Gujjars of India Pakistan and Afghanistan

[Amit]

Gujars and Gujarism: simple quaum versus network activism

www.anthropology.ac.uk/Era_Resources/Era/SLyon/Reports/gujarism.html

[Amit]

Gujars and Gujarism: simple quaum versus network activism


Stephen Lyon, UKC

Written in Bhalot, Punjab, Pakistan, May 1999.

* What is a Gujar?
* Some background on Gujars.
* What is Gujarism?
* Who opts for Gujarism?


Caste is a complicated issue in Pakistan. Islamic ideology dictates that all men are equal and most people will happily tell you all castes are equal. Speaking to people of some 'low' castes like barbers and leather workers, however, one soon learns that they believe other Pakistanis are Muslim in name only and do not really believe in their equality. The landlord family of Bhalot are Gujar. The village is multi-caste. How these caste affiliations effected relations was something I wanted to explore after my first trip to the area. I have found, to my joy and frustration sometimes, that there caste affiliation is complex and serves different purposes in different contexts. The wider division between Pathan and Punjabi has been something I have paid attention to since the beginning of this trip. In this report I will discuss some of the elements of being a Gujar and of something I have encountered called 'Gujarism'. Gujar is simply a caste or quaum, and there are numerous things associated with being a Gujar. Gujarism is a more active variant of being a Gujar which involves seeking out other Gujars within associations and consolidating and maintaining ties to those people based strictly on caste affiliation. I am currently trying to get clear for myself what it means to be a Gujar and in what circumstances Gujars decide to become Gujarism 'activists'.

I discovered that the Maliks of Bhalot were Gujars during my first pilot trip in January of 1998. My friend told me proudly that his family were Gujars. I asked what that meant and was told in a very tortuous half English half Urdu that Gujars were people who tended cows and goats. His family however do not tend livestock themselves. They own land. their occupation is to own land not to work on it directly. They supervise other people who work land. On occasion they drive tractors or operate threshers but for the most part their job is to sit on a charpai and be present while labour is being performed and make sure it is being performed correctly. They all own cows, buffalos, goats and sheep but, again, they do not tend to these animals themselves. Most of them will even admit that they are incapable of taking care of these animals themselves. They rely on trusted 'muj-walas' to feed, water and maintain the health of their animals. These men who look after their animals are not all Gujars. So during my first trip all I really learned about Gujars from my friend was that Gujars are Gujars and sometimes they look after animals-- the critical thing being that Gujars only marry other Gujars.

During my second trip in April/May of 1998 I poked a bit more into what it meant to be a Gujar and was it really true that Gujars only married Gujars. I learnt that time round that Gujars mostly only marry other Gujars but they don't marry all Gujars. Not every Gujar is an acceptable candidate for the marriage of every other Gujar's child. Since returning for the third time in December 1998, I have tentatively found that in Bhalot there are three clearly distinct Gujar biraderis (patrilineages). The land owning Malik family are all Gujar and jealously ensure that their children marry exclusively within their own biraderi1 . There is a second long established Bhaloti biraderi which once owned land but are now almost entirely landless. It was a revelation to me to discover after several months that almost every Gujar I met who was not part of the land owning Malik family was somehow part of this second Gujar biraderi. They also seem fairly enthusiastic about maintaining only biraderi marriages but the incidence of some non-rishtidar (family) marriage seems superficially slightly higher. The third set of Gujars are more recently established in the village. They are the smallest group of Gujars and are the only ones who speak the Gujree language among themselves. They do not live in the village proper but in one of the many bourré (a type of housing dug into the side of a hill-- these are by far the most comfortable places to be in the heat-- they look and feel a bit like cave dwellings) scattered among the fields. These are the poorest Gujars in the village and the ones who seem closest to my friend's description of what Gujars are. They tend goats and sheep and livestock is probably as important to them as agriculture in terms of their livelihood. Their numbers in this village are too small to really make generalisations but this group seem far more open to non-Gujar marriages than the other two groups of Gujars. I have seen examples of marriages to Pathans and heard examples from their relatives in other parts that they are not so concerned to marry only Gujars. What matters is the quality of the family and boy or girl that they are marrying their child to. Though even this group professed a preference for a Gujar marriage-- preferably within the biraderi-- cousin marriage being the highest stated preference.

In the months I have been here I have found that the importance of cast/quaum on spouse selection that I read about in England does not seem to have been exaggerated. I still was not very much closer to understanding why my friend brought up his family's quaum to me that day in January 1998 with such pride. Although I have jokingly been adopted by the Malik Gujars (Steve Gujar) everyone knows I am not a Gujar and would not be allowed to marry into their family (though the offer of wives from other quaums have not been infrequent). So what was he telling me when he said he was a Gujar? He was not telling me that he looked after animals himself because even in the few days I'd been there at that time I knew that was patently untrue. He was not telling me that he would marry his son or daughter to any other Gujar. He was telling me something about how he identified himself but it eluded me. To some extent I must admit that it still eludes me. What it means to be a Gujar apart from a label is perplexing.

There are, by common accounting, 30 million Gujars in Pakistan. Gujars claim common quaum status with Checheniyans (the break away former Soviet republic). They argue that Georgia was traditionally called Gujaristan, and all Georgians are really Gujars. They insist that Gujars went as far as Germany and many Germans are really Gujars. Some of the claims for pan-Gujarism can get downright absurd but they are always entertaining. I have heard it argued that Gujars were the original inhabitants of most of South Asia-- dispersed under the Moghul Emperor because Gujars are fierce warriors who refused to bow to this foreign Central Asian invader. There are Gujars throughout India. Many Sikhs come from the Gujar caste. Gujars may be Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian and presumably Buddhist since I have been told that when Alexander came and resided in Taxila over two millennia ago he encountered the original Gujar inhabitants. All historical claims aside however, Gujars today are a significant caste in Pakistan. In Kashmir and the northern areas they are a large presence, mostly living by transhumant pastoralism. In the Punjab they are well represented at all levels of government. Every time a Gujar politician appears on television I am proudly told that he is a Gujar.

In recent months I have been introduced to several members of the Gujar Youth Forum. A 'Gujarism' association whose goals seem slightly unclear apart from generally promoting Gujar unity. If Gujar unity is truly their goal then they have an uphill battle-- 30 million people with disparate economic lifestyles, education, languages and religious sects do not easily fall behind a single banner for long. One unavoidable aspect of Punjabi society is that people depend on other people's resources and contacts to carry out the ordinary things of life: getting jobs, finding places to live, buying cars, getting married, resolving disputes with neighbours. The Gujar association, and in general caste, often serve as one of the factors in making up a list of potential 'helpers'. The Gujar association that I have been privileged to see up close seems, in part, to be simply a way of making contact between people that cuts across class lines. Poor Gujars and wealthy Gujars alike are involved in the Gujar association. The wealthy Gujars may be attracted to the potential client pool such an organisation offers. The poor Gujars may similarly be attracted to the potential new patrons they can make use of. Although the association literature and the rhetoric of its members suggest something far more sentimental and altruistic, in practice what I have seen is resource networking. That is to say that when I have seen these Gujars get together they spend an inordinate amount of time finding out what the others are doing and sharing information about other Gujars. They seem to be gathering information which may become useful some day in the future when they need the help of a particularly placed Gujar. I refrain from saying well placed because in Pakistan the most efficient contact may end up being the lowest clerk or servant in an organisation.
Not every Gujar approves or participates in these Gujar associations however. I have been told privately that Gujarism is a silly thing that serves no purpose. From what little I have been able to observe I would have to disagree with that. It may be silly but it serves a purpose. Gujarism puts people in contact in a way that favours may be asked. It is a non-kin based network in which all 'quaumis' may theoretically make requests of each other. The request, as seems to be usual in Pakistan, may not be made directly but rather to one of the people who are active within the Gujar association. He then filters through all of the information he has gathered about the various Gujars known to him and tries to find someone who may be able to satisfy the request. The Gujar association exists, therefore, not only to serve the needs of its active members but to act as a kind of hub for resource pooling. One need not be directly active in the association to ask for help-- one need merely have contact with someone who is active (even indirect contact may work).

Gujarism seems to conform to a more general pattern in the area of knowledge-resource sharing networks. As with kin groups, the most solid of these kinds of networks, Gujarism and Gujar associations give individuals access to a wider base of knowledge of who is out there who my be able to help. Individuals within kin groups are hard pressed to refuse a request coming from the right family member (regardless of who the request is really for). For example, it may be irrelevant that I despise my cousin if my cousin goes to my mother or my grandmother and asks them to ask me. If my mother or grandmother decide to make the request and urge me to comply then I must be very careful how I refuse (given examples I have seen refusal will not happen but the service/favour may get postponed an awfully long time, and ultimately may bear little resemblance to the original request). Within the context of this caste based association, the pressure to comply to requests is decidedly less. A fellow Gujar does not have the kind of clout that close blood relatives possess. However what they have is the promise of future help of an unknown nature. With kin, individuals know more or less who is what and where they are. They have an idea of what sort of contacts they have within the family and what sorts of favours may be asked. Caste associations are less distinct. A small favour from a member of the association may be well advisable to grant. There will certainly come a time when every individual needs help with something and it may come at a time when relations are strained within the family. Although requests may still be made even in periods of strained relations, individuals try to avoid it if possible.

Thinking this through helped me to understand why certain people in the village were more active in the Gujar association and others considered it a foolish and pointless thing to do. Those Bhaloti Gujars who are very active, coincidentally seem to be in the middle of most of the disputes within the family. Since I have been coming to this village (starting in January 1998) there is one 'nuclear' family2 who seem to be involved in almost every family dispute. Every family is involved in some disputes-- there is not one member of this family over the age of 30 who seems to have escaped becoming embroiled in some ongoing serious dispute-- however relations between some 'nuclear' families are very close and seem more resistant to fracture. For most families, even while they are arguing and disagreeing with one member of a faction they may maintain good relations with individuals close to their current 'disputant'. The problem is that if one has half a dozen serious arguments every year, one finds that the number of people that turn into direct 'disputants' becomes very high-- thus restricting the number of potential favour doers within the kin group. Further compounding the problem for ambitious men, it reduces the number of potential favour seekers within the kin group. People who are actively disputing do not seek help from each other (though I suspect they would give help if the other person requested it for a number of reasons which anthropologists should be able to guess). The Maliks that are most embroiled in contention and dispute are potentially at a disadvantage should they need some action they cannot perform themselves. For those who rely almost exclusively on the kin group for support this places more pressure on them to resolve disputes quickly and to avoid allowing them to become serious. The family in question, the Gujarism 'activists', have more latitude. To some extent they can weather nastier and more frequent disputes within their kin group without suffering significantly increased vulnerability in relation to the outside world.

I do not pretend to have come up with any world shaking revelations, merely some interesting observations. It puzzled me why my friend felt it important to tell me he was Gujar when he had no clear definition for me of what a Gujar was and being a Gujar did not seem to imply anything concrete by itself. Following the trail of Gujarism showed me that for some people there were concrete and clear motivations for accentuating this affiliation. At this point I am a little closer to understanding part of the phenomenon of Gujarism and it has helped me to understand other caste associations I have come in contact with. My thesis revolves around a single village but it has become unavoidably clear to me that in order to understand this single village I must understand all the strands leading in and out of it. Kinship and caste are two important strands that build links to wider areas. In future I intend to pursue other 'link-builders' such as school friendships, development workers and government representatives, occupational acquaintances and others that come up.

As always I welcome comments on how I may be missing things or over emphasising or misunderstanding things.

1 The few exceptions have provoked great tension and grief within the family. They are one of the topics that require perhaps the most delicacy of anything I ask about.

2 The chronic problem of how to define family. In this case there are 2 nuclear families (brothers) sharing one house and eating from the same kitchen. By using the term nuclear I try to indicate that the disputes involve only one brother and his children-- the other brother maintains neutrality as well as he can.

[Dr Chauhan]

Dear Gujjar Brothers

It is fascinating to see discussions on various threads. This forum has increased my knowledge. I am thanksful to my Gujjar brothers for helping me understand my roots.
Can someone guide me in understanding migration of Gujjars to Kashmir?
what are your views about the languages spoken by Gujjars in different parts on subcontinent?

Regards

Tariq

[AP Singh]

Dear Dr. Chauhan,
The Gujjar migration took place in the form of Gujjar Armies, not only to Kashmir but up to present day Afghanistan.

As per 9th. century Arab historical records the army of Gujjar Prithvihars ( means the lord of Universe) were having the largest army of that time. The size of Cavalry was about 36 lakhs consisting four commands of each having 7 lakhs to 9 Lakhs cavaliers. Out of these four army commands, one was permanently placed in Afghanistan and other was placed permanently in south region to control any rebellion from the Rashtrakuta. The remaining two commmands were kept at the Centre and always on alert to move quickly in any direction.
The eastern border of the Gujjar Empire was present day Burma and there was no threat from that side and hence no army command was permanently placed there and that is the reason we dont find many Gujjars in that region.

There is another 9th. century persian records ( the exact time was about 954AD) which confirms that Arab armies used to hide behind a Sun temple to save their lives from Gujjar armies placed in Afghanistan. Unfortunately at the same time about 954 AD one of Gujjar clan the Chauhans of Sakambri, who were fuedatory of Gujjar Prithvihars, not only revolted against the Empire but also captured Gujjar Tanwar prince Salvan, who ruling Delhi, the present day capital of India as fuedatory king to the large Gujjar Empire. The Gujjar Emperor Dev Pal had to go personally to Sakambri, the capital of Gujjar Chauhans, to get Gujjar tanwar prince Salvan to be released. On his way back the Emperor was killed by trechury by the Gujjar Gohils of Chittor probably with the help of Gujjar Chauhans. Immediately Gujjar Parmars , another fuedatory of the Gujjar Empire rushed to Chittor from Ujjain and not only put Allat, Gujjar Gohil prince of Chittor, to death who was ruling as a fuedatory king there on behalf of Gujjar Prithvihars but also expelled the Gujjar Guhilots from Chittor. It was only about three hundred years later that the Gujjar Gohils were refurfaced sometime in the 13th. century.

Meantime Turks of Afghanistan who were earlier slaves to Arab Empire also not only asserted independence against arab empire but took control of portion of their kingdom. Later they also took advantage of infighting among Gujjars and made inroads in to present day India in to territories of Gujjar Empire.
The first to be defeated were the Gujjar Khatanas, the rulers of Khottan located in present day Afghanistan. The Kahtanas got not support from these various newly formed divided kingdoms of Gujjars Pratihars, Gujjar Chandelas, Gujjar Chauhans except some monetary help and thus lost the battle.

Even today the temporary residences of Gujjars from Kashmir to Afghanistan is called as "Gujjar Dera"
which literally means Gujjar Military camps.

Now since we Gujjars are from the same stock from Karnataka to Afghanistan and up to Georgia we can be really helpful to work for peace and harmony in the region and to eliminate the terrorism from the entire region forever..

[Tariq Chauhan]

Dear AP Singh Ji

Thank you very much for the detailed insight into the history.

Regards

[AP Singh]

Dear Dr. Chauhan,
My following post which has been sent in other thread is also relevent to this thread and explain in which circumstances Naga Bhatt athe Great, the Great Gujjar Warrior chased Persian/Arab armies up to Afghanistan.

Regards.



The Chahar Gotra of Gujjars is derived as the rulers of land which was ploughted four times in a year and that place is present day Gujarat only.
Chahar = Char+ Har ( Har means lord and Char denotes to the land.

Chawad, Chawda, Chawra are the other names of same Chahar Gotra of Gujjars.

Chahar+Man= Chahaman, that is present day Chauhan is named after Chahar Man , some legendry Warrior born in this family of Chahar Gotra of Gujjar and all the Chauhans of today are the descendents of this legendry Gujjar Warrior.

Similarly Chahar+Luk= Chaharluk, that is Chalukya Gotra of Gujjars and is named after the Legendry Gujjar Warrior Lukka born in Chahar Gotra of Gujjars. All the Solankis of today are the descendents of this legendry Gujjar Warrior. Probably Selluk or Siluk was this legendry warrior who formed a confederacy of all other Gujjar clans to defeat the invading forces of Arabs. Later probably his descendents could not successfully defeat the Arab invaders and the command of Gujjar confederacy went in the hand of Naga Bhatta the Great, the Supreme Warrior of Gujjar race who did not only repulsed Arab attacks but chased them up to present day Afghanistan.
The Mihir Bhoja the Great was the Great grandson of this legendary Warrior.

[AP Singh]

Some more information regarding migration Gujjars and the territories ruled by them as answered by me at one of the Internationa History Forum allempires.com

Question: why did the persians never conquer ancient India? I mean they were able to conquer Greece then why not India. Was India really powerfull or the reason is something else?
Answer:
They persians were not fools for not doing so since India was much more powerful than them at the time under the Gujjar Pratihar Emperors and in case of attack India the Persian Empire would have been lost to Gujjar Pratihar Emperors. This question should be asked in a reverse manner that why the Gujjar Pratihars Emperors of India even after having an army size of 80 Lakhs did not conquer Persia? It is because there was nothing to invade, in Persia that time since the horses and elephants used by the armies, could not be fed on petrol and diesel.
Hypothetically it is true that in present circumstances the Gujjar Pratihar Emperors would have conquered Persia to take control on vast reserve of oil in that region but the people are more civilised now.
It was Gujjar Power which defended India from 6th. century to 10th. century and it was possible the enter India from Arab side after the various fuedatories like Gujjar Tanwars of Delhi, Gujjar Chauhans of Sakambri, Gujjar Chandellas of Kalinjar,Gujjar Solankis of Patan, Gujjar Parmars of Dhar asserted independence from the Gujjar Pratihar empire and started fighting among themselves to gain supremacy over each other. Taking the advantage of the situation the other non Gujjar fuedatories like Kalchuris, and vassals like Rathors Kachwahs also formed their own state. At this point of time also it was not Persian empire which got hold in India but the Turks like Gaznavi and Ghori from Afghnistan. Since that part of afghanistan from where Gaznavi and Ghori belonged, was ruled by Gujjar Emperors, it can not be said that India was conquered but the right word will be that it was divided. These Turks were earlier Hindus only and the only difference between them and other Hindus were that these Afghans were converted to Muslim at earlier than other population.

Later India was conquered by Babar who was from present day Uzbekistan. That time also it were the Pathans who were among the most powerful ruler of India. They kept fighting among themselves and India was in fact offered to Babar. Later Sher Shah Suri expelled his Humayun from India and established Indian Empire again.
It was akbar who was the first alien ruler of India.


Edited by AP Singh - 28-Feb-2008 at 06:15
Link to Post - Back to Top Logged


AP Singh

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question Originally posted by bilal_ali_2000: I think there were no Gujjars in 500 B.C. The time frame about which we are talking about about. And Turks were never Hindus, niether were they the natives of Afghanistan.

Answer: The Gujjar Kushans were rulers of India that time and the Persian Empire was much weaker than them.

Kushan is a branch of Gujjars and now days are called Kasana (with variations like Kansana, Kushana, Kasana etc).

Some of the famous Kasana Gujjars of the present era are Ex- President of India Late Shri Fakhrudin Ali Ahmed, Ex- MP of India Mrs. Rama Pilot ( Wife of late Shri Rajesh Pilot, Ex- Home Minister of India), Mr. Shoaib Akhtar ( Cricketer from Pakistan, setting the world record twice by achieving the speed of more than 100 miles per hours in two different Cricket World Cups), Business Tycoon from Japan Mr. Dinesh Kasana ( having his Own Industries in Japan ,China and chain of Restaurants in USA) etc. etc.

Also the majority of Gujjars found in presently in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and Afghanistan are Gujjars of Kasana Gotra which confirms that Gujjar does not leave
their place of birth except when on conquering new areas or their services are required by their motherland.

The Gujjars are called in History by different names in Different languages. The are called Kuchelo in chinese, Gurjara in Sanskrit, Gujjar, Gujar in Hindi, Guzar in Urdu and Al-Juzr, Juzr, Jurz in Persian and Arabic etc. etc.

In Persian the Gurjaras are also written as Juzaria/Jurzia and thus Georgia ( also written as Jurjistan in many persian historical records) is named after Gujjar tribe, which also confirms the boundry of Gujjar Empire in that direction during the period of Gujjar Kushan Dynasty.

Also there are places in present day Uzbekistan named after the Gujjar tribe like Kasan and Guzar.

It is said that Gujjars in India came from Georgia but that is not true. The Gujjars went from India and conquered those territories. At the time of attack and defeats at the Hands of Huns the Gujjars of Georgia and India were separated from each others.
In Georgia, the Gujjars must have embraced Christian religion and lost their identity as Gujjars. The Christian religion started spreading in Georgia in the first century and we dont find even a single Christian Gujjar in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Huns at later stage were defeated in India by another Gujjar empire called Gujjar Pratihars. It was Bahuk Dhawal of Gujjar Solanki clan, a fuedatory of Gujjar Pratihar Emperor " Mihir Bhoja the Great" who defeated Huns and Huns were later assimilated among Gujjars. It was a practice that time to assimilate the clans having equal status among equals and presently the Huns are a celebareted Gotra of Gujjars.






Edited by AP Singh - 19-Apr-2008 at 11:08

[Raman Gurjar]

www.inewsindia.com/2008/05/27/gujjar-agitation-high-alert-in-ncr/

#
Ch. Muhammad Ashraf Gujjaron 01 Aug 2008 at 11:14 am 1

Places Named After Gujar Tribe In Pakistan

The thousands of places were named after the Gujjars and their sub-tribes in the Sub-Continent during the period they ruled over the South and some part of Central Asia. In these days an interesting discussion is going on as to who the Gujjars or Gurjars are? I am mentioning the name of some places situated in all the four provinces of Pakistan. This do not include the villages named after the Gujjars situated in Jammu & Kashmir, Northern Areas and the Tribal Areas. I will updating the visitors of this site after I complete the data in respect of these areas. I will also try my best some time later to provide the name of villages after the sub-tribes of Gujjars. The following data will help the analysts and historians to draw some befitting and logical conclusion.
I will be highly obliged if any brethren may add to my knowledge by mentioning such places named after the word Gujar, Gujjar or Gurjar, situated in India or any other part of the world. Kindly forward this despatch to other sites discussing the Gujjar’s dilema.
Regards

Ch. Muhammad Ashraf Gujjar,
[e-mail]

P U N J A B PROVINCE:

DERA GHAZI KHAN DISTRICT
THOKH GUJRI

LAYYAH DISTRICT
GUJRAT

MUZAFFARGARH DISTRICT
GUJARWALA

RAJANPUR DISTRICT
KOTLA GOJAR
GUJAR WALI

FAISALABAD DISTRICT
CHAK 217/GB GUJJAR PIND
CHAK 176/GB PALA GOJRA

JHANG DISTRICT
Jat GUJJAR

TOBA TEK SINGH DISTRICT
GOJRA TEHSIL

GUJRANWALA DISTRICT
KOTLI GUJRAN

GUJRAT DISTRICT
GUJARPUR
DHOK GUJRAN
GUJJAR KOTLA
KULEWAL GUJRAN
KHANPUR GUJRAN

HAFIZABAD DISTRICT
GUJRANWALI
GUJAR KE

MANDI BAHAUDDIN DISTRICT
GOJRA

NAROWAL DISTRICT
GUJAR WALI
BHABRA GUJRAN
BERA GUJRAN
KHANPUR GUJRAN
CHHANI GUJRAN
DEHLA GUJRAN
PAILA GUJRAN
GUJAR TOOR
HAJI PUR GUJRAN
DARYA GUJRAN
KOTLI GUJRAN
BADALA GUJRAN
NIKI GUJRAN
JHOMIAN GUJRAN
GUJRAT
NADALA GUJRAN
BALA GUJRAN
BHERON CHAK GUJRAN
TEHRA GUJRAN

SIALKOT DISTRICT
GUJARKE
GOJRA
GUJAR KALLA
GUJAR GORAYA
GUJRAL
GUJRAN WALA

KASUR DISTRICT
GURJKE

LAHORE DISTRICT
NAWAN PIND GUJRAN
HANDU GUJAR
QILA GUJAR SINGH
WARRA GUJARAN

OKARA DISTRICT
GHOUS PUR GUJJRAN

SHEIKHUPURA DISTRICT
GUJAR PURA
MAHMOON GUJAR
KALA GUJAR
KOTLI GUJRAN
RATTA GUJRAN

VEHARI DISTRICT
GUJAR

ATTOCK DISTRICT
THATTI GUJRAN
DHOK GUJAR

CHAKWAL DISTRICT
BHATTI GUJAR
MOHRA GUJRAN
PINDI GUJRAN

JHELUM DISTRICT
WARA GUJRAN
GUJER PUR
KALA GUJRAN
THATHI GUJRAN
GUJJAR
GUJAR KATARIAN

RAWALPINDI DISTRICT
GUJAR KHAN TEHSIL
GOJRA
MATUA GUJAR
DHANGDEW GUJAR MAL
JAND GUJAR
GURAH GUJARAN
PHAMRA GUJRAN
KALA GUJRAN
BHANGALI GUJAR
ARAZI GUJRAL
DHOK GUJRI
BHADANA GUJRAN
DANDI GUJRAN
KHURAM GUJAR

MIANWALI DISTRICT
GUJRAN WALA
GUJRAT

KHUSHAB DISTRICT
GUJRANWALA

North Western Frontier Province(N. W. F. P.)

D. I. KHAN DISTRICT
GUJRAT
ABBOTTABAD DISTRICT
MASAH GUJRI
GUJRI
BAIN GUJRI
HARIPUR DISTRICT
PIND GUJRAN
MOHRRA GUJAR
KOHISTAN DISTRICT
GUJJAR BANDA
GUJARYBAKE
GUJAR KHEL
GUJAR BANDA
GUJAR BANDA
MANSEHRA DISTRICT
GUJRAN
GUJRA
GUJRAN DE GAL
LOWER DIR DISTRICT
GUJAR KALAI
GUJAR ABAD
UPPER DIR DISTRICT
GUJARA KILI
GUJAR LALA
MALA-GUJAR
MARDAN DISTRICT
GUJRAT
GUJAR GARHI
Mohalla GUJARAN
Bakhshali
PESHAWAR DISTRICT
CHOUHA GUJAR
MIAN GUJAR

S I N D PROVINCE

KARACHI DISTRICT GUJAR CHOWK,
Manzoor Colony
Gujjar Nallah

BADIN DISTRICT
GUJRI
LARKANA DISTRICT
GUJHAR
SANGHAR DISTRICT
GUJRO
GUJHERAN
GUJHRO
SUKKUR DISTRICT
GUJRO

B A L U C H I S T A N PROVINCE

AWARAN DISTRICT
GUJARO
KHUZDAR DISTRICT
GUJAAR
BOLAN DISTRICT
GUJAR
PISHIN DISTRICT
GUJIR
DERA BUGTI DISTRICT
GUJRO
ZHOB DISTRICT
GURJE ZAI

ISLAMABAD CAPITAL TERRITORY (I.C.T.)

KANGOTA GUJRAN
DERA GUJARAN (SECTOR G-10)
GOHRRA GUJARAN
MARRI GUJAR, TALHARR.
#
Ch. Muhammad Ashraf Gujjaron 14 Aug 2008 at 7:02 am 2

GUJJARS : A Warrior Tribe Who Inflicted Collosol Loss To The USSR

GUJJARS : The 2nd Largest Ethinic & Linguistic Entity Of Afghanistan

By: Ch. M. Ashraf Gujjar, [e-mail]

The U.S.A. and her allied countries had propounded the idea of a broad-based Government in Afghanistan, comprising of all the ethnic and linguastic groups. The western countries had false perception about the exact ethnic and linguastic division of Afghanistan. It was mistakenly believed that the Afghnistan is ethnically devided into Pushtoons and Persian speaking Northern alliance. The U.S.A. and its allies, while forming the present Karzai Government in Afghanistan, absolutely ignored the second largest and major ethnic Gujjar community. The Gujjars constitutes to be 35% of Afghanistan’s total population.
2. The Gujjar is the largest tribe of the World, which is admittedly recognized to be the major ethnic group in Pakistan, India, Indo-Pak held Jammu & Kashmir, Xing Xiang(China), Tibet, Nepal, Bhuttan, Sakkum, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Georgia and other Central Asian States. The Gujjars can rightly be termed as an International tribe, who are not restricted and confined by the frontiers or borders.
3. There is much known about the Gujjars dwelling in almost all parts of India and Pakistan. There population in India and Pakistan is 20 & 03-billion respectively. The Sub-Continent and Central Asia was ruled for centuries by the Gujjars, also known as Gurjars. It was during their rule that thousands of places were named after them or their sub-tribes in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asian States, e.g. Gujarat, Gujaranwala, Gujarwal, Gujar Dhar, Gujar Garrh, Gujar Khan, Kalla Gujjaran, Gujar Garrhi, Gurjistan, Gujarni, Gujaristan, Georjia, Gujar Abad and Gujar Khashi, There are numerous places named after the sub-clans of Gujjars, e.g.Chechania, Chechian, Jhanda Chechi, Kharian, New-Katarian, etc.
4. The Gujjars of Afghanistan have always played a very important and significant role in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan is broadly divided into four major ethnic groups, i.e. (1)-Pushtoons 40%, (2)-Gujjars speaking Gujari and other languages 35%, (3)-Persian speaking 10% and (4)-others 15%. The over whelming and majority population of 14 Provinces of Afghanistan consists of Gujjar tribe, who generally speak Gujjari langauage. In some areas they also speak Pushto or Persian in addition to Gujjari langauage. This language is also spoken by the Gujjars of India and Pakistan. The Gujjarati, Daccani, Rajasthani, Mewati and mewarri, according to some scholars, are the regional names and dialects of Gujjari language. A brief and approximate account of Gujjar population in some of the Afghan-Provinces is given hereunder:-
i) Kunnarr : This province is situated in the south of Afghanistan and
in the North of Pakistan. The Gujjar tribe is living with over-whelming majority in this Province. The famous towns and villages of the Gujjars are Narrai, Asmar, Hari Kot, Tashagul, Konigul, Gorin, Inchagal, Samsagal, Karchigal, Bazagal, Batash, Hegal and Asoom, etc.
ii) Lughman : Its more than 50% population consists of Gujjar tribe.
There are approximately 45-villages having hundred percent Gujjar population.
iii) Panjsher : The Gujjars constitutes 40% population of this Province.
Perkhar and Wersak towns are the famous strong-holds of the Gujjars.
iv) Badakhshan : The Gujjars constitutes half of the population of this
Province. The Bajjarr, Chauhan, Bherwal, Jangle, Bhaddana, Kohli, Doei and Bokarra are the famous sub-tribes/clans of Gujjars living in this Province.
v) Kondos : The ¾ population of this Province consists of Gujjar tribe.
vi) Farkhar : More than 90% population of this Province belongs to the
Gujjar community. The Dashtiachi, Namakao, Khestazi and Khefdar, etc. are the famous towns & villages of the Gujjar tribe.
vii) Mazar Sharif : In this Province over 30% population consists of
Gujjar community.
viii) Baglan : In this Province over 40% population belongs to the Gujjar
caste.
ix) Aneshkamesh : The 70% population of this Province is consisted of
Gujjar tribe.
x) Palol : The Gujjar is a majority tribe of this Province. The Gujjar
commanders Mr. Ghulam Sakhi Khattana and Mr.Fardol Khatana, the militant leaders of Harkat-e-Islamia Afghanistan also belonged to this Province. They inflicted collosal loss to the enemy during the cold-war.
xi) Andraf : The Gujjars constitues ¾ population of this Province. The
Gujjar Generals Moman Bherwal and Mr. Arbab Therwal Malang, the militant Gujjar Commanders of Hizb-e-Islami belonged to this province. These Generals earned lot of name and recognition during the cold-war.
xii) Taloqan : The Gujjars forms half of the population of the Province.
Mr. Arbab Hakeem Chechi, the Supreme Gujjar Commander of Hizb-e-Islami also belonged to this Province. He also earned world wide recognition during the cold war.
xiii) Shabargan : The Gujjars are 1/3 of the total population of this
Province.

5. The Gujjars are also living with a prominent sizeable minority in the following Provinces of Afghanistan : -
i Nangarhar,
ii Kabul,
iii Logar,
iv Qandhar,
v Gazni,
vi Kapisa,
vii Gardez,
viii Tamroze, and
ix Harat.
6. The Gujjars played a leading role in war (Jehad) against the U.S.S.R. since beginning in the year 1979. Mir Afzal Chechi of Kunnarr Province was one of the leading founders to organise and start the war(Jehad) to liberate Afghanistan from the clutches of U.S.S.R., who also sacrificed his life for the sacred cause. Malik Sher Afzal and Malik Qabeel of Kunnarr Province also significantly contributed towards organizing the war and Jehad against the U.S.S.R.
7. The following militant leaders of various Jahadi organizations, who fought against the U.S.S.R., also belonged to the Gujjar tribe of Afghanistan:-
i) Dr.M.Abdul Qayyum, Founder, Hizb-e-Islami
ii) Maulana M.Younas Khalis Quaid, Hizb-e-Islami
iii) Muhammad Ayub, Amir, Tanzeem Ahl-e-Hadith
iv) Ghulam Chechi, Commander Hizb-e-Islami
v) Mauland Akhawandzada Commander Harkat-e-Islami
vi) Nadir Khan Commander Harkat-e-Islami
vii) Arbab Mian Gul Chechi Commander Jamaat-e-Islami
viii) Haji Zardali Commander Hizb-e-Islami
ix) Haji Daim Khan Commander Tanzeem Ahl-e-Hadith
x) Musafar Khan Commander Hizb-e-Islami
xi) Maulana Umra Khan Commander Hizb-e-Islami
xii) Haji Badam Khan Commander Mahaz-e-Milli
xiii) Mir Alam Commander Jamat-e-Islami
xiv) Malik Sadbar Commander Hizb-e-Islami
xv) Maulana Kaduaali Amir Islami Hizb
xvi) Mirza Lal Doei Commander Jamat-e-Islami
xvii) Madir Gujjarwal Commander Harkat-e-Islami
xviii) Malik Jabeen Chechi Commander Hizb-e-Islami
xix) Malik Shireen Commander Hizb-e-Islami
xx) Malik Maasal Commander Hizb-e-Islami
xxi) Hazrat Bilal Sher Commander Harkat-e-Islami
xxii) Malik Gul Sharif Commander Tanzeem Ahl-e-Hadith
8. The thousands of Gujjar Mujahideens sacrificed their lives while fighting against USSR during the period of cold war. A large number of Gujjars had to migrate to Pakistan and other neighbouring countries during and after the cold-war. The majority of Gujjar migratees were living in Bhai Cheena Camps, Anayat Kaley Camps in Bajorr Agency, Dodaba Camps and Ranrri Camps in Dir district of Pakistan.
9. The culture, language, customs and traditions of the Gujjars are entirely different than the pushtoon ethnic stock. The Gujjars of Afghanistan speaks Gujjari language, the language that also spoken in most of the areas of Indo & Pakistan and enjoys its representation on a number of state owned Radio and Television channels in India and Pakistan.
10. It will be worth mentioning that the Pushto speaking population do not belong to one community, triabal or racial group rather they are devided into Shanwaris, Afridis, Safis, Khattaks, Mashwanis and Yousafzais, etc. etc., whereas, on the contrary the Gujjars of Afghanistan belongs to one racial and tribal group unlike Pushtoons, who are just a linguistic group.
11. The over 30-Million Gujjars in Pakistan and 20-Billion Gujjars in India had extended their implied and unconditional support to the notion of forming the broad based Afghan-Government comprising of all the ethnic groups and communities in Afghanistan so to win the war against terror.
12. It was expected that the Gujjars being the second largest ethnic and linguistic community certainly was to be considered as a significant constitutent in broad-based government as by ignoring the Gujjars neither any government can function as a representative establishment nor that could be a workable or perpetual solution to the growing problems of Afghanistan. The U.S.A., U.K. and Pakistan Governments should have derived an acceptable formula giving due representation to the Gujjars of Afghanistan.
13. The worrior & majority Gujjar tribe has not been given any representation while forming the present Afghan Government, the result is obvious, the writ of presetn Afghan-Government could hardly be established within the radious of only two Kilo meter area and more specifically speaking within the Presidential Compound under the guard and security of Allied forces. They are the brave Gujjars only who can restrict and confine the war-lords into their cloths and can bring the perpetual peace in Afghanistan. These Gujjars of Afghanistan also enjoys the unshaken support of 23-billion Gujjars of Pakistan and India. The Allied Forces, in order to bring the perpetual peace in Afghanistan, may even now draw a strategy to form a true representative Aghan-Government.

[Rajat]

A recent study on SWAT Gujjars.

The peasants, on the whole, became comparatively prosperous in Swat. A section of them have purchased cultivated land from the previous owners and manage it properly with latest technology. A study has revealed in Upper Swat that in one village a Khan has 20 jaraib of cultivated land (one jaraib is equal to approximately 1,100 square feet) while a Gujjar has 150 jaraib. The Gujjar community has earned billion of rupees in the Arab states.

[AP Singh]

Not only Bajaur and Nangarhar is named after the Gujjar Gotras but also the Vajirsthan is named after Gujjar Gujjar Gotra of Bajjad.

See the following inscription:

A fragmentary stone inscription of the reign of Paramabhattaraka Maharajadhiraja Sri- Jaypaladeva has been found on a hill north of Bari Kot in Upper Swat. It records that some person founded Vajjarasthana. Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni indentified the king mentioned above with Shahi Jai Pal and Varrajarithana is present day Vajirsthan, the country round Bari Kot, where the stone inscription has been found.
Ferrista describes Jai Pal as son of Kshiti Pal which si the other name of Gurjar Pratihar Emperor Mahi Pal. This proves the point that the SWAT valley was the very important part the large Gujjar empire that is the reasom the Gujjar Emperor Mahi Pal placed his own son there to assist the other Gujjar fuedatories.