Bakarwals (Gurjars)

Gurjar communities of Kashmir have their own cultural and linguistic heritage. In Rajouri District around 22% population is comprised of Bakarwals (Gurjars) while 33% population belongs to Gurjars, both having some common enlightening as well as linguistic inheritances. Gurjar of Kashmir region mostly rear cattle and they are herdsmen of buffaloes and possess small pieces of lands, kacha houses on slopes and foothills of mountains in Rajouri district. Bakarwals are the offshoots of Gurjars in Kashmir and they are nomadic tribes. Most of them are landless and houseless. Their livelihood is mostly dependent on sheep and goats for which they have to rear these animals. In search of green pastures for their herds and flocks, they travel from one place to another with their baggage and flock of sheep and goats, fleet of horses and dogs. Bakarwals Gurjar is a Nomadic Gurjar in India are spread throughout the northern part of the Himalayan Range. This includes the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. In Jammu and Kashmir in India, Bakarwals are also found in all the three regions of the state including Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri Districts, the Kashmir Valley Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara, Pulwama, Budgam and Anantnag and Ladakh comprising Kargil. The two groups that are Gurjars and Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir are closely associated. Bakarwals take their sheep high into the mountains, above the tree-line to graze in the lush meadows. It may take them as many as sixty days to reach these meadows. During the summer, they move from one meadow to the other. The Bakarwal tribes generally travel in pairs but generally at times they prefer to go alone or in larger groups. Most of the time, they are accompanied by their dogs, which include the famous bhotia dogs and other animals.   Bakarwals are known as Dhangars in the rest of India. The Bakarwals (Dhangars) belongs to the same ethnic stock as the Gurjars, and inter-marriages freely take place among them. Bakarwals have same gotra clan like Gurjars, many local shepherds, who may not necessarily belong to the community, are often termed as Bakarwal. They according to the historians initially belong to Rajputana region of Kathiawad. Moreover, Bakarwals are considered as backward and less educated. Bakarwal community has their own Gujri language, which they use for speaking.

 One of the wonderful aspects of the ancient belief associated with them states that the Bakarwals often remain free from several water borne diseases. They are essentially considered as a brave and hardy race, the Bakarwals have undertaken several adventures that won them laurels on the battleground. Gurjar Bakarwals in India are widely spread mainly across the Himalayan ranges. They basically a tough life and they are considered as high altitude shepherds. Gurjar Community of Kashmir is also known as the hill people having their own traditional and cultural inheritances. They are basically herdsmen of buffaloes and they raise cattle and sheep.

With regard

Choudhary jitender Achhwan Gurjar 
Email : jitender.gurjar@yahoo.com & mihirbhojnayidishagroup@gmail.com

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