RAJASTHAN - RAJPUTS - INDIA

राजस्थान के राजपूतों. Rajstathan, known as "the land of kings", is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the state.

Rajputs are about 12 million landowners organized in patrilineal clans and located mainly in central and northern India, especially in former Rajputana ("Land of the Rajputs").
Rajputs are descendants of ruling Hindu warrior classes (kshatriya subdivision of Indian society) of North India but they actually vary greatly in status, from princely lineages, such as the Guhilot and Kachwaha, to simple cultivators. The term Raja putra means the son of a Raja or king in Sanskrit. Most authorities agree that successful claims to Rajput status frequently were made by groups that attained secular power; invaders from central Asia (Scythian warlike tribes) as well as patrician lines of indigenous tribal peoples were probably absorbed in this way. Rajput habits of eating meat (except beef) and other traits suggest both foreign and aboriginal origins. After independence (1947) the Rajput states in Rajasthan were merged to form the state of Rajasthan within the Indian union.

Rajputs were a dominant caste in Northwestern India, including the Punjab region, during the medieval period. From the beginning of the 9th century, Rajput dynasties dominated northern parts of India, and the many petty Rajput kingdoms became the primary obstacle to the complete Muslim conquest of Hindu India. Even after the Muslim conquest of the Punjab and the Ganga River valley, the Rajputs maintained their independence in Rajasthan and the forests of central India.

ABOUT RAJPUT WHITE NON-INDIAN ORIGIN

The Rajputs' origins seem to date from a great breakup of Indian society in northern and northwestern India under the impact of the Hephthalites (WHITE HUNS / Scythians, according to other sources) and associated tribes from the mid-5th century ce onward. Following the breakup of the Gupta empire (late 6th century), invading groups (ARRIVING FROM THE NORTH - CENTRAL ASIAN STEPPES) were probably integrated within the existing society, with the present pattern of northwestern Indian society being the result. Tribal leaders and nobles were accepted as Kshatriyas, the second order of the Hindus, while their followers entered the fourth (Sudra, or cultivating) order to form the basis of tribal castes, such as the Jats, the Gujars, and the Ahirs. Some of the invaders' priests became Brahmans (the highest-ranking caste). Some indigenous tribes also attained Rajput status, such as the Rathors of Rajasthan and the Chandelas, Paramaras, and Bundelas of central India.

Music track: Unknown Rajasthani Woman "LEHERIYO" (6,45 min.). Intro from Rajasthan Royals (Indian cricket team) Video Theme Song-Hall Bol 2010-2011.