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 encompasses a larger area that includes the India-administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the Pakistan-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Chinese-administered territories of Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract.
Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions, it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Generally only the herds travel, with a certain number of people necessary to tend them, while the main population stays at the base. In contrast, horizontal transhumance is more susceptible to being disrupted by climatic, economic, or political change.
The Bakharwal dog is a livestock guardian dog found in northern India. It is an ancient working Indian dog breed found in Ladakh and across the Pir Panjal Range of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Gurjar is an Indo-Aryan agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic activities and formed a large heterogeneous group. The historical role of Gurjars has been quite diverse in society: at one end they have been founders of several kingdoms and dynasties and, at the other end, some are still nomads with no land of their own.
Korri is a clan of the Gurjar people of southern Asia.
The Dogra Muslim are a Muslim community found in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. They are Muslim converts from the larger Hindu Dogra community. Many Dogra Muslim are also now found in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. They are also known as Rajahs, especially in Pakistan.
Doi is a clan of the Gurjar ethnic group of Pakistan and India.
Mohammad Aslam Kohli is a political leader from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. He is the head of the Gujjar and Bakerwal Tehreek-e-Insaf, an organization representing Gujjar and Bakarwal interests, such as ensuring continuation of statewide job reservations for Gujjars under the Scheduled Tribe list and participating in the Gujjar movement to be listed as a Scheduled Tribe at the national level. He is also a leader of the Jammu Migrants Front, an organization engaged in advocacy for internal migrants from the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir state.
Thikariya or Thikriya is a clan found among the Hindu and Muslim Gurjars. The variations of the clan name include Thikariya, Thikria, Thikaria, Thekaria, or Thekria..
Zaloora is a village in northern Baramulla district, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India, approximately 16km from Sopore, 10 km from Handwara, 30 km from Kupwara. Zaloora is a valley within the valley, fenced by mountains on three sides and by Lal Kul canal on the other. It is the third largest village of Zaingair besides Dangerpora and Shiva. It shares its boundary with Harwan on east, Tujjar Sharief on south-east and unisoo to its west and south side
The Bota or Boto people are a tribal community found in Union territory of Ladakh. They are the third largest tribal community after Gujjars and Bakarwals in Jammu and Kashmir. According to 2011 Census of India, their population stands at 91,495. They have a male to female sex ratio of 1020 and child sex ratio of 957. They boast a literacy rate of 70.3, which is higher than state tribal literacy rate of 50.6. Bots primarily follow Buddhism.
Hakla, some time misspelled as Haklla or Akla is a clan originally affiliated with the Gurjar community of south Asia. They are mostly found among the Hindu and Muslim Gujjars.
The Jammu division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is bordered by the Kashmir division to the north. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most of the land is hilly or mountainous, including the Pir Panjal Range which separates it from the Kashmir Valley and part of the Great Himalayas in the eastern districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Its principal river is the Chenab.
The Kathua rape case involved the abduction, gang rape, and murder of an 8-year-old girl, Asifa Bano, by six men and a juvenile, in January 2018 in the Rasana village near Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, India. A chargesheet for the case was filed, the accused were arrested and the trial began in Kathua on 16 April 2018. The victim belonged to the nomadic Bakarwal community. She disappeared for a week before her body was discovered by the villagers a kilometer away from the village. The incident made national news when charges were filed against eight men in April 2018. The arrests of the accused led to protests by the Panthers Party and other local groups, who sought justice for the victim. A protest in support of the accused men was attended by two ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Party, both of whom later resigned. The gang rape and murder, as well as the support the accused received, sparked widespread outrage in India and world-wide.
Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India as a union territory and consists of the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. The Line of Control separates Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north. It lies to the north of the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and to the west of Ladakh which is administered by India as a union territory.
The Pahari people or Pahari-speaking people is a cover term for a number of heterogeneous communities inhabiting in Jammu and Kashmir and also some parts of Pakistan administered Azad Kashmir who speak Pahari languages/dialects.
Javaid Rahi is an Indian author, a tribal social reformer, and a researcher of national repute. He has been consistently working for the past thirty years to protect the ethno-culture heritage of the indigenous Gujjar-Bakerwal tribe in northwest India. He is a writer of Gojri, Punjabi and Urdu languages. As a researcher, he has written 12 books and edited over 300 books and magazines in Gujari/Gojri, Urdu, and English, showcasing the literature, history, and culture of tribal communities like the Gujjars, Bakarwals, Shina-Dard, Sippis, and Gaddis—all of whom are enlisted as Scheduled Tribes in the Indian Constitution. In addition, he has written study papers and contributed to cultural treats of India's nomadic and pastoral communities.
Brokpa, Drokpa, Dard and Shin is a category of Scheduled Tribes under the Indian constitution.
Meelu,Melu, Meehlu or Meeloo is a prominent clan of the Indian and Pakistani Gurjar ethnic community.
Shepherds of Paradise is a 2013 documentary film directed and produced by Raja Shabir Khan in Gojri and Urdu. The film won awards for Best Non-Feature Film and Best Cinematography at the 60th National Film Awards in 2013. Focusing on the nomadic lives of Gujjar and Bakerwal shepherds in Jammu and Kashmir, the documentary explores the challenges they encounter during their annual migration from the Jammu plains to the Kashmir valley.
