Gaurwa
The Gaurwa are a Rajput community, found in the Punjab province of Pakistan, and the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in India.
History and origin
The Guarwa are by origin Chauhan Rajputs, whose ancestors were said to have allowed widow re-marriage (karewa in Hindi), a custom not allowed in traditional Hindu societies. Many of the Gaurwa converted to Islam, during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Gaurwa have the following divisions:
- Bargala
- Jais
- Tarkar
- Jasawat
- Jaiswar
- Bhal
- Indauliya
- Bachhal
- Nare
- Uriya
- Mahadwar
- Bangar
- Porch
The Muslim branch of the tribe emigrated to Pakistan, at the partition of India. The Gaurwa have practically merged into the Ranghar community, with whom they had already shared many customs. They have all but abandoned the Braj Bhasa dialect, and have switched to Ranghari and Punjabi.
In India, the community is basically made of small peasants, concentrated in the Doab region of Uttar Pradesh, and neighbouring districts of Haryana. They have a village based caste council, which exercise social control. They marry among themselves, although there are a few marriages with pure Hindu Rajput clans. Unlike their Pakistani counterparts, the Indian Gaurwa continue to speak the Braj Bhasa language.