Gurjar Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...

are an ethnic group in India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Notable people from the community include:

India

Historical figures

Prataprao Gujar Prataprao Gurjar (–24 February 1674) was the Senapati of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army. He was an aristocratic general who enjoyed the trust of the king and the loyalty of his troops. He defeated a large Mughal Army at the Battle of Sal ...

, military leader of

Shivaji Maharaj's Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...

Army. * Nain Singh Nagar of Parichhatgarh was a notable Gurjar king of

Meerut district Meerut district, is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Meerut is the district headquarters. Meerut district is also a part of the Meerut division. The administrative head of district of Meerut is a District Magistrate w ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

in the 18th century.

Education and social reform

Masud Choudhary Masud Choudhary (10 April 1944 – 16 December 2022) was an Indian educator, social reformer, thinker and an administrator of Jammu and Kashmir union territory. He was the founding Vice Chancellor of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in Raj ...

, is the founding Vice Chancellor of

Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University is a State university in India which came into existence by the Act of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 2002. The university is named after saint Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah. The university campus ...

in Rajouri and Chief Patron of the Gurjar Desh Charitable Trust, Jammu.

Gojri language and literature

Javaid Rahi Javaid Rahi is an Indian author, a tribal social reformer, and a researcher. He worked in the preservation of the Culture and Heritage of indigenous communities of North-western India focusing on tribal Gujjar-Bakerwal culture. He is a writer o ...

, is a Gurjar researcher of India. He has authored 12 books in Gujari/ Gojri Urdu and English and edited more than 300 books/ magazines highlighting the history, culture, and literature related to indigenous communities such as Gurjar and

Bakarwal The Bakarwal (also Bakkarwal, Bakharwal, Bakrawala and Bakerwal) are a nomadic ethnic group, who along with Gujjars are listed as Scheduled Tribes in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir since 1991.https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/CLM/CLM_1/17.p ...

s. *

Sahir Ludhianvi Abdul Hayee (8 March 1921 – 25 October 1980), popularly known by his pen name (takhallus) Sahir Ludhianvi, was an Indian poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described ...

, former Indian poet and film song lyricist

Armed forces

* Kirori Singh Bainsla, a retired officer of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

and leader of a Gurjar reservation movement in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

* Kamal Ram, the second-youngest Indian to receive

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest military decoration in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

Kuldip Singh Chandpuri Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri MVC, VSM (22 November 1940 – 17 November 2018) was a decorated Indian Army officer. He is known for his leadership in the Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, for which he was awarded th ...

, retired officer of the Indian Army who was awarded the

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

for his actions at the

Battle of Longewala The Battle of Longewala (4–7 December 1971) was one of the first major engagements in the western sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longewa ...

Indian independence movement

Ram Chandra Vikal Ram Chandra Vikal Gurjar (8 November 1916 in Nayagaon Basantpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar district – 26 June 2011) was a freedom fighter. He was an agriculture minister and was elected twice as a Member of Parliament as well as a five-time Member ...

, freedom fighter,

Deputy Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

. *

Kadam Singh Kadam Singh was a leader of a group of Gurjars who fought against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. During the rebellion, he was the raja of Parikshitgarh and Mawana in Meerut district Meerut district, is on ...

, Raja of

Parikshitgarh Parikshitgarh is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Meerut district in the Indian State, Uttar Pradesh. Demographics India census, Parikshitgarh had a population of 17,399. Males constitute 62% of the population and females 38%. Parikshitgarh has ...

and

Mawana Mawana is a city in Meerut district in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is 26 km from the district headquarters Meerut. Its name comes from the word "Muhana" which means gateway. It is supposed to be the Muhana of Hastinapur kingdom ...

, led Gurjar fight against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

. * Dhan Singh Gurjar, Indian freedom fighter

Politics

Rajesh Pilot Squadron Leader Rajeshwar Prasad Bidhuri (10 February 1945 – 11 June 2000), also known as Rajesh Pilot () was an Indian politician, a minister in the Government of India and a former Indian Air Force officer. He belonged to the Indian Nati ...

, politician of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

party who represented the

Dausa Dausa is a city and administrative headquarters of Dausa district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is 55 km from Jaipur, 240 km from Delhi and located on National Highway 21 (India), Jaipur-Agra National Highway (NH-21).Current p ...

in Lok Sabha *

Pranav Singh Pranav Singh (born 6 April 1966). He is a Member of the Legislative assembly of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly in India. He is elected for the fourth consecutive time and is one of the senior Members of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembl ...

, former MLA of Khanpur *

Malook Nagar Malook Nagar (born 3 July 1964) is an Indian politician and businessman who is a Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha from Bijnor. He unsuccessfully contested Meerut and Bijnor Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh in 2009 and 2014 res ...

, MP of

Bijnor Bijnor is a city and a municipal board in Bijnor district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, IndiaGovind Singh Gurjar, (9 March 1932 – 6 April 2009) was a Gujjar from Rajasthan who served as Lt. Governor of Puducherry in India. *

Mian Bashir Ahmed Mian Bashir Ahmed Larvi (November 1923 – 14 August 2021) was the eldest son of renowned saint Mian Nizam ud Din, the founder President of Gujjar-Jat Conference a socio political body established in 1932. He was a politician and a Caliph of I ...

, (born November 1923) is a politician and a Caliph of Islamic Sufi order (Naqshbandi, Majadadi, Larvi). He is the first Gurjar from Jammu and Kashmir who was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

(the third highest civilian award), by the

government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

on 26 January 2008 for his contribution to the society. *

Hukum Singh Hukum Singh (5 April 1938 – 3 February 2018) was an Indian politician who served as the Member of Parliament from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. He was a member of the Panel of Chairpersons of the 16th L ...

, former

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

from Kairana constituency of Uttar Pradesh * Yashpal Singh, former member of Parliament from Saharanpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh * Narayan Singh, former deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh * Virendra Singh, former member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh *

Sanjay Singh Chauhan Sanjay Singh Chauhan (10 October 1961 - 2 October 2014) was an Indian politician. He was the active member of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and was a member of Parliament representing Bijnor (Lok Sabha constituency), Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh st ...

, former member of Parliament from Bijnor constituency of Uttar Pradesh

Pakistan

Pakistan Independence Movement

* Chaudhry Rahmat Ali, was a

Pakistani nationalist Pakistani nationalism refers to the political, cultural, linguistic, historical, ommonlyreligious and geographical expression of patriotism by the people of Pakistan, of pride in the history, heritage and identity of Pakistan, and visions for ...

who is credited with creating the name "Pakistan" for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia and is generally known as the originator of the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the pe ...

Government

Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry Fazal Elahi Chaudhry ( ur, ; 1 January 1904 – 2 June 1982) was a Pakistani politician who served as the fifth president of Pakistan from 1973 until 1978, prior to the martial law led by Chief of Army Staff General Zia-ul-Haq. He also serve ...

, was a Pakistani politician and lawyer who served as the Speaker of National Assembly and

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Shoaib Akhtar Shoaib Akhtar (; ; born 13 August 1975) is a Pakistani former cricketer and commentator. Nicknamed the "Rawalpindi Express", he was the first bowler to be recorded bowling at 100 miles per hour, a feat he achieved twice in his career. Ak ...

, is a former cricketer and commentator. Nicknamed the "Rawalpindi Express", he was the first bowler to be recorded bowling at 100 miles per hour, a feat he achieved twice in his career.

Social and Welfare

Hafiz Saeed Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ( ur, , born 5 June 1950) is a Pakistani Islamism, Islamist who co-founded Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based Islamist militant organization that is List of designated terrorist groups, designated as a terrorist grou ...

, Pakistani Islamist and founder of many religious and welfare organisations

Literature

Mian Muhammad Bakhsh Mīān Muhammad Bakhsh (میاں محمد بخش) was a Punjabi Muslim Sufi and poet. Born in the city of Mirpur to a Gujjar family of Paswal tribe, he is renowned as a great poet and Sufi scholar by the people of Punjab and Azad Kashmir. Writ ...

, was a renowned Punjabi poet and

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

scholar for the people of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

and

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

References

{{reflist Gurjar

Gurjars Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...