Medieval Indian History
Rajput
Social community of South Asia
Overview
Rājpūt, also called Thākur, is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. However, the derivation from rājaputra is misleading because although many Rajputs belonged to some ruling clans, the majority of the Rajput community were common agricultural laborers whose main source of income was farming. The term Rajput covers various patrilineal clans historically associated with warriorhood: several clans claim Rajput status, although not all claims are universally accepted. According to modern scholars, almost all Rajput clans originated from peasant or pastoral communities.
Source: Wikipedia — Rajput (CC BY-SA)
Key concepts
How Rajput connects to the ideas, people and events around it.
Sanskrit is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age.
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia south of the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west.
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage.
A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, class, or caste.
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord.
Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds.
Central India refers to a geographical region of India that generally includes the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India wherein Indo-Aryans form the prominent majority population, while Tibeto-Burmans form the significant minority population.
Revise Rajput
Flashcards and a quick quiz, built from this map.
Questions about Rajput
What is Rajput?
Rājpūt, also called Thākur, is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the northern part of the Indian subcontinent.
What are the key concepts related to Rajput?
The main concepts connected to Rajput include Sanskrit, Indian subcontinent, Patrilineality, Warrior, Peasant, Pastoralism, Central India, North India. Each is linked on the map above with its own summary.
Which exams cover Rajput?
Rajput is part of Medieval Indian History, which appears in the syllabus of UPSC CSE, UPSC CAPF, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC MTS, SSC GD and 41 more exams.