{{Short description|Ancient tribe of South Asia}} thumb|Group of seven crouched Changar people in Lahore, ca.1862–72 {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Use Indian English|date=May 2022}}
'''Changar''' or '''Chingar''' are an ancient mysterious{{Clarify|reason=why are they mysterious?|date=September 2025}} vagabond tribe of South Asia.
Changars, sometimes called Cingân, Tsingan, Chingari, Tsingari, Tschangar, etc., are mostly vagabond and speak their own Changhri dialect. According to Johann Galletti and Franz Miklosich and some other early European historians, the Romani People of Europe are closely related to the Changar (German: Tschangar) and are Tschandala.
== Origin == According to Indian and Pakistani scholars, they are remnants of the Indo-Greeks and Greco-Bactrians, who intermingled with Jats, some of them left India at the time of Migration period and went in different ways to Europe, under the Hindu caste system, they are considered as Chandala<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://romahistory.romaedu.org/indogriechen/ |title=Indogriechen |access-date=5 July 2022 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425160255/https://romahistory.romaedu.org/indogriechen/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Present circumstances ==
=== In India === They are OBC in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of Backward Classes {{!}} Directorate of Welfare of Scheduled Caste & Backward Classes, Government of Haryana |url=http://haryanascbc.gov.in/reservation-in-haryana/list-of-backward-classes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250424045832/http://haryanascbc.gov.in/reservation-in-haryana/list-of-backward-classes |archive-date=2025-04-24 |access-date=2025-08-03 |website=haryanascbc.gov.in |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Commission for Backward Classes: Himachal Pradesh |url=http://ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/HimachalPradesh.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227014116/https://www.ncbc.nic.in/Pdf/himachalpradesh.pdf |archive-date=27 Feb 2012 |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>
=== In Pakistan === 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 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. Nowadays only 10% are involving in this work. Many of Shamsi (Changar) are now in good Jobs and local business after getting education. In local Government they have their own Counselors and have Chairmanship. == References == {{reflist}}
Category:Muslim communities of Rajasthan Category: Muslim communities of Haryana Category:Muslim communities of Himachal Pradesh Category:Social groups of Rajasthan Category:Muslim communities of India Category:Social groups of Punjab, Pakistan Category:Punjabi tribes Category:Saraiki tribes