Explain life of gujjar bharakwas of jammu and kashmir
Answers
The Gujjars and Bakarwals is a unique ethnic group which migrates in the Western Himalayas. They are the sheep and goat rearing transhumant’s who oscillate with their rewards (flock) between high and low altitudes in the mountains, lands and valleys of the Jammu & Kashmir State. The habitat of these people is in the hilly terrain of the North-Western Himalayas.
The Gujjar-Bakarwals claim a common ancestry from the ancient Gujjar tribe of India. Some of the scholars are of the opinion that they are the foreign stock representing the pastoral nomads of Central Asia.
Some of them are of the opinion that the Gujjars are the descendants of the Kushan and the Yuchi tribes of Eastern Tatars (Russia). Some scholars hold the view that they are of Indian origin. The recent archaeological, linguistic and geographical evidences show that they are the descendants of Gurjis (Georgians) who inhabit a territory between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, south of the Caucasus Mountains, now an independent republic
One of the major traditions of the Gurji (Georgians) people is that they used to give their tribal name to the places and localities they inhabited. It is strongly believed that before their march to the Subcontinent of India, they occupied some places in Iran, Central Asia and Afghanistan.
These areas are known as Juzrs or Jurz, Gujar, Guru, Gurjistan, Gujar Khas and Chausak Gujar. When they came to India, they named certain areas as Gujranwala (a district in Pakistan), Gujarat (West India), Gujargarh (Gwalior) and Gujarat (Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh). Many smaller places also have their names after Gujjars. The Census of India, 1941 observes about the advent of the Gujjars of Kashmir. It is believed that the part of the tribe migrated towards the state of Jammu & Kashmir after the outbreak of a serious famine in Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is assumed that at the time of their migration was the time of Satahsiya famine.
Some sections of the migrating tribe moved to the plains of Punjab, while the others moved further north to the region of Kagan, Swat, Hazara and Kashmir.
The Gujjars now living in the state are parts of two separate migrations, one direct from the Gujjar tribe of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and the other who migrated later from the Gujjar tribe settled in the plains of Punjab.
The Gujjar families now living in Rajouri, Reasi, Jammu, Poonch and Kathua (Jammu Division) claim their ancestors from the Gujarat district of Pakistan, who migrated to these hills after the outbreak of serious famine there.