Rawat Rajputs

Rawat Rajputs reside in Ajmer, Rajsamand, Bhilwara and Pali districts of Rajasthan as well as Uttarakhand. They claim their descent from Chauhan Rajputs belonging to Chauhan dynasty. Some historians believe they are the direct descendents of Prithviraj Chauhans brother Hariraj who escaped to dense hilly and forest areas after the fall of the Chauhan empire in Ajmer and the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan. While others believe they are the descendents of Rao Lakhansi of Nadole branch of Chauhans. Two sons of Rao Lakhansi named Rao Anhal and Rao Anoop defeated the Gurjar king ruling in the Magra region and established their empire which was destabilised by the Mughals. They came to be known as Rawats as their two great warrior ancestors Nahar Singh Chauhan or Naraa Rawat and Vihal Singh Chauhan or Vihal Rawat were awarded the titles of Rawat for their outstanding bravery with commanders Jaitaa and Kumpa in war against Sher Shah Suri by the ruler of Jodhpur Maldev and Vihalji for attacking the Iltutmish camp by the ruler of Mewar Rawal Jait Singh. Their descendents then came to be known as Rawats. Major gotras of Rawat Rajputs are ghodawat, Aapawat, Surawat, Sujawat, Devawat, Dehlawat, Hirawat, Meghawat, Karnawat, Khankhawat, etc It is believed they escaped from Ajmer to hilly and dense forest areas after defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan. With time some other branches of Rajputs also came to these hilly areas like the Rathore (Pokhariya), Gahlot (Gartund etc), Panwar(Dhodhing,Khiyawat etc) and mingled with the Chauhan Rawat Rajputs. Mainly they serve in the army. The present MP of Ajmer, Rasa Singh Rawat, is also a Rawat Rajput. Because they developed their own culture their they are known as Rawat Rajputs. Their culture has been affected by the hard conditions they were living in, surrounded by hills and forests .

Some Villages of Rawat Rajputs are also found in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Some if not all of the Rawat Rajputs are believed to have migrated from the Indian plains during the Middle Ages. They still retain the name of there areas of origin: for instance, the 'Udaipur Patti' in Garhwal is a group of villages inhabited by people believed to have migrated from Udaipur in present-day Rajasthan. [ [http://www.garhwalhimalayas.com/feel_garhwal/people/types.html GarhwalHimalayas.com - People of Garhwal ] ]

History

Rawat is a title used by Rajputs, in Uttarakhand & some parts of Rajasthan. [Kumar Suresh Singh, Rajendra Behari Lal, "Gujarat" (pp.1283) , Anthropological Survey of India, Popular Prakashan (2003), ISBN 8-179-91106-3] [Balfour Edwards, "Encyclopaedia Asiatica, comprising Indian Subcontinent, eastern and southern Asia: Commercial, industrial, and scientific" (1976), pp.353-4,374, Cosmo Publications] They are believed to be descendants of Chauhans. [Crooke, William, "The Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh", pp.219, Asian Educational Services; 1 edition (October 1999), ISBN 8-120-61210-8] Much of their history, like other Rajputs in Uttarakhand who arrived their after being defeated by Muslim invaders, remains obscure.

Notable members

Rasa Singh RawatNotable king of yesteryear is Prithvi Singh who defeated Shah Jahan's army sent under his chief commander, Najabdar Khan, to annex Garhwal. Prithvi then resorted to an unusual punishment for the vanquished foe. He had their noses cut, at the behest of his wife, in order to insult Shah Jahan.

Shah Jahan's daughter Jahanara wanted to marry Najabdar Khan but Shah Jahan was not desirous of this alliance.

References

Further reading

* Ranjan Qanungo, Kalika, "Studies in Rajput History" (1960) S. Chand
* Hunter, W.W., "The Indian Empire, Its People, History and Products." (1886), London: Trubner & Co, Ludgate Hill, 1886, ISBN 81-206-1581-6.