Textiles and Dress

Gurjars in Kashmir

Gurjars in Kashmir or Kashmiri Gujjars, are an ethnic community native to the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. They are descended from Gurjars who moved into this region during medieval times. They are mainly found in the Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh union territories. They are accounted as the largest ethnic group in Azad Kashmir, third-largest ethnic group in Jammu and Kashmir, and a minority ethnic group in Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh. They are scattered across almost all districts of the Kashmir region; they are densely populated in Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Ganderbal, Kishtwar, Ramban, Anantnag, Muzafarabad, Kotli, Hattian Bala, Haveli, Gilgit, Skardu, and Kargil, while Leh, Sudhanoti and Srinagar districts have the smallest Gujjar population. In Kashmir, they adopted Islam through the influence of Sufism between the 10th and 16th centuries. Gujjars make up around 72% of the total tribal population and roughly 20 to 25% of Jammu and Kashmir's total population, While in Azad Kashmir, they make up 20% of the total population. As per the 1931 census of British India, they make up 3.21% of Gilgit-Baltistan's total population. Gurjars and Bakarwals in Kashmir region speak their own language, Gujari, along with various regional languages. Gujari is the second most spoken language in Azad Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir, and rank 6th or 7th in Gilgit-Baltistan. In Ladakh it is spoken by less than 1% of Ladakh's population. Gurjars in Jammu and Kashmir are divided into three major groups: settled Gujjars (Zamindar/landlord), semi-settled Gujjars, and landless Gujjars. The landless or nomad Gujjars are further divided into subgroups: Bakarwal, Banjara and Dodhi Gujjars. A 2024 field survey found that 97% of Gujjars in Jammu and Kashmir are now settled and ended their nomadic lifestyle. Over 30–40 years, they have settled in one place due to climate change, forest laws, and shepherding being not profitable. Only 3% are still nomadic, mainly in the Kashmir Valley. Gurjar and Bakarwal in Kashmir are also known as 'natures's own children and Lords of the forest', due to their strong bond with nature and the forest.

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See also

• ▸1700–1750 in Western fashion
• ▸Bahubali
• ▸English society

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