Know more about India's Rajput community

Rajput community is representative of the old warrior or Kshatriya class of India. Rajputs are considered as the second of the four castes of Hinduism. It is believed that they were made from the arms of Lord Brahma. There are over 200 million Rajputs in India. Rajasthan is their original home but they are also settled in other parts of the country like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Some people of West Bengal and Assam also claim Rajput descent. The members of nearly all the Hindu ruling families have been Rajputs of the Sisodia clan, originating from Udaipur. Rajput community rose to fame between 9th and 11th centuries. They are divided into three main lineages. The four Agnivanshi clans, Pratiharas, Solankis (Chaulukyas), Paramaras and Chauhans came to eminence first. It is said that the Rajputs ruled over 400 of approximate 600 princely states at the time of independence of the country in 1947. Rajputra is a Sanskrit word and is found in several ancient texts, like Vedas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata. This term was used by ancient Sanskrit grammarian Panini in 4th century BCE. In the past, the word Kshatriya was commonly used for Vedic community consisting of rulers and warriors. The word Rajputra was used for differentiating Kshatriyas from royal warriors. It literally means son of a king. Eventually, the term Rajputra was shortened to Rajput and slowly it became a caste of India. The word Rajput means king's son or the prince. Rajputs claim to be the descendants of the Kshatriyas who were originally Aryans. They are considered dvija (twice born) and are entitled to wear the sacred thread. Thakur is the common title of Rajput. There are 36 Rajput clans tracing their mythical descent from the sun, the moon and the sacred fire, known as the Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi and Agnivanshi respectively. Bravery, chivalry, loyalty, beauty, feuds, assassinations, wars - all these abound in the history of the Rajputs. The Rajputs considered war and governance as the highest arts of all but among them have been poets, scientists, musicians and architects. The history of Rajputs is dotted with tales of bravery and compassion. They have always proved to be the best of friends. There was a tradition in many Rajput states of having at least one Muslim amongst their social chiefs.The Rajput values honour more than anything else in life but is somewhat vain and extravagant in money matters. This warrior clan is quite religious minded. They have full faith in mother goddesses. Temples are scattered in the regions where they are settled. Many Rajputs are engaged in agriculture today and serve in the armed forces and the police as well. Honesty and honour were and still are the building stones for the Rajput community.Notable Rajput personalitiesMaharana Pratap Maharana Pratap or Pratap Singh was the ruler of Mewar, a region in Rajasthan. In popular Indian culture, Pratap is considered to exemplify the qualities like bravery and chivalry to which Rajputs aspire, especially in context of his opposition to the Mughal emperor Akbar. The struggle between Rajput confederacy led by Pratap Singh, and the Mughal Empire under Akbar, has often been characterised as a struggle between Hindus and the invading hordes of Muslims, much on the same lines as the struggle between Shivaji and Aurangzeb a little less than a century later. Maharana Pratap was a staunch patriot. Pratap is said to have lamented that "If there had been no Udai Singh between himself and Rana Sanga, he would not have let Turks master Hindustan." Pratap Singh's dogged resistance, even when he had to wander in the jungles of Aravallis and his persistent refusal to surrender even after being reduced to starvation while pursuing Haldighati, do not point to a person who fought for power politics, but rather to a person with a sacred mission. His own vow giving up all comforts of palace life till he recaptured all his kingdom from Mughals and his lifelong observance of that vow also speak of his steadfast patriotism and determination rather than power politics. Prithviraj Chauhan Prithviraj Chauhan was a king of the Hindu Chauhan (Chauhamana) dynasty, who ruled the kingdom of Ajmer and Delhi during the latter half of the 12th century. Prithviraj Chauhan belonged to the Rajput Chauhan clan, which according to a legend mentioned in later manuscripts of Prithviraj Raso was part of Agnivanshi Rajputs, derived its origin from a sacrificial fire-pit. Chauhan was the last independent Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi. His elopement in 1175 with Samyukta (Sanyogita), the daughter of Jai Chandra Rathod, the Gahadvala king of Kannauj, is a popular romantic tale in India, and is one of the subjects of the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem composed by Chauhan's court poet and friend, Chand Bardai. Prithviraj Chauhan defeated the Muslim ruler Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain in 1191 and set him free as a gesture of mercy. Ghauri attacked for a second time the next year, and Prithviraj was defeated and captured at the Second Battle of Tarain (1192). Sultan Ghauri took Prithviraj to Ghazni and blinded him, legend states that in an archery show, Prithviraj's poet Chand Bardai gave him the physical location of Ghori in the arena via poem and then as Ghori ordered the start of show, Prithviraj shot him dead with a Shabdbhedi-baan. After his defeat Delhi came under the control of Muslim rulers. Karan Singh Karan Singh is a member of Rajya Sabha and is the ex-ruler of Jammu and Kashmir. He is a senior Congress leader who served successively as Sadr-i-Riyasat and Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. Singh (born 1931) is the son of the last ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh. In the 26th amendment to the Constitution of India promulgated in 1971, the Government of India abolished all official symbols of princely India, including titles, privileges, and remuneration. Singh received the Padma Vibhushan in 2005. Vishwanath Pratap Singh Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008) was the seventh Prime Minister of India and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda. He was born in the Rajput Gaharwar (Rathore) Royal Family of Manda to Raja Bhagwati Prasad Singh of Daiya and was later adopted by Raja Bahadur Ram Gopal Singh of Manda in 1936, whom he succeeded in 1941. V. P. Singh studied at Colonel Brown Cambridge School, Dehradun for five years, and entered local politics in Allahabad during the Nehru era. Major Shaitan Singh Major Shaitan Singh was an Indian soldier, who was awarded Param Vir Chakra, the highest wartime gallantry medal, posthumously, for his leadership and courage during the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Shaitan Singh was born in a Rajput family on December 1, 1924 at Jodhpur in Rajasthan. His father was Lt Col Hem Singh Bhati. In the heights of Rezang La, a hundred Ahirs led by Shaitan Singh fought and died for India. Brigadier Bhawani Singh Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur MVC (22 October 1931 – 17 April 2011) was the Maharaja of Jaipur and head of the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs. He died at age 79 due to multi-organ failure. The title technically ended in 1971 when royal entitlements were abolished along with privy purses through a constitutional amendment. However, the erstwhile Maharaja was considered a political, cultural, and religious icon in modern Rajasthan, and he was sometimes referred to in the media by his former title, His Highness, The Maharaja of Jaipur. K. S. Ranjitsinhji Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar was an Indian prince and Test cricketer who played for the English cricket team. He also played first-class cricket for Cambridge University, and county cricket for Sussex. Ranji is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Neville Cardus describing him as "the Midsummer night's dream of cricket". Unorthodox in technique and with fast reactions, he brought a new style to batting and revolutionised the game. He is particularly associated with one shot, the leg glance, which he invented or popularised. The first-class cricket tournament in India, the Ranji Trophy, was named in his honour and inaugurated in 1935 by the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. Away from cricket, Ranji became Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar in 1907; was Chancellor of the Indian Chamber of Princes; and represented India at the League of Nations. Mahendra Singh Dhoni Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the current captain of the Indian national cricket team and the Chennai Super Kings cricket team. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and a year later played his first Test, this time against Sri Lanka. He is captain of India in all three forms of the game and also led the team to their first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Under Dhoni's captaincy India became the first team after a gap of more than 20 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series. Dhoni also led the Indian team to the number one position in ICC rankings in Test cricket for the first time. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, CB Series of 2007–08, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2008 and 2010 against Australia 2–0, Asia cup 2010 and 2011 World Cup. His Test, ODI record is best among all the Indian captains to date. He also captained Chennai Super Kings to victory in the recent 2011 IPL and in the Champions League. He was named as the captain of ICC World Test and ICC ODI teams for 2009. Dhyan ChandDhyan Chand (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) was an Indian field hockey player who is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. Chand is most remembered for his goal-scoring feats and for his three Olympic gold medals (1928, 1932, and 1936) in field hockey, during an era where India was dominant in the sport. Known as “The Wizard” for his superb ball control, Chand played his final international match in 1948, having scored more than 400 goals during his international career.