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| '''Rajputs''' (from ''Raja-put'', "son of king" in ]) are |
'''Rajputs''' (from ''Raja-put'', "son of king" in ]) are a prominent caste who live throughout northern and central ], primarily in the northwestern ] of ]. They are thought to number about 12 million. The Rajputs believe themselves to be descendants of the ancient warrior caste, the ]s, but Rajputs vary in profession from aristocrats and warriors to farmers. Most Rajputs are ], although a minority are ]; most of the Muslim Rajputs presently live in ]. | ||
| Rajasthan is located in northwestern India, near the ] route used by most foreign invasions of ], including the ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, and other ]ic invaders of the ]. The Rajputs are traditionally martial in spirit, fiercely proud and carry a long history of lineage and tradition. Rajputs are known for their sense of honour, chivalry and love of tradition and revelry. They celebrate weddings, festivals and feasts to the Gods with great enthusiasm, customs which are now fading against the scenario of Indian culture which is now being rapidly urbanised and modernised. | |||
| Their ethnic origins are obscure, but some historians think that they are in part the descendants of ], who invaded India at the end of the fifth century, and ruled northwestern India until their defeat by the ] emperors of northern India in 542. The Huns and their allies may have assimiliated with the local population, as well as remnant populations of earlier invaders like the ]s (''Shaka'' in Sanskrit) giving rise to the Rajputs. It has been argued that because many Rajputs are tall, relatively fairer-skinned than the other communities and have sharp grecian/mediterranean/caucasian features, they are likely descended from invaders from the northwest. | |||
| 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 in a ceremony performed by ] ]. Historically the Rajputs refused to accept the spiritual authority of ] priestly caste, and some scions of their noble families even officiate as priests in their Hindu temples; for example, the regent of the House of ] is also the high priest of his clan deity, the form of Shiva known as "Ekling ji”. | |||
| Mythologically, Rajputs are supposed to have originated from the sacred fire in a ceremony performed by ] ]. These four warriors, whose names are given to the Rajput classes, were Agnikul, Yadaukul, Suryakul and Odak. | |||
| The Rajputs rose to prominence in Indian history in the ninth and tenth centuries. The four ''Agni kula'' clans, the Pratiharas (Pariharas), Chauhans (Chahamanas), Solkanis (Chaulukyas), and Paramaras (Pamars), rose to prominence first. The Pratiharas established the first Rajput kingdom in southern Rajasthan, with the Chauhans at ] in eastern Rajasthan, the Solkanis in ], and the Paramaras in ]. The Pratiharas rebuffed the Arab invasion of 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 Chandella clan ruled from the city of ] in the tenth century, building the famous temples there. The Tomaras established a state in ], founding the city of Dhiliki (later ]) in 736. The Guhilas established the state of Mewar (later ]). The Rajputs fought each other in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, but managed to pull together to resist the incursion of the Turks, who later established the ] in the early part of the thirteenth century. | |||
| When the ] declined in the ], the ] slowly gained power by spreading through parts of central India. Rajput princes established small states in the region of ]. They lost control, however, once the country achieved independence in ]. | |||
| The Rajputs were ultimately conquered by the Delhi Sultanate, reestablishing their independence only to lose it again with the rise of the ] in the sixteenth century. When the Mughal empire declined in the early ], the ] reestablished their independence, but by the mid-eighteenth century they were under pressure from the ]. The Rajput princes asked for ] protection from the Marathas during the ] of 1817-1818, and fifteen small Rajput states became ]s in the ], in the region of ]. The Rajput rulers acceded to newly-independent India after 1947, and Rajputana, renamed Rajasthan, became an Indian state in 1950. | |||
| Today apart from Rajasthan, Rajputs, their clans and their descendants are found all over India. There are also some clans of Rajputs who are converts to Islam and are now mainly found in Pakistan. As befitting the legacy of their Aryan ancestors, these modern-day kshatriyas refuse to accept the Brahmin priest as higher than them on the spiritual platform (as is the norm in the rest of India) and some scions of their noble families even officiate as priests in their Hindu temples. (E.g. --The Regent of the House of Mewar is also the high priest of his clan deity--the form of Shiva known as "Ekling ji”.) | |||
Revision as of 22:08, 31 July 2004
Rajputs (from Raja-put, "son of king" in Sanskrit) are 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. The Rajputs believe themselves to be descendants of the ancient warrior caste, the Kshatriyas, but Rajputs vary in profession from aristocrats and warriors to farmers. Most Rajputs are Hindu, although a minority are Muslim; most of the Muslim Rajputs presently live in Pakistan.
Rajasthan is located in northwestern India, near the Khyber Pass route used by most foreign invasions of India, including the Arabs, Afghans, Turks, Mughals, and other Islamic invaders of the Middle Ages. The Rajputs are traditionally martial in spirit, fiercely proud and carry a long history of lineage and tradition. Rajputs are known for their sense of honour, chivalry and love of tradition and revelry. They celebrate weddings, festivals and feasts to the Gods with great enthusiasm, customs which are now fading against the scenario of Indian culture which is now being rapidly urbanised and modernised.
Their ethnic origins are obscure, but some historians think that they are in part the descendants of Huns, who invaded India at the end of the fifth century, and ruled northwestern India until their defeat by the Gupta emperors of northern India in 542. The Huns and their allies may have assimiliated with the local population, as well as remnant populations of earlier invaders like the Scythians (Shaka in Sanskrit) giving rise to the Rajputs. It has been argued that because many Rajputs are tall, relatively fairer-skinned than the other communities and have sharp grecian/mediterranean/caucasian features, they are likely descended from invaders from the northwest.
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 in a ceremony performed by Sage Vashishtha. Historically the Rajputs refused to accept the spiritual authority of Brahmin priestly caste, and some scions of their noble families even officiate as priests in their Hindu temples; for example, the regent of the House of Mewar is also the high priest of his clan deity, the form of Shiva known as "Ekling ji”.
The Rajputs rose to prominence in Indian history in the ninth and tenth centuries. The four Agni kula clans, the Pratiharas (Pariharas), Chauhans (Chahamanas), Solkanis (Chaulukyas), and Paramaras (Pamars), rose to prominence first. The Pratiharas established the first Rajput kingdom in southern Rajasthan, with the Chauhans at Ajmer in eastern Rajasthan, the Solkanis in Kathiawar, and the Paramaras in Malwa. The Pratiharas rebuffed the Arab invasion of 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 Chandella clan ruled from the city of Khajuraho in the tenth century, building the famous temples there. The Tomaras established a state in Haryana, founding the city of Dhiliki (later Delhi) in 736. The Guhilas established the state of Mewar (later Jaipur). The Rajputs fought each other in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, but managed to pull together to resist the incursion of the Turks, who later established the Delhi Sultanate in the early part of the thirteenth century.
The Rajputs were ultimately conquered by the Delhi Sultanate, reestablishing their independence only to lose it again with the rise of the Mughal empire in the sixteenth century. When the Mughal empire declined in the early 18th century, the Rajputs reestablished their independence, but by the mid-eighteenth century they were under pressure from the Maratha empire. The Rajput princes asked for British protection from the Marathas during the Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1817-1818, and fifteen small Rajput states became princely states in the British Raj, in the region of Rajputana. The Rajput rulers acceded to newly-independent India after 1947, and Rajputana, renamed Rajasthan, became an Indian state in 1950.