Rajput

Rājput or Rajputra (from Sanskrit rājāputrā meaning: ‘son of a king’) also called Thakur is an Indo-Aryan community belonging to the Indian subcontinent. The Rajputs claim to be descendants or members of the Kshatriya (warrior and ruling) class. According to historians like Vaidya, R.B. Singh, G.K. Ojha and several others, the Rajputs originated from the Vedic Aryan Kshatriyas of the epics- Ramayana and Mahabharata, and have been referred to as the most valiant and fearless warriors of Indian subcontinent. During 6th to 12th century, the Rajputs were at the pinnacle of their power, many parts of Northern India were ruled and dominated by various Rajput dynasties.

Rajput King Maharana Pratap of the Sisodia clan of the Kingdom of Mewar

Origin

They claim descent from various Kshatriya dynasties such as Agnivanshi, Chandravanshi and Suryavanshi.

Their origins are also traced back to ancient tribes, with some theories suggesting their origins from the Indo-Aryans or from the Scythians.

Demographics

They are found in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Jharkhand and some parts of Pakistan.

Present scenario

At present the real Rajputs, in all the states of India, are considered a General caste (forward caste).This means that they have no access to reservations in India’s positive discrimination of castes.

The Rajputs were regarded as a martial race by the Britishers due to their bravery, courage and rich historical background. This led to the formation of regiments such as the Rajput regiment and the Rajputana Rifles regiment.

Rajput Regiment marching contingents passes through the Rajpath, New Delhi, India on occasion of Indian Republic Day
A stamp about the Rajputana Rifles regiment of India

They were high in number in the armed services of India and at present too this community gives a large number of soldiers to the Indian defence forces.(Army, Navy, Airforce).

References

  1. ↑ Pai, Anant (1999). Brave Rajputs: 5-in-1. Amar Chitra Katha. ISBN 978-81-8482-217-5.
  2. ↑ Seesodia, Jessrajsingh (2018-10-09). The Rajputs: A Fighting Race: A Short Account of the Rajput Race, Its Warlike Past, Its Early Connections with Great Britain, and Its Gallant Services at the Present Moment at the Front. Creative Media Partners, LLC. ISBN 978-0-341-94243-6.
  3. ↑ Thakur is used interchangeably with Rajput to refer to persons from this cluster of upper castes. Thakur is really the common title used for persons of this caste grouping, as Pandit is for the Brahman castes., Paul R. Brass (1997-02-06). Theft of an Idol: Text and Context in the Representation of Collective Violence. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-02650-3.
  4. ↑ But Cunningham differs in holding the Rajputs to belong to original Aryan stock., Bakhshish Singh Nijjar (2008). Origins and History and Other Allied Nomadic Tribes of India: 900 B.C.-1947 A.D. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-269-0908-7.
  5. ↑ Afterwards, the distortion of the word Rajputra became Rajput. Therefore, the Rajputs were the descendants of the Hindu Kshatriya families. However, all those Kshatriya Princes, who established their independent kingdoms after the death of Harsha, called themselves Rajputs. Of course, certain foreigners also established their independent kingdoms in the North-West and the Western part of India and when they were accepted within the Hindu society they, being rulers, also called themselves Rajputs, Muzaffar H. Syed & Others (2022-02-20). History of Indian Nation : Ancient India. K.K. Publications.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Hiltebeitel, Alf (2009-02-15). Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics: Draupadi among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-34055-5.
  7. ↑ Bingley, A. H. (1978). Caste, Tribes & Culture of Rajputs. Ess Ess Publications.
  8. ↑ Singhji, Virbhadra (1994). The Rajputs of Saurashtra. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7154-546-9.
  9. ↑ K̲h̲ān̲, Rānā Muḥammad Sarvar (2005). The Rajputs: History, Clans, Culture, and Nobility. Rana Muhammad Sarwar Khan.
  10. ↑ Series-16 Indian History–Medieval India. Upkar Prakashan.
  11. ↑ Naravane, M. S. (1999). The Rajputs of Rajputana: A Glimpse of Medieval Rajasthan. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7648-118-2.
  12. ↑ Ponvannan, Gayathri (2022-01-25). 100 Great Chronicles of Indian History: From Cave Paintings to the Constitution. Hachette India. ISBN 978-93-91028-77-0.
  13. ↑ Hāṇḍā, Omacanda (2002). History of Uttaranchal. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-134-4.
  14. ↑ Tod classes the Jats one of the greatest Rajput tribes, but Cunningham differs in holding the Rajputs to belong to original Aryan stock and the Jats to a later wave of immigrations., Bakhshish Singh Nijjar (2008). Origins and History of Jats and Other Allied Nomadic Tribes of India: 900 B.C.-1947 A.D. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-269-0908-7.
  15. ↑ Connected current traditions with some social and religious peculiarities of the Rajputs and came to the conclusion that they were of "Scythian" origin. Though this hypothesis is not historically correct, it has a clear historical significance., S. R.; S.G (2005). Early Aryans to Swaraj Bakshi. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 978-81-7625-537-0.
  16. ↑ Kaur, Dr Manveer (2022-12-28). 19th Century Punjabi Society. Abhishek Publications. ISBN 978-93-5652-134-6.
  17. ↑ "Rajput | History, Significance, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-10-25. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  18. ↑ "All India General Caste List by | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  19. ↑ Ahmad, Mustasad (1997). Living Up to Heritage: History of the Rajput Regiment, 1947-1970. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-1-897829-03-5.
  20. ↑ Abhyankar, M. G. (1961). The Rajputana Rifles: A History of the Regiment, 1775-1947. Orient Longmans.
  21. ↑ Bhatia, Tanuj (2018-08-23), Rajputana Rifles, Regiment Diaries, retrieved 2024-08-03
  22. ↑ editor, D. D. E. (2022-10-26). "All You Need To Know About The Rajput Regiment of Indian Army". DDE. Retrieved 2024-08-03. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  23. ↑ Rathore, Abhinay. "History of Rajputs in India". Rajput Provinces of India. Retrieved 2024-11-04.

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