Gurjar culture

1. Gurjar Culture Gujjar  or  Gurjar  is an  ethnic group  with populations in  India  and  Pakistan . Small number of Gujjars are also found in northeastern  Afghanistan ] Alternative spellings include  Gurjara ,  Gojar ,  Goojar ,  Gurjjara  and  Gūrjara . They are traditionally a  pastoral  community .  In recent times they have added some new and different professions, including work that deals with agriculture or animal husbandry as well as teaching or mining, law or transport industry.

2. Origin The origin of the Gurjars is uncertain .  Many Gurjars claim descent from  Suryavanshi   Kshatriyas  (Sun Dynasty) and connect themselves with the Hindu deity  Rama .  Historically, the Gurjars were Sun-worshipers and are described as devoted to the feet of the Sun-god (God  Surya ). Their copper-plate grants bear an emblem of the Sun and on their seals too, this symbol is depicted .  Also the Gurjar title of honor is  Mihir  which means  Sun .Ancient Sanskrit Poet  Rajasekhara  in his plays styled Gurjar rulers as  Raghu- kula - tilaka  (Ornament of the race of  Raghu ),  Raghu- gramani  (the leader of the  Raghus ) and so forth.

3. Gurjar rulers According to some historical accounts, the kingdom with capital at  Bhinmal  (or Srimal ) was established by the Gurjars . A minor kingdom of Bharuch was the offshoot of this Kingdom .  In 640-41 CE, the Chinese traveller  Xuanzang  ( Hieun Tsang) described the kingdoms of  Su-la-cha (identified with  Saurashtra ) and  Kiu - che -lo  (identified with Gurjara ) in his writings. He stated that the Gurjaras ruled a rich and populous kingdom with capital at  Bhinmal  ( Pilo - mo -lo ).  According to his expositor, M. Vivien de St. Martin,  Su-la-cha  represents the modern  Gujarat , and  Kiu - che -lo  ( Gurjjara ), "the country of the Gujars ", represents the region between  Anhilwara  and the  Indus River , i.e.  Sindh  region. [

4. British rule In the eighteenth century, several Gurjar chieftains and small kings were in power. During the reign of  Rohilla   Nawab   Najib-ul-Daula , Dargahi Singh, the Gurjar chieftain of  Dadri  possessed 133 villages at a fixed revenue of Rs.29,000 .  A fort at Parlchhatgarh in  Meerut District , also known as Qila Parikishatgarh , is ascribed to a Gurjar   Raja Nain Singh .  According to a legend, the fort was built by  Parikshit  and restored by Nain Singh in the eighteenth century. The fort was dismantled in 1857, to be used as a police station .

5. Van Gujjars The  Van Gujjars  ("forest Gujjars ") are found in the Shivalik hills area of North India. The Van Gujjars follow Islam, and they have their own clans, similar to the Hindu  gotras .  They are a pastoral semi-nomadic community, practising   transhumance . In the winter season, the Van Gujjars migrate with their herds to the Shiwalik foothills, and in summer, they migrate to pastures high up in the mountains. The Van Gujjars have had conflicts with the forest authorities, who prohibited human and livestock populations inside a reserved park, and blamed the Van Gujjar community for poaching and timber smuggling .  After the creation of the  Rajaji National Park  (RNP), the  Van Gujjars  in Deharadun were asked to shift to a resettlement colony at Pathari near Hardwar. In 1992, when the Van Gujjars returned to the foothills, the RNP authorities tried to block them from the park area.

6. Afghanistan Small pockets of Gujjars are found in  Afghanistan 's northeastern region, paricularly in and around the  Nuristan province . According to  Naval Postgraduate School , "They roam with their herds, usually of cows, from the high Himalayas in India to the  Hindu Kush  of Afghanistan, although rarely are they seen in Afghanistan anymore, as Pakistan has hindered their passage through its territory and most preferred to stay within India. Some in India remain Hindu, although further west many are Muslim. Often they can be recognized by their avoidance of others, and their brightly hennaed beards. They are proud, fierce, and loyal.

7. Pakistan The Muslim Gurjars are considered to be a major tribe in Pakistan; in fact, they compromise as much as twenty percent of the country's entire populaion .

8. Made by Sourav Choudhary Aashish Bhati Abhishek Bansal