|
|
Post by Ashok Harsana on Jul 8, 2014 12:33:20 GMT 5.5
It may be a very important link in the history of Gurjar origin theories: jandyongenesis.blogspot.in/2014/03/from-nile-to-philippines-tracing-gurjars.htmlIt says: The cultural context of these people is Kushite. According to Genesis 10, they are descendants of Noah through his grandson Kush and Kush's sons Ramah, Dedan and Nimrod. These are the rulers, priests, merchants and craftsmen of the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion. The Bible speaks of them as "the mighty men of old." They migrated out of the Upper Nile Valley in different directions, but the main movement was to the east. Migrations out of the Upper Nile traced genetically DNA evidence confirms the Kushite migration out of the Nile Valley. There were many migrations, but the Kushan-Yuezhi provide evidence of a relatively recent movement of Kushite craftsmen-traders. By this time, human populations were scattered across the earth wherever there were major water systems. Some of those populations resulted from earlier migrations out of Africa. The first took place about 120,000 years ago and the second about 70,000 years ago. The Kushite expansion coincided with the spread of the Horite religion by the Hapiru. In the proto-Saharan languages p is replaced by b so Hapiru also appears as Habiru (Hebrew). The Habiru venerated the Sun as the emblem of the Creator, just a Christians venerate the Cross as the emblem of Jesus Christ. They did not worship the Sun, as the Wikipedia article claims. Even today in Judaism the Birka Hachama or “Sun Blessing” is performed every 28 years. Some Kushite craftsmen-traders moved into central Asia and China, and others moved into Japan. They are also called Gujjar and Gurjar. Gurjar is a reference to their mercantilism and metal work. Bulghar means "territory of the Ghar." In Akkadian gurguri means metalworkers or copper smiths. In Somali Oromo gurguru means to sell (gurgurtaa = sale, gurguraa = seller). In Somali gur- refers to collecting something and gurgure means one who collects and keeps collecting. The Gurgure clan of the Somali Dir refers to traders who collect wares and resale them. Among the Dir guri means stick, rod or firearm. Among the Ainu of Northern Japan guruma means wheel. The Ainu of Japan believe the "koro-pok-guru" lived there before the Ainu. These traders of the ancient world did business along the great rivers and were also seafaring. Their commodities were weighed and evaluated at the shrines by the Horite ruler-priests. This custom is evident in the book of Leviticus where it equates twenty gerahs to one shekel (Lev. 27:25). The custom of the priests weighing and placing value on offerings and traded commodities explains the linguistic connection between the Gurjars and the Horites and between the words ghar/khar and har. In ancient Egypt khar referred to a unit of measurement offered at the temple (James Orr, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, page 1421). The association of the roots gr (trader) and hr (Horite) is evident in Southern India in place names such as Gurgaon Haryana. Mr. Bulang's forefathers came from this part of India. The movement of craftsmen-traders out of the Nile Valley began long before Abraham's time, so it is not possible for Mr. Bulang to establish lineage from Abraham and Keturah. His ancestors may well have been in Southern India when Abraham lived in Canaan, or they may have been closer to the Philippine Islands. If they came from Arabia originally, they might be related to the Joktanite (Yaqtani) clans of southern Arabia who descend from Keturah's father, Joktan the Elder. In some ancient Near Eastern texts these Arabian craftsmen-traders are called "Sauda-gar." |
|
|
|
Post by Ashok Harsana on Jul 8, 2014 12:37:29 GMT 5.5
|
|
|
|
Post by humgujjar on Aug 7, 2014 15:06:02 GMT 5.5
I am a Gujjar from Pakistan. So far from what I have read and understood, I have come to these conclusions:
1: The words "Gujjar" and "Arya" are ethnic/cultural terms and not racial. i.e., A person can be any race (White, Black, Brown or Mongoloid), and still be a Gujjar/Arya.
2: Aryas were spread all over the world from Germany, to Iran, to India, to all the way to Indonesia; thats why we have people from all over the world claiming to be "real" Aryans.
3: Most of the Gujjars are found in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Iran, respectively.
4: The most ancient Gujjar dynasty known to us, that clearly called itself Gujjar, was the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty, which ruled in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Gurjara-Pratihara kings called themselves descendants of the ancient Aryas, via Sri Laskshman.
5: The oldest form of the name "Gujjar" is "Gurtar".
Gurtar + Gurjan --> Gurjar --> Gujjar.
In some parts of India the "Gujjars" are known as "Gurjan". The Puranas (ancient texts of Hinduism) mention that Arya king Raja Dasharat Gurtar created an army of warriors and named it "Gurjan". The word "Gurjan" is the Prakrit (or spoken Sanskrit) form of the Sanskrit word "Gurujan"/"Guru-Jan" which means "leaders-of the People". The Gurjans were also known as "Gurtar-Kshtriyas", since they were a personal army of Raja Dasharat Gurtar. The word "Gurtar" was the royal title of Raja Dasharat and not his real name, and it means "Greatest-Warrior". It is believed that overtime the two words "Gurjan" and "Gurtar" changed into "Gurjar". The word "Gurjar" is the Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word "Guranujar"/"Guran-Ujar", which means "Enemy-Destroyer". Over time the word "Gurjar" changed into the several present forms of Gujjar, Gojjar, and Gajjar.
Furthermore, I beleive that the following words are derived from the words "Gurjar" and "Gujjar":
(a): The Kharosthi word, "Guzar" (Royal Heir) used by the Kushano-Shahi ruler Kanishka in an inscription.
(b): The Turkish word, Göçer (Nomad), used by the Turkmen confederation of nomads for their tribal identity. Göçer is pronounced as "Goochr".
(c): The Persian words, Gurg, Gurj, Gurz, and Ghuz (Wolf), used by Persians and Georgians for their tribal identity.
6: The oldest Gujjar settlement known to us can be traced back to 300 BC. The 10th chapter of the book called "Panchatantra" mentions a kingdom called "Gurjara-Desa" and describes it as "a vast desert rich in camels" but unfortunately we dont have any other information about this kingdom. Scholars have located it in the present day Indian state of Rajasthan, which is also a vast dessert.
7: The Gujjars, and other tribal unions in general, were always on the lookout to grow bigger in numbers. The way they achieved that goal was by conquering other tribes and then assimilating the warrior and aristocratic class of the conquered tribe into their own tribal union. It wasnt a law, but it was done whenever a tribal union felt comfortable in doing so. When the Gujjars conquered the Huna invaders they did the same thing to them, as they assimilated warrior and aristocratic Huns into their own tribal union, thats why we still have a clan named Huna among the Gujjars. Similarly, when the Arabs and Ghaznavids (Afghans) conquered North India, they came up with a new tribal union called Rajput. This tribal union was allowed to rule because it consisted of such members of the previously Gujjar ruling clans who were friendly to the conquerors, i.e. the Pratihars, Chauhans, Birgujars etc. and the other warrior tribes such as Janjuas, Awanas, Gakhars, etc. The Jatts did the same thing when they came to power.
8: A Gujjar can be shifted into any of the four varnas of the caste system depending on his actions. i.e., Harichandra, the founder of Pratihara dynasty, was a Brahmin, but his sons who ruled his kingdom were Kshtriyas. But both Harichandra, a Brahmin, and his sons, Kshtriyas, were Gujjars by tribe. Being a Gujjar has nothing to do with what you will do. Similary, there is a very important inscription which mentions the Gujjars as cultivators/farmers/agriculturists which is the work of Vaishya people, but the same inscription talks about the Gurjara Pratihara king who was doing a rulers duties, i.e. Kshtriya.
So there you go, I hope this will help clear some basic concepts.
On a side note: We should never forget that we are all brothers in humanity, whether someone is a Jatt, Rajput, or even a Shudra, everyone deserves respect and honour, and its our responsibility as men of character to make sure no one is insulted or dishonoured in front of us.
|
|
|
|
Post by humgujjar on Aug 7, 2014 16:53:03 GMT 5.5
A short summary of the above post:
The Gujjar tribe has grown over time by incorporating various other tribes it conquered or joined. Therefore, different Gujjar clans/Goths might have different origins, or in other words, its impossible to pin-point the "racial" origins of the Gujjars, as Gujjars are not a homogeneous/single race tribe, just like the ancient Aryas.
The origins of the "Gujjar tribal union", on the other hand, have already been discovered. The Gujjars who are still known as Gurjan in some parts of India, and the Gurjans who were an Arya union of warriors by Raja Dasharat Gurtar, are the same people. The Pratihara Gujjars are on record, in their inscriptions, that they are descendants of Sri Lakshmana (son of Raja Dasharat Gurtar).
It wouldn't be too far fetched to say that the present day Gurjans (AKA Gujjars) are same as the ancient Gurjans. And Gurtar, the royal title of Raja Dasharat Gurtar, is the oldest form of the word, Gujjar.
|
|
aps
Regular Member
Posts: 76
|
Post by aps on Aug 12, 2014 18:50:24 GMT 5.5
I am a Gujjar from Pakistan. So far from what I have read and understood, I have come to these conclusions: 4: The most ancient Gujjar dynasty known to us, that clearly called itself Gujjar, was the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty, which ruled in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Gurjara-Pratihara kings called themselves descendants of the ancient Aryas, via Sri Laskshman.
"Kujla Kara Kadphasis" written in Greek alphabets on Kushan coins is actually "Gurjara Shri Vikramaditya" of Sanskrit.
Vikram Samvat of 57BC was the date of coronation of the great Kushan emperor Vikramaditya, the great grand father of Kanishka, and the grand father of Vikramaditya II. Gurjjar Emperor Vikramditya II exterminated the Saka rulers from Aryavrat (consisting of Present day Afghanistan, India and Pakistan) and thus Saka era was named on celebration of this victory of Gurjjar Kushans over Sakas. Sakas were later appointed as Kastrapas or Governors of various provinces on behalf of their Gurjjar overlords. Vikramaditya II was the father of Kanishka the Great. Regards. AP Singh |
|
|
|
Post by humgujjar on Nov 28, 2014 17:46:16 GMT 5.5
The most ancient dynasty known to be as Gujjars were the Kushans or Kushanos, the descendents of Kush, the son of lord Rama and the present day Kasanas, one of the most celebrated sub-clan of Gurjjars.
"Kujla Kara Kadphasis" written in Greek alphabets on Kushan coins is actually "Gurjara Shri Vikramaditya" of Sanskrit.
Vikram Samvat of 57BC was the date of coronation of the great Kushan emperor Vikramaditya, the great grand father of Kanishka, and the grand father of Vikramaditya II. Gurjjar Emperor Vikramditya II exterminated the Saka rulers from Aryavrat (consisting of Present day Afghanistan, India and Pakistan) and thus Saka era was named on celebration of this victory of Gurjjar Kushans over Sakas. Sakas were later appointed as Kastrapas or Governors of various provinces on behalf of their Gurjjar overlords. Vikramaditya II was the father of Kanishka the Great. Regards. AP Singh Before I come to the topic at hand, let me just say that its a pleasure to see a reply from you A.P. Singh Ji. You have been a great guide in showing me the hidden history of the Gujjar tribe. So a trillion thanks for all your posts and efforts!!! Bohat Bohat Shukriya! @topic: Sir Alexander Cunningham, undoubtedly the most prominent authority among the historians of British India, believed that the Kushans were Gujjars. He formed his opinion based on the fact that the down fall of the Kushan empire and the rise of the Gurjara-Pratihara empire took place around the same time. Therefore, he believed that the best explanation for the "sudden" rise of Gurjara-Pratihara empire should be to call it a "continuation" of the Kushana empire. He also stressed the point that Gujjar is the only tribe whose major clans give clue to a link with Central-Asia, i.e. Kasana, Khatana, Gorsi, Chechi and Bargat. However, he believed that the Gujjars (and Kushans/Kasanas) were Tocharians (people from the ancient province of Xinjiang, China). A brief description of Kucha: It is interesting to note that Khotan kingdom (origin of Khatanas?) and Kusan kingdom (origin of Kasanas?) are in the area which Sir Alexander Cunningham identified as Tocharian kingdoms. Another point in this regard is that the famous city of Gujranwala is called by the locals as "Kujranwala", could it be that Kujar (Kucha) and Gujar are the same words? Thanks! and sorry for the late reply.  IMHO: The Kushanas/Kasanas (and other founding Gujar clans like Khatana, Gorsi, Chechi, and Bargat) were indeed spread as far as China, Central-Asia, and Eastern-Iran. Their main places of residence were indeed the Tocharian, Bacterian, and Iranian kingdoms. However I would add that the Kushans were either originally Indians or they included a strong Indian element. My reasons? Their religion was Budhism. Their language (Tocharian) was an Indo-European language. Their script Kharosthi had many Indic sounds: Well this is what I "think", who knows whats the truth?  Regards. Gujjar. |
|
aps
Regular Member
Posts: 76
|
Post by aps on Nov 29, 2014 19:27:06 GMT 5.5
You are right that 'K' and 'G' get interchanged like Kushana of Sanskrit is written as Gushana in Tibetan annals, like Kandhar is also called as Gandhar. The other most important gotras of Gujjars ruling the silk road are Karhana (Kroraina ), Khalchyan and Chokkers, other than Khatana. The route from India to Mongolia via Khotan was called Karapatha and this route was protected by the descendants of Laxmana, the younger brother of lord Rama. The word Laxmanites was written as Hepthalites in contemporary history by European merchants. Dadda Gurjjar of Mount Abu ruled in 4th century AD and not in 7th. Century as fraudulently written in Indian history. Sri Harsha, who was also known as Vikramaditya III came to India from Pamer regions in the first quarter of 4th. century. Pamer is the origin of the celebrated Parmar Gotra of Gurjjars. The Parmar ruler of Khyber pass of larger Pamer region are still known in India as Khubbar Parmars.. Mundan and Mandar are the other gotras originated from the Parmar Gotra. The famous king Bhoja of 11th. century belonged to this celebrated Parmar clan of Gurjjars. |
|
|
|
Post by humgujjar on Nov 30, 2014 23:49:06 GMT 5.5
You are right that 'K' and 'G' get interchanged like Kushana of Sanskrit is written as Gushana in Tibetan annals, like Kandhar is also called as Gandhar. The other most important gotras of Gujjars ruling the silk road are Karhana (Kroraina ), Khalchyan and Chokkers, other than Khatana. The route from India to Mongolia via Khotan was called Karapatha and this route was protected by the descendants of Laxmana, the younger brother of lord Rama. The word Laxmanites was written as Hepthalites in contemporary history by European merchants. Dadda Gurjjar of Mount Abu ruled in 4th century AD and not in 7th. Century as fraudulently written in Indian history. Sri Harsha, who was also known as Vikramaditya III came to India from Pamer regions in the first quarter of 4th. century. Pamer is the origin of the celebrated Parmar Gotra of Gurjjars. The Parmar ruler of Khyber pass of larger Pamer region are still known in India as Khubbar Parmars.. Mundan and Mandar are the other gotras originated from the Parmar Gotra. The famous king Bhoja of 11th. century belonged to this celebrated Parmar clan of Gurjjars. So then the Laxamanites/Hepthalites would have had a large settlement in XinJiang, China, wouldnt they? Would you agree with Cunningham that present-day Gujjars came to India from the Tocharian region (Kucha kingdom/ XingJiang China/ Karapatha)? To me it seems possible that Gujjars were a branch of Suryavanshi Kshtriyas (Sun-worshippers?) who in very ancient times moved out of India and permanently settled in Xingjiang, China (Tocharian Region). There they established a kingdom called Kusan (also known as Kushan, Kuchar, Kujar, Kucha, and Kuchee) and became "locals" of Central-Asia in terms of culture. Around 200 B.C. they expanded the Kusan kingdom into a huge empire called Kushan Empire. This "expansion" became the source of their "reintroduction" into the mainlands of India, i.e. Punjab, Kashmir, and Rajasthan. This same "expansion" also introduced them (Kushan Gujjars) to areas as far as Tukmenistan (Eastern Persia) and Georgia (Eastern Europe). General Cunningham derives the word "Gujar" from "Guzura" (A person born in a high family), which which was mentioned in the Rabatak inscription as, the family title of Kushan king Kanishka. He says that "Guzura" was Sanskritised to "Gurjara" (One who destroys the enemy). I, however, think that Guzura was the Central-Asian variation of Gurjara, as I think the Kushans/Gujjars were originally Suryavanshi Kshtriyas who migrated to Central-Asia in very ancient times. The original word was always Gurjar, but it was changed to Guzur, Guzan, Kusan, Kuchar, and Kujar! In fact, the root word of Gurjar (Enemy destroyer) is Gurtar (Greatest warrior), which is mentioned in the epic Ramayana as the royal title of Maharaja Dasharat (father of Shri Rama and Shri Lakshmana). So I believe while the Gujjars are originally Indians, related to the ancient Aryas of the Vedas, the majority of them moved out of India in very ancient times and then got re-introduced to India as people with a strong connection to the Persian and Central-Asian lands. -------- On a side note: I have read at many places that Pandit Raja Radhakant Deb, a renowned scholar of Sanskrit, has defined the word Gurjar as "enemy destroyer" in his Sanskrit dictionary called "Shabda-Kalpadrum". I have found an online copy of the Shabda-Kalpadrum by Radhakant, but I am unable to read Sanskrit. Could you, or if you know anyone who can read Sanskrit, identify on which page this dictionary defines the word Gurjar and possibly underline and translate the description on the original image of the page? Here is the link to all the different Volumes of Shabda-Kalpadrum: archive.org/search.php?query=sabdakalpadrumah H.H. Wilson describes Radhakant Deb in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (Volume 17) as "a leading member of the Native Society of Calcutta, who adds the distinction of rank and station, that of a foremost place amongst Sanskrit scholars, as evinced by his great Lexicon or Literary Encyclopaedia of the Sanskrit language, in seven quarto volumes; the Sabdakalpadruma, which enjoys a European as well as Indian celebrity." Google Books. Here is a link to the Wikipedia article on Radhakant Deb. Thanks. |
|
|
|
Post by Ashok Harsana on Dec 1, 2014 10:46:55 GMT 5.5
Welcome to the board Dear Hum Gujjar,
It is really nice to see your enthusiasm for the community. You are right when you connect Gujjars to Kucha people. In my humble opinion, If we really wish to know the origin of our community which has always been shrouded in mystery, we have to read (translate) the Chinese documents related to Kucha people.
Keep up the good work.
Regards
|
|
|
|
Post by humgujjar on Dec 2, 2014 11:14:59 GMT 5.5
Welcome to the board Dear Hum Gujjar, It is really nice to see your enthusiasm for the community. You are right when you connect Gujjars to Kucha people. In my humble opinion, If we really wish to know the origin of our community which has always been shrouded in mystery, we have to read (translate) the Chinese documents related to Kucha people. Keep up the good work. Regards Thanks a lot Harsana ji! Your kind words mean so much to me! This forum was my first source of information about my roots, and I am sure there are many others like me, it has tremendous value to the community! Your efforts have especially great respect in my eyes, so thanks a tonne Sir! I hope to add something of value to this forum, but to be honest you have pretty much covered everything already . I guess at best I'll just be summarizing the previous posts. Thanks. |
|
