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.
