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Gujjars or Gurjars (Hindi: गुर्जर, Urdu: گُجّر) are an ethnic group of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Variously known as Gurjar, Gujjar, Gojar, and Goojar. They are also referred to as Gurjara in the medieval texts of Sanskrit. The Gujjars are largely an agricultural community particularly known for dairy-farming. A small number of them are also pastoralists. They are most numerous in the regions of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Kashmir.

The Gujjars are known to have been influential during the medieval times. The name Gujjar is still associated with several important places. The most important among them being the Indian state of Gujarat, derived from "Gurjaratra" (Gujjar Nation). Pakistani districts of Gujrat and Gujranwala, and the cities called Gujar Khan and Gojra are also well known. The Indian state of Rajasthan was also known as "Gurjaratra" in the past.

Origins
The name Gujjar or Gurjar originated from the Sanskrit term Gurjara. Scholars have debated whether Gurjara was orginally a demonym or an ethnoym, without any consensus.The origins of the Gujjar ethnicity, however, are most commonly laid parallel to the evolution of the Gurjara identity.

Earliest mentions
The word Gurjara was first recorded by the 7th century writer Bana Bhatta, as far as the historians know. He mentioned in his book Harshacharita (634 CE) that Prabhakarvardhana, the father of Harshavardhana, was "a lion to the Huna deer, a burning fever to the king of Sindhu, a troubler of the sleep of the Gurjara king, a bilious fever to that scent elephant - the lord of Gandhara, destroyer of the skill of the Latas, an axe to the creeper which is the goddess of fortune of Malava".

The 634 CE Aihole inscription of the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II states that the Gurjaras, the Latas, and the Malavas accepted his suzerainty. According to Puri, the Gurjaras referred to in this record were from Bharukaccha (Bharuch). They are mentioned as "Samanta", and probably owed allegiance to the Kalachuris

The Chinese traveler Xuanzang describes a kingdom named Kiu-che-lo and its capital Pi-lo-mi-lo around 643 CE. These two words have been identified as Chinese transcriptions of "Gurjara" and "Bhillamala" (Bhinmal). This kingdom was located in present-day Rajasthan, surrounded by Mo-la-po (Malwa), U-sha-ye-na (Ujjayini), Po-lu-kie-che-po (Bharukaccha), Fa-la-pi (Vallabhi), and Su-la-ca (Saurashtra). It was located 2800 li (467 miles) to north-west of Ujjayini, and 1800 li (300 miles) to the north of Vallabhi

Gurjaras: Indigenous or foreigners?
The above records have received variable interpretations among scholars. Some are of the view that Gurjaras were new a new people in India, who came from Central Asia alongside the Hunas in 5th century CE, while others believe that they descended from an indigenous people who were living somewhere in obscurity. The divide on this issue has also been blamed on political motives by both sides.

Indigenous
Baij Nath Puri, former head of the Lucknow University's Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture, states that the Gujjars are a native ethnic group of India which originated from the various tribes and clans of Mount Abu and its surrounding areas. Radhakanta Deb, an imminent scholar of Sanskrit, defines the term Gurjara as "enemy destroyer"; from the Sanskrit words "Guran" (enemy) and "Ujara" (destruction). K.M. Munshi, a prolific writer from Gujarat, is of the view that anyone who belonged to the ancient Gurjara kingdom was known as Gurjara.

Foreigners
General Alexander Cunningham, founder of the Archaeological Survey of India, held the opinion that Gujjars are Tokharians. The people who were known as Gusura in the Tarim Basin and after coming to India adopted the name Gurjara. He identified the Kushana dynasty (leading clan of the Tokharian confederation called Yuezhi) with the Kasana clan of the Gujjars. D.R. Bhandarkar, another prominent member of the Archaeological Survey of India, believed that the Gujjars are related to the Khazars known as Ghusar (pronounced Guzar) based on the opinions of J. Campbell. He argued that Guzar is a well known variation of the name Gujjar, and that names like Gurj, Gurji, and Ajjar are common in Georgia (an area which formed part of the Khazaria, or Khazar Empire). Professor Georgi Chogoshvili, belonging to the Georgian Academy of Science, has also remarked that there is a strong resemblance between the Gujjars and the Georgians. Dr. Javaid Rahi, the National Secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, holds that the Gujjars are Turks who came to India from Turkey and Turkmenistan, and are related to the Turkmens called Göçer (pronounced Gujar). He cites cultural, lifestyle, dress, and clan similarities between the two people as evidence of their shared origins.

Medieval kingdoms and dynasties (500-1000 CE)
As said earlier, there various kingdoms called Gurjara in the medieval northern India. These kingdoms have been ascribed with several dynasties by historians.

Pratiharas of Mandor kingdom
The Harichandra lineage.

Pratiharas of Avanti kingdom
The Naghbhatta lineage.

Gurjaras of Nandipuri
Dadda lineage.

Gurjaras of Gujrat (Punjab)
Alakhana lineage

Gurjaras of Gujrat (Saharanpur, Haryana)
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Gurjara-Pratiharas of Rajor
Mathanadeva lineage

Gurjara-Pratihara empire (800-1100 CE)
The Pratihara dynasty of Avanti later grew up to be a large empire under Mihira Bhoja.

Mughal Era (1100-1500 CE)
What were the Gujjars like under Mughals.

British Era (1500-1900 CE)
What were the Gujjars like under British.
 * The Gujjars played a prominent role during the Indian Mutiny
 * The Gujjars were enlisted under the Criminal Tribes Act. The faced prosecution and were barred from State employment.
 * There were some Gurjar chieftains in power under the British.

Indo-Pak Independence (1900-2000 CE)
Gujjar Peronalities which were part of the process.

Personalities of historic significance
Devnarayan

Badgujjars

Ali Khan

Partap Rao Gurjar

Mata Gujri

Gujjar Singh Bhangi

Kokka of Akbar

Gujjar Khan

Dera Ghazi Khan family

Mian Muhammad Baksh

Demographics
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Culture and Society
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