The word Rajput is a corruption of rajaputra (rajputra) (raja-king; putra-son) meaning son of a king. The word occurs in the Rigveda, Yajurvedic, Kathak Samhita and the Aitrareya Brahmana of the Rigveda. It is used as a synonym for Rajanaya, which implies a man of the warrior race or a Kshatriya. It will not be difficult to prove that earlier texts which show that the word Rajput is not a new word coined in about the 9th century A.D. but an old, a very old word and that it was usually used in very honourable sense. The word is used so far back as the Mahabharat. The Rajputs are celebrated, renown, exalted, eminent and most distinguished of all the nations of Indo-Pakistan continent. Inspite of repeatedly passing through the acute periods of ascension, rising and decline, still alive and very much in existence as a nation known as bravest of the braves. The tales of undaunted heroism and the inflexible fortitude of the brave Rajputs have left a lasting impression on the minds of the successive generations of the Indo-Pakistan. It may be objected that the word Rajputra occurs in Panini (Indian Grammarian) about 450 B.C. where a sense somewhat different from Rajanya is intended to be conveyed by it. It is at least certain from Panini and from Mahabharata that the word is an old word in use from thousands of years and not a word which came into use in the 9th century A.D. E en in Bana’s Harsha Charita the word is used in sense of a high-born Kshatriya. We may anticipate a little and state that every caste began to limit its fields, especially for purpose of marriage, to families which were known to be pure and unmixed. That there were kingly families in India in the 7th century which belonged to the Kashatriya Varna is undisputed from the statements of Hieun Tsang. The Rajput has thus preserved the purity of his Race unquestionably from ancient period in general and in particular from the 8th century onward down to this day in a designating manner not to be found in any other caste. In ancient records we find mention of gotras (clans) we must hold that the Kshatriyas must have mentioned the gotras from pride in mentioning their clans (gotras) showing their descent from Aryana ancestors. The chief social peculiarity of the Rajput Tribes is its division into clans (gotras). In this book will be found a short account of each of the principal Rajput clan, which for convenience of reference have been described in alphabetical order. The Rajputs being Ruling and Fighting class played significant role through out the ancient, mediaeval and modern history and the lucid accounts of various historical events of their bravery and valour has been given in this book.
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