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	A '''Rajput''' (from ]
			{{cleanup-date\|October 2005}}
	''rāja-putra'', "son of a king") is a
			A '''Rajput''' (from ] ''rāja-putra'', "son of a king") is a member of a prominent ] who live throughout northern and central ], primarily in the northwestern ] of ]. They are thought to number about 12 million.
	]. Rajputs reside in northern, western,
	eastern and central [[states and territories of
	India]]. They are thought to number about 50 million.

	==~~Origin~~==		==Definition==
			The term Rajput refers to the group's ''"]"'' which is a social hierarchical status found within the caste system of ], which developed out of the ] ''varna'' system. The Rajputs consider themselves the original descendants of the Vedic warrior ''(])'' ''varna''. Although all members of a warrior caste, Rajputs vary in profession from aristocrats to farmers. Rajputs are followers of all four major religions of the sub-continent ], ], ] and ].
	Rajputs are divided into three main ] or
	lineages. ], ] and
	]. House of ], ],
	] are Suryavanshi rajputs. Rulers of
	], ], ], ] are
	Agnivanshi. ] and ] are from the same line which bifurcated at king yadu when his father banished him from becoming the king. House of ] are yaduvanshi rajputs.

	Suryavanshi trace there lineage to Lord Rama,
	Somvanshi to Som and Agnivanshi orginated from fire. Yaduvanshi trace there lineage to Lord Krishna.

	Each ] has many ] and each ]
	has ]. Rathores are divided into these
	] : Dhandhul, Bhadail, Khokra, Jodha etc.
	Gehlote ] is subdivided into these shakhas:
	Aharya (at ]) , ] (at
	]), Peeparra (at ]) etc. ]
	are divided into these ]: Hada, Kheechee,
	Deora, Songara etc. Similarly there are various shakha in ], ] and rest of the 12 clans described below.

	Each ] has its ], a
	genealogical creed, describing the essential
	peculiarities, religious tenets and pristine locale of
	the clan. It is a touchstone of affinities and
	guardian of the laws of intermarriage.

	''Rathore Gotra Acharya'' -- Gautam gotra, Mardwunduni
	Shakha, Shukra-Acharya Guru, Garroopata Agni, Pankhini
	Devi.

	The Rajputs are divided into 36 ]. Tweleve of
	these clans further subdivide. These 12 are
	], ], ], ],
	], ], ],
	], ], ], ],
	]. These 24 clans are 'Eka' and do not divide
	further. ], ], ],
	], ], ], ],
	], ], ], ],
	], ], ], ]
	,], ], ],
	], ], ], ],
	] and ].

	Rajputs consider themselves the original descendants
	of the Vedic warrior ''(])'' ''varna''.
	Although all members of a warrior caste, Rajputs vary
	in profession from aristocrats to farmers.

	Rajputs are predominantly Hindu and some are sikhs
	also. History has also recorded that a very small
	minority amongst rajputs did convert to Islam. Most
	of these converted to save there land / kingdom or
	remain a chief in the army. Some of the conversions of
	rajputs, it is claimed, happened at the hands of
	muslim saints.

	==Myths==
	One version of the story of ''Agni kula'' origins is
	that four warriors, Agnikul, Yadaukul, Suryakul and
	Odak, whose names are given to the Rajput clans,
	sprang from the sacred fire (]) in a
	ceremony performed by ] ] near
	].

	==Social Hierarchy==
	Historically the Rajputs refuse to accept the social
	authority of ] priestly caste, however
	Rajputs do have their own family priests, known as
	Purohits, which do come from the Brahmin caste. Also,
	many Rajputs have Brahmin ]s. Some ]s
	of their noble families even officiate as priests in
	their Hindu temples; for example, the ]
	kings of ] consider themselves regents of
	], a manifestation of ], and serve
	as the high priest of the deity as well as ruler of
	the state.
	Rajputs love there steed and sword and enjoy listening
	to the tales of bravery of there ancestors.

	==Characteristics==
	The Rajput ethos is martial in spirit, fiercely proud,
	and emphasizes lineage and tradition. Rajput
	] is legendary, an ideal they embodied
	with a sometimes fanatical zeal, often choosing death
	before dishonour. Rajput warriors were often known to
	fight until the last man. The practice of
	'']'' and '']'' was followed only in
	rajput communities. When the outcome of a battle was
	against the Rajputs, ''jauhar'' would be commited by
	Rajput women and children in the night and next
	morning men would commit ''saka''. Brahmin priests
	would chant Vedic ]s and Rajput women wearing
	their marriage dresses, along with their young
	children, would embrace ] flames. The
	next morning after taking a bath, the men would wear
	] and apply the ash from the [[maha
	samadhi]] ''of their wives and children'' on their
	foreheads and put a ] leaf in their mouth.
	Then the palace gates would be opened and men would
	ride out for complete annhiliation of the enemy or
	themselves. Rajput men and women could not be captured
	alive. When Hindus fought against other Hindus there
	were never any '']'' or ''saka'' because the
	defeated were treated with dignity. However, history
	records very few instances wherein a Rajput king sued
	for peace after a battle reversal and the Muslims
	initially agreed to the peace terms, only for the
	Rajputs, and their women and children, to be
	slaughtered upon surrender and once the ''pols'' or
	gates of their mighty fortresses were opened.

	], which has a very high concentration of
	], is located in northwestern ],
	near the ] route used by most foreign
	invasions of India, including the Arabs, Afghans,
	Turks, Mughals, and other Islamic invaders of the
	Middle Ages. In his ''New History of India'',
	] wrote "The Rajputs were the
	vanguard of Hindu India in the face of the Islamic
	onslaught."

	==History==		==History==
			The Rajputs are divided into 36 ], claiming three basic lineages: the ''Surya Vansi'' (Solar Race), the ''Chandra Vansi'' (Lunar Race), and the '']'' (Fire Born). One version of the story of ''Agni kula'' origins is that four warriors, Agnikul, Yadaukul, Suryakul and Odak, whose names are given to the Rajput clans, sprang from the sacred fire (]) in a ceremony performed by ] ] near ]. Historically the Rajputs refuse to accept the social authority of ] priestly caste, however Rajputs do have their own family priests, known as Purohits, which do come from the Brahmin caste. Also, many Rajputs have Brahmin ]s. Some ]s of their noble families even officiate as priests in their Hindu temples; for example, the ] kings of ] consider themselves regents of ], a manifestation of ], and serve as the high priest of the deity as well as ruler of the state.
	The first Rajputs kingdoms are attested in the [[6th
	century]], and the Rajputs rose to prominence in
	Indian history in the ninth and tenth centuries. The
	four '']'' clans, the
	]s (Pariharas), ]s (Chahamanas),
	]s (Chaulukyas), and ]s
	(Parmars), rose to prominence first. The Pratiharas
	established the first Rajput kingdom in ] in
	southwestern Rajasthan, with the Chauhans at ]
	in central Rajasthan, the Solankis in ], and
	the Paramaras in ]. The Rajput ]
	ruled ] during the 6th and 7th centuries. Sind
	was conquered by an Arab Muslim army of the
	], led by Bin Qasim, in the 8th century.
	Bin Qasim attacked ], and was defeated
	by ] ]. The Pratiharas rebuffed
	another Arab invasion in the ninth century.
	Significant Muslim invasions were then not attempted
	until the eleventh century, largely due to the
	formidable reputation of the Rajput clans. The
	Pratiharas later established themselves at ]
	and ruled ], and afterwards at ] in
	the ]-] ], from which they
	ruled much of northern India, from ] in
	the west to ] in the east, in the ninth
	century. Clans claiming descent from the Solar and
	Lunar races, who were originally vassals of the other
	clans, later established independent states. The
	]s (later called the ]s)
	established the state of ] (later
	]), under Bappa Rawal, who ruled at
	Chittorgarh, which was given in dowry to Bappa in 734
	for his bravery. The ] clan came to rule
	], with their capital at [[Amber,
	India\|Amber]], and later ]. The ]
	clan ruled ] after the tenth century,
	occupying the fortress-city of ] and
	building the famous temple-city of ]. The
	]s established a state in ],
	founding the city of Dhiliki (later ]) in 736.
	The Kachwahas, Chandelas, and Tomaras were originally
	vassals of the Pratihara kingdom.
	In the early 11th century, ]
	conquered the Hindu ] kingdom in the
	], and his raids into northern India weakened
	the Pratihara kingdom, which was drastically reduced
	in size and came under the control of the Chandelas.
	Mahmud sacked temples across northern India, including
	the temple at ] in Gujarat, but his
	permanent conquests were limited to the Punjab, and
	Somnath was rebuilt after the raid. The early 11th
	century also saw the reign of the ] king
	Bhoj, the Paramara ruler of Malwa.
	The ]s, as the ] dynasty,
	reestablished the kingdom of Kannauj, ruling the
	Ganges plain from the late ]
	through the ], and conquering Marwar in
	the ]. The Rajputs fought each other in the
	eleventh and twelfth centuries. ],
	ruler of Delhi, crushed ] in
	] at the ] and Ghori
	was captured. After Ghori begged for life he was let
	go despite strong resistance by Prithviraj's generals.
	Ghori treacherously defeated Prithviraj the following
	year at the ], and the
	attacks of Muhammad's armies brought down the
	Gahadvala kingdom of Kannauj in ]. The [[Delhi
	Sultanate]] was founded by ],
	Muhammad of Ghor's successor, in first decade of the
	13th century.

			The Rajput ethos is martial in spirit, fiercely proud, and emphasizes lineage and tradition. Rajput ] is legendary, an ideal they embodied with a sometimes fanatical zeal, often choosing death before dishonour. Rajput warriors were often known to fight until the last man. The practice of '']'' and '']'' was followed only in rajput communities. When the outcome of a battle was against the Rajputs, ''jauhar'' would be commited by Rajput women and children in the night and next morning men would commit ''saka''. Brahmin priests would chant Vedic ]s and Rajput women wearing their marriage dresses, along with their young children, would embrace ] flames. The next morning after taking a bath, the men would wear ] and apply the ash from the ] ''of their wives and children'' on their foreheads and put a ] leaf in their mouth. Then the palace gates would be opened and men would ride out for complete annhiliation of the enemy or themselves. The practices of Johar and Saka were, however not universal amongst all the Rajput clans and even among the same clan during different periods of time.
	The Chauhans reestablished themselves at
	], led by Govinda, grandson of
	Prithviraj III. ] was ruled by another branch
	of Chauhans, the Songaras. Another branch of the
	Chauhans, the ]s, established a kingdom in
	] in the mid-13th century.

			], which is believed to be the birthplace of Rajputs has a very high concentration of ]. Rajputs are spread throughout India and Pakistan with ] also having high numbers of both Sikh and Muslim Rajputs.
	Sultan ] (1296-1316) conquered
	] (1297) and ] (1305), and captured
	the fortresses of Ranthambore (1301), Mewar's capital
	] (1303) and ] (1311) after long
	sieges with fierce resistance from their Rajput
	defenders. ] resestablished there supremacy
	within 50 years of the sack of Chittor under Maharana
	Hammir. Hammir defeated Muhammad Tughlaq and captured
	him. Tughlaq had to pay huge ransom and relenquish
	all of Mewar's lands. After this Sultanate did not
	attack Chittor for a few hundred years. Rajputs
	reestablished their independence, and the Rajput
	states were established as far east as ] and
	north into the ]. The Tomaras
	established themselves at ], and the ruler
	] built the fortress which still stands
	there. ] emerged as the leading Rajput state,
	and ] expanded his kingdom at the
	expense of the sultanates of Malwa and Gujarat. The
	Delhi Sultanate recovered somewhat under the [[Lodhi
	dynasty]], and ] of Mewar convinced
	] to challenge ] for control of
	the Delhi Sultanate, hoping that the struggle between
	Muslim rivals would allow the Rajputs to reclaim
	]. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the [[First
	Battle of Panipat]] on ], ], and the
	Rana Sangha rallied a Rajput army to challenge Babur.
	Babur, like his predecessors resorted to treachery and
	managed to bribe a general in Sanga's army and managed
	to defeat the Rajputs at the ] on
	], ]. The Rajput rulers agreed to
	pay tribute to Babur, but most retained control of
	their states, and struggles between Babur's successor
	] and the ] for control of
	the Sultanate preoccupied the Muslims for several
	decades.

			In his ''New History of India'', ] wrote "The Rajputs were the vanguard of Hindu India in the face of the Islamic onslaught."
	Humayun's successor ] consolidated control of
	the empire and sought to expand it by realising that
	wars with Rajputs will not allow him to rule India and
	he used marriage diplomacy. Kachwahas were the first
	to give a daughter to Akbar. This prompted Maharana
	Pratap to ban marraiges between his loyal rajputs with
	other rajputs of rajasthan. The Kachwaha rulers of
	] and Rathore rulers of ] became
	tributaries of the empire. The Sisodias of Mewar and
	their vassals, the Hadas of Bundi, continued to refuse
	Mughal hegemony, and Akbar invaded ],
	capturing ] in ] after a long
	siege. The Sesodias of Mewar moved the capital to the
	more defensible location of ] and carried on
	fighting the Mughals. Akbar respected the martial
	prowess of the Rajputs, and he married a Rajput
	princess, and Rajput generals, particularly the
	Kachwahas of Jaipur, commanded some Mughal armies.

	The Mughal emperor ], who was far less
	tolerant of Hinduism than his predecessors, put a
	muslim on the throne of ] when Maharaja
	Jaswant Singh, ruler of Marwar, died without a child.
	This enraged the rathores. Ajit Singh, Jaswant Singh's
	son was born after his death. Marwar nobles asked
	Aurangzeb to give the throne back to Ajit but
	Aurangzeb refused and instead tried to kill the infant
	Ajit. Durgadas Rathore and others smuggled Ajit out of
	Delhi and did not let pursuing Mughals capture them
	and reached Jaipur safely. This started the 30 year
	rajput rebellion against Aurangzeb. This cemented all
	the Rajput clans into a bond of union, and a triple
	alliance was formed by the three states of Marwar,
	Mewar, and Jaipur, to throw off the Mughal yoke. One
	of the conditions of this alliance was that the rulers
	of Jodhpur and Jaipur should regain the privilege of
	marriage with the ruling Sesodia dynasty of Mewar,
	which they had forfeited by contracting alliances with
	the Mughal emperors, on the understanding that the
	offspring of Sesodia princesses should succeed to the
	state in preference to all other children. The
	quarrels arising from this stipulation lasted through
	many generations, and led to the invitation of
	] help from the rival aspirants to power,
	and finally to the subjection of all the Rajput states
	to the Marathas. Jodhpur was conquered by ],
	who levied a tribute of 60,000 rupees, and took from
	it the fort and town of ]. Internecine
	disputes and succession wars disturbed the peace of
	the early years of the century, and the Rajput princes
	asked for ] protection from
	the Marathas during the ] of
	]-]. At the conclusion of the war in
	1818, 18 states in the ] region, of which
	15 were ruled by Rajputs, became ]s
	of the ], while the British took direct
	control of Ajmer, which became the province of
	]. A number of other Rajput states in
	central India, including ], ],
	], ], ], ],
	and ], became princely states as well, and
	were placed under the authority of the [[Central India
	Agency]]. Rajput rulers of Rajputana and Central India
	acceded to newly-independent India after ], and
	Rajputana, renamed Rajasthan, became an Indian state
	in ].

	==Rajputs and Invasions of India==
	Muslims started attacking India within a few decades
	of the birth of islam. For a few hundred years they
	had no success. Bin Qasim was able to defeat Dahir in
	Sindh but was routed by ]. Qasim
	attacked ], which was ruled by Mori
	Rajputs, via Mathura. Bappa, of guhilote dynasty, was
	a commander in Mori army and so was Dahir's son. Bappa
	defeated and pursued Bin Qasim through Saurashtra and
	back to Sindh. After this resounding defeat of the
	caliphate at the hands of Bappa, for next few hundred
	years there were no more Islamic incursions into
	India. (note muslim historians rarely recorded the
	defeats of there kings)

	Then Mahmud started his raids and was successful in
	looting Somnath.

	Ghori attacked many times. First time he was routed in
	present day Gujarat by Rajputs. Mularaja-II was not
	even a teen yet and his mother organized the defences
	of ]. Battle was fought at Kayadara near
	] and Ghori was resoundingly defeated.
	After this defeat he never entered India through
	Gujarat. In first battle of ] (tarain is
	misspelledword) in ] Prithviraj Chauhan
	captured Ghori and Ghori begged for his life.
	Prithviraj allowed him to go despite his generals
	asking him not to do so. Following year Ghori came
	again. Prithviraj advanced with his army and sent a
	letter to Ghori. In this letter ghori was asked to
	return as he had been beaten last year and was spared
	his life. Ghori replied that he was in India on the
	orders of his brother and he can only retreat after he
	gets a word from his brother. This letter was sent in
	the evening and Ghori moved his camp back a few
	kilometers. On receiving this letter and seeing Ghori
	move his camp back Prithviraj assumed that Ghori is
	not interested in fighting. Ghori also knew that
	Rajputs did not fight in the night and only started
	fighting after sun had come up. He attacked in the
	early morning hours when Prithviraj and his army were
	sleeping and was able to win this war.

	Later Ala ud din Khilji usurped ] from his
	father-in-law. Khilji wanted to win Chittor because
	sisodiyas of Chittor never accepted the rule of Islam.
	Another reason was ]. He laid a siege
	but Chittor would not fall. Then he requested Rana
	Ratan Singh, husband of Rani Padmini, that if he is
	allowed a glimpse of Rani he would leave. By this time
	the situation inside the fort was getting bad. Rana
	discussed this with his advisers and they agreed that
	they can show Padmini's face in a mirror to the
	sultan. The meeting took place and afterwards out of
	courtesy when Rana was walking Khilji out of the
	palace, Khilji's men captured Rana Ratan Singh. Khilji
	sent a message to the fort that Rana can be spared by
	exchanging Rani Padmini. Padmini discussed this with
	Gorah, her maternal uncle, who was a ]
	rajput. Gora told her not to worry and that he would
	go and bring back Rana Ratan Singh and Sultan is not
	brave enough to stop him. Padmini's nephew Badal who
	was just sixteen also assured her. A messsage was sent
	from the fort to Khilji that Padmini would come with
	700 of her servants in "palanquins" (palki in
	]) and that no muslim soldier should peek
	inside the palki to outrage the modesty of the women.
	Letter also said that before Padmini meets khilji she
	would like to talk to Rana. Khilji agreed. All the
	palki's had the best rajput warriors with two swords
	each. When Padmini's palki, which was occupied by
	Gora, reached Rana's tent he asked Rana to mount the
	horse and go back to the fort. Then Gora gave a signal
	and every rajput came out of the palki and attacked
	the muslims who were cut to pieces. Gora reached
	Khilji's tent and was about to kill the sultan when
	khilji moved his concubine in front of himself. Gora,
	being a rajput could not kill an innocent women and
	these few seconds were enough for Khilji's guards to
	kill Gora from behind.

	After Ratan Singh's death his successor Laxman Singh
	tried to capture ] and fought a battle with
	Tughlaq near Chittor. He died along with his son Ari.
	His second son Ajay was severely wounded but was taken
	away from the battlefield by other soldiers and
	survived. Ajay was not a powerful ruler and his sons
	were likewise. Ajay knew that Ari had a son Hammir and
	he called Hammir to come to him. Hammir, along with
	his mother came to see his uncle. Ajay said that he
	had grown weak and a dacoit, Munja Balicha, was
	wreaking havoc in Rana Ajay's domain. Hammir vowed
	that he would take care of Munja. Hammir took seven
	warriors with him and set out to finish Munja. Hammir
	at this stage was just a teenager. Munja was tracked.
	When Munja was riding with his band to plunder a
	village, Hammir stood in his way on his white steed.
	Munja asked him to leave the way or die. Hammir
	challenged him to a duel and seeing that Hammir was
	just a teenager Munja readily agreed. Hammir killed
	Munja and brought his head and put it at Rana Ajay's
	feet and told his uncle that Munja will never be a
	problem again. Rana Ajay realized Hammir should be the
	ruler and he coronated Hammir as the new ruler of
	Mewar. Ajay's sons were unhappy with this and decided
	to move to ]. Do note that Chittor was
	called ] at this time as Ala ud din had
	renamed it after his son and at Hammir's coronation
	was ruled by Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Hammir captured
	Chittor. Tughlaq became very unhappy and launched a
	massive campaign against Hammir which he led himself.
	Hammir knew as soon as he captured Chittor that
	Tughlaq would attack him. He rallied all nearby rajput
	states to join him and they did. Battle was fought and
	Tughlaq was badly defeated and captured. After he paid
	a hefty fees and surrendered all of mewar's territory
	he was let go. After this defeat Mewar was never
	attacked by ].

	Prithviraj's descendant Hammir Deo Chauhan ruled
	]. Jalore was ruled by another branch of
	Chauhans, the Songaras. In 1299 Ala ud din's mongol
	general Ulugh Khan sought to quell Hindu resistance in
	Gujarat and besieged ] and sacked the temple
	at ]. Ulugh Khan had broken the shiv linga
	of Somnath and was carrying it back to Delhi. Kanhad
	Dev, ruler of Jalore, attacked and defeated Ulugh
	Khan. His son Biramdeo and Jaitra Deora were the
	generals who commandeered Kanhad Dev's army. They
	captured the fragments of the Shivalinga. Kanhad had
	the shivaling washed in Gangajal and had the fragments
	placed at various Shiva temples around Jalore. One of
	Ala ud din's generals was a neo-muslim, Muhammad Shah,
	who had helped Kanhad Dev. This general later went and
	stayed with Hammir Deo in Ranthambore. Ala ud din
	wanted him dead, and asked Hammir to hand him over.
	Hammir replied that he knows how to draw his sword,
	and anyone who has taken shelter in his fort would not
	be turned over. Hammir did not consider Ala king of
	India. Ala ud din attacked Ranthambore in 1299, but
	his armies were defeated. He finally came himself in
	1301, and there was a long siege. Hammir was very
	well prepared. When the fort would not fall after
	repeated bloody skirmishes khilji resorted to
	diplomacy. Hammir was very suspicious but he heeded
	to his councillors who told him that sword is not
	always the best recourse. Ratipal and Ranmal, who
	were close confidants of Hammir, were sent to the
	khilji camp. Ranmal's father was hung by Hammir for
	treachery and his property was confiscated. Ranmal
	earned the trust of Hammir by being brave in battles
	that Hammir fought but perfidy was in his blood.
	Khilji bribed these two generals of Hammir's army and
	consequently Ranthambore fell.

	Later Rana Kumbha repeatedly defeated sultans of Malwa
	and Gujarat and built 32 forts in ]. Even
	the combined armies of sultans of Malwa and Gujarat
	could not beat Kumbha.

	In Kumbha's lineage was Rana Sangram Singh or Sanga.
	Lodi was defeated by Man Singh Tomar of ]
	but being a Hindu Man Singh out of magnaninimity let
	Ibrahim go back to Delhi. Man Singh's descendants
	fought at ] along with Maharana Pratap
	against Akbar and showed exemplary bravery. Lodi was
	defeated by Babur later. Now Babur was having
	sleepless nights because of Sanga. Babur sent about
	1500 choice cavalry to attack Sanga. These were
	butchered by Sanga's rajputs. Babur wanted to discuss
	peace terms. For discussions Sanga sent his general
	Silhadi (Shiladitya). Babur won this general by
	promising him independent kingdom. Silhadi came back
	and reported that babur does not want peace and he
	wants to fight. Fight started and Babur's army was
	being knocked out of the field and victory was certain
	for Sanga. At this juncture Silhadi and his army just
	left the field and this tilted the war in favor of
	Babur and he won.

	Humayun, Babur's son was beaten by SherShah Suri, a
	]. Humayun was forced to leave India and Sher
	Shah became ruler of Delhi. The Sesodias of Mewar were
	not yet recovered from Rana Sangha's treacherous
	defeat. In Marwar the Rathores were becoming very
	powerful. The ] king Rao Maldeo had extended
	his territory to within a couple of hundred kilometers
	of Delhi. Sher Shah attacked Maldeo. Maldeo came with
	a force of 40 thousand and Sher Shah had 60 thousand.
	In the evening Sher Shah sent forged letters to
	Maldeo's camp. In these letters it was stated that few
	generals from Maldeo's army were buying arms from Sher
	Shah's army. This caused great consternation in Maldeo
	who thought there is treachery and that some of his
	generals had crossed over to Sher Shah. Maldeo left
	with 20 thousand men. In reality there was no
	treachery. Later when Maldeo's generals Kumpa (his
	progeny are Kumpawat rathores) and Jaita (his progeny
	are Jaitawat rathores) found out what happened they
	did not loose cool and decided they would not leave
	the field even though they just had 20 thousand men
	and had to face 60 thousand Pathans of Sher Shah.
	Finally battle of Sammel was fought and Sher Shah was
	shocked by what he saw. SherShah's top generals lost
	there lives and his army suffered heavy losses. After
	this Sher Shah commented that "for a few grains of
	] he had
	almost lost the entire kingdom of ]".It is a
	moot point now but had Maldeo not retreated because of
	the fake letter Rathores/Rajputs would have defeated
	SherShah. In my bhoomi (Rajasthan) Deoras are
	considered the most stubborn, Hadas the most brave and
	Rathores the invincible warriors on the battlefield
	(Ranbanka Rathore).

	Humayun's son Akbar was born in the palace of a Hindu
	king, at ], who had given Humayun shelter
	when he was being pursued by Sher Shah. Akbar realized
	that he can never subdue Rajputs and become sole ruler
	of India. He decided to pursue diplomacy and was able
	to convince the ] Rajput rulers of
	](modern day ]) about a matrimonial
	alliance. King of Amber agreed and Jodhabai became
	Akbar's queen and the mother of Prince Salim, who
	later became the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Soon other
	Rajput kingdoms in Rajasthan also gave there daughters
	to Akbar. This was the darkest period in the history
	of Rajputs.

	Only two kings remained against this. The sisodiyas of
	Mewar and Hadas of Ranthambore. ] are Chauhans.
	Finally Man Singh of Amber and Akbar went and met
	Surjan Hada that he should become friends with Akbar
	and Surjan some how agreed but one of his conditions
	of friendship was that no daughter of Hadas would ever
	be asked to marry mughals and Akbar agreed. Surjan was
	very saddened by this friendship with Akbar and the
	fact that he could not help Maharana Paratap against
	Akbar. He felt so ashamed that he moved his residence
	to ] and made sure that ] in the
	holy city had no problems at the hands of Muslims. So
	there remained just the house of Mewar the sole bearer
	of Rajput pride in the face of immense opposition from
	Mughals as well as other rajputs who had sold there
	souls essentially to mughals by giving there
	daughters.

	Maharana Pratap, the Sesodia ruler of Mewar, passed a
	law in his state that none of his followers will
	intermarry with Rajputs who have given their daughters
	to Muslims. This rule was followed by his loyal band
	of Rajputs, which included ], ],
	], ], ], ]
	and ]. Maharana Pratap never accepted Akbar
	as ruler of India, and fought Akbar all his life.
	Akbar first tried diplomacy to win over Maharana
	Pratap but nothing worked. Pratap just said he has no
	intention to fight with Akbar but he cannot bow down
	to Akbar and accept him as the ruler. Some scholars
	argue that there is some chance that Maharana could
	have become friends with Akbar but in the siege of
	Chittor when Akbar killed 30,000 civilian, unarmed
	residents of Chittor, because they refused to convert
	to Islam, left a lasting impression on Maharana's mind
	and he decided he cannot bow to such an unjust and
	cruel human being as Akbar was. (People should note
	that when Hindu Kings fought with each other unarmed
	civilians were never killed in the loosing king's
	territory).

	Finally Akbar attacked Maharana Pratap at
	]. Akbar's general was Man Singh
	] of ], leading an army of 40
	thousand men. Maharana had about 8 thousand men and
	some Bhil warriors. One of Maharana's generals was
	Hakim Khan Sur, who was from the line of SherShah
	Suri, a pathan. Pathans are the only faction of
	Muslims that Rajputs do not mind befriending
	because a Pathan would rather give his life then his
	word. During the first attack Maharana Pratap's army
	routed the ] and Mughals ran for there life.
	Maharana Pratap decided to kill Man Singh, and
	Maharana Pratap's horse ] put his front feet
	on the trunk of the elephant that Man Singh was riding
	and Maharana threw his lance. Man Singh ducked, and
	the elephant driver was killed. Finally the numerical
	superiority of the Mughal army was too much and the
	battle ended in a stalemate. When Mughal army entered
	the nearby town they were so mortified that Maharana
	would attack them again that no one would venture out
	of the camp for months. They ran out of food and
	conditions were just miserable in the Mughal camp.
	Finally help arrived many months later. Akbar was very
	unhappy with his generals and his army and he refused
	to see his generals for months.

	Akbar kept sending expedition after expedition against
	Maharana Pratap but never succeeded. He lost lot of
	money and men in trying to defeat Maharana Pratap. For
	30 years Pratap remained ahead of Akbar and in last
	ten years of his life was able to free most of his
	kingdom. The only fort Pratap could not recover was
	] and that saddened him a lot. His son, Amar
	Singh, won that fort after Pratap's death.

	It is said that somebody told Akbar that Pratap wants
	to accept Akbar as the king. Akbar was very happy to
	hear this. One of Akbar's general was Prthviraj
	] who was a very good poet. He told Akbar
	this is a lie (incidentally Prithviraj's mother and
	Pratap's mother were real sisters. Pratap and
	Prithviraj played together as kids in there maternal
	grandfather's home who was a ] rajput).
	Prithviraj wrote this letter to Pratap:

	''The hopes of the Hindu rest on the Hindu yet the
	Rana forsakes them. But for Pratap, all would be
	placed on the same level by Akbar; for our chiefs have
	lost their valour and our females their honour. Akbar
	is the broker in the market of our race; he has
	purchased all but the son of Udai (Singh II of Mewar);
	he is beyond his price. What true Rajput would part
	with honour for nine days (nauroza); yet how many have
	bartered it away? Will Chittor come to this market
	...? Though Patta (an affectionate name for Pratap
	Singh) has squandered away wealth (on warfare), yet he
	has preserved this treasure. Despair has driven man to
	this market, to witness their dishonour: from such
	infamy the descendant of Hammir (Maharana Hammir)
	alone has been preserved. The world asks, from where
	does the concealed aid of Pratap emanate? None but the
	soul of manliness and his sword .. The broker in the
	market of men (Akbar) will one day be surpassed; he
	cannot live forever. Then will our race come to
	Pratap, for the seed of the Rajput to sow in our
	desolate lands. To him all look for its preservation,
	that its purity may again become resplendent. It is as
	much impossible for me to believe that Pratap has
	called Akbar his emperor as to see the sun rising in
	the west. Tell me where do I stand? Shall I use my
	sword on my neck or shall I continue my proud
	bearing?''

	Pratap replied to him:

	''By my god ], Pratap would call the emperor
	Turk alone and the sun would rise in the east. You may
	continue your proud bearing as long as Pratap's sword
	dangles on the mughal head. Pratap would be guilty of
	Sanga's blood, if he was to tolerate Akbar. you would
	have the better of it, no doubt Prithviraj, in this
	wordy quarrel.''

	Prithviraj was overjoyed on getting this letter.

	Maharana Pratap's son, Amar Singh, fought 17 wars with
	the Mughals but he finally accepted them as rulers. At
	this time a large chunk of Maharana Pratap's band of
	loyal Rajputs became disillusioned by the surrender
	and left Rajasthan. This group included Rathores,
	] Chauhans, Pariharas, Tomaras, Kacchwaha and
	Jhalas. They are called "Rors" and settled mostly in
	], with some in ]. Until
	today they do not intermarry with other Rajputs but
	"] permitting" with other Rors only.

	After Akbar in his line, few generations later, came
	Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb did not like Jaswant Singh, ruler
	of ]. When Jaswant Singh ] died he
	had no son and this gave Aurang a chance to appoint a
	Muslim as the ruler of Marwar. This upset rathore
	rajputs a lot. Two of Jaswant Singh's queens were
	pregnant when Jaswant Singh died. One queen gave birth
	to Ajit Singh. After his birth, Rathore generals,
	chief among them was Durga Das Rathore(who belonged to
	the karnot shakha of rathores. Karna was a son of Rao
	Jodha, the rathore ruler who founded ]
	during Rana Kumbha's time and karnots are descendants
	of this Karna. Jodha's other son, Bika, founded
	]), went to Delhi along with the queens and
	Ajit Singh, who was an infant, and asked Aurangzeb
	that the crown of Marwar should be given to Ajit
	Singh. Aurangzeb was very cunning and he had no
	intention of handing over the throne of Marwar. He
	suggested that Ajit should grow up in his harem but
	internally he wanted to kill them all. Durga Das
	sensed this and they smuggled Ajit Singh out of Delhi
	to the outskirts of the city. When Mughal army came to
	capture them in delhi ] and his men
	attacked the mughals and started riding out of delhi.
	Raghunandan ] and others soaked the streets of
	Delhi in crimson by flowing the blood of mughal
	pursuers. There were about three hundred rajputs with
	Durga Das and there were thousands of pursuing
	mughals. Every so often 15 - 20 Rajputs would fall
	behind attack the mughal pursuers and in the process
	get themselves killed but it allowed the forward party
	to create some distance between Ajit and the Mughals.
	This continued till the evening by which time mughals
	had given up and Durga Das was left with just seven
	men out of three hundred he started with and reached
	] along with Ajit Singh.

	Thereby started the 30 year rajput rebellion against
	Aurangzeb. Mewar and Marwar forces combined together
	and almost killed Aurangzeb when he was trapped in the
	mountains of rajasthan but the Mewar king out of
	magnanimity allowed aurangzeb to escape.

	All the trade routes were plundered by rajputs and
	they started looting various treasuries of rajasthan
	and gujarat. To crush them Aurang sent many
	expeditions but no success. These expeditions and
	drying up of revenue from trade routes running thru
	rajasthan had severe effect on his resources. In
	addition the lion of ], Shivaji, had
	freed almost all of Maharasthra and was at constant
	war with Aurang. Shivaji had some Rajput ancestry.

	Finally on his deathbed Aurang complained that his
	life had been a complete failure. He was the sole
	reason for Mughal empire's crumbling. His war
	campaigns had practically left the treasury dry for
	his progeny.

	A point to note here is that lot of Muslims and some
	hindu historians think that Islam/Muslims did not do
	conversion of Hindus by sword. The argument they give
	is that there are so many hindus still today in India.
	This is completely wrong because most muslim rulers in
	India tried to convert as many as they could but it
	was the strength of rajput sword that kept hinduism
	alive in India. If there were no rajputs in India then
	India would be just like
	]/]/]/] in terms of
	religion of the population.

	The preservance of ] in India by the rajput
	sword against the entire might of Islamic rulers is
	the most glorious achievement by a race in the annals
	of world history and every one should know this fact,
	more so Indians and most definitely each and every
	rajput.

	==Genetics==		==Genetics==
	The Rajputs are genetically similar to other upper		The Rajputs are genetically similar to other upper castes and North Indians. See ].
	castes and North Indians. See [[Aryan Invasion
	Theory]].
	==Prominent Rajput clans==		==Prominent Rajput clans==
	* ]		* ]
Line 767:		Line 25:
	* ]		* ]
	* ]		* ]
			* ]
	* ]		* ]
	* ]		* ]
Line 774:		Line 33:
	* ]		* ]
	* ] (Parihara)		* ] (Parihara)
	* ]
	* ]		* ]
	* ]		* ]
Line 780:		Line 38:
	* ]		* ]
	* ]		* ]
			==See also==

			*]
	==References==

	*Maharana Kumbha: sovereign, soldier, scholar
	:''Har Bilas Sarada, Paperback - 182 Pages (Year: 2003) Rupa ~ ISBN: 8129100339''
	:: '''Detailed description of Maharana Kumbha's life.'''
	*Maharana Pratap
	*Maharaja Mansingh: the mystic monarch of Marwar
	*Maravara ka itihasa
	:: '''Description of Rathore rise in Marwar. Various wars are described. Battle of Sammel and Rathore rebellion against Aurangzeb are covered in great detail'''
	*The glory of Ranthambhor
	:''Dr LS Rathore: Jodhpur university press, Jodhpur (India) First published in 1990''
	::'''Detailed description of wars between Hammir Dev Chauhan and Khilji.'''

	*Rathaura rajavamsa ke riti-rivaja : 1600-1850 I.
	:: '''Social customs of Marwar kings are described. Marriage ceremonies, festivals etc.'''
	*Maharana Hammir of ]: Chittor's lost freedom restored
	:: '''Life of Maharana Hammir and his campaigns to free chittor. His wars with Muhammad Tughlaq.'''
	*Maharana Pratapa: eka aise vira yoddha ki jivana-gatha jisane svatantrata ke lie apani akhiri samsa taka visala Mugala samrajya se janga ki
	*Maharana Pratapa : aitihasika adhyayana
	*The genealogical survey : Royal house of Marwar and other states
	:: '''Lineage of Rathore rulers is provided starting with Rao Sheoji.'''
	*Unveiling Ajitsingh's Sanskrit biography : issues in Marwar history and Sanskrit poetics
	:: '''A very good biography of Maharaja Ajit Singh ] of Jodhpur, son of Maharaja Jaswant Singh ].'''
	*Marwar-Jodhpur
	*The house of Marwar
	*Relations between Marwar and the Marathas, A.D. 1724-1843 A.D.
	:: '''Rathore and Maratha wars are described and how Ajmer proved to be a stumbling stone in the establishment of Maratha, Rathore confederacy.'''
	*Maravara ke thikanom ki puralekhiya sampada
	:: '''An excellent research book to figure out which clans tilled what piece of land in ] and how much revenue they had to provide to the Maharaja of Marwar.'''
	*Durgadas Rathor :
	:: '''Life history of DurgaDas Rathore and his help in getting Ajit Singh out of Delhi and then leading the Rajput rebellion against Aurangzeb while Ajit was still an infant.'''
	*War strategy of Maharana Pratap, its evolution and implementation
	*Maharana Pratapa
	*Poems of Mewar
	*The johur of Padmini : the saga of Chitor's deathless heroine
	:: '''Description of Padmini's Jauhar, Gora and Badal's bravery, Allauddin's treachery against Rana Ratan Singh.'''
	*Maharana Pratap : a biography
	*Maharana Pratap, the hero of Haldighati
	:: '''A very detailed description of the battle of Haldighati. Which clans fought along with Maharana and in what order various Rajputs and Mughals fell. It also describes Maharana's personal duels and how his life was saved by his own estranged brother Shakti Singh who was actually fighting against the Maharana.'''
	*Maharana Kumbha and his times: a glorious Hindu king
	*Maharana Pratap & his times
	*The luminous life of Maharana Pratap
	*Maharana Pratapa
	*Hindupati Maharana Sanga: sacitra
	*Rashtra-gaurava suravira Maharana Pratapa
	*Sirohi rajya ka itihasa
	*Essays on Bardic literature : Professor V.S. Bhatnagar felicitation volume
	*Bhati vamsa ka gauravamaya itihasa
	*Annals of Jaisalmer: a pre-mediaeval history
	:''Hari Simha Bhati: 486 pages (2002) Publisher: Kavi Prakashan ISBN: B0000CPJC0''

	::'''Very detailed description of Bhatti clan of rajputs. Contains details on the siege of Jaisalmer and how proudly Jaisalmer was defended by Bhattis for eight consecutive years.'''
	*Rajput tales: adapted and abridged from Tod's Annals and antiquities of Rajasthan
	*Svatantrya vira Rava Candrasena: Jodhapura ka sasaka 1562-1581 I.
	Maheca Rathaurom ka mula itihasa: Ravala Mallinatha ke vamsaja - Maheca, Baramera, Pokarana, Kotariya aura
	*Khavariya Rathaurom ka sodhapurna itihasa
	*Amara Simha Rathaura
	::'''Fiercely proud and brave Amar Singh Rathore's life is chronicled in this book.'''
	*Folk tales of Rajasthan
	*Panna dhaya : prabandha kavya
	*Mevara jagiradaram ri vigata : Maharana Amarasimha Dvi. evam Maharana Bhimasimha
	*Maratha confederacy : a study in its origin and development
	*Vira siromani Rava Amarasimha Rathaura : Nagaura ka sasaka, 1638-1644 I.
	*Vira Durgadasa Rathaurha
	*Svatamtrata-premi Durgadasa Rathaura
	*Prithiraja Rathaura
	*Bharata ka Liyonidasa, Sonigira Virama de Cauhana, Jalaura: Lionidas of India Sonigira Viram de Chauhan
	:: '''A very detailed description of the victory of Kanhad Dev and Biram Dev against Ulugh Khan and there subsequent war with Khilji.'''
	*Jalore: a history of greatest patriotic saga of Chauhan clan
	*Folklore of Rajasthan
	*Rise of the Maratha power
	*Studies on Maratha & Rajput history
	*Pranapala Durgadasa Rathaura
	*Rathaura rajavamsa ke riti-rivaja: 1600-1850 I.
	*Gogunda ki khyata
	*Rathaudam ri khyata
	*Early Chauhan dynasties: a study of Chauhan political history, Chauhan political institution, and life in the Chauhan dominions, from 800 to 1316 A.D.
	:''Prof Dashratha Sharma. Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass; 2d rev. ed edition (1975) Language: English ISBN: 0842606181''
	:: '''Wars between Prithviraj Chauhan and Ghori are described in great detail by Professor Dasrath Sharma in this book.'''

	*Survey of Kheechi Chauhan history, with biographical notes
	*Folklore of Rajasthan
	*Maharana Pratap & his times
	*Rashtravira Durgadasa Rathaura
	*The Mertiyo Rathors of Merto, Rajasthan (2 vols.)
	:''Select Translations Bearing on the History of a Rajput Family, 1462-1660 Translator Saran, Richard D. Annotations by Saran, Richard D. Hardcover Edition: Series#:51; Michigan Papers on South and Southeast Asia (Hardcover) 772 pages Publisher: University of Michigan Press ISBN / EAN: 0891480854''
	:: '''This book describes the battle of Sammel between Maldev's generals and Sher Shah Suri.'''

	*Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (2 vols.)
	:''Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan; or the Central and Western Rajput States... (Hardcover) by James Tod, William Crooke (Editor) Book Description Relates the history of the Central and Western Rajput states of India; edited by William Crooke. 3 volumes. classic on early Rajasthan (amazon.com) Product Hardcover Publisher: Trans-Atl (1994) Language: English ISBN: 8170691281''

	::'''The way Surjan Hada was befriended by Man Singh and Akbar and the conditions that Surjan laid down for this friendship are chronicled. Surjan's leaving ] and living in ] because of this friendship is also documented by ] Tod in this book. Treachery against Rana Sanga is also described in this book.'''

	]		]
	]		]
			]
			]

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A Rajput (from Sanskrit rāja-putra, "son of a king") is a member of a prominent caste who live throughout northern and central India, primarily in the northwestern state of Rajasthan. They are thought to number about 12 million.

Definition

The term Rajput refers to the group's "jati" which is a social hierarchical status found within the caste system of Hinduism, which developed out of the Vedic varna system. The Rajputs consider themselves the original descendants of the Vedic warrior (Kshatriya) varna. Although all members of a warrior caste, Rajputs vary in profession from aristocrats to farmers. Rajputs are followers of all four major religions of the sub-continent Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Sikhism.

History

The Rajputs are divided into 36 clans, claiming three basic lineages: the Surya Vansi (Solar Race), the Chandra Vansi (Lunar Race), and the Agni kula (Fire Born). One version of the story of Agni kula origins is that four warriors, Agnikul, Yadaukul, Suryakul and Odak, whose names are given to the Rajput clans, sprang from the sacred fire (Agni-kunda) in a ceremony performed by Sage Vashishtha near Mount Abu. Historically the Rajputs refuse to accept the social authority of Brahmin priestly caste, however Rajputs do have their own family priests, known as Purohits, which do come from the Brahmin caste. Also, many Rajputs have Brahmin Gurus. Some scions of their noble families even officiate as priests in their Hindu temples; for example, the Sesodia kings of Mewar consider themselves regents of Eklingji, a manifestation of Shiva, and serve as the high priest of the deity as well as ruler of the state.

The Rajput ethos is martial in spirit, fiercely proud, and emphasizes lineage and tradition. Rajput patriotism is legendary, an ideal they embodied with a sometimes fanatical zeal, often choosing death before dishonour. Rajput warriors were often known to fight until the last man. The practice of jauhar and saka was followed only in rajput communities. When the outcome of a battle was against the Rajputs, jauhar would be commited by Rajput women and children in the night and next morning men would commit saka. Brahmin priests would chant Vedic mantras and Rajput women wearing their marriage dresses, along with their young children, would embrace sandalwood flames. The next morning after taking a bath, the men would wear kesariya and apply the ash from the maha samadhi of their wives and children on their foreheads and put a tulsi leaf in their mouth. Then the palace gates would be opened and men would ride out for complete annhiliation of the enemy or themselves. The practices of Johar and Saka were, however not universal amongst all the Rajput clans and even among the same clan during different periods of time.

Rajasthan, which is believed to be the birthplace of Rajputs has a very high concentration of Rajputs. Rajputs are spread throughout India and Pakistan with Punjab also having high numbers of both Sikh and Muslim Rajputs.

In his New History of India, Stanley Wolpert wrote "The Rajputs were the vanguard of Hindu India in the face of the Islamic onslaught."

Genetics

The Rajputs are genetically similar to other upper castes and North Indians. See Aryan Invasion Theory.

Revision as of 06:53, 31 October 2005

Definition

History

Genetics

Prominent Rajput clans

See also