Gujjar and Bakarwal Nomads: Kashmir's Mountain Pastoral Communities

Above Pahalgam's treeline, where the trail to Sheshnag passes through a meadow called Lidder Mar, I once spent an hour at a Bakarwal camp in June. The man tending the fire had a face carved by thirty years of altitude and cold wind. His daughter, maybe eight years old, was writing in a notebook by the tent entrance - a government school exercise book, the same bright orange as the ones I used decades ago. The combination of radical antiquity (a tent, a herd, a mountain track unchanged for centuries) and ordinary modernity (exercise books, a mobile phone charging from a small solar panel) is the reality of Gujjar-Bakarwal life in 2026. Kashmir Pulse is Via Kashmir's editorial channel - written by locals.

Who are the Gujjar and Bakarwal and what is their history?

Gujjars are a widespread community across South Asia - found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh in addition to Jammu and Kashmir. Their name is connected to the ancient Gurjara kingdom (8th-9th century CE) and they are one of India's oldest documented pastoral communities. The Kashmir-Jammu branch of Gujjars converted to Islam over the 17th-18th centuries while retaining many pre-Islamic cultural practices. Bakarwals are more specifically a Himalayan pastoralist community whose name derives from "bakr" (goat in Urdu/Persian). They specialise in high-altitude goat and sheep herding and follow routes into alpine meadows above 3,500 metres that no other community uses systematically. Both communities received Scheduled Tribe status in Jammu and Kashmir in 1991.

What is the seasonal migration route of Bakarwals?

The Bakarwal migration covers approximately 300-400km annually, moving vertically through altitude zones as much as horizontally across the landscape. Winter is spent in the Shivalik foothills of Jammu district and parts of Himachal Pradesh, where snow cover is minimal and grazing is available. By March, as snow begins melting, the first movement north begins. April-May sees the crossing of lower passes. June-August is spent in the high alpine meadows (margs) of Kashmir - Sonamarg, Yusmarg, Gangbal, Tarsar, and dozens of named grazing grounds above the treeline. October brings the return journey before first snowfall closes the high passes. The same routes are used across generations; Bakarwal families can describe the exact path their grandparents walked.

What are the distinctive cultural practices of Gujjars and Bakarwals?

Both communities have distinctive dress: Gujjar women wear heavily embroidered clothes in vivid colours with large silver jewellery; Bakarwal women wear patterned shawls and distinctive silver nose rings. Both communities make chaka (dried cheese) and kalari (a smoked cheese typical of Gujjar dairy tradition) - products now finding premium markets in Srinagar restaurants. Music: the Gujjar tumbaknari (different from the Hafiz version) and folk songs are distinctive. Social structure: both communities maintain strong clan identities and traditional conflict resolution practices. Gujjari, their language, is a dialect of Rajasthani with Kashmiri loanwords - distinct from Kashmiri and Urdu.

Is the Gujjar-Bakarwal nomadic way of life sustainable in 2026?

The tradition faces serious structural pressures. Climate change has altered snowmelt timing, disrupting migration schedules calibrated over centuries. Forest department restrictions have reduced legal grazing access in some traditional areas. National highway expansion has made some migration routes dangerous. Education requirements create a conflict between keeping children in school and maintaining family migration. Economic alternatives (wage labour, small commerce) are drawing younger Gujjars toward settled life. Government schemes for nomadic welfare have had mixed results. On the other side: the community has shown remarkable resilience, Scheduled Tribe status provides some legal protection, and a growing market for artisanal dairy products (kalari, chaka) gives the pastoral economy a premium market connection it previously lacked.

Frequently asked questions about Gujjar Bakarwal nomads

Where can visitors encounter Gujjar or Bakarwal communities in Kashmir?

Alpine treks in summer (June-September) pass through Bakarwal grazing areas - Tarsar Marsar, Sonamarg-Vishansar route, and the meadows above Pahalgam all pass through active pastoral land. Gujjar settlements (called Dhoks) are visible along forest roads in Baramulla and Kupwara districts. Pahalgam area markets sometimes have Gujjar women selling embroidery and dairy products. Responsible approach: always ask permission before photographing, offer to buy dairy products, and engage through an interpreter if possible.

What is kalari cheese and where can I buy it?

Kalari is a fresh, smoked cottage cheese made by Gujjar women from buffalo milk. It is formed into a thick disc, lightly smoked, and sold fresh. Eaten fried in ghee or mustard oil, it has a distinctive squeaky texture similar to halloumi when cooked. Kalari is sold at markets in Udhampur and Reasi districts in Jammu region and increasingly in Srinagar food markets. Several Srinagar restaurants now feature kalari as a heritage dish. It does not keep long - buy and eat within 2-3 days.

Is it respectful to visit Bakarwal camps during trekking?

Yes, with appropriate conduct. Bakarwals are generally welcoming to visitors who approach respectfully - acknowledging their home (the camp) as a private space, not photographing without permission, and showing genuine interest. Offering to buy milk, butter, or chaka (dried cheese) is both respectful and economically supportive. Arriving with a guide who speaks Gujjari or Kashmiri facilitates real conversation. Avoid visits to camps in early morning (during milking) or during prayer times.

What is the legal status of Gujjar-Bakarwal grazing rights?

Grazing rights are complex and contested. Under the J&K Reorganisation Act (2019), traditional grazing areas were classified differently in the newly formed Union Territories. Scheduled Tribe status provides some legal protection for traditional livelihoods. Forest Rights Act implementation in J&K has been debated, with pastoral communities seeking recognition of customary grazing rights. The situation requires ongoing monitoring - the Gujjar Bakarwal Student and Youth Association is one of the main advocacy bodies tracking policy developments.

Do Gujjar children attend school?

Residential schools (ashram schools) have been established specifically for Gujjar and Bakarwal children in Jammu and Kashmir, allowing children to continue education while families migrate seasonally. Literacy rates among the community have risen significantly since 2000, though they remain below the valley average. Mobile schools that follow migration routes have been piloted in some areas. Education is increasingly valued within the community - several Gujjar families have children in professional careers (medicine, law, civil services) while maintaining traditional pastoral livelihoods at the family level.

The Bakarwals carry their entire world on their backs twice a year, crossing the same mountain passes their great-grandparents crossed. That is not a backwardness - that is a knowledge system we barely understand.

Kashmir Pulse Editorial

Travel Writer, Via Kashmir

Writing about Kashmir from the inside — hotels, culture, seasonal travel, and the stories that don't make it into guidebooks.