Historians speculate about the history of 'Gujjar', also known as 'Gurjar'. However, in India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Spain, and Russia, they are nearly identical. Intriguingly, their tongue, "Gojri," is the same across all countries.
Historical evidence shows that Gujjars have intimately interacted with peasant society and contributed to the pastoral economy. According to Smith, the "White Huns" immigrated to northern India. Bhandarkar ties them to the Huns or Central Asian settlers Cunningham described as Yuezhi or Tocharians. However, historians who view them as Indian aborigines claim their descent from the three Kshatriya sects—Surya Vanshi, Chandra Vanshi, and Yadav Vanshi—and link them to the Mahabharata War.
Despite their religious differences, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh Gujjar in India are nice to one other. Jammu & Kashmir's Gujjar, a nomadic Islamic clan, live in the northern Himalayas. The Muqami, Bakarwal, and Banihar are three major agricultural communities.
Given this background, the present paper explores the general historicity of Gujjar in ancient India to the later, takes a case study of Gujjar and Gujjarism, traces their clan history, discusses the origin of Gujjar with variable historical viewpoints, spatial distribution, demographic profile, language identity, tribal constituents, pastoral economy and transhumance migration, socio-economic conditions, and status of women of Gujjar in Jammu & Kashmir.
The report also examines how advisory boards, settlement colonies, NGOs, ST status, educational and socio-economic changes, and political aspirations may help this nomadic tribe. The paper will also depict the Gujjar during British rule, during the Freedom Struggle, in particular their patriotic roles during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan, and in more recent times to counter the ongoing terrorism that has plagued Jammu and Kashmir in recent decades, identify places named after Gujjars, and list some prominent public figures of the community in Jammu & Kashmir.
