Jaunsari Tribe

Jaunsari Tribe, a photo by ramesh_lalwani on Flickr.

Jaunsar-Bawar is a village, 85 km from Mussoorie, in Chakrata tehsil, in Dehradun district, it also represents the geographical region inhabited by the 'Jaunsari' tribe, which traces its origin from the Pandavas of Mahabharata [1][2].
Ethnically, the village, Jaunsar-Bawar, comprises two regions, inhabited by the two predominant tribes: 'Jaunsar', the lower half, while the snow-clad upper region is called 'Bawar', which includes, the 'Kharamba peak' (3084 mts.) [3].
Though geographically adjacent, they very different from each other, as one claims origin from the Pandavas of Mahabharata, while the Bawar, who live in the upper regions of the area claim to be the descendents of Duryodhana, the Kaurava prince who lost the battle of Mahabharat; this makes them a unique tribal community, added with the fact that they have remained cut off from the external world for centuries, leading to the retention of their unique culture and traditions, which have attract historians, anthropologist and studies in Ethno-Pharmacology to this region for over a century. The two tribes rarely marry into each other, while Jaunsari tribe practiced polyandry, which they claim to have come down from the fact that the Five Pandava brothers, were married to a single queen Draupadi, the Bawar however do not comply with this belief and shun the practise, and maintain their historic animosity with the Jaunsaris, who are known for their light eyes, fair skin and facial features which clearly distinguish them from other people of Garhwal, living close by [