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{{Short description|Ethnic group in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Gurjar
| native_name      = 
| flag             = 
| flag_caption     = 
| flag_alt         = 
| regions          = [[South Asia]]
| langs            = [[Gojri language|Gojri]] • [[Rajasthani languages|Rajasthani]] • [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] • [[Hindi]] • [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] • [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] • [[Urdu]] • [[Pashto]]  • [[Haryanvi language|Haryanvi]] • [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] • [[Balochi language|Balochi]] • [[Pahari-Pothwari|Pahari]] • [[Marathi language|Marathi]]
| rels             = [[Hinduism]] [[file:Om symbol.svg|20x20px]] •  [[Islam]] [[file:Allah-green.svg|20x20px]]
| related_groups   = [[Jats]] • [[Rajput]]s • [[Ahir]]s and other [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryan People]]
}}
The '''Gurjar''' (or '''Gujjar''', '''Gujar''', '''Gurjara'''<ref name="Mayaram 2017">{{cite book |last=Mayaram |first=Shail |chapter=The Story of the Gujars |editor=Vijaya Ramaswamy |title=Migrations in Medieval and Early Colonial India |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzcrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67 |date=2017 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-351-55825-9 |pages=67 |quote=The heterogeneous category that is variously called gujar/Gujjar/Gurjara. }}</ref>) are an [[agricultural]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zelin |first=Madeleine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BHNECgAAQBAJ |title=Merchant Communities in Asia, 1600–1980 |date=2015-10-06 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-31789-0 |pages=148 |language=en}}</ref> ethnic community, residing mainly in [[India]], [[Pakistan]], and [[Afghanistan]],<ref name="Rahi">{{Cite book |editor-last=Rahi |editor-first=Javaid |year=2012 |title=The GUJJARS - A Book Series on History and Culture of Gujjar Tribe |volume=1 |url=https://www.academia.edu/41978043}}</ref> divided internally into various clan groups.<ref name="Rahi" /> They were traditionally involved in agriculture, [[pastoral]] and [[nomad]]ic<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 Mar 2022 |title=Welfare measures of nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes to be taken |work=The Tribune |url=https://m.tribuneindia.com/news/j-k/bjp-sets-its-eyes-on-gujjar-bakarwal-tribes-in-jammu-and-kashmir-374770 |access-date=3 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 Feb 2022 |title=As seen from the eyes of nomadic tribes |publisher=The Indian Express |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/political-pulse/jammu-kashmir-delimitation-gujjars-bakarwals-7779985/lite/ |access-date=18 Feb 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Finding identity: Nomadic Gujjar tribes |date=29 Jul 2021 |publisher=Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/photography/kashmir-s-nomadic-tribes-of-gujjar-and-bakarwal-finding-identity-among-the-unidentified-b1892822.html |access-date=29 Jul 2021}}</ref> activities and formed a large heterogeneous group.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/43050675 |editor-last=Rahi |editor-first=Javaid |year=2016 |title=The GUJJARS - A Book Series on History and Culture of Gujjar Tribe |journal=The Gujjars -Vol: 06- ed Javaid Rahi |volume=6}}</ref> The historical role of Gurjars has been quite diverse in society: at one end they have been found related to several kingdoms and, at the other end, some are still nomads with no land of their own.<ref name="Mayaram 2017" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Agnihotri |first1=V. K. “The Gujjars are pastoral and nomadic. They wander throughout the year in search of grazing pastures for their cattle which mostly consists of buffaloes and cows. Gujjars are Hindus as well as Muslims though the bulk of them are Muslims. Muslim Gujjar is a nomad and therefore, has no settled home in any part of Himachal Pradesh. Today Hindu Gujjars mostly lead a settled life.” |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dyPsvseSdiQC&dq=nomad+gujjar&pg=PA14 |title=Socio-economic Profile of Rural India: North-central & western India (Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra) |last2=Vora |first2=Rajendra |date=2002 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-8069-206-2 |language=en}}</ref>

The pivotal point in the history of Gurjar identity is often traced back to the emergence of a [[Gurjaradesa|Gurjara kingdom]] in present-day [[Rajasthan]] and [[Gujarat]] during the [[Middle Ages]] (around 570 CE).<ref>{{cite thesis |degree=PhD |author=Baij Nath Puri |date=1957 |title=The History Of The Gurjara Pratiharas |url=https://archive.org/details/thehistoryofthegurjarapratiharasbaijnathpuri_300_m/mode/2up |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> It is believed that the Gurjars migrated to different parts of the [[Indian subcontinent|Indian Subcontinent]] from the Gurjaratra.<ref>{{harvnb|Chattopadhyaya|1994|p=6}} "we have noted that Gurjaratra or Gurjarabhumi was the base from which several lineages tracing descent from the Gurjaras emerged"</ref>

The Gurjaras started fading from the forefront of history after the 10th century CE. Thereafter, history records several Gurjar chieftains and upstart warriors, who were rather petty rulers in contrast to their predecessors. Gujar or Gujjar were quite common during the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] era, and documents dating from the period mention Gujars as a 'turbulent' people.

The Indian states of [[Gujarat]] and Rajasthan were known as ''Gurjaradesa'' and ''Gurjaratra'' for centuries prior to the arrival of the British. The [[Gujrat, Pakistan|Gujrat]] and [[Gujranwala]] districts of Pakistani [[Punjab]] have also been associated with Gurjars from as early as the 8th century CE, when there existed a Gurjara kingdom in the same area.{{sfn|Baij Nath Puri|1957|p=12}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Buddha Prakash |title=Aspects of Indian History and Civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lKg5AQAAIAAJ |year=1965 |publisher=Shiva Lal Agarwala |page=157 |isbn=9780842616812 }}</ref> The [[Saharanpur]] district of [[Uttar Pradesh]] was also known as Gurjargadh previously, due to the presence of many Gurjar [[zamindar]]s in the area.<ref name="Puri1975">{{cite book |author=Baij Nath Puri |title=The History of the Gurjara-Pratihāras |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=orAJAQAAIAAJ |year=1975 |publisher=Oriental Publishers & Distributors |pages=14–17 |isbn=978-81-215-0003-6 }}</ref>

Gurjars are linguistically and religiously diverse. Although they are able to speak the language of the region and country where they live, Gurjars have their own language, known as [[Gujari]]. They mostly follow [[Islam]] followed by [[Hinduism]]:<ref name="nps">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.edu/programs/ccs/Nuristan.html |title=Nuristan |work=Program for Culture & Conflict Studies |publisher=Naval Postgraduate School |date=October 2009 |access-date=4 November 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Singh|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=oscmJoix2IAC&pg=PA51 48 & 51]}} As per a 1988 estimate, out of the total Gurjar population in the Indian subcontinent, 53% were followers of Islam, 46.8% were adherents of Hinduism while 0.2% were [[Sikhs]].<ref>Sukhbir Singh, "[https://apgin.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Vol-10_1988.pdf Distributional Pattern of the Major Agricultural Communities (Ahirs, Gujars, Jats and Rajputs) in Their Traditional Abode of the North-Western Indian Subcontinent]", ''Population Geography'', Vol. 10, Nos. 1 and 2, June–December 1988, pp. 1–17, table 2 on p. 6. [https://web.archive.org/web/20240815183749/https://apgin.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Vol-10_1988.pdf Archived] 23 June 2025.</ref>

The Hindu Gurjars are mostly found in Indian states of [[Rajasthan]], [[Gujarat]], [[Haryana]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Punjab Plains]] and [[Maharashtra]]. Muslim Gurjars are mostly found in Pakistani province of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], mainly concentrated in [[Lahore]] and northern cities of [[Gujranwala]], [[Gujrat, Pakistan|Gujrat]], [[Gujar Khan]] and [[Jhelum]]; and in Indian Himalayan regions such as [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu & Kashmir]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], and Garhwal and Kumaon divisions of [[Uttarakhand]]; and [[Afghanistan]].

== Etymology ==
The word ''Gujjar'' represents a  ''[[caste]]'', a tribe and a group in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, locally referred to as [[Jāti|''jati'']], ''zaat'', ''qaum'' or [[Baradari (brotherhood)|''biradari'']].<ref name="Raheja1988">{{cite book|author=Gloria Goodwin Raheja|url=https://archive.org/details/poisoningiftritu0000rahe|url-access=registration|title=The Poison in the Gift: Ritual, Prestation, and the Dominant Caste in a North Indian Village|date=15 September 1988|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-70729-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/poisoningiftritu0000rahe/page/n16 01]–03|quote=This regional dominance and the kingship (rajya) exercised by Gurjar chiefs still figure prominently in oral traditions current among Saharanpur Gurjars and in the depiction of their identity as Ksatriya "kings" in printed histories of the Gujar Jati.}}</ref><ref name="Asghar2016">{{cite book|author=Muhammad Asghar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=utd7DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|title=The Sacred and the Secular: Aesthetics in Domestic Spaces of Pakistan/Punjab|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|year=2016|isbn=978-3-643-90836-0|page=10|quote=The main grouping is the biradari, which is a very old established norm of people identifying themselves&nbsp;... A larger and also ancient form of grouping is the caste (qaum). The three main ones are Jaats (farmers), Arains (who traditionally were gardeners) and Gujjars (people who tend livestock and sell milk).}}</ref>

It has been suggested by several historians that Gurjara was initially the name of a tribe or clan which later evolved into a geographical and ethnic identity following the establishment of a ''[[janapada]]'' (tribal kingdom) called 'Gurjara'.{{sfn|Chattopadhyaya|1994|p=6}} This understanding has introduced an element of ambiguity regarding ancient royal designations containing the word 'gurjara' such as ''gurjaraeshvara'' or ''gurjararaja'', as now it is debatable whether the kings bearing these epithets were tribal or ethnic Gurjaras.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sharma |first=Sanjay |date=2006 |title=Negotiating Identity and Status |journal=Studies in History |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=181–220 |doi=10.1177/025764300602200202 |s2cid=144128358 |issn=0257-6430}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sharma |first=Shanta Rani |date=2012 |title=Exploding the Myth of the Gūjara Identity of the Imperial Pratihāras |journal=Indian Historical Review |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=1–10 |doi=10.1177/0376983612449525 |s2cid=145175448 |issn=0376-9836}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Origin ===
Historians and anthropologists differ on the issue of Gurjar origin. According to one view, circa 1 [[Common Era|CE]], the ancient ancestors of the Gurjars came in multiple waves of migration and were initially accorded status as high-caste warriors in the Hindu fold in the North-Western regions (modern Rajasthan and Gujarat).<ref name=Singh2012p44>{{harvnb|Singh|2012|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=oscmJoix2IAC&pg=PA44 44–]}}</ref> [[Aydogdy Kurbanov]] states that some Gurjars, along with people from northwestern India, merged with the [[Alchon Huns|Hephthalites]] to become the [[Rajput]] clan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diss.fu-berlin.de/diss/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/FUDISS_derivate_000000007165/01_Text.pdf |title=The Hephthalites: Archaeological and Historical Analysis |last=Kurbanov |first=Aydogdy |page=243 |year=2010 |access-date=11 January 2013 |quote=As a result of the merging of the Hephthalites and the Gujars with population from northwestern India, the Rajputs (from Sanskrit "rajputra" – "son of the rajah") formed.}}</ref>

Previously, it was believed that the Gurjars had migrated earlier on from Central Asia as well, however, this view is generally considered to be speculative.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mayaram |first=Shail |chapter=The Story of the Gujars |editor=Vijaya Ramaswamy |title=Migrations in Medieval and Early Colonial India |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzcrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67 |date=2017 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-351-55825-9 |pages=67}}</ref>

According to B. D. Chattopadhyaya, historical references speak of Gurjara warriors and commoners in [[North India]] in the 7th century CE, and mention several Gurjara kingdoms and dynasties.{{sfn|Chattopadhyaya|1994|p=64|ps=. "documents dating from seventh century suggest a wide distribution of Gurjaras as a political power in western India"}} However, according to Tanuja Kothiyal, the historical image of Gurjars is that of "ignorant" herders, though historical claims of Gurjar past also associate them with [[Gurjara-Pratihara]]s. She cites a myth that any Rajput claim Gurjars may have comes through a Rajput marrying a Brahmin woman, and not through an older Kshatriya clan.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kothiyal |first=Tanuja |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=be-7CwAAQBAJ&q=tanuja+kothiyal+book |title=Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert |date=14 March 2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-08031-7 |pages=249–250 |language=en |quote=The cultural image of the Gujar is of an ignorant herder though the historical claims of Gujar past also associate them with Gurjara-Pratiharas, with long migrations through Thar. However, as the Devnarayan epic reveals, any Rajput link that the Gujars may claim, comes from multi-caste marriages that are contracted in the course of the epic rather than any other claim to descent from the older kshatriya clan. The original ancestor of the Gujars is a Rajput, who marries a Brahmin woman.}}</ref> She says that the historical process suggests the opposite: that Rajputs emerged from other communities, such as Gurjars, [[Jats]], [[Raikas]] etc.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kothiyal |first=Tanuja |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=be-7CwAAQBAJ&q=tanuja+kothiyal+book |title=Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert |date=14 March 2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-08031-7 |pages=265 |language=en |quote=from gradual transformation of mobile pastoral and tribal groups into landed sedentary ones. The process of settlement involved both control over mobile resources through raids, battles and trade as well as channelizing of these resources into agrarian expansion. Kinship structures as well as marital and martial alliances were instrumental in this transformation.&nbsp;... In the colonial ethnographic accounts rather than referring to Rajputs as having emerged from other communities, Bhils, Mers, Minas, Gujars, Jats, Raikas, all lay a claim to a Rajput past from where they claim to have 'fallen'. Historical processes, however, suggest just the opposite.}}</ref>

The oldest known reference to the word ''Gurjara'' is found in the book called ''[[Harshacharita]]'' (Harsha's Deeds), a biography of king ''[[Harsha]]vardhana'' written around 630 CE.<ref>{{cite book |last=Puri |first=Baij Nath |author-link=Baij Nath Puri |title=The History of the Gurjara-Pratiharas |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |location=Delhi |year=1986 |page=9}}</ref> [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa|Banabhatta]], the author of ''Harshacharita'', mentions that Harsha's father [[Prabhakaravardhana|Prabhakravardhana]] (560-580 CE) was "a constant threat to the sleep of Gurjara"''—''apparently a reference to the Gurjara king or kingdom. Inscriptions from a collateral branch of Gurjaras, known as ''[[Gurjaras of Lata]]'', claim that their family was ruling ''Bharakucha'' ([[Bharuch district|Bharuch]]) as early as 450 CE from their capital at Nandipuri.

According to scholars such as [[Baij Nath Puri]], the [[Mount Abu]] (ancient Arbuda Mountain) region of present-day [[Rajasthan]] had been an abode of the Gurjars during the medieval period.<ref>{{cite book|title=Gurjars of Jammu and Kashmir|author=Kulbhushan Warikoo|author2=Sujit Som|publisher=Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya|quote=Dr. B. N. Puri who wrote a thesis Gurjar Pratihar at oxford university states that the Gurjars were local people}}</ref> These Gurjars migrated from the Abu mountain region and as early as in the 6th century CE, they set up one or more principalities in Rajasthan and [[Gujarat]]. The 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.<ref>{{cite book|title=The History and Culture of the Indian People: The classical age|author=Ramesh Chandra Majumdar|author2=Achut Dattatrya Pusalker |author3=A. K. Majumdar |author4=Dilip Kumar Ghose |author5=Vishvanath Govind Dighe |author6=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan|year=1977|page=153}}</ref>

In [[Sanskrit]] texts, the [[ethnonym]] has sometimes been [[false etymology|interpreted]] as "destroyer of the enemy": ''gur'' meaning "enemy" and ''ujjar'' meaning "destroyer").<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Warikoo |first1=Kulbhushan |last2=Som |first2=Sujit |title=Gurjars of Jammu and Kashmir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zxtuAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya |page=4 |quote="Gurjar" is a Sanskrit word which has been explained thus: Gur+Ujjar;'Gur' means 'enemy' and 'ujjar' means 'destroyer'. The word means "Destroyer of the enemy". |date=2000}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Gurjara aura Unakā Itihāsa meṃ Yogadāna Vishaya para Prathama …, Volume 2 |first=Bhāratīya Gurjara |last=Parishada |year=1993 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kwIAAAAIAAJ |publisher=Bharatiya Gurjar Parisha |page=27 |quote=Sanskrit Dictionary Compiled by Pandit Radha Kant (Shakabada 1181) explains: Gurjar=Gur (enemy)+Ujar(destroyer)}}</ref>

=== Medieval period ===
Babur, in the context of revolt, wrote that Jats and Gujjars poured down from hills in vast numbers in order to carry off oxen and buffaloes and that they were guilty of the severest oppression in the country.<ref name="Mayaram2004">{{cite book|author=Shail Mayaram|title=Against History, Against State: Counterperspectives from the Margins|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zL-7m2MDp2EC|year=2004|publisher=Permanent Black|isbn=978-81-7824-096-1| pages = 94}}</ref>
Many Gurjars were converted to Islam at various times, dating back to Mahmud of Ghazni's raid in Gujarat in 1026. Gurjars of [[Awadh]] and Meerut date their conversion to [[Tamerlane]], when he sacked Delhi and forcibly converted them. By 1525, when Babur invaded India, he saw that the Gurjars of northern Punjab were already Muslims. Until the 1700s, conversions continued under [[Aurangzeb]], who converted the Gurjars of Himachal Pradesh by force. Pathans and Balochis drove Gurjar converts out of their land, forcing them into vagrancy.<ref>Sharma, J. C., (1984). "Gujars". In {{cite book
| title = Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey
| volume = 1
| pages = 298–301}} edited by Richard V. Weekes. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.</ref>

=== British rule ===
[[File:Goojur_Sirdars_of_Rajpootana.jpg |thumb|Gurjar sardars of Rajasthan during British era]]
[[File:Two Gurjar (also transliterated as Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara, & Gujjer) Men on a Pavement and a Woman in a Doorway in Delhi, Shepherd & Robertson (possibly), ca.1859–69.png|thumb|Two Gurjar men on a pavement and a woman in a doorway in Delhi, Shepherd & Robertson (possibly), ca.1859–69]]
In the 18th century, several Gurjar chieftains and small kings were in power. A fort in [[Parikshitgarh]] in [[Meerut district]], also known as Qila Parikishatgarh, is ascribed to a Gurjar king [[Nain Singh Nagar]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://meerut.nic.in/tourist.htm 
 |title=Tourist Places 
 |publisher=District Administration Meerut 
 |access-date=31 May 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619074812/http://meerut.nic.in/tourist.htm 
 |archive-date=19 June 2009 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2023}} Morena, Samthar, Dholpur, Saharanpur and Roorkee were also some of the places ruled by Gurjar kings.<ref name="cite">{{cite web |url = https://roorkee.cantt.gov.in/history/ |title = Roorkee Cantonment Board - History |access-date = 2 September 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://chambaldivisionmp.nic.in/en/culture-heritage/  |title = Culture & Heritage |access-date = 20 September 2021}}</ref> Bhati Clan of Gurjars had significance influence in Bulandshahr joint magistracy. Rao Roshan Singh of Bhati clan was a landlord of wide area till 1812, other chiefs of this clan were, Shambu Singh, Ajit singh and Dargahi Singh Bhati. The Bhati Gurjars in this area had somewhat similar position as the Gurjar Rajas of Saharanpur area.<ref>{{Cite book
| last = Kolff
| first =Dirk H.A.
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9955DwAAQBAJ&dq=bhatti+gujars&pg=PA149
| title =Grass in their mouths: The Upper Doab of India under the company's Magna Charta, 1793-1830
| publisher =Brill
|date=13 August 2010
|isbn=978-90-04-18802-0
| page =149
}}</ref>

In [[Delhi]], the [[Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, 4th Baronet|Metcalfe House]] was sacked by Gurjar villagers from whom the land had been taken to erect the building.<ref>{{Cite book
| last =Sen
| first =Geeti
|author2=Ashis Banerjee
| title =The Human Landscape
| publisher =Orient Longman
|year=2001
|isbn=978-81-250-2045-5
| page =236
}}</ref> In September 1857, the British were able to enlist the support of many Gurjars at [[Meerut]].<ref>{{Cite magazine
|title=The Adivasis of India – A History of Discrimination, Conflict, and Resistance
|author=C.R. Bijoy
|magazine=PUCL Bulletin
|publisher=People's Union for Civil Liberties
|pages=55–61
|date=February 2003
}}</ref>

== Culture ==
=== Afghanistan ===
[[File:Bakitar Gujar, 1984.jpg|thumb|right|Gurjar children in Afghanistan, 1984]]
The Gurjar people are a tribal group who have lived in Afghanistan for centuries. According to the Afghanistan news agency [[Pajhwok Afghan News|Pajwok Afghan News]], there are currently an estimated 1.5 million Gurjar people residing in the country. The Gurjar people are predominantly found in the northeastern regions of Afghanistan, including [[Kapisa Province|Kapisa]], [[Baghlan Province|Baghlan]], [[Balkh Province|Balkh]], [[Kunduz Province|Kunduz]], [[Takhar Province|Takhar]], [[Badakhshan Province|Badakhshan]], [[Nuristan Province|Nuristan]], [[Laghman Province|Laghman]], [[Nangarhar Province|Nangarhar]], and [[Khost Province|Khost]]. They have a distinct culture and way of life.<ref name=pajhwok.com>{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2021/01/13/gujars-use-andak-meat-for-coronavirus-treatment/ |title=Gujars use Andak meat for coronavirus treatment
|date=January 2021 |access-date=15 March 2023|last1=Hamdard
|first1=Azizullah |quote=Reaching in numbers almost 1.5 million, Gujar tribe men and women live in parts of Kapesa, Baghlan, Balkh, Kunduz, Takhar, Badakhshan, Nuristan, Laghman, Nangarhar and Khost provinces.
}}</ref>

The old [[Afghanistan Constitution|Afghanistan constitution]] officially recognised 14 ethnic groups, including the Gurjar ethnic group being one of them.<ref name="pajhwok.com"/>

Many Gurjar tribal people in Afghanistan are deprived of their rights and their living conditions are poor. They have sometimes been internally displaced in the past by illegal [[militia]]s; for example, during 2018 around 200 Gurjar families were displaced from their homes in [[Farkhar District|Farkhar district]] in Takhar province.<ref name="gujar-tribesmen-forcibly-evicted-takhar-homes">{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2018/02/06/gujar-tribesmen-forcibly-evicted-takhar-homes/ |title=Gujar tribesmen forcibly evicted from Takhar homes
|date=February 2018 |access-date=20 March 2023
}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the Gurjar people in the northeastern province of Badakhshan used Andak meat to treat the corona virus, due to lack of clinics and other health facilities in their areas. The  Gurjar Tribe Council deemed the meat of the Andak animal as ''[[haram]]'' (forbidden) but many Gurjar people in the area said they had no choice.<ref name="pajhwok.com"/>

Gurjar tribal leaders met with [[Hamid Karzai]] when he was [[President of Afghanistan]]. They demanded schools and hospitals be built in their areas and the [[Government of Afghanistan|Afghan government]] give scholarships to Gurjar students to study abroad.<ref name="karzai-assures-consider-gujar-tribe-demands">{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2013/09/11/karzai-assures-consider-gujar-tribe-demands/
|title=Karzai assures to consider Gujar tribe demands
|date=September 2013 |access-date=15 March 2023
}}</ref>

=== India ===
Today, the Gurjars are classified under the [[Other Backward Class]] category in some states in India.<ref name=article2608724>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article2608724.ece |title=India's Gujjar caste fight for a downgrade |first=Jeremy |last=Page |work=[[The Times]] |date=30 May 2008 |access-date=1 December 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131104003944/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article2608724.ece |archive-date=4 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, in Jammu and Kashmir and parts of Himachal Pradesh, they are designated as a Scheduled Tribe under the [[Reservation in India|Indian government's reservation program]] of [[positive discrimination]]. [[Hinduism|Hindu]] Gurjars were assimilated into several varnas.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=R. S.|title=Early medieval Indian society: a study in feudalisation|publisher=Orient Longman Private Limited|year=2003|page=207|quote=It would be wrong to think that all foreigners were accepted as kshatriya and Rajputs for, in course of time, the Gujar people broke up into brahmans, banias, potters, goldsmiths, not to speak of herdsmen and cultivators (kunbis), who were looked upon as sudras. |isbn=978-81-250-2523-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i_sIE1sO5kwC&pg=PA207|access-date=30 November 2009}}</ref>

====Delhi====
Gurjars form an important component of Delhi. They have combined their traditional occupation of pastoralism and marginal cultivation over a large area in and around Delhi.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Demographic Study of Gujjars of Delhi: Population Structure and Socio-cultural Profile|year=2004 |doi=10.1080/09709274.2004.11905710|last1=Dabral|first1=Shweta|last2=Malik|first2=S.L.|journal=Journal of Human Ecology|volume=16|pages=17–24 |s2cid=55355163| issn = 0970-9274 }}</ref>

==== Haryana ====

The Gurjar community in Haryana has set elaborate guidelines for solemnizing marriages and holding other functions.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030803/ncr1.htm#4
|title=Anti-dowry campaign renewed before marriage season
|author=Chattar Pal Tanwar
|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |location=[[Chandigarh]]
|date=3 August 2003
|access-date=31 May 2007
}}</ref> In a ''mahapanchayat'' ("the great [[Panchayati raj|panchayat]]"), the Gujjar community decided that those who sought dowry would be excommunicated from the society.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030630/ncr1.htm#5
|title=No band, no dhol, and just 11 baratis
|author=Parmindar Singh
|work=The Tribune |location=Chandigarh
|date=29 June 2003
|access-date=31 May 2007
}}</ref>

==== Rajasthan ====

[[File:Shri Devnarayan BhagwanVeerGurjar.JPG|thumb|right|Fairs of [[Shri Devnarayan Bhagwan]] are organized two times in a year at Demali, Maalasheri, [[Asind]] and [[Jodhpuriya]]]]
[[File:SawaibhojGurjar.jpg|thumb|right|Statue of [[Devnarayan#Bagaravat Bharat|Sri Sawai Bhoj Bagaravat]], one of the 24 Gujar brothers collectively known as Bagaravats, at [[Dev Dham Jodhpuriya]] temple.]]

The Rajasthani Gurjars worship [[Surya]], [[Devnarayan]] (an [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]]), [[Shiva]] and [[Durga|Bhavani]].<ref name=neuman>{{cite book|title=Bards, ballads and boundaries: an ethnographic atlas of music traditions in West Rajasthan|author=Daniel Neuman|author2=Shubha Chaudhuri|author3=Komal Kothari|publisher=Seagull|year=2007|quote=Devnarayan is worshipped as an avatar or incarnation of Vishnu. This epic is associated with the Gujar caste|isbn=978-1905422074|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bardsballadsboun00neum}}</ref><ref name=vol11>{{cite book|title=Indian studies: past & present, Volume 11|publisher=Today & Tomorrow's Printers & Publishers|year=1970|page=385|quote=The Gujars of Punjab, North Gujarat and Western Rajasthan worship Sitala and Bhavani}}</ref>
Gurjar Goth is collective chant-like singing sung by Gurjar men and women, the themes of songs generally being [[Devnarayan]] Katha.<ref>{{Cite book
| last = 
| first =
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VAaCAAAAMAAJ&q=goth%20gujar
| title =Sangeet Natak. (1998).
| publisher =Sangeet Natak Akademi.
|date=1996
|isbn=
| page =
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book
| last = 
| first =
|url=
| title =Lok Rang: National Cultural Festival. (1996)
| publisher =Jawahar Kala Kendra
|date=1998
|isbn=
| page =
}}</ref> In Rajasthan, some members of the Gurjar community resorted to violent protests over the issue of reservation in 2006 and 2007. They demanded a change in their status from Other Backward Class (OBC) to Scheduled Tribe (ST). They felt marginalized and faced livelihood crises. During the 2003 election to the Rajasthan assembly, the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) promised them Scheduled Tribe status.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.countercurrents.org/rahi060608.htm
|title= Gujjar of Rajasthan and ST Status
|publisher=[[Countercurrents.org]]
|date=6 June 2008
|access-date=24 June 2009
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mayaram |first=Shail |date=June 2014 |title=Pastoral predicaments: The Gujars in history |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0069966714525163 |journal=Contributions to Indian Sociology |language=en |volume=48 |issue=2 |pages=191–222 |doi=10.1177/0069966714525163 |issn=0069-9667|url-access=subscription }}</ref> However, the party failed to keep its promise after coming to the power, resulting in protests by the Gurjars in September 2006.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/060905/139/67ale.html
|title=Gujjar community goes berserk in Rajasthan
|publisher=Yahoo! News
|date=5 September 2006
|access-date=31 May 2007
}} {{dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

In May 2007, during violent protests over the reservation issue, members of the Gurjar community clashed with the police.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200705301541.htm |title=Gujjar unrest: CPI(M) demands judicial probe |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=30 May 2007 |access-date=31 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215605/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200705301541.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> Subsequently, the Gurjar protested violently, under various groups including the Gurjar Sangarsh Samiti,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=374252&sid=REG&ssid= |title= Talks between Rajasthan Government, Gujjars collapse |publisher=[[Zee News]] |date=30 May 2007 |access-date=31 May 2007 }}</ref> Gurjar Mahasabha<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/May302007/national200705304597.asp?section=updatenews |title=Gujjars seek resignation of Minister Kalulal Gujjar |work=[[Deccan Herald]]|date=30 May 2007
|access-date=31 May 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929131756/http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/May302007/national200705304597.asp?section=updatenews <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 29 September 2007}}</ref> and the Gurjar Action Committee.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Four_dead_in_Gujjar-police_clash/articleshow/2082202.cms |title=Four dead in Gujjar-police clash in Rajasthan |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=29 May 2007 |access-date=31 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113193527/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Four_dead_in_Gujjar-police_clash/articleshow/2082202.cms |archive-date=13 January 2009 }}</ref> Presently, the Gurjars in Rajasthan are classified as Other Backward Class.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ncbc.nic.in/backward-classes/rajasthan.htm |title=Central List of Other Backward Classes: Rajasthan |publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes |access-date=31 May 2007}}</ref>

On 5 June 2007, Gurjars rioted over their desire to be added to the central list of tribes who are given favoured treatment under the reservation system. However, other tribes on the list oppose this request, as it would make it harder to obtain the few positions already set aside.<ref>{{Cite magazine|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=5 June 2007 |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1628192,00.html?xid=rss-world&iid=sphere-inline-bottom |access-date=26 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001004511/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1628192,00.html?xid=rss-world&iid=sphere-inline-bottom |title=The Race to the Bottom of India's Ladder}}</ref>

In December 2007, the Akhil Bhartiya Gurjar Mahasabha ("All-India Gurjar Council") stated that the community would boycott the BJP, which was in power in Rajasthan.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Gurjar community 'threatens' to boycott BJP |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200712311013.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=31 December 2007 |access-date=31 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112093120/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200712311013.htm |archive-date=12 January 2009}}</ref> But in 2009 the Gurjar community was supporting BJP so that they could be politically benefitted. [[Kirori Singh Bainsla]] fought and lost on the BJP ticket. In the early 2000s, the Gurjar community in Dang region of Rajasthan was also in news its falling [[sex ratio]], unavailability of brides, and the resultant [[polyandry]].<ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/08/31/stories/2003083100250400.htm
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040321101203/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/08/31/stories/2003083100250400.htm
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=21 March 2004
|title=Men without women
|author=Manipadma Jena
|work=[[The Hindu]]
|date=3 August 2003
|access-date=31 May 2007
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/globalpers/gp021505.htm
|title=Diminishing returns
|author=Astrid Lobo Gajiwala
|work=[[National Catholic Reporter]]
|date=7 February 2005
|access-date=31 May 2007
}}</ref>

{{See also|2008 caste violence in Rajasthan}}

==== Madhya Pradesh ====

{{as of|2022}}, the Gurjars in [[Madhya Pradesh]] are classified as Other Backward Classes.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.ncbc.nic.in/user_panel/GazetteResolution.aspx?Value=mPICjsL1aLuPAiTDwaBMRTkcitPtwFoYM%2fvPkOo88fWK%2fs%2fLWkaxMKHeos%2fc%2fKys
|title=Central List of Other Backward Classes: Madhya Pradesh
|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes
|access-date=22 January 2023
}}</ref>

==== Maharashtra ====
In Maharashtra, Gurjars are in very good numbers in Jalgaon District. Dode Gurjars and Dore Gurjars are listed as Other Backward Classes in Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://ncbc.nic.in/backward-classes/maharashtra.html
|title=Central List of Other Backward Classes
|publisher=National Commission for Backward Classes
|access-date=31 May 2007
}}</ref>

==== Gujarat ====
The State took its name from the Gurjara, the land of the Gurjars, who ruled the area during the 700s and 800s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Gujarat|url=https://gujaratindia.gov.in/about-gujarat/history-1.htm|website=Gujrat State Portal|access-date=18 May 2021|archive-date=19 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219015743/https://gujaratindia.gov.in/about-gujarat/history-1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

They are listed among the Other Backward Classes of Gujarat.<ref name="goi">{{cite web|title=Central List of OBCs For the State of Gujarat|url=http://www.bcmbcmw.tn.gov.in/obc/faq/gujarat.pdf|publisher=[[Government of India]]}}</ref>

A few scholars believe that the [[Leva Patil|Leva]] [[Kunbi]]s (or Kambis) of Gujarat, a section of the [[Patidar]]s, are possibly of Gurjar origin.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/BULDHANA/people_castes.html
|title=Buldhana: Castes
|work=Buldhana District Gazetteer
|publisher=Gazetteers Department, Cultural Affairs Department of Government of Maharashtra
|access-date=31 May 2007
}}</ref><ref name="indomitable_sardar">{{Cite book
|last=Panjabi
|first=Kewalram Lalchand
|title =The Indomitable Sardar
|year =1977
|publisher =Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
|page=4
|quote=Vallabhbhai Patel belonged to the famous clan of Leva Gujar Patidars who played a notable role in the history of Gujarat. They were Gujars who came from Punjab and had occupied the rich charotar land between Mahi and Tapi rivers.
}}</ref> However, several others state that the Patidars are [[Kurmi]]s or [[Kunbi]]s (Kanbis);<ref name="Pocock 1972">{{Cite book
|last=Pocock
|first=David Francis
|title=Kanbi and Patidar: A Study of the Patidar Community of Gujarat
|year=1972
|publisher=Clarendon Press
|isbn=978-0-19-823175-2
|url-access=registration
|url=https://archive.org/details/kanbipatidarstud0000poco
}}</ref> Gurjars are included in the OBC list in Gujarat but Patidars are not.<ref name=goi/>

Gurjars of [[North Gujarat]], along with those of Western Rajasthan and [[Punjab]], worship [[Shitala|Sitala]] and [[Bhavani]].<ref name=vol11/>

==== Himachal Pradesh ====
{{As of|2001}}, the Gurjars in parts of Himachal Pradesh were classified as a Scheduled Tribe.<ref name="census2001">{{cite web|publisher=Census of India: Government of India |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/scst_main.html |date=7 March 2007 |title=List of Scheduled Tribes |access-date=27 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605042409/http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/scst_main.html |archive-date=5 June 2010}}</ref>

==== Jammu and Kashmir ====
[[File:BAKARWALS_RAJOURI.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Bakarwals (Gujjar Shepherd)  from Jammu and Kashmir]] [[File:Gurjar Family with their Embroidery (14577300535).jpg|thumb|Gurjar family with their embroidery]]

The Gurjars and Bakerwals tribes of Jammu and Kashmir were declared a Scheduled Tribe (ST) in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tribal.nic.in/DivisionsFiles/clm/17.pdf|title= Scheduled Tribe Order |publisher= Government of India, Tribal Affairs Department }}</ref> At the 2001 census, they were found principally in [[Rajouri District|Rajouri]], [[Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir|Poonch]], [[Reasi District|Reasi]], [[Kishtwar district]], with presences elsewhere.<ref name="census2001_jk_st">{{cite web
|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/
|title=Jammu & Kashmir Data Highlights: The Scheduled Tribes
|work=[[Census of India]] 2001
|publisher=Office of the Registrar General, India
|access-date=31 May 2007
}}</ref> It is believed that Gurjars migrated to Jammu and Kashmir from Gujarat (via Rajasthan) and Hazara district of [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]].<ref>{{Cite book
| last =Kapoor
| first =A. K.
|author2=M. K. Raha |author3=D. Basu |author4=Satwanti Kapoor
 | title =Ecology and man in the Himalayas
| year =1994
| publisher =M. D. Publications
| isbn =978-81-85880-16-7
| pages =43–44
}}</ref>

{{As of|2011}}, the Gurjars and the Bakarwals in Jammu and Kashmir were classified as Scheduled Tribes constitute 12% of the total population of Jammu and Kashmir. However, they claim that they constitute more than 20% of the population, and allege undercounting because of their [[transhumance|nomadic]] lifestyle, saying that when the censuses were held in 2001 and 2011, half of their population had been in the upper reaches of the Himalaya.<ref name="census2001" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/gujjars-bakerwals-seek-special-census-373095|title= Gujjars, Bakerwals seek special census |work=The Tribune |location=New Delhi}}</ref> According to the [[2011 Census of India]], Gurjars are the most populous scheduled tribe in Jammu and Kashmir, having a population of nearly 1.5 million. Nearly all of them follow Islam.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tribalaffairs.jk.gov.in/StPopu.pdf|title= Tribal Population of Gujjars, Bakerwals|publisher= Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Tribal Affairs Department }}</ref>

The Gurjars of Jammu and Kashmir in 2007 demanded that this tribal community be treated as a [[Linguistic minorities|linguistic minority]] in the erstwhile state and provided with constitutional safeguards for their language [[Gojri]]. They also pressured the state government to urge the central government to include [[Gojri]] in the list of [[official languages of India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=128044|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904180135/http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=128044|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 September 2012|title=Meri News|publisher=Meri News|access-date=16 April 2009}}</ref>

In 2002, some Gurjars and [[Bakarwal]]s in Jammu and Kashmir demanded a separate state called Gujaristan for Gujjar and Bakarwal communities, under the banner of All India Gurjar Parishad.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=13233
 |title       = Gujjars, Bakerwals demand Gujaristan in J&K
 |work   = [[Indian Express]]
 |date        = 29 July 2002
|access-date  = 31 May 2007
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20050220224316/http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=13233
 |archive-date = 20 February 2005
}}</ref> Gurjars and Bakarwals have at times been targeted by militants of the insurgency in the territory, such as during the [[2001 Kot Charwal massacre|Kot Charwal]] and [[2004 Teli Katha massacre|Teli Katha massacre]]s.

==== Uttarakhand ====
{{Main|Van Gujjar people}}
[[File:OpenSpeaks-Gju-Maari Jaban Maari Birsa-Taukeer Alam-Van Gujjari Wedding.webm|thumb|[[Taukeer Alam]] sharing the [[Van Gujjar people|Van Gujjar]] wedding rituals and clothings]]

The Van Gujjars ("forest Gurjars") are found in the [[Shivalik Hills]] area of Uttarakhand. The Van Gujjars follow Islam, and they have their own clans, similar to the Hindu [[gotra]]s.<ref name="businessline_outside_jungle">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/2000/09/04/stories/100444m8.htm
 |title       = Outside the jungle book
 |author      = Radhakrishna Rao
 |website     = [[The Hindu Business Line]]
 |date        = 4 September 2000
|access-date  = 31 May 2007
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070528103747/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/2000/09/04/stories/100444m8.htm
 |archive-date = 28 May 2007
}}</ref> They are a pastoral semi-nomadic community, practising [[transhumance]]. In the winter season, the Van Gujjars migrate with herds of semi-wild [[water buffalo]] to the Shivalik Hills at the foot of the Himalayas, and in summer, they migrate to alpine pastures higher up the Himalayas. The Gurjars sell milk to local peoples as their primary source of income. They treat their animals with great care and do not eat them nor sell them for meat.<ref name="Bound">{{cite book |title=Himalaya Bound: One Family's Quest to Save Their Animals - and an Ancient Way of Life |publisher=Pegasus Books |author=Michael Benanav |year=2018 }}</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2023}}

The Van Gujjars have had conflicts with forest authorities, who prohibited human and livestock populations inside reserved parks.<ref name="businessline_outside_jungle" /> However, India's [[Forest Rights Act]] of 2006 granted rights to "traditional forest dwellers" to the lands they have relied on for generations. The conflict between local forest officials, who claim rights over the newly created parks, and the thousand year nomadic traditions of the Van Gujjars has been ongoing.<ref name="Bound" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2009/0731/p17s07-wosc.html |title=Is there room for India's nomads?  |work=Christian Science Monitor |author=Michael Benanav |date=31 July 2009 |access-date=8 November 2020}}</ref>

=== Pakistan ===
It has been estimated that Gujjars comprise 20% of Pakistan's total population.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 June 2007 |title=Who are the Gujjars? |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/who-are-the-gujjars/story-cHGOp2jkDxjWspEpXZuBAM.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815112219/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/who-are-the-gujjars/story-cHGOp2jkDxjWspEpXZuBAM.html |archive-date=15 August 2024 |website=[[Hindustan Times]] |quote=In Pakistan, they comprise as much as 20 per cent of the population.}}</ref>

In 1999, British anthropologist Stephen Lyon estimated their total population in Pakistan to number 30 million and theorized the notion of "Gujarism", the fact that Gujjars in Pakistan are conscious of their identity and often base their social activities, such as local political participation, on this basis, what he calls kin-network activism.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lyon |first=Stephen |date=May 1999 |title=Gujars and Gujarism: simple quaum versus network activism |url=https://era.anthropology.ac.uk/Era_Resources/Era/SLyon/Reports/gujarism.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818093731/https://era.anthropology.ac.uk/Era_Resources/Era/SLyon/Reports/gujarism.html |archive-date=18 August 2024 |website=[[University of Kent]]}}</ref>

==== Punjab ====
Gujjars are mostly found in the country's [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab province]], where they gave their name to cities and towns such as [[Gujranwala]], [[Gujar Khan]] and [[Gujrat, Pakistan|Gujrat]], but for economics reasons recently they have emigrated to cities such as [[Karachi]].

==== Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ====
Gujjars are also present in [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]], where they're the third largest ethnic groups after the [[Pashtuns]] and the [[Awan (tribe)|Awan]], found in the [[Hazara region|Hazara]] region as well places like [[Dir (region)|Dir]], [[Swat District|Swat]], and [[Bajaur District|Bajaur]], often being conversant in [[Pashto]], the provincial language.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Races and Tribes |url=https://kp.gov.pk/page/races_and_tribes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818094524/https://kp.gov.pk/page/races_and_tribes |archive-date=18 August 2024 |website=[[Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]}}</ref>

In Swat, [[Pir (Sufism)|Pir]] Samiullah was a Gujjar community leader who was the first to raise a private tribal army against the [[Pakistani Taliban]], with around 10,000 men, but was eventually defeated and executed by the Taliban in 2008, who then desecrated his dead body by hanging it publicly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roggio |first=Bill |date=17 December 2008 |title=Taliban desecrate body of slain opposing tribal leader |url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/12/taliban_desecrate_bo.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818151733/https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/12/taliban_desecrate_bo.php |archive-date=18 August 2024 |website=[[FDD's Long War Journal]] |quote=Samiullah was the first tribal leader in Swat to raise a lashkar, or tribal army, to oppose the Taliban. He claimed to have organized more than 10,000 tribesmen to oppose the Taliban and protect 20 villages. Samiullah and his followers are members of the Gujjar community, which is a group distinct from the dominant Pashtun tribal confederations that support the Taliban.}}</ref>

==== Azad Kashmir ====
In [[Azad Kashmir]], they are one of the region's largest communities, by some estimates even being considered the single largest group with 800,000 individuals.<ref name="hrw.org">{{cite web |title="With Friends Like These...": Human Rights Violations in Azad Kashmir: II. Background |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/pakistan0906/3.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308175448/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/pakistan0906/3.htm |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |access-date=June 14, 2019 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |quote=While the Gujjars, numbering close to eight hundred thousand, are possibly the largest such group (...)}}</ref><ref name="d712">{{cite web | last=Agency | first=Anadolu | title=Caste, ethnic loyalties decide poll favourites in AJK | website=The Express Tribune | date=2021-07-17 | url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2311080/caste-ethnic-loyalties-decide-poll-favourites-in-ajk | access-date=2024-10-25}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Gurjaradesa]]
* [[Pratiharas of Mandavyapura|Gurjaras of Mandavyapura]]
* [[Bhadanakas]]
* [[Muslim Gujjars]]
* [[Pratihar Gurjars]]
* [[List of Gurjar clans]]
* [[List of Gurjars]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book |first=Brajadulal |last=Chattopadhyaya |title=The Making of Early Medieval India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AmVuAAAAMAAJ |year=1994 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780195634150}}
* {{cite book|last=Singh|first=David Emmanuel|title=Islamization in Modern South Asia: Deobandi Reform and the Gujjar Response|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=upk5AgAAQBAJ|year=2012|location=Boston|publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-1-61451-185-4}}

== Further reading ==
* {{citation|last=Rawat|first=Ajay Singh|title=Man and Forests: The Khatta and Gujjar Settlements of Sub-Himalayan Tarai|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvNQU4VFrbgC|year=1993|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=978-81-85182-97-1}}
* {{citation |last=Hāṇḍā  |first=Omacanda |title=Textiles, Costumes, and Ornaments of the Western Himalaya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JFPnh9B5zncC&pg=PA257 |year=1998 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=978-81-7387-076-7 |pages=257–}}

== External links ==
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