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Rajput

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Great Rajput King Maharana Pratap

Rajput (Rajputra) or Thakur is a community of India. They claim descent from the Kshatriya dynasties (Chandravansh and Suryavansh)[1][2]as the ruling dynasties before the 7th century A.D. were called Rajputras. [3]Hence, this theory is widely accepted.[4]

Origin

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The word ‘Rajput’ does appear in Sanskrit literature or Indian history before the Seventh Century A.D but as 'Rajaputra'. [5]The ruling dynasties of the Seventh Century were known by the name ‘the Rajputs’. [6]Who were they and what was their origin? There are several theories about it.

Tribal origin

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Some Rajput clans are of tribal origin, Indian tribes, who had martial blood, seized political power after the death of Harsha, when there was chaos in the country.The rulers after that era were called Rajputs.[7] Some of these clans are the Bundelas and the Chandelas of central India.[8]

Mythological origin

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All the Rajput clans claim descent from Hindu religious legends. Some of them are called ‘Agnikul Rajputs’. [9]The origin of this theory is rather interesting. It is said that the famous saint Parashurama killed all the Kshatriyas in his anger and there was no one left to protect the Brahmanas. A new class of warriors was needed to save them. Hence a ‘Yag’ was performed at Mount Abu in Rajasthan, This went on for 40 days and out of the sacred fire lit there emerged four heroes to protect mankind from evil. Their descendants were called the Agnikul Rajputs. They are the Pratiharas (Pariharas), Parmars (Pawars), Solankis (Chalukyas) and Chauhans (Chahamanas).[10][11]

Quite a number of Rajput clans trace their descent to Rama and Krishna. The descendants of Rama are called ‘Suryavanshi’[12] and those of Krishna are called ‘Chandravanshi’.[13] The Bards and poets of Rajput kings clearly mention this and the deeds of valour of the Rajputs. This theory is widely accepted among the historians and known scholars.[14]

Mixed race myth

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Very few historians believe that the Rajputs were of mixed. The foreign tribes settled in India and married Indian women. The last theory is not at all accepted by the famous authors and historians.[15][16]

One theory espouses that with the collapse of the Gupta Empire from the late 6tntury, the invading Hephthalites (White Huns) were integrated within the Indian society. Leaders and nobles from among the invaders settled in the Hindu varna system, while others who followed and supported them —such as the Ahirs, Gujjars and Jats - were ranked as Shudra. At the same time, there were 36 royal clans of the Rajputs that were ruling at that time,[17] examples of which are the Bundela, Chandelas and Rathors.[18][19] The Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that Rajputs actually vary greatly in status, from princely lineages, such as the Guhilot, Kachhwaha, etc. to the ordinary people.[20][21]

According to V.A. Smith, Rajput is a mixed race and have descended from the foreign invaders like Sakas, Kushans and Hunas but this too is backed by the known historians as there is no reliable source of such claim.[22][23]

According to most historians, it appears that Ahirs, Jats, Gujjars and Huns have descended from the Rajput clans.[24][25][26]

References

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  1. ↑ "D. Urban Castes", Ethnography (Castes and Tribes), De Gruyter, pp. 94–100, 1912-12-31, retrieved 2024-07-27
  2. ↑ "Itihāsa", Hinduism and Tribal Religions, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 690–690, 2022, retrieved 2024-07-27
  3. ↑ "Jagran Josh: Education News, Complete Career Guide for Board Exams, Colleges and Jobs". Jagranjosh.com. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  4. ↑ "Defining Pax Britannica", Pax Britannica, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 978-1-137-31315-7, retrieved 2024-07-26
  5. ↑ Freitag, Jason (2009-07-31). Serving Empire, Serving Nation. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-474-2938-8.
  6. ↑ Lev, Yaacov (2020-03-27). The Administration of Justice in Medieval Egypt. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-4744-5923-5.
  7. ↑ Shukla, B. R. K.; Tyagi, Deepak (1973-10-01). "Rajputs and their AB0 blood groups". Zeitschrift für Morphologie und Anthropologie. 65 (2): 237–244. doi:10.1127/zma/65/1973/237. ISSN 0044-314X.
  8. ↑ Orient Longman, New Delhi. An Outline Of Indian History And Culture Vol 1 By Raghubir Dayal And Edited By A. E. T. Barrow, 1974, New Delhi Orient Longman, New Delhi.
  9. ↑ "Introduction: Indian princes and British imperialism", The Indian Princes and their States, Cambridge University Press, pp. 1–11, 2003-12-19, retrieved 2024-07-27
  10. ↑ Shukla, B. R. K.; Tyagi, Deepak (1973-10-01). "Rajputs and their AB0 blood groups". Zeitschrift für Morphologie und Anthropologie. 65 (2): 237–244. doi:10.1127/zma/65/1973/237. ISSN 0044-314X.
  11. ↑ Orient Longman, New Delhi. An Outline Of Indian History And Culture Vol 1 By Raghubir Dayal And Edited By A. E. T. Barrow, 1974, New Delhi Orient Longman, New Delhi.
  12. ↑ Streets, Heather (2017-03-01), "Martial races", Martial races, Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-1-84779-394-2, retrieved 2024-07-27
  13. ↑ Freitag, Jason (2009-07-31). Serving Empire, Serving Nation. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-474-2938-8.
  14. ↑ Shukla, B. R. K.; Tyagi, Deepak (1973-10-01). "Rajputs and their AB0 blood groups". Zeitschrift für Morphologie und Anthropologie. 65 (2): 237–244. doi:10.1127/zma/65/1973/237. ISSN 0044-314X.
  15. ↑ Joyce, Rosemary A. (2011), "Gendered Nobility", The Guatemala Reader, Duke University Press, ISBN 978-0-8223-5094-1, retrieved 2024-07-27
  16. ↑ Orient Longman, New Delhi. An Outline Of Indian History And Culture Vol 1 By Raghubir Dayal And Edited By A. E. T. Barrow, 1974, New Delhi Orient Longman, New Delhi.
  17. ↑ Naravane, M. S. (1999). The Rajputs of Rajputana: A Glimpse of Medieval Rajasthan. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7648-118-2.
  18. ↑ Wikipedia, Source: (2013-09). 36 Royal Races: Agnivansha, Bais Rajputs, Bargujar, Chalukya Dynasty, Chauhan, Chawda Dynasty, Chudasama, Dahima, Dahiya, Gahadvala, Gahlot, Gora Clan. General Books. ISBN 978-1-230-77152-6. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  19. ↑ Dikshit, R. K. (1976). The Candellas of Jejākabhukti. Abhinav Publications. p. 6. ISBN 978-81-7017-046-4.
  20. ↑ Hoiberg, Dale (2000). Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5.
  21. ↑ "Rajput | History, Significance, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  22. ↑ Saxena, Anil (2007). India: Rajput Power. Anmol Publications Pvt. Limited. ISBN 978-81-261-2953-9.
  23. ↑ Experts, Disha. Indian History & Culture Compendium for IAS Prelims General Studies Paper 1 & State PSC Exams 4th Edition. Disha Publications. ISBN 978-93-90486-68-7. According V.A. Smith "Rajput is a mixed race". • Some Rajputs have descended from the foreign aggressors like Saka, Kushans and Huns. • V.A. Smith states that "Rajputs were born of various races and castes".
  24. ↑ Gooptu, Nandini (2001-07-05). The Politics of the Urban Poor in Early Twentieth-Century India. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-44366-1.
  25. ↑ Shepherd, Kancha Ilaiah; Karuppusamy, Karthik Raja (2021-02-22). The Shudra: Vision for a New Path. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-90914-24-1.
  26. ↑ Ambedkar, Bhimrao (2024-06-26). Who Were the Shudras?. Blurb, Incorporated. ISBN 979-8-211-44444-7.

Other websites

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Origin of Rajputs Archived 2011-08-22 at the Wayback Machine


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