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Muslim Gujjars

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(Redirected from Sangu dynasty) Ethno-religious group in South Asia

Muslim Gujjars or Musalmān Gujjars (Punjabi: مُسَلمَان گُجَّر) are an ethno-religious group predominantly found in the north-western regions of South Asia. They embraced Islam from the medieval period onwards.

Ethnic group
Muslim Gujjars
Kagan Gujars
Regions with significant populations
Pakistan Pakistan, India India, Afghanistan Afghanistan
Languages
Urdu, Panjabi, Hindi, Gujjari
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Muslim Rajputs, Jat Muslim

History

Origins

Gujjars are an Indo-Aryan agro-pastoral people or tribe, believed to be of either Hunnic or Scythian origins. They settled in the north-western regions of South Asia around the fourth century where they adopted Indic religions.

Medieval period

Conversions of Gujjars to Islam began in the 11th century with the arrival of Sufi missionaries in the subcontinent. Numerous clans of Gujjars embraced Islam during the time of Shaykh Farid al-Din Masud and his successors. By the 16th century, Islam had become the predominant religion among the Gujjars of Punjab, Kashmir, and present-day Afghanistan.

Mughal period

The memoirs of Mughal emperors Babur and Jahangir describe the Gujjars as pastoral people engaged in frequent raids and plundering. Sujan Rai writes in the 17th century that the Gujjar tribe of Sarkar Dipalpur was notorious for its refractory and rebellious character.

Following Nadir Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire, several Gujjar chiefs rose to power in Punjab, Hazara, and Kashmir. Notable among them were the Nawabs of Dera Ghazi Khan, the Rajas of Poonch, and the Muqaddams of Kot Najibullah.

British period

Muslim Gujjars were actively involved in the 1857 uprising against the Company rule, particularly in the Punjab region, and were said to have given "a great deal of trouble" during the Mutiny.

Later, during the British Raj era, they were classified as a martial race and enlisted in class company regiments.

Social organisation

Muslim Gujjars are divided into over 100 clans or gots, which include Khatana, Chechi, Chauhan, Kasana, Paswal, Gorsi, Bijar and Kalas.

Demographics

In 1988, it was estimated that Muslim Gujjars constitute 53 percent of the total Gujjar population.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "Punjab: a History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten". 2013.
  2. Brief View of the Caste System of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh.
  3. "Journal of the Asiatic society of Bengal - Volume 6, Part 1".
  4. Rose, H. A. (1911). Glossary of the tribes and castes of the Punjab and North-West frontier province vol.2.
  5. Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan; Rogers, Alexander; Beveridge, Henry (1909–1914). The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri; or, Memoirs of Jahangir. Translated by Alexander Rogers. Edited by Henry Beveridge. Robarts - University of Toronto. London Royal Asiatic Society.
  6. "The India of Aurangzib (topography, statistics, and roads) compared with the India of Akbar: with extracts from the Khulasatu-t-tawarikh and the Chahar Gulshan". Bose Brothers, Calcutta. 1901.
  7. "Report of the land revenue settlement of the Dera Ismail Khan District of the Punjab, 1872-79". Lahore, Printed by W. Ball. 1879.
  8. "The GUJJARS Vol 01".
  9. "Chiefs and families of note in the Delhi, Jalandhar, Peshawar and Derajat divisions of the Panjab". Allahabad, Printed at the Pioneer Press. 1890.
  10. Gazetteer of the Ludhiāna District: 1888/89 [ca. 1890]. Calcutta Central Press. 1890.
  11. Mazumder, Rajit K. (2003). The Indian Army and the Making of Punjab. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-7824-059-6.
  12. "Punjab | History, Culture & Economy | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-12-22. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  13. Population Geography: A Journal of the Association of Population Geographers of India. The Association. 1988.
  14. "Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, a great Punjabi Sufi poet". 30 August 2017.
  15. Aziz, Khursheed Kamal (1987). Rahmat Ali: A Biography. Vanguard. ISBN 978-3-515-05051-7.
  16. "Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed - Inscription on Tufail Gate".
  17. Rahi, Javaid (2012-01-01). The Gujjars Vol: 01 and 02 Edited by Dr. Javaid Rahi. Jammu and Kashmir Acacademy of Art, Culture , Languages , Jammu.
  18. Dogra, Anshu (2011-09-16). Controversially Yours. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-93-5029-295-2.
  19. Yasmeen, Samina (2017-10-01). Jihad and Dawah: Evolving Narratives of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat ud Dawah. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-84904-974-0.
  20. Rahi, Javaid (2012-01-01). The Gujjars Vol: 01 and 02 Edited by Dr. Javaid Rahi. Jammu and Kashmir Acacademy of Art, Culture , Languages , Jammu.
  21. Rahi, Javaid (2012-01-01). The Gujjars Vol: 01 and 02 Edited by Dr. Javaid Rahi. Jammu and Kashmir Acacademy of Art, Culture , Languages , Jammu.