1. A well known Community
GUJJAR

2. INTRODUCTION
THE GUJJAR ARE A PASTORAL COMMUNITY THAT USED TO BE NOMADIC BUT MANY NOW LIVE IN SETTLED COMMUNITIES. THE WORD GUJJAR IS DERIVED FROM THE TERM GAUCHARANA MEANING TO GRAZE COWS. THE GUJJAR SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THE PLACE THEY LIVE IN. THEY ARE QUITE A LARGE COMMUNITY, NUMBERING AROUND 5.6 MILLION.

3. TRADITIONALLY THEY WERE PASTROLISTS, BUT NOW MOST OF THEM PRACTISE DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS LIKE AGRICULTURE, ANIMAL HUSBANDARY REARING COWS,BUFFALOES AND SHEEP. SOME EDUCATED GUJJAR ARE IN GOVERNMENT OR PRIVATE SERVICE, WHILE A FEW WORK AS DAILY WAGE LABOURS. THE GUJJAR ARE A HARDY COMMUNITY WHO UNDERSTAND DEPRIVATION DUE TO THEIR NOMADIC EXISTENCE. THEIR EXISTENCE IS CAUGHT UP IN THE DAILY STRUGGLE OF MAKING A LIVING IN UNSTABLE AND DIFFICULT CONDITIONDS. THEIR NEEDS ARE FOR BETTER HEALTH, LITERACY,STABILITY AND A RELIABLESOURCE OF INCOME.

4. History of Gujjar
Origin :-
Historians and Anthropologists differ on issue of Gurjar origin.General Cunningham identifies the Gujjars with Kushanas (Indo-Scythian people) of eastern tartars. He explains that Korso and Kushan written on the coins of Kushana King Kanishka is same as Gorsi and Kusane clans of Gurjars respectively. He further adds that Gujars came to India in the 3rd wave of migration around the mid third century CE. Ibbeston also supports Indo-Scythians descend of Gurjars. K.S.Singh also support the theory on the basis that beside Jats, Gurjars are the only race of foreign origin in north west part of Indian subcontinent who are known to have been powerful during early centuries of Christian era Thus, historians who supports foreign origin of Gujars believe that they entered Indian subcontinent from North-west Indian Frontier and established themselves in the Indus region, Hazara, undivided Punjab, Kashmir and Rajasthan It has been suggested that the Gurjars, along with people from northwestern India, merged with the Hephthalites and formed the Rajput clan.

5. Linguistic theories :-
According to scholars such as Baij Nath Puri, the Mount Abu (ancient Arbuda Mountain) region of present-day Rajasthan had been abode of the Gurjars during medieval period. The association of the Gurjars with the mountain is noticed in many inscriptions and epigraphs including Tilakamanjari of Dhanpala. These Gurjars migrated from the Arbuda mountain region and as early as in the 6th century A.D., they set up one or more principalities in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Whole or a larger part of Rajasthan and Gujarat had been long known as Gurjaratra (country ruled or protected by the Gurjars) or Gurjarabhumi (land of the Gurjars) for centuries prior to the Mughal period.

6. 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 traveler 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.
D. B. Bhandarkar also believed that Gurjara-Pratiharas were a clan of Gurjars. Dasrath Sharma believed that although some sections of the Pratiharas (i.e., the one to which Mathanadeva belonged) were Gurjars by caste, the Pratiharas of Kannauj were not Gurjars and there was no Gurjara empire in Northern India in 8th and 9th century though from the work of other historians it has been known that Kannauj was capital of Gurjara-Pratihara
Chavdas, also known as Gurjar Chapas, was also one of the ruling clans of Gurjars.

8. British Rule In the 18th 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.[35] A fort at Parlchhatgarh in Meerut District, also known as Qila Parikishatgarh, is ascribed to a Gurjar Raja Nain Singh During the revolt of 1857, the Gujars of Chundrowli rose against the British, under the leadership of Damar Ram. The Gujars of Shunkuri village, numbering around three thousand, joined the rebel spays. According to British records, the Gurjars plundered gunpowder and ammunition from the British and their allies.[In Delhi, the Metcalfe House was sacked by the Gurjar villagers from whom the land was taken to erect the building.[The British records claim that the Gujars carried out several robberies. Twenty Gujars were reported to have been beheaded by Rao Tula Ram for committing dacoities in July 1857.[] In September 1857, the British were able to enlist the support of many Gujars at Meerut The colonial authors always used the code word "turbulent" for the castes who were generally hostile to British rule. They cited proverbs that appear to evaluate the caste in an unfavorable light.

9.  The British ethnographer, William Crooke, described that Gurjars seriously impeded the operations of the British Army before Delhi. Reporter Meena Radhakrishna believe that the British classified the Gurjars along with others as "criminal tribes" because of their active participation in the revolt of 1857, and also because, they considered these tribes to be prone to criminality in the absence of legitimate means of livelihood.

10. Life of the Gujjar tribe
The Gujjars and the Bakerwal of Jammu and Kashmir are nomads. Gujjars and Bakerwals are the two names of one tribe popularly known as Gujjars in Indian sub-continent. Gujjars form an important ethnic and linguistic group in Jammu and Kashmir and constitute 20% of total population of the State. Jammu & Kashmir Gujjars who are mainly Muslims carry with itself the age old traditions and customs of prehistoric time. Most of them are still untouched with the influence of the outside world. They live a simple and rustic life. We will now know more about their social life.

11. Some things we should know about them
1) About their Culture
Gujjars are culturally very much depict able by dancing, religious rites and customs etc. The tribes have got inclination towards religion. Some of them have converted themselves to Hinduism and also Islam. They are the tribes who strictly follow old traditions and customs. They still follow custom of early marriages, where girls are married at an age of years and boys at years.
2) Their Dressing style:
Gujjar and Bakerwal wear a unique dresses that have not changed despite the changes that have taken place due to modernization and development. Gujjars wear mostly their traditional costumes and jewellery. Women folk wear shirt studded with varieties of buttons and embroidery on it with a black shalwar, duppatta with multiple colours and round cap with a trail of course over threaded. The women folk young and old are found of wearing heavy jewellery, kangan, karras, seheeri, mahail loung, bali are commonly used. Women wear necklace with a triangular pendant, studded with a beautiful stone in the centre. It has religious significance, symbolizes evil eye and mainly utilizes to prevent bad luck.

12. 3) About their Food:
Mostly they depend on milk products as their staple food besides cereals, wheat and maize. They may be vegetarians and non- vegetarians. The favourite dishes of Gujjar are makke ki roti , ganhar, sarsoon ka sag, lassi, kalari, karan, etc. it is surprising that Gujjar are mostly vegetarian.
4) About their Language :
The Gujjars and Bakerwals have their own Gujri language, which they generally speak in between them. But they correspond with the other persons in Urdu generally. The Government has given importance to the requirements of Gujri culture, as result of which the Radio Kashmir Jammu and Srinagar are daily broadcasting one hour Gujri programme. Besides this, there is a Gujri section in J&K Cultural Academy, which annually publishes literature on their culture and history and also organizes cultural & literary functions at different places inhabited by the Gujjar and Bakerwals.