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Rajput
An 1876 engraving of Rajputs of Rajasthan, from the Illustrated London News
Religions	Major: Hinduism Minor: Islam and Sikhism (converts)
Languages	Indo-Aryan languages
Populated states	The Indian subcontinent, particularly North India, Surashtra (Gujarat)

Rajput (from Sanskrit raja-putra, "son of a king") is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and some parts of Pakistan. They claim to be descendants of ruling Hindu warrior classes of North India. Rajputs rose to prominence during the 6th to 12th centuries. Until the 20th century, Rajputs ruled in the "overwhelming majority" of the princely states of Rajasthan and Surashtra, where the largest number of princely states were found.

The Rajput population and the former Rajput states are found spread through much of the subcontinent, particularly in north, west and central India. Populations are found in Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

History

Origins

The origin of Rajputs is the subject of debate. According to John Keay, not until the Mughal period, which began in 1526 AD, did the word "Rajput" come to be used of a particular class or tribe. Other writers, such as M. S. Naravane and V. P. Malik, believe that the term was not used to designate a particular tribe or social group until the 6th century AD, as there is no mention of the term in the historical record as pertaining to a social group prior to that time. One theory espouses that with the collapse of the Gupta empire from the late 6th century, the invading Hephthalites (White Huns) were probably integrated within the Indian society. Leaders and nobles from among the invaders were assimilated into the Kshatriya ritual rank in the Hindu varna system, while others who followed and supported them — such as the Ahirs, Gurjars and Jats - were ranked as Shudra. At the same time, some indigenous tribes were ranked as being of the "rajput" Kshatriya status, examples of which are the Bundela, Chandelas and Rathors. The Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that Rajputs "... actually vary greatly in status, from princely lineages, such as the Guhilot and Kachwaha, to simple cultivators." However, some scholars, such as C. V. Vaidya and Gauri Shankar Ojha do not accept this.

Rajput kingdoms (8th to 11th centuries)

From the beginning of the 9th century, Rajput dynasties dominated northern parts of India, and the many petty Rajput kingdoms became the primary obstacle to the complete Muslim conquest of Hindu India. Even after the Muslim conquest of the Punjab and the Ganga River valley, the Rajputs maintained their independence in Rajasthan and the forests of central India. Later, Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Khilji dynasty took the two Rajput forts of Chitor and Ranthambhor in eastern Rajasthan but could not hold them for long.

Maratha domination and British rule

The internal conflicts which existed among the Rajput communities were significant in enabling the Mughal invaders to achieve control over them, while nonetheless recognising the role of the Rajputs as a ruling class.

British colonial period

The Maratha Confederacy came into conflict with the British Raj, beginning in 1772. After the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818), all the states in the Rajputana region entered into subsidiary alliance with the East India Company and became princely states under the British Raj. The British took direct control of Ajmer which became the province of Ajmer-Merwara There were about 13 main Rajput states and 2 Jat states namely Bharatpur & Dholpur in the Rajasthan region. During the British regime three more states were created in Rajputana. They were Tonk, Jhalawar and Dholpur. A large number of other Rajput states in central and western India made a similar transition. Most of them were placed under the authority of the Central India Agency and the various states' agencies of Kathiawar.

Some British colonial officials were impressed by the military qualities of the Rajputs. In his Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan James Tod writes:

What nation on earth could have maintained the semblance of civilization, the spirit or the customs of their forefathers, during so many centuries of overwhelming depression, but one of such singular character as the Rajpoot? ... Rajast'han exhibits the sole example in the history of mankind, of a people withstanding every outrage barbarity could inflict, or human nature sustain, from a foe whose religion commands annihilation; and bent to the earth, yet rising buoyant from the pressure, and making calamity a whetstone to courage .... Not an iota of their religion or customs have they lost ...

Tod was unusually enamoured of the Rajputs, is venerated by them to this day, and is viewed by many historians since the late nineteenth-century as being a not particularly reliable commentator. Jason Freitag, his only significant biographer, has said that Tod is "manifestly biased".

The Rajput practice of female infanticide and sati (widow immolation) was another matter of concern to the British colonialists. It was believed that the Rajputs were the primary adherents to these practices, which the Raj considered to be savage and which was the initial impetus for British ethnographic studies of the subcontinent that eventually manifested itself as a much wider exercise in social engineering.

In reference to the role of the Rajput soldiers serving under the British banner, Captain A. H. Bingley states:

Rajputs have served in our ranks from Plassey to the present day (1899). They have taken part in almost every campaign undertaken by the Indian armies. Under Forde they defeated the French at Condore. Under Monro at Buxar they routed the forces of the Nawab of Oudh. Under Lake they took part in the brilliant series of victories which destroyed the power of the Marathas.

Independent India

On India's independence in 1947, the princely states, including those of the Rajput, were given three choices: join either India or Pakistan, or remain independent. Rajput rulers of the 22 princely states of Rajputana acceded to newly-independent India, amalgamated into the new state of Rajasthan in 1949-1950. Initially the maharajas were granted privy purse in exchange for their acquiescence, but a series of land reforms over the following decades weakened their power, and their privy purse was cut off during Indira Gandhi's administration under the 1971 Constitution 26th Amendment Act. The estates, treasures, and practices of the old Rajput rulers now form a key part of Rajasthan's tourist trade and cultural memory. Today, the Maharajas still fulfill the ceremonial duties of the monarchs of former princely states.

In 1951, the Rajput Rana dynasty of Nepal came to an end, having been the power behind the throne of the Shah monarchs figureheads since 1846.

Subdivisions

There are several major subdivisions of Rajputs, known as vansh or vamsha, the step below the super-division jāti. These vansh delineate claimed descent from various sources, and the Rajput are generally considered to be divided into three primary vansh: Suryavanshi denotes descent from the solar deity Surya, Chandravanshi from the lunar deity Chandra, and Agnivanshi from the fire deity Agni. Lesser-noted vansh include Udayvanshi, Rajvanshi, and Rishivanshi. The histories of the various vanshs were later recorded in documents known as vamshāavalīis; André Wink counts these among the "status-legitimizing texts".

Beneath the vansh division are smaller and smaller subdivisions: kul, shakh ("branch"), khamp or khanp ("twig"), and nak ("twig tip"). Marriages within a kul are generally disallowed (with some flexibility for kul-mates of different gotra lineages). The kul serves as primary identity for many of the Rajput clans, and each kul is protected by a family goddess, the kuldevi. Lindsey Harlan notes that in some cases, skakhs have become powerful enough to be functionally kuls in their own right.

Culture and ethos

The Rajputs were a Martial Race in the period of the British Raj. This was a designation created by administrators that classified each ethnic group as either "martial" or "non-martial". A "martial race" was typically considered brave and well built for fighting, whilst the remainder were those whom the British believed to be unfit for battle because of their sedentary lifestyles. "Race" in 19th-century terminology corresponds to the contemporary term "ethnic group", and not in the modern sense of race.

Rajput lifestyle

The double-edged scimitar known as the khanda was a popular weapon among the Rajputs of that era. On special occasions, a primary chief would break up a meeting of his vassal chiefs with khanda nariyal, the distribution of daggers and coconuts. Another affirmation of the Rajput's reverence for his sword was the Karga Shapna ("adoration of the sword") ritual, performed during the annual Navaratri festival, after which a Rajput is considered "free to indulge his passion for rapine and revenge".

By the late 19th century, there was a shift of focus among Rajputs from politics to a concern with kinship. Many Rajputs of Rajasthan are nostalgic about their past and keenly conscious of their genealogy, emphasizing a Rajput ethos that is martial in spirit, with a fierce pride in lineage and tradition.

See also

• Religious liberalism in Rajput courts
• List of Rajput dynasties
• Punjabi Rajput
• Sikh Rajputs
• Muslim Rajputs
• List of Rajputs

References

1. ^ "Rajput". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
2. Balfour, Edward (1885). The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia. Vol. 1. Bernard Quaritch. p. 473.
3. Singhji, Virbhadra (1994). The Rajputs of Saurashtra. Popular Prakashan. p. vi. ISBN 978-81-7154-546-9.
4. Keay, John (12 April 2011). India: A History. Revised and Updated. Grove Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-8021-4558-1. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
5. Naravane, M. S.; Malik, V. P. (1999). The Rajputs of Rajputana: a glimpse of medieval Rajasthan. APH Publishing. p. 20. ISBN 978-81-7648-118-2.
6. Dikshit, R. K. (1976). The Candellas of Jej̄akabhukti. Abhinav Publications. p. 6. ISBN 978-81-7017-046-4. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
7. Mahajan, Vidya Dhar (1968). Ancient India. S. Chand. p. 551. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
8. Freitag, Jason (2009). Serving empire, serving nation: James Tod and the Rajputs of Rajasthan. BRILL. p. 25. ISBN 978-90-04-17594-5.
9. Srivastava, Vijai Shankar (1981). "The story of archaeological, historical and antiquarian researches in Rajasthan before independence". In Prakash, Satya; Śrivastava, Vijai Shankar (eds.). Cultural contours of India: Dr. Satya Prakash felicitation volume. Abhinav Publications. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-391-02358-1. Retrieved 2011-07-09.
10. Meister, Michael W. (1981). "Forest and Cave: Temples at Candrabhāgā and Kansuāñ". Archives of Asian Art. 34. Asia Society: 56–73. Retrieved 2011-07-09.(subscription required)
11. Freitag, Jason (2009). Serving empire, serving nation: James Tod and the Rajputs of Rajasthan. BRILL. pp. 3–5. ISBN 978-90-04-17594-5.
12. Bates, Crispin (1995). "Race, Caste and Tribe in Central India: the early origins of Indian anthropometry". In Robb, Peter (ed.). The Concept of Race in South Asia. Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-19-563767-0. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
13. Bingley, A. H. (1986) . Handbook on Rajputs. Asian Educational Services. p. 20. ISBN 978-81-206-0204-5.
14. A History of Modern India, 1480-1950 - Google Books
15. Religion and Personal Law in Secular India: A Call to Judgment - Gerald James Larson - Google Books
16. Management of Social and Natural Resource Conflict in Nepal - Bishnu Raj Upreti - Google Books
17. ^ Against History, Against State: Counterperspectives from the Margins - Shail Mayaram - Google Books
18. Desert people: caste and community-a Rajasthani village - Rolf Lunheim - Google Books
19. Identity, Gender, and Poverty: New Perspectives on Caste and Tribe in Rajasthan - Maya Unnithan-Kumar - Google Books
20. Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Prespective - Makhan Jha - Google Books
21. People Of India: Rajasthan - K. S. Singh - Google Books
22. Al-Hind: Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam, 7th-11th centuries - André Wink - Google Books
23. Religion and Rajput Women: The Ethic of Protection in Contemporary Narratives - Lindsey Harlan - Google Books
24. Mazumder, Rajit K. The Indian Army and the Making of Punjab. pp. 99, 105.
25. Rand, Gavin (2006). "Martial Races and Imperial Subjects: Violence and Governance in Colonial India 1857–1914". European Review of History. 13 (1). Routledge: 1–20. doi:10.1080/13507480600586726. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
26. Streets, Heather (2004). Martial Races: The military, race and masculinity in British Imperial Culture, 1857-1914. Manchester University Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-7190-6962-8. Retrieved 20 October 2010. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
27. Narasimhan, Sakuntala (1992). Sati: widow burning in India (Reprinted ed.). Doubleday. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-385-42317-5.
28. Kasturi, Malavika (2002). Embattled Identities Rajput Lineages. Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 0-19-565787-X.
29. Harlan, Lindsey (1992). Religion and Rajput Women: The Ethic of Protection in Contemporary Narratives. University of California Press. p. 27. ISBN 0-520-07339-8.

Further reading

• M K A Siddiqui (ed.), Marginal Muslim Communities In India, Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi (2004)
• Dasharatha Sharma Rajasthan through the Ages a comprehensive and authentic history of Rajasthan, prepared under the orders of the Government of Rajasthan. First published 1966 by Rajasthan Archives.
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Rajputs Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition; 2005

• Social groups of Rajasthan
• Hindu communities
• Indian castes
• Kshatriya
• Indo-Aryan peoples
• Military history of India
• Rajputs
• Social groups of India