Who were the Rajputs? Describe the proliferation of Rajput clans with reference to lineage.

The term rajput is derived from Sanskrit root rajputra (son of the king). Prakrit forms of the term rajputra are variously known as rawat, rauta, raul and rawal. A transformation in connotation of the term is noticeable from 7th century CE onwards as it began to be used in literary texts in the sense of a landowner rather than “son of the king”. In the Harshacharita of Banabhatta (7th century CE) the term has been used in the sense of a noble or landowning chief. In Kadambari also it is used for persons of noble descent who were appointed by the king as local rulers. In the capacity of local rulers they might have naturally governed a large portion of land under them and, thus, played an active role in political and administrative system of the state. In Rajatarangini the term rajputra is used in the sense of a mere landowner, acclaiming birth from 36 clans of the Rajputs. The reference of 36 clans clearly denotes their existence by 12th century CE.

The term began to be more commonly used from 12th century onwards. The 12th century Aparajitprachha of Bhatta Bhuvanadeva, which describes the composition of a typical feudal order, refers to rajaputras as constituting a fairly large section of petty chiefs holding estates, each one of them constituting one or more villages. Among the ruling elites, rajputra covered a wide range: from actual son of a king to the lowest ranking landholders.

 

The bardic chronicles of Marwar state that Dharanivaraha of the Paramara dynasty of Abu made himself master of the Navkot Marwar which he afterwards divided among his nine brothers: Mandovar to one brother, Ajmer to the second and so on. Thus, apart from the Paramaras of Malwa there were at least four lines of the Paramaras ruling in: i) Abu, ii) Bhinmal iii) Jalor and iv) Vagada. Similarly, apart from the Cahamanas of Broach there was another line of the Cahamanas in Pratabgarh region. It was headed by a mahasamanta of the Pratihara overlord. The ancestor of this mahasamanta was a member of the famous Cahamana line of Shakambhari. The Cahamanas of Shakambhari with their cradle land in the tract extending from Pushkar to Harsa (central and eastern Rajasthan) had themselves branched off into Cahamanas of (i) Nadol (ii) Jalor (iii) Satyapura and (iv) Abu. During about five centuries of their rule they exercised control over a vast region in western Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The Chapas were another Rajput clan of the early medieval period. They ruled over principalities like Bhillamala, Vadhiar in Kathiawad, and Anahilapataka in Gujarat. Similarly the Guhilas ruled over the regions of Udaipur and Mewar.

 

Apart from the sub-divisions of major clans, the emergence of various minor clans was another important aspect of the proliferation of the Rajputs in early medieval period: The continuing process of the formation of Rajput clans was through the acquisition of political power. The new clans and sub-divisions of earlier clans were drawn into Rajput political network in a variety of ways.

The formation and consolidation of lineage power did not develop in a uniform way. One of the indicators of the process of lineage power formation was the colonization of new areas, as is evident in the expansion of the number of settlements. The colonization of new areas could result from the annexation of the new territories by means of organized military strength. The Chauhan kingdom of Nadol known as Saptashata is said to have been made into Saptasahasrikadesha by a Chauhan chief who killed chiefs on the boundaries of his kingdom and annexed their villages. Territorial expansion of the western Indian powers was accomplished, in some areas, at the expense of tribal settlements. For example, Mandor Pratihara Kakkuka is said to have resettled a place which was terrible because of being inhabited by the Abhiras. Similarly, there are examples of the suppression of tribal population like Shabaras, Bhillas and Pulindas in western and central India.

 

Similar movements are found in the case of the Guhilas and the Cahamanas as well. For example, though the Guhila settlements were to be found in various parts of Rajasthan as early as the seventh century, slightly later traditions recorded in the inscriptions of the Nagada-Ahar Guhilas trace their movement from Gujarat. The bardic tradition also suggests that the Guhila kingdoms in south Rajasthan succeeded the earlier tribal chiefdoms of the Bhils.

The movement of the Chauhans was from Ahichhatrapura to Jangaldesha (Shakambhari) which, as the name indicates, was an inhospitable area. Their movement led to its colonization. A tenth century record says that Lakshmana, the son of Vakpati-I of the Shakambhari Cahamana lineage started with few followers and fought against the Medas who had been terrorising the people around Naddula with their free-booting raids. It so pleased the brahmana masters of the area that they appointed him the guard of the towns. Gradually Lakshmana built up a small band of troopers and suppressed the Medas in their own territory. The Medas agreed to keep off from villages paying tribute to Lakshmana. He became a master of 20 horses and extended his dominions at ease and built a great palace in Nadol

 

Political authority of a lineage could even be brought about by simply replacing one lineage by another as evident in the case of the Cahamanas of Jalor, a splinter line of the Nadol Cahamana branch. Kirtipala, a son of Nadol Cahamana Alhana was dissatisfied with the share of land assigned to him. A man of ambition, he found that the situation in Mewar offered an advantage for an invader. Having failed there, he made his way into the region which was ruled by the Paramaras. He attacked Jalor, their capital, and made it the capital of his new kingdom. Similarly the Cahamana line of Broach was brought into being when a Cahamana chief Bharatravaddha-II founded a principality over the tract of the Gurjaras of Broach. He was helped by Pratihara Nagabhata-I in ousting the Gurjaras from Broach in the chaotic situation created by the coming of the Arabs. He then assumed the title of mahasamantadhipati in 756 CE.

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