Gakhars | |
---|---|
Religions | ![]() |
Languages | Punjabi |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Punjab |
Ethnicity | Punjabi |
The Gakhar (Punjabi: گاکھر, romanized: Gakkhaŕ) is a historical Punjabi Muslim[1][2] tribe with origins in the northern Punjab, Pakistan.[3] The Gakhars now predominantly follow Islam after conversion from Hinduism during the Islamic rule in Punjab.[4][5][6]
The story of most of the Gakhars is that they conquered Kashmir and ruled in that region for many generations but were eventually driven back to Kabul whence they entered the Punjab. They professed the Hindu faith and were converted to Islam, probably after the Ghori rule.
After this period, we do not hear of any Hindu Gakhars or Khokhars, for during the next two or three centuries they had all come to accept Islam.