HISTORY AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF ROYAL GURJAR COMMUNITY

Gurjar is a member of a South Asian, ethnic group mainly located in eastern Pakistan, Kashmir, Gujarat, and northwestern India. Gurjars traditionally belonged to the Kshatriya, caste, and formerly ruled the Gurjara-Pratihara, Kingdom, which included much of northern India during the 8th and 9th centuries. However, they are mostly Muslims, a few being either Hindus or Sikhs. Conventionally they have been cattle breeders and milkmen. They were usually associated with herdsmen and shepherds and were a pastoral people. A large number of Gurjars have now settled down and taken farming and combine agricultural work with animal husbandry. In India, Gurjars are categorized as other backward classes'. In India, Gurjar populations are found mainly in Gujarat, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, northern Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The present study portrayed the historical aspects and socio-economic development of Gurjar Community in India. the study also described the livelihood of some villages of Rajasthan state in India.

Autorentext

Krishnendu received an undegrad in Zoology from Presidency College, Kolkata in 2004. Then, he pursued M.Sc. in Forestry from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun (2006). He joined wildlife Institute of India as a research fellow. Krishnendu is involved in Leopard Ecology project in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan.