Changar

Changar, or sometimes spelt as Chungar are a Muslim community found in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the Punjab province of Pakistan. They are also known as Sabungar.^[1] In southern Punjab in the Seraiki speaking part of the province, the Changar are considered to be a Jat clan.

Origin

The community gets its name from Persian wors chuna meaning lime and gar meaning manufacturer, with the word Changar meaning a lime manufacturer. According to their traditions, the Changar left Iran some five centuries ago, with their initial settlement being in Kabul. From there the Chungars migrated to Punjab, where many are still found. A further migration then took place to Rajasthan. The Chungar are now found mainly in the districts of Bikaner, Churu and Nagaur. They speak Marwari among themselves, and Urdu with outsiders.^[2]

In Punjab, the Changar have different origin myths. They were converted to Islam by the famous Sufi Shams Tabraiz of Multan. Their clans referred to as biradaris are well known Bhullar jatt. Unlike the Rajasthan Changar, most Punjabi Changar are nomadic. Historically, the Punjab Changars were concentrated in territory that became Indian Punjab such as the districts of Amritsar, Firuzpur and the princely states of Faridkot and Kapurthala. In Punjab, the Changar were concentrated in Sialkot, Lahore and Gujrat districts with also being a large settlements in Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan districts, where the Changar are settled agriculturists and are, in fact, considered to be a Muslim Jat clan.

Present circumstances

In India

The Chungar are largely a landless community, with a few still involved in their traditionally occupation of lime manufacture. Most are now daily wage labourers. Like other Rajasthani Muslims, the community has a caste association or biradari panchayat, which resolves intra community disputes and enforces communal norms. Although the Changar live in close proximity to other such Muslim castes such as the Hiranbaz, Sindhi-Sipahi and Qaimkhani, intermarriages between them and the Changar are extremely rare. The Changar are Sunni Muslims, and their customs are similar to other Rajasthani Muslims. They have been granted Other Backward Class status, which makes them subject to a number of affirmative actions policies of the Government of India.^[2]

In Pakistan

The Chungar in Punjab are strictly endogamous, and the basic social unit is the puki or tent. Generally it is close kin who camp together, and marriages are preferred within the encampment. Unlike Muslim artisan castes such as the Lohar and Teli, they do not have strong caste councils to maintain community norms. The Changar are Sunni Muslims and either speak Punjabi or Seraiki depending on what language the settled community in which they are camped speaks.

The majority of the Changars within northern and central Punjab are agricultural labourers, visiting villages during harvest time.They have established routes that they follow, and each Changar sub-group is allocated a particular village, and often serve a particular family in that village. Their patrons tend to belong to from the large Muslim Jat community. In addition to agricultural labour, the Changar are also involved in the manufacture of baskets and brooms, which they sell to settled communities.^[3]

In southern Punjab, the Seraiki-speaking Changar are settled farmers, being mainly small and marginal, with a significant tenant farming minority. They are generally considered to be a sub-group within the larger Muslim Jat community, and intermarry with other communities of similar status such as the Mahtam and Kanera.

See also

• Mahtam

References