Religion, Beliefs and Customs of Gujar Tribe of Himachal Pradesh

The Gujars of Himachal Pradesh religion fall in both Hindus and Muslim communities but majority of the Gujars are Muslims. Gujars are mostly permanent settlers of Chamba, Mandi, Bilaspur and Sirmaur and follow the religious rites of the area where they settled down. Himachali Muslim Gujars, converts from Hinduism, exhibit a few of the beliefs, rituals and customs which they undoubtedly have inherited from their earlier faith and cultural mosaic. There is no doubt that the Gujars started as Hindus. Today by far the majority of them are Mohammedans. Even this majority, down to the present times, remembers its gotras. The gotra is purely a Hindu concept and the gotras they profess make interesting reading. The Hindu Gujars mostly found in the Mandi and Bilaspur Districts, Poanta Tehsil of Sirmaur district and Kangra district, follow the Hindu religion. Himachali Muslim Gujars, converts from Hinduism, exhibit a few of the beliefs, rituals and customs which they undoubtedly have inherited from their earlier faith and cultural mosaic. One such belief amongst the nomadic Gujars is in the cult of Nag Devta, one of the oldest, possibly, in part at least, of aboriginal origin. It has a strong hold over their minds and the Nagini Devi of Nurpur (Kangra district) is universally venerated by the Gujars of Chamba and Kangra. To propitiate her, every family offers a bandha, usually of Rs. 1/25 every year, which collection is expended on the annual feast (bhandara). Whenever a buffalo or cow is bitten by snake, they promptly pray to the devi, offer a little money which they put in a lota full of water along with a few blades of drubh grass. The principal phases in the life of a Gujar are celebrated by a number of ceremonies and rituals. These commence from the time anterior to his birth, when the mother first indulges in the hope of an offspring and attend almost every important incident of his life until his soul is supposed to wing its flight to another world the most important relate to birth, marriage and death.