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A Rajput (from Sanskrit raja-putra, “son of a king”) is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India, Nepal 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 and in Nepal. Populations are found in Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

Etymology

Rajput is from the Sanskrit word Raja-Putra (son of a king). The word is found in ancient texts, including the Vedas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. It was used by the ancient Sanskrit grammarian Pāṇini in the 4th century BCE. The word Kshatriya ("warrior") was used for the Vedic community of warriors and rulers. To differentiate royal warriors from other Kshatriyas the word Rajputra was used. Rajputra eventually was shortened to Rajput; gradually it became a caste. Rajputs claim descent from various mythological patrilineages, being Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi, Agnivanshi and Nagavanshi.

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 Shnakar 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.

The 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 ...

It should be noted that 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.

Rajputs in Nepal

There are many Rajputs in Nepal too. Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Nepal (1723–1775) was the first king of the House of Shahs to rule Nepal was also a Rajput king.He is credited for starting the campaign for a unified Nepal, which had been divided and weakened under Malla confederacy. He was the ninth generation descendant of Dravya Shah (1559–1570), the founder of the ruling house of Gorkha.Prithvi Narayan Shah succeeded his father King Nara Bhupal Shah to the throne of Gorkha in 1743. He was a Sisodia Rajput from Chittor but his ancestors settled in Gorkha district which later on became the name of a warrior clan Gurkha who are of mixed Rajput-Mongol race.

Maharaja Jung Bahadur Rana or Jung Bahadur Kunwar , GCB, GCSI, June 18, 1816, Kathmandu, Nepal -February 25, 1877, borlang,gorkha was a ruler of Nepal and founder of the Rana dynasty of Nepal was also from a Rajput family. His real name was Bir Narsingh Kunwar but he became famous by the name Jung Bahadur, given to him by Mathebar Thapa, his maternal uncle.

Identity and major clans

Suryavanshi lineage: the sun

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The Suryavanshi, which means Sun Dynasty, claim descent from Surya, the solar deity. It is the oldest of the Kshatriya dynasties. Other Rajput Suryavanshi clans that claim descent from Rama, one of the dynastic kings, include the Chattars, Jamwals, Kachwahas, Lohanas, Minhas, Pundirs and Sisodias.

Chandravanshi lineage: the moon

The Chandravanshi, which means Moon Dynasty, claim descent from Chandra, the lunar deity. Within the Chandravanshi is the Yaduvanshi lineage, which claims descent from the Hindu god Krishna and from Yadu, eldest son of Yayati. Rajput Chandravanshi clans of the Yaduvanshi sect include the Bhatti, Doad, Jadeja, Katoch, Khanzada, Sulehria.

Agnivanshi lineage: fire

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The Agnivanshi lineage claims descent from Agni, the Vedic God of Fire. They were the earliest lineage to rise to political prominence. The legend which addresses the origin of the Agnivanshi Rajputs is disputed. According to Puranic legend, as found in Bhavishya Purana (an ancient religious text), many but not all of the traditional kshatriyas of the land were exterminated by Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu. The sage Vasishta performed a great a yagna (ritual of sacrifice) at Mount Abu, at the time of emperor Ashoka's sons (Ashoka died around 232 BCE). From the influence of mantras of the four Vedas, four kshatriyas were born. They were the founders of the four Agnivanshi clans:

• Parmar (Paramara)
• Chamahanas (Chauhan)
• Solanki (Chalukya)
• Parihara (Pratihara)

Only these four clans out of the many Rajput clans are considered to be Agnivanshi.

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

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

References

1. Balfour, Edward (1885). The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia. Vol. 1. Bernard Quaritch. p. 473.
2. Singhji, Virbhadra (1994). The Rajputs of Saurashtra. Popular Prakashan. p. vi. ISBN 978-81-7154-546-9.
3. ^ "Rajput". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
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. 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.
9. 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)
10. Freitag, Jason (2009). Serving empire, serving nation: James Tod and the Rajputs of Rajasthan. BRILL. pp. 3–5. ISBN 978-90-04-17594-5.
11. 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.
12. Bingley, A. H. (1986) . Handbook on Rajputs. Asian Educational Services. p. 20. ISBN 978-81-206-0204-5.
13. Mazumder, Rajit K. The Indian Army and the Making of Punjab. pp. 99, 105.
14. 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)
15. 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)
16. Narasimhan, Sakuntala (1992). Sati: widow burning in India (Reprinted ed.). Doubleday. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-385-42317-5.
17. Kasturi, Malavika (2002). Embattled Identities Rajput Lineages. Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 0-19-565787-X.
18. 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 India
• Social groups of Rajasthan
• Hindu communities
• Hindu dynasties
• Kshatriya
• Indo-Aryan peoples
• Indian warriors
• Military history of India
• Demographic history of India
• Rajputs
• Rajput chiefs