New Delhi: The Gujjar community, which is fighting for Scheduled Tribe status in Rajasthan, is originally an ethnic group that descended on India over 1,500 years ago.
Known by different names like Gurjar, Gurjara, Gujar and Goojar in different states, the Gujjars are said to have come to India between fourth and fifth century at the time of the Huna invasions. They are also said to have descended from the nomadic Khazar tribes.
Some Gujjars claim that the ethnic group is related to the Chechens and the Georgians, and argue that Georgia was traditionally called “Gujaristan”. According to some historical accounts, the Gujjars ruled a rich and populous kingdom in the Saurashtra region and later shifted to northern India.
Over the years, the Gujjars were assimilated mainly into the castes of Kshatriya varna, although some groups (such as Gaur Gujjars of central India) are classified as Brahmins. During the Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent, many of the Gujjar Hindus converted to Islam.
Historians say that most likely, present day Gujjars are the progeny of intermarriage between early Indo-Aryans and local inhabitants.
In the eighteenth century, several Gujjar chieftains and small kings were in power. A fort at Parlchhatgarh in Meerut District, also known as Qila Parikishatgarh, is ascribed to a Gujjar Raja Nain Singh.
Leave Your Comments