Muslim Gujjar (Uttar Pradesh)

Gujjar

Total population
342,000 [1]
Regions with significant populations
•  India •  Pakistan
Languages
• Urdu • Khari Boli • Awadhi
Religion
• Islam 100% •
Related ethnic groups
• Gujjar • Ghosi • Ahir • Muslim Gaddi • Muley Jat

The Muslim Gujjar of Uttar Pradesh are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. They are Muslim converts of the wider Gujjar community of South Asia. The Gujjar of Uttar Pradesh are, in fact, three distinct communities, those of the Doab region, those of Awadh and the nomadic Van Gujjar. Their early history is shrouded in mystery, and the each of the three communities have different traditions as to their conversion to Islam. Each of these three communities is endogamous, with no case of inter-marriage, and having unique customs and traditions.^[2]

The Muslim Gujjar of the Doab

The Muslim Gujjar of the Doab are found in the districts of Saharanpur, Muzzafarnagar, Meerut, Bulandshahr and Aligarh. They were said to have converted to Islam during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Gujjars traditionally belonged to the Kshatriya caste, and formerly ruled many kingdoms including Gurjara Pratihara kingdom, which included much of the northern India during the 8th and 9th centuries.^[3]

Some Muslim Gujjars are cattle herders and breeders. They are engaged in the production and distribution of milk and milk products. The Muslim Gujjars are small and medium-sized farmers, and cultivate wheat, paddy, maize, millets, pulses, sugar cane and vegetables. They also grow fodder for their cattle. Their customs are similar to the other Muslim cultivating castes, such as the Ranghar and Muley Jat.^[4]

They are an endogamous community, and practice gotra exogamy. There main gotras are the Banja, Bhati, Chandel, Chechi, Dodhar, Gorsi, Jinar, Katarya, Kasana, Kasave, Poswal, Rawal and Tomar. Each of these clans is equal status, and they all intermarry. The Gujjar are Sunni Muslims, and many especially those in Saharanpur District have been affected by the reformist Deobandi sect, while those in other districts are Barelvi. They speak Khari boli and most educated Gujjar speak now Urdu.

In Saharanpur District they are found mainly in Nakur and Saharanpur tehsils, and Nakur was at one time known as Gujrat or the land of the Gujjars. In neighbouring Muzzafarnagar District Muslim Gujjar villages are found mainly in the valley of the Yamuna. A small number of Muslim Gujjar are also found in neighbouring districts of Meerut, Bulandshahr and Aligarh in the Doab, and the districts of Bijnor and Moradabad in Rohilkhand.

The Gujjar of Awadh

The Gujjar of Awadh are found mainly in the districts of Raebareli, Sultanpur, Barabanki, Gorakhpur and Bahraich . They claim to have settled in the Awadh region , after the fleeing the countryside near Delhi from the forces of Tamelane. The Awadh Gujjar are small to medium sized farmers, often inhabiting multi-caste villages. There main gotras are the Ekkisa, Chauhan, Godha, Ghongar, Ghori, Kathariya, Muker, Nagarpanthi, Panwar and Sengarwar. The community do not practice gotra exogamy, and marry close kin. They speak Awadhi, but most also speak Urdu. Historically, many were tennant farmers, but the abolishment of the zamindari system has led to redistribution of the land, and many are now owner cultivators. In Raebareli District, they make up a quarter of the Muslim population of that district, and it is always considered the centre of the Gujjar of Awadh. They are found mainly in Salon and Maharajganj tehsils, especially in Rokha. While in Sultanpur District, they are found chiefly in Jagdishpur, Gaura Jamun and Amethi. The Gujjar are largely Sunni, but many in Barabanki District are Shia.^[5]

Van Gujar

The Van Gujjar are a nomadic tribe found in the Uttarakhand state and forested Bhabar tract of Uttar Pradesh . They get their name from the Hindi word ban or van which means a forest and the word Van Gujjar literally means a forest dwelling Gujjar. According to their traditions, the Van Gujjars originate in Jammu, and some three hundred years ago the community accompanied a princess of the royal house of Jammu who married a prince of Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh. The community moved from Sirmaur to the Uttarakhand region in the early nineteenth century. They are now found in the forests of Dehradun, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Pauri Garhwal and Nainital districts. They undertake an annual migration to their summer pastures in Uttarkashi and Kedarnath. The Van Gujjar follow defined routes, and with each clan assigned a particular route. The governments of both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have made repeated attempts to settle them.^[6]

The Gujjar economy revolves around the buffaloes, and they survive by selling milk and milk products to settled villagers. They often rely on middlemen of the Bania caste, to whom many are now indebted. They also suffer discrimination at the hands of forestry officers, who often extract money from the Gujjars. As nomads, the Gujjars have difficulties proving land ownership, and often face eviction from their camp sites. The Van Gujar of the Rajaji National Park have been involved in a campaign to safe their pastures from the state authorities.^[7]

The Van Gujar are strictly endogamous, and maintain a system of gotra exogamy. Their main gotras are the Kasana, Lodha, Padhana, Bagri, Dinda, Bhainsi, Chauhan, Baniya, Bessuwal, Chechi, Khatang, Chopra and Kalas. They are Sunni Muslims, but have maintained a number of pre-Islamic customs. They speak the Gojri language, with most understand Hindi.^[8]

See also

• Gujjar

References

1. ^ http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?peo3=17549&rog3=IN
2. ^ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Two edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1031 to 1041 Manohar Publications
3. ^ Template:Title=Encyclopaedia of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
4. ^ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Three edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1031 to 1041 Manohar Publications
5. ^ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Three edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1031 to 1041 Manohar Publications
6. ^ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Three edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1031 to 1041 Manohar Publications
7. ^ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Three edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1031 to 1041 Manohar Publications
8. ^ At the Tail of the Buffalo: Van Gujjar pastoralists between the forest and the world arena by Pernille Gooch