User:Sakarwal/sandbox

Rajput (from Sanskrit raja-putra, "son of a king"[1]) is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and some parts of Pakistan. They claim to be descendants of ruling Hindu warrior classes of North India.[2] Rajputs rose to prominence during the 6th to 12th centuries. Until the 20th century, Rajputs ruled in the "overwhelming majority" of the princely states of Rajasthan and Surashtra, where the largest number of princely states were found.[3]

The Rajput population and the former Rajput states are found spread through much of the subcontinent, particularly in north, west and central India. Populations are found in Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

¤ The Origin of Rajputs

The origin of the Rajputs remains somewhat in doubt. That they were of foreign origin is suggested by the elaborate genealogies that the Brahmins (the priest of the Indian Varna or caste system) created to accord them the Kshatriya (warrior) caste. Which status they always insisted upon with almost undue vehemence. The Rajputs traced their lineage from a mythical fire atop Mt Abu, a mountain in Rajasthan, (Agni Kula or the Fire Family), the sun (Suryavanshi or the Sun Family) and the moon (Chandravanshi or the Moon Family).

Whatever their lineage, the Rajputs certainly were the living image of the knightly noble; handsome, brave – almost foolhardily so – and living within an elaborate code of honour and chivalry. Even then the attitude towards the British rule were varied and after the quashing of the 1857 Mutiny and the establishment of the British Indian Empire, the Rajput Princely States gained importance with 21 gun salutes, royal polo matches and durbars, just as they lost its meaning. Yet today the spirit and the heroic exploits of famous Rajput warrior-kings, like Prithviraj Chauhan, Rana Kumbha, and Bhappa Rawal, continue to echo in the golden sands of Rajputana in the people’s folklore, music and dance.

When India became independent 23 princely states were combined to form the State of Rajasthan or the abode of rajas and now has become the foremost destination in India.

There are several major subdivisions of Rajputs, known as vansh or vamsha, the step below the super-division jāti.[16] These vansh delineate claimed descent from various sources, and the Rajput are generally considered to be divided into three primary vansh:[17] Suryavanshi denotes descent from the solar deity Surya, Chandravanshi from the lunar deity Chandra, and Agnivanshi from the fire deity Agni.[18] Lesser-noted vansh include Udayvanshi, Rajvanshi,[19] and Rishivanshi.[20] The histories of the various vanshs were later recorded in documents known as vamshāavalīis; André Wink counts these among the "status-legitimizing texts".[21]

Beneath the vansh division are smaller and smaller subdivisions: kul, shakh ("branch"), khamp or khanp ("twig"), and nak ("twig tip").[16] Marriages within a kul are generally disallowed (with some flexibility for kul-mates of different gotra lineages). The kul serves as primary identity for many of the Rajput clans, and each kul is protected by a family goddess, the kuldevi. Lindsey Harlan notes that in some cases, skakhs have become powerful enough to be functionally kuls in their own right.[22]



The Great Chauhan's

According to the Rajput bards the Chauhan is one of the four Agnikula or 'fire sprung' tribes who were created by the gods in the anali kund or 'fountain of fire' on Mount Abu to fight against the Asuras or demons. Chauhan is also one of the 36 (royal) ruling races of the Rajputs.

Chauhan dynasty flourished from the 8th to 12th centuries AD. It was one of the four main Rajput dynasties of that era, the others being Pratiharas, Paramaras and Chalukyas. The Chauhans dominated Delhi, Ajmer, Ranthambhor. They were also prominent at Sirohi in the southwest of Rajputana, and at Bundi and Kota in the east. Inscriptions also associate them with Sambhar, the salt lake area in the Amber (later Jaipur) district. Chauhan politics were largely campaigns against the Chalukyas and the invading Muslim hordes. In the 11th century they founded the city of Ajayameru (Ajmer) in the southern part of their kingdom, and in the 12th century captured Dhilika (the ancient name of Delhi) from the Tomaras and annexed some of their territory along the Yamuna River. Prithviraj III has become famous in folk tales and historical literature as the Chauhan king of Delhi who resisted the Muslim attack in the first Battle of TARAIN (1191). Armies from other Rajput kingdoms, including Mewar assisted him. However, Prithviraj was defeated in a second battle at Tarain the following year. This failure ushered in Muslim rule in North India in the form of the SLAVE DYNASTY, the first of the Delhi Sultanates.

Sikarwar/Sakarwal/Sikarwal's are the sub-clans of Chauhan's & are the real fighters of the Chambal valley in the Morena district.as Tor-Tilawali between Chambal and Kwari river. At that time the leader was Shri DALKU Singh Sikarwar. all the sikarwars in morena belongs to Baba Dalku's family.now the Sikarwar's are spread in aprox 20 villages in Morena. (Dalku Singh Sikarwar: migrated form alwar, during pre mughal era) These details have been obtained from the original work of Sakarwal or Sikarwar bards who had served them since ages and are more authentic. Sikarwar Rajput are also found in villages of Majhgaon, Kaithatikar, Bathaniya, Chilkaur, Kathel in Banka district. Parsando in the Munger district of Bihar. There are 12 villages of SAKARWAL/SIKARWAR in Mathura district of UP in north India. These villages lies in Baldeo Block of Mathura. The main villages are Hathakauli, Kiloni, Angai, Kasimpur, Gharotha etc. Most of Sakarwal/Sikarwar do farming and still prefer to join different corps of Indian Army as they feel better and suitable candidates of bravery in army. Sakarwal/Sikarwar Forts Sikri Fort (Fatehpur Sikri); Badalgarh (Agra); Chainpur (Kaimur, Bihar) Sakarwal or Sikarwars are spread far and wide across various states including Rajasthan, UttarPradesh, MadhyaPradesh, Bihar, Assam etc.