The People of Hazara 4

7.AWANS:

Awan Sepoy

                          The Awans who are in large numbers throughout Hazara, claim that they are descendants of Qutab Shah of Ghazni. About the arrival of Qutab Shah in the Sub continent they also claim that he had come from Hirat in about 1035 A.D and settled in the suburbs of Peshawar, while, on the other hand Mr. Brandrith is of the opinion that they are more probably the descendants of the Bactrian Greeks. General Cunningham identifies the Awans with JUD, the descendants from the same ancestor as the Junjuhas. Besides these claims, sojme p[eople also think that Awan Karri, to whom this tribe owes it's name was a profession instead a race.

Their entry in Hazara is shrouded in darkness. Khakars and Chuhans are the leading sections of the Awans in this area and the Qazi family of Sikandarpur, a village near Haripur is prominent among them.

8. GUJARS:

                     The Gujars, a mixed cast of the Aryans are the oldest inhabitants of Hazara. General Cunningam links them with Kushans or Yu-Chi, and gives his idea that in the first century A.D they conquered Kabul and Peshawar valley under the command their able chief Kadphises 1, while his son Hima Kadphises extended his sway over trhe whole of the Punjab and over some southern areas. His successors annexed Kashmir but due to the attacks by the White Huns in the 3rd century A.D. this tribe (Kushans) started migrating towards the south. After wandering about a time they established their rule in Rajputana during the 5th century A.D. and scattered throughout the Sub-Continent. So probably their arrival in the high land of Hazara dates from that time.

The Gujars are divided in to more than one hundred branches, of whom about 45 different swell in this area. Though in the former days they were dominant in the Haripur Region, now are scattered throughout the Division and a major part of Mansehra District is their main seat of habitation.