Bajarh Gujjars ... The Gurjar (Sanskrit: गुर्जर Gurjara,Gujari: गुर्जर, گُرجر, Prakrit: Gujjar,are an ethnic group in India. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest. Gujjar gotras in Punjb which includes: Bajarh,Kasana,Khatana,Poswal,Bagri,Bhumbla,Banth,,Chechi,Chauhan,Dedadh,Hakkla,Messih,,Meelu,Poswak and many more

In India, Gujjar populations are found mainly in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, northern Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The semi-nomadic Gujjar groups are found in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and north-western Uttar Pradesh.The name for the state of Gujarat has derived from “Gurjar”.

Gujjars in North India are now considered as a vote bank by some political parties. Rajesh Pilot was a major Gujjar leader in North India. The Gujjars were classified as a Scheduled Tribe in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, and as Other Backward Class in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Delhi

Gujjars are mainly found in delhi: that includes [Tanwar] [8 Villages],MAVI 5 Village [ambavata](4 villages), Bhati (24 Villages) [dedha](24 villages),[basoya](6 villages),[vidhudi],[rexwal] Bosatta(2 villages)

Haryana

The main gotras of Gurjars found in the Faridabad District of Haryana include Bhadana (14 villages), Mavi (10 Village) in Badka Teh PalwalNagar (84 villages), Baisla (10 village), Phagna(1 Village) and Poswal (3 village). The Bhadana gotra in Faridabad District launched an anti-dowry campaign in 2002. The community set elaborate guidelines for solemnizing marriages and holding other functions.[36] In a mahapanchayat (“the great panchayat”), the Gujjar community decided that those who sought dowry would be excommunicated from the society. Brigadier Hem Chan Nagar, born in village Tigaon in Ballabhgarh Tehsil of Faridabad district was the first brigadier among the Gurjar Community.

Punjab

Gujjars of punjab are mainly found in Nawanshahr, Hoshiarpur,Mohali District. In this area, their villages are In heavy concentration. They are hindu by religion. Their main profession is agriculture and business. They are called as chaudhary in the area. The last names of the Gujjars include Kasana, Khepar, Kataria, Chaudhary, Bajarh,Chauhan, Bhumbla, Chandpuri, Chechi, Meelu, Hans, Bagri, khatana and others. The tradition of buffalo milk in Punjab can be attributed to the nomad Gujjars arriving in the Punjab plains with their live stock. There are old folk songs about Gujjar women selling milk in Punjabi villages and the nomad Gujjars displaying their livestock of buffaloes for sale. Even now, the nomad Gujjars come from Kashmir and sell their artifacts and livestock in Punjab.

Jammu and Kashmir

In Jammu and Kashmir, the concentration of Gujjars is observed in the districts of Rajouri and Poonch, followed by, Ananatnag, Udhampur and Doda districts.[38] It is believed that Gujjars migrated to Jammu and Kashmir from Gujarat (via Rajasthan) and Hazara district of NWFP.[39] Another group called Bakarwal (or Bakerwal or Dhangar) belongs to the same ethnic stock as the Gujjars, and inter-marriages freely take place among them.

The Gujjars and the Bakarwals in Jammu and Kashmir were notified as the Scheduled Tribes vide the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Act, 1991.According to the 2001 Census of India, Gujjar is the most populous scheduled tribe in J&K, having a population of 763,806. Around 99.3 per cent population of Gujjar and Bakarwal in J&K follow Islam.

In 2002, some Gujjars and Bakarwals in J&K demanded a separate state (Gujaristan) for Gujjar and Bakerwal communities, under the banner of India Gujjar Parishad.


Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, some members of the Gujjar community resorted to violent protests over the issue of reservation in 2006 and 2007. During the 2003 Election to the Rajasthan assembly the BJP had promised the gujjars ST status as they had included the Jats as the OBC’s. This promise was not kept. In September 2006, the Gujjars organized violent protests, after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to keep its promise of including the community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. In May 2007, during violent protests over the reservation issue, the members of the Gujjar community clashed with the police twenty six people (including two policemen). Subsequently, the Gujjars protested violently, under various groups including the Gujjar Sangarsh Samiti, Gujjar Mahasabha and the Gujjar Action Committee The protestors blocked roads and set fire to two police stations and some vehicles.[48] Presently, the Gurjars in Rajasthan are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

On June 05, 2007 the Gujjar rioted over their desire to be added to the governments of India list of tribes who are given preference in India government job selection as well as placement in the schools sponsored by the states of India. This preference is given under a system designed to help India’s poor and disadvantaged citizens. However, other tribes on the list oppose this request as it would make it harder to obtain the few positions already set aside.

In December 2007, the Akhil Bhartiya Gujjar Mahasabha (“All-India Gurjar Council”) stated that the community would boycott BJP, which is in power in Rajasthan.

In early 2000s, the Gujjar community in Rajasthan was also in news for the falling sex ratio, unavailability of brides and the resulting polyandry.

Uttar Pradesh

In Uttar Pradesh, the Gurjar populations are found mainly in the western U.P. region i.e. Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bijnor, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bulandshahar, and Bareilly. To a fewer extent, they are also found in Rampur, Agra and Bundelkhand. The most common gotras are Adhana, Chaudhry, Mundan, Khubbad, Chhokar, Kalsiyan, Chauhan, Poswal, Rathi, Chechi, Panwar, Bhati, Baisla, Tomar, Kasana, Karhana, Bhadana and Nagar, Harshaiana,Payale{,Chawda { Hukam Singh{} . Generally, the Gurjars in western U.P. and N.C.R. are well-off; their economy depends on agriculture, milk trade and production, and to a minor extent, real estate.

Madhya Pradesh

According to the British records, the Gujjar population in Central India was around 56,000 in 1911. Most of these Gujjars were concentrated in the Nimar and Hoshangabad regions of the Narmada vallery. Most of these were migrants from the Gwalior region, while some of the Gujjars in Nimar area were immigrants from Gujarat.Presently, the Gurjars in Madhya Pradesh are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBCs)..

Gujarat and Maharashtra

A few scholars believe that the Leva Kunbis (or Kambis) of Gujarat, a section of the Patidars, are possibly of Gujjar origin.[55][. However, several others state that the Patidars are Kurmis or Kunbis (Kanbis).; the National Commission for Backward Classes of India lists Leva Patidars (or Lewa Petidars) as a sub-caste of Kunbis/Kurmis. Dode Gujar and Dore Gujar are listed as separate caste in Maharastra and Gujjar are included in OBC list in Gujarat but Patidars are not. Most of Patidar associations clearly mention in their history that they are the part of Kurmi Samaj.

Among Marathas, one of the major clans is called "Gujar"[68]. Prataprao Gujar was the third royal Sarnaubat (Commander-in-chief) of Maratha ruler Shivaji’s army. Sidhoji Gujar was a notable admiral in Shivaji’s navy. The Khandesh region in Maharashtra has a sizable Gujjar population, the major sub-castes being Dode Gujar, Leva Gujar, Bad Gujar etc.

A community using Gurjar and Gurjarpadhye as their surnames resides in the coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra, inhabiting Pangre, Hasol, and other villages in Ratnagiri District. Originally bearing the name “Gurjarpadhye”, many now prefer to call themselves Gurjar. The community may have been living in the Konkan region for at least three centuries, although this estimate may be inaccurate. The community is a sub-caste of the larger Karhade Brahmin group and speaks the Marathi language. This community might be a part of the bigger Gujjar community. However, it is difficult to explain how they settled down in the Konkan region and are Brahmins rather than Kshatriyas. Local pandits claim that the Gurjars are essentially a priestly community and that it is only the subcastes that assumed Kshatriya status in order to earn a livelihood in other more practical professions.

Gujjar are also found in some clans of Kshtriya Dhangar. Dode Gujar and Dore Gujar are listed as separate caste in Maharastra and are included in OBC list in Maharashtra.

There are also one another separate caste in Maharashtra called as “Reve Gujars” Dode Gujars and Reve Gujars speaks a special kind of language called as “Gujari”.

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