Nardak.
  19. ↑ A Glossary of the Tribes & Castes of the Punjab & North-west Frontier Province: Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883, by the Late Sir Denzil Ibbetson ... & the Census Report for the Punjab, 1892, by Sir Edward Maclagan ... & Comp. by H.A. Rose ... Superintendent, government printing, Punjab.
  20. ↑ Punjab District and State Gazetteers: Part A]. Compiled and published under the authority of the Punjab government.
  21. ↑ Khanna, Priyanka (2011). "Embodying Royal Concubinage: Some Aspects of Concubinage in Royal Rajput Household of Marwar, (western Rajasthan) C. 16 Th -18 Th Centuries". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 72. Indian History Congress: 337–345. ISSN 2249-1937.
  22. ↑ Rathore, Archana (2022-02-22). She & Everything: A Window to Her Soul. Notion Press. ISBN 979-8-88530-426-9.
  23. ↑ Ram, Vikramajit (2008). Dreaming Vishnus: A Journey Through Central India. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-310417-9.
  24. ↑ Ramesh Chandra Majumdar; Achut Dattatrya Pusalker, A. K. Majumdar, Dilip Kumar Ghose, Vishvanath Govind Dighe, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (1977). The History and Culture of the Indian People: The classical age. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 153.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ Keay, John (2000). India: A History. Grove Press. pp. 95, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8021-3797-5.
  26. ↑ Singh, David Emmanuel (2012-08-31). Islamization in Modern South Asia: Deobandi Reform and the Gujjar Response. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-1-61451-185-4.
  27. ↑ Kumar, Satendra (2022-09-21). Popular Democracy and the Politics of Caste: Rise of the Other Backward Classes in India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-68431-5.
  28. ↑ शेपर्ड, Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd कांचा आइलैय्या (2021-05-29). "Not OBC Backwards and non-OBC Backwards but Shudras". Forward Press. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
  29. ↑ SHEPHERD, KANCHA ILAIAH (2021-04-20). "The Shudras at the Heart of Tikait". www.thecitizen.in. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
  30. ↑ BUREAU, THE CITIZEN (2022-05-02). "Hindutva's Caste Ambiguity". The Citizen - Independent Journalism | Indian News | The Citizen. Retrieved 2026-10-07.