History
The community is believed to be from Kota and first entered into Saurashtra and founded 36 villages in the area, while others moved further into Kutch. Around 1177–78 AD ( VS 1234), a major group migrated to Kutch from Saurashtra under the leadership of Patel Ganga Maru. They settled in the village ofCulture
They are a Hindu community. Some are followers of Swaminarayan and Pranami sect of Hinduism, They are vegetarian in diet and avoid consumption of alcohol. The staple food isClans
The community consists of clans likeMarriage
The community are anIn Kutch
The Kutch Gurjar Kshatriyas were master craftsmen, architects and contractors and have played a major role in erection and construction of the majority of forts, palaces and architecture of Kutch. It was because of this they came to be known as Mistri in Kutch.Indian railways
It was during 1850 to 1930 AD that the KGK migrated outside Kutch and were involved in the construction of major rail-bridges and the laying down of railway tracks in almost all major rail routes of undivided British India doing the "Railway Thekedari" (Docks, dams and canals in British India
The KGK contributed to the building of docks, dams, barrages and irrigation canals between 1850 and 1980, and they in the eighteenth century had been among the communities who built the first ports of Bombay and Hornby Vellard. Other docks were developed in Bombay during 1870–1895 (Prince's Docks built in 1885 and Victoria Docks built in 1891) in which many Mistris of Kutch and Kadia Kshatriyas of Saurashtra worked. The Mandavi Docks, bridge over Rukhmavati atMining
In the regions of British India known asPresent status
Distribution in India
The community members are found scattered throughout India and Community's associations exist in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal.Present day identity
The community on national level is referred as "Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya" mostly in present-day India. However, the "Mistri", which was mostly used during the last century and before is nowadays only used in Kutch and Gujarat. The term Mestri to refer to community is recognized by Government of Gujarat and theReferences
Notes
{{Reflist, group=nb Tribes of Kutch Rajput clans of Gujarat Kutch district Hindu communities