Ror

Infobox caste
caste_name=ROR
classification=Kshatriya
subdivisions=Chaurāsi, Bānggar, Khāddar, Nardak
populated_states=Haryana, Sindh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
languages=Hindi, Haryanvi, Khariboli
religions=Hinduism

The Ror (Hindi: रोड़) community hails primarily from a few small pockets in the Indo-Gangetic plains, in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand in North India. It would be rather optimistic to put the total population of the Ror at one million and it would be fairer to assign a total head count of 750,000 to the community. The community is fairly small and well-knit; as of today, they hold nearly 270 villages in Haryana and 52 more in Western Uttar Pradesh and the Haridwar district of Uttaranchal.

In his famed work, "A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of Punjab and North-West Frontier Provinces", H.A. Rose says that the Ror are fine, stalwart men. Quoting from the third volume, Rose says: [Pages 834-835, A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Provinces, By H A Rose, Sir Denzil Ibbetson, Sir Edward Douglas Maclagan, Published 1990, Asian Educational Services, ISBN 8120605055] :The real seat of the Ror is the great Dhak jungles of Thanesar. They hold 84 villages and Amin is the "Tika" or head village. They also hold 12 villages south of Kaithal and the gotra there is Turan. Again, there are 12 more villages of the Ror beyond the Ganges. The immediate place of origin of the Rors seems to be Badli in Jhajjar tehsil of Rohtak district and all of them unanimously claim to have come from there.

In the Archaeological Survey of India Report for the year 1871-72, A.C.L. Carlleyle says about the image of a Ror warrior found at the site of Kaga Ror or Kagarol: [Pages 210-212, Archaeological Survey of India, Report for the year 1871-72, Volume IV, Agra circle covered by A.C.L. Carlleyle, Under the supervision of Alexander Cunningham] :The features of the face are fine and manly, of the handsomest Hindu type. The warrior has his right knee raised; on his right arm he presents a shield in defense and in the left hand he brandishes a straight sword of huge dimensions over his head. In a belt round his waist he wears a dagger with a cross-shaped hilt at his left side. The hair of the head is full but drawn back in straight lines on the head. Evidently, its a figure of a warrior of great strength.

History

The Ror are a people from the solar race of the Ikshvaku Kul. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikshwaku] Sri Rama of Ayodhya had a descendant called Devaneek in the eighth generation after him and this Devaneek had three sons according to the Puranas. ["Lord Rama had two sons- Lava and Kusha. Lineage of Kusha grew as follows- Kusha, Atithi, Nishadh, Anal, Nabh, Pundareek, Kshemdhanwa, Devaneek, Ahinaka, Ruru, Pariyatrak, Deval, Vanchal, Ulka, Vajranabha, Shankhan, Yushhitashva, Vishvasaha, Hiranyanam, Pushya, Dhruvasandhi, Sudarshan, Agnivarn, Shighrag, Maru, Prasushrut, Susandhi, Amarsh, Sahaswan and Vishvabhav. Vishvabhav had a son Brihdal who was killed by Abhimanyu in the battle of Mahabharata." From Chapter four "Description of Suryavansh", Index of 16 Hindu Puranas [http://www.gita-society.com/section3/HinduPuranas16.htm] ] The three sons of Devaneek were called Ahinag (Aneeh), Roop and Ruru. Ruru is remembered by all Rors as their eponymous ancestor and the lineage from there on is well-preserved by their bards right up to King Dadror, whose descendants later started the fight with Aibak in 1207 by refusing to gift him any women.

Ror Capitals

Ror clans historically ruled from Rori, the capital of Sind for a long time. Rori has been known by names such as Roruka and Rorik since antiquity. Buddhist Jataka stories talk about exchanges of gifts between King Rudrayan of Roruka and King Bimbisara of Magadh [http://www.borobudur.tv/avadana_07.htm] . Divyavadana, the Buddhist chronicle has said that Rori historically competed with Patliputra in terms of political influence. ["The Divyavadana (Tibetan version) reports: 'The Buddha is in Rajgriha. At this time there were two great cities in Jambudvipa: Pataliputra and Roruka. When Roruka rises, Pataliputra declines; when Pataliputra rises, Roruka declines.' Here was Roruka of Sindh competing with the capital of the Magadha empire." Chapter 'Sindhu is divine', The Sindh Story, by K. R. Malkani from Karachi, Publisher: Sindhi Academy (1997), ISBN-10 8187096012] The importance of this town can not be underestimated as evident in the following JSTOR article. [http://www.jstor.org/view/0041977x/ap020086/02a00390/0] The scholar T.W. Rhys Davids has mentioned Roruka as one of the most important cities of India in the seventh century B.C. [Page 317, Lord Mahavira and His Times, by Kailash Chand Jain, Published 1992 by Motilal Banarsidass Publications, ISBN 8120808053]

Roruka was founded and established for the first time by King Ruruk, who was the fifth Ikshvaku dynasty ruler in the lineage after Raja Harishchandra of Kashi [http://www.gita-society.com/section3/HinduPuranas16.htm] . An idea about the age of the city can be had by exploring the time line of the Ikshvaku dynasty. King Ruruk happened 29 generations before Sri Ram and should be dated to around 2500 BC using the most conservative estimates. [In a paper published in the journal of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research. 2000, pp. 1-24, "On the Chronological Framework for Indian Culture", Subhash Kak of Louisiana State University fixes a date of 1924 BC for the Mahabharat war. Using this date and taking thirty generations (20 years per generation) between the Mahabharat war and Sri Ram as suggested by Pargiter's list, we get a time of 2524 BC for Dasrathi Ram. Going 29 generations before Sri Ram, we reach the time of 3104 BC for Raja Ruruk and thus, we can safely conclude that Roruka (Ruruka) was established around 3100-3000 BC] If we believe the traditional Puranic time-line for the Indian Civilization, King Ruruk may have lived around 5500 BC. [http://in.geocities.com/nvasrikanth/Royal_Chron.htm] Thus, it can be seen that Roruka in the historical Sindhu-Sauvira area is quite an ancient seat of civilization dating back to the third millennium BC certainly.

The ancient city of Rori was also a major pilgrimage center where famous personalities like "Sant" Bhrithari, elder brother of the great King Vikramaditya, came to pay their respects to Shankar Bhagwan. After the Arab conquest of Sind, the invaders pulled down the ancient temple of Shiva but Rori still remains very important as a religious destination for the Sindhis.

Bards' Version

According to bardic accounts, Rors had two more capitals in India. King Mukund Dev of the Rors, who originally ruled from Palanpur in Gujarat, later extended his rule in the north of the country and established a second capital close to present-day Delhi in Badli, Jhajjar. The bards go on to say that Dewaji followed in the same bloodline and based his rule primarily from the city of Rori Shankar, present-day Rohri and Sukkur in Sindh; now two separate towns as a result of a shift in the course of the Indus river that has put them on opposite banks.

In terms of evidence we have from inscriptions, the bards are definitely referring to Rudradaman I and his 150 A.D. campaign against the Yaudheya Kshatriyas when they say that the Ror king came from Gujarat and established his rule in Haryana. [Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman [http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm] ] : (L. 9.) ………..he who, because from the womb he was distinguished by the possession of undisturbed consummate Royal Fortune, was resorted to by all castes and chosen their lord to protect them; who made, and is true to, the vow to the latest breath of his life to abstain from slaying men, except in battles; who [showed] compassion …………… not failing to deal blows to equal antagonists meeting him face to face; who grants protection of life to people repairing to him of their own accord and those prostrating themselves before him; who is the lord of the whole of eastern and western Akaravanti, the Anups country, Anarta, Surashtra, Svabhra Maru, Kachchha, Sindhu-Sauvira, Kukura, Aparanta, Nishada and other territories gained by his own valour, the towns, marts and rural parts of which are never troubled by robbers, snakes, wild beasts, diseases and the like, where all subjects are attached to him, (and) where through his might the objects of [religion] , wealth and pleasure [are duly attained] ; who by force destroyed the Yaudheyas who were loath to submit, rendered proud as they were by having manifested their' title of' heroes among all Kshatriyas; who obtained good report because he, in spite of having twice in fair fight completely defeated Satakarni, the lord of Dakshinapatha, on account of the nearness of their connection did not destroy him; who [obtained] victory . . . . . . . .; who reinstates deposed kings; who by the right raising of his hand has earned the strong attachment of Dharma; who has attained wide fame by studying and remembering, by the knowledge and practice of, grammar, music, logic and other great sciences; who …… the management of horses, elephants and chariots, (the use of) sword and shield, pugilistic combat and other . … .. . . …. the acts of quickness and efficiency of opposing forces; who day by day is in the habit of bestowing presents and honours and eschewing disrespectful treatment; who is bounteous; whose treasury by the tribute, tolls and shares rightfully obtained overflows with an accumulation of gold, silver, diamonds, beryl stones and (other) precious things; who...........… prose and verse, which are clear, agreeable, sweet, charming, beautiful, excelling by the proper use of words and adorned; whose beautiful frame owns the most excellent marks and signs, such as (auspicious) length, dimension and height, voice, gait, colour, vigour and strength; who himself has acquired the name of Mahakshatrapa; who has been wreathed with many garlands at the svayamvaras of kings' daughters; -he, the Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman, in order to . . . . . . . . . . . cows and Brahmans for a thousand of years, and to increase his religious merit and fame, -without oppressing the inhabitants of the towns and country by taxes, forced labour and acts of affection -by (the expenditure of) a vast amount of money from his own treasury and in not too long a time made the dam three times as strong in breadth and length . . . . . . . . [on] all [banks] . . . . . . (and so) had (this lake) made (even) more beautiful to look at.

Golden Age

The first few centuries of the Christian Era and a couple of centuries prior to that constitute the golden age of Ror history. Not only did Rors have ruling seats of power in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Sindh; during the times of Rai Dewaji in the 5th century AD, they consolidated their influence in the entire region from Afghanistan to Kanauj in India. [ Elliot, Henry Miers, The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period. Volume 1, Adamant Media Corporation, ISBN 0-543-94726-2, Page 405]

The fort at BhainsRor in Southern Rajasthan is supposed to have come up in the 2nd century B.C. and the Kagarol (Kaga Ror) ["The ancient fort buried under this place (village Khangar Ror or Kaga Ror) was founded by a Ror Raja, son of Raja Khangar", Pages 210-212, Archaeological Survey of India, Report for the year 1871-72, Volume IV, Agra circle covered by A.C.L. Carlleyle, Under the supervision of Alexander Cunningham] ruins near present-day Agra have also pointed to a similar time-line for another branch of Rors who ruled from there. The coins found in the Agra circle by Sir Alexander Cunningham [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9028217/Sir-Alexander-Cunningham] seem to indicate a close relationship between the Ror rulers of the area and the rulers of Hastinapur and Indraprastha. A few coins found close to the site have been dated to the 4rd century CE by Cunningham as a result of the general style of the coins and the type of Sanskrit used. [Page 96, Archaeological Survey of India, Report for the year 1871-72, Volume IV, Agra circle covered by A.C.L. Carlleyle, Under the supervision of Alexander Cunningham]

Ror Rai Kings of Sindh

Wink reports on the possibility of the corruption of the Sanskrit names and renders them as related in parenthesis in the following chronology of the Ror Rai rulers (489 - 632 AD) of Rori or Alor in Sindh: [Wink, Andre, Al Hind the Making of the Indo Islamic World, Brill Academic Publishers, Jan 1, 1996, ISBN 90-04-09249-8, pg.152]

*Rai Diwaji (Devaditya):He was a powerful chief who forged alliances and extended his rule east of Makran and west of Kashmir and Kannauj, south to the port of Surat and north to Kandahar [Elliot, Henry Miers, The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period. Volume 1, Adamant Media Corporation, ISBN 0-543-94726-2, pg. 405]
*Rai Sahiras (Shri Harsha)
*Rai Sahasi (Sinhasena)
*Rai Sahiras II:Died battling the King of Nimroz [Khusru Naushirwan and Khusru Parvis have both been postulated (Elliot, pg. 405)]
*Rai Sahasi II (Brother of Rana Maharath of Chittor [Pages 20 - 22, The Chachnamah, Volume I, Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg, Printed in 1900 at the Commissioner's Press, Karachi] )

Loss of Sindh

Rors continued to hold several big forts in Sindh till the Arab invasion of AD 711 and some of the longest battles between the Arabs and Indians were fought at the three forts of Rori (Raor), BahRor [Page 156, Volume I, The Chachnamah, Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg, Printed in 1900 at the Commissioner's Press, Karachi] and AghRor. Chachnama mentions the occurrence of a "Jauhar" during the siege of the BahRor fort. All men of the military class, Ror Thakurs and their relatives were put to death after the Arab victories. Elsewhere in Sindh, a noble by the name of Dahir Ror is said to have engaged Bin Qasim and his forces in an intense battle before the final engagement between the Arab forces and Raja Dahar's army. [Page 133, Volume I, The Chachnamah, Translated from Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg, Printed in 1900 at the Commissioner's Press, Karachi] After the occupation of Sind by the Arabs, the surviving Ror warriors came away and a few joined the army of Chittor and their experience played a major role in defeating the Arabs during the Battle of Rajasthan.

8th century - 12th century

Excavations at a small village about 18 miles from Agra led to the discovery of a Ror seat of power there. The place is now called Kagarol but Alexander Cunningham and his assistant A.C.L. Carlleyle are of the view that it was originally Kaga Ror or Khangar Ror (after the name of Ror King Khangar) and later got corrupted to the present Kagarol. This princely state based at Kaga Ror had 52 forts in the Agra area and was lost to the Turks in the times of Qutbuddin Aibak. Prithvi Raj Chauhan became the ruler of Delhi with the support of the Rors and he gave big chunks of Haryana and North Rajasthan to Balda gotra Rors as well as Mehla gotra Rors. In the Battle of Tarain, there were as many as seven Ror generals in Chauhan's army and it does not come as a surprise that they claim Rai Pithora to be one of their own blood. Rai Hari Ram Kadian, Bhup Singh Mehla, Pulhan Rai from Jhansi were all Ror generals in Chauhan's army and another notable person from this community was a lady called Kirpi, who led a battalion of women in the very same fashion as the Rani of Jhansi much later. A huge portion of the Indian Army, which was caught unawares by deceit in the wee hours of the morning by invaders who did not respect the Hindu code of war that does not allow for attack before sunrise, was made of Ror warriors.

The Ror connection with Chittor is very old and an eternal monument to the Ror-Mewar relationship is the "thikana" of BhainsRor, which is named after Rors. This is a lasting proof of the ascendancy of Rors around Mewar as scholars believe BhainsRor has been inhabited and fortified since the second century B.C. at least. Raja Gandharv Sen, the father of "Samrat" Vikramaditya I and the King of Malwa, was the person who built the fort back then. Gandharv Sen is also called Gardabharupa as well as Gardabhilla as also Raja Gaj in the local tongue at different places. [Pages 209-210, Volume IV, Archaeological Survey of India, Report for the year 1871-72, Agra circle covered by A.C.L. Carlleyle, Under the supervision of Alexander Cunningham] In the golden era of their history, the Rors had built many forts and a few of them still maintain their names like Behror near Alwar, Dadror, Kahror near Multan and Kaga Ror, a name that has got corrupted to Kagarol and is located near present-day Fatehpur Sikri.

Battle of Badli

In 1207 A.D. Chanda Rawal (name in a similar tradition as that of Bappa Rawal) was the King in Badli, Jhajjar. Rors had been ruling from this seat for more than a thousand years since Rudradaman I and his 150 A.D. campaign against the Yaudheya Kshatriyas. But times had suddenly turned hostile with the Turks having got the better of Prithviraj Chauhan and the Hindu army by deceitfully attacking in the early hours of dawn when the Indian army was still sleeping on the banks of the Ghaggar. The Turks under the slave Qutbuddin Aibak were particularly nasty and demanded 'dola' from all the kings around Delhi in order to rub salt into the festering wounds left by an undeserving defeat. They demanded the Rawal's daughter and the Rors refused stoutly.

The Turks immediately laid a siege to Badli and the battle started in Samvat 1265 (A.D. 1207). It was a long siege and the Rors did not give ground to the forces of Aibak. All the Ror clans poured into Badli from their nearby seats of Dadror, Behror and Kaga Ror to fight against the Turks and Kachhwaha king Malaya Si, son of Pajjuna, sent 31 sons of his own to help defeat the invaders. After a year of unending warfare, the Turks scored a break as the "Raj-Purohit" defected and told them to attack on Govardhan Puja just before the festival of Diwali. The Turks attacked on Govardhan Puja when all the warriors were worshipping their weapons after collecting them in the center of the fort. The invaders massacred the unarmed Kshatriyas by staying true to their deceitful nature yet again. ["Ror Itihaas ki Jhalak" (Hindi) by Dr. Raj Pal Singh, Pages 36-37, Pal Publications, Yamunanagar] .

Bardic as well as vernacular records indicate that 84 men had been smuggled out by Ror elders to ensure that some people survived to call themselves Ror even after this holocaust. These 84 Rors, who were thus made to leave the scene of the carnage at Badli, settled down in the dense Dhak Jungles of present-day Karnal and Kurukshetra districts in the 84 villages, which still comprise the nucleus of the entire Ror population. The rest of them embraced martyrdom following their traditional customs of Jauhar and Saka. Such a sanguine move to save a small nucleus has many parallels in our history. Maharana Hammir's father with other relatives was smuggled out during the first siege of Chittor when the Jauhar of Rani Padmini took place. Eighty four Ror clan names are derived from the names of these survivors of the "Battle of Badli" directly.

Mewar - Maharana Pratap

In the 13th century, the Rors' ancestral fort of BhainsRor was captured by the Turks. This was a big issue and it was compounded further by the sacking of the Chittor fort by the invaders in 1303. All this was reversed in the reign of Rana Hamir when Banbir, son of Maldeo re-captured BhainsRor fort from the invaders around AD 1330. [Page 28, Tod's Annals of Rajasthan: The Annals of Mewar, By Tod Payne C. H, James Tod, C H Payne, Published 1994 by Asian Educational Services, ISBN 8120603508] Later, when Shakti Singh saved Maharana Pratap's life in the Battle of Haldighati, Pratap gave BhainsRor to his issue as their own "jagir".

Some of the most staunch loyalists of the great Maharana, who had fought in all his battles against Akbar and also in the 17 battles fought by Amar Singh against the Mughals, were disgusted when Rana Amar Singh signed a truce with Jehangir around AD 1620. Twenty four clan heads are said to have left Mewar at this point of time to join the Rors in the Dhak Jungles of Haryana in and around Thanesar.

Revolt of 1857

In the Rebellion of 1857, the Rors fought heroically along with the Sainis in the districts of Karnal and Kurukshetra. This was the ancient warrior blood speaking yet again even though the population of Rors was recorded as no more than 50,000 in the Census of 1881, nearly 24 years later.

By this time, the Rors had lost all their seats of power with the final straw being the loss of Badli in the fight with the Turks under their slave general Qutbuddin Aibak. This was in stark contrast to those of the Kshatriya who had acceded to the invaders' demands for hospitality and women. The Rajput were still powerful and the Jat had gained stature during Mughal rule as shown by the examples of the Akbari Jats and Darbari Jats. Finally, when Blunt compiled his famous work on the caste system in North India, he classified Rors with Rajputs and Brahmins in a hierarchy prepared according to the severity of rules regarding the eating of cooked and uncooked food with other castes. [Page 93, The Caste System of Northern India, By E.A.H. Blunt, 1931, Re-published 1964, S.Chand, Delhi]

Today, Rors find themselves at the crossroads of history and they are fast making a transition from a tranquil and contended life to one that is highly affected by the rigors and competition of the modern industrial age. The feudal sense of pride and haughtiness remains but the youth of the community is excelling in education and sports. Quite a few Rors can now be found in various towns across Australia as well where they have gone to study and make a name for themselves and their community.

Character

Rors are the only Kshatriya group in India who did not give daughters to either Turks or Mughals and there is not a single recorded case of a Ror ever converting to Islam. Furthermore, there is also no record of any Ror ever serving a mughal in the history of India. It has been recorded that Rajputs and Jats are big communities among Muslims and they also gave daughters to Mughals. In similar situations, the Ror decided to fight to the last instead of giving in to the invaders' demands. For this reason, the Ror consider themselves the foremost Vedic Kshatriyas and do not intermarry with Rajputs. Rors uphold and cherish the ideals of Maharana Pratap, who in his time had banned intermarriages with those Rajputs who had given their daughters to Mughals.

In "Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan", the author has mentioned Pratap's stopping marriages between Rajputs who gave their daughters to Mughals and his supporting Rajputs: [Pages 282-283, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan: Or, The Central and Western Rajpoot Provinces, By James Tod, Published 2001, Asian Educational Services, ISBN 8120612892]

:With such examples as Marwar and Amber (of giving their daughters to Mughals), and with less power to resist the temptation, the minor chiefs of Rajasthan, with a brave and numerous vassalage, were transformed into satraps of Delhi.

:But these were fearful odds against Pratap. The arms of his country turned upon him, derived additional force from their self-degradation, which kindled into jealousy and hatred against the magnanimous resolution they lacked the virtue to imitate. When Hindu prejudice was thus violated by every prince in Rajasthan, the Rana renounced all "matrimonial" alliance with those who were thus degraded. To the eternal honour of Pratap and his issue be it told that, to the very close of the monarchy of the Moguls, they refused such alliances not only with the throne, but even with their brother princes of Marwar and Amber. It is a proud triumph of virtue to be able to record from the autograph letters of the most powerful of the Rajput princes, Bukhet Singh and Sawai Jai Singh, that whilst they had risen to greatness by the surrender of principle, as Mewar had decayed from her adherence to it, they should solicit, and that humbly, to be readmitted to the honour of matrimonial intercourse and "to be purified," " to be regenerated," " to be made Rajputs" and that this favour was granted only on condition of their abjuring the contaminating practice (of giving daughters to Mughals) which, for more than a century, had disunited them.

In his book "Ror Itihaas ki Jhalak" (Hindi) (English translation - "Ror history: A glimpse"), the author Dr. Raj Pal Singh clearly says:

:The Ror came from Badli in Jhajjar tehsil of Rohtak district after having fought with the Turks, who were led by their slave general Qutbuddin Aibak, upon refusing their demand for 'dola' (women).

Ror elders were considered excellent judges by not just their own brethren but even by the people of other castes. Usually, the problems related to any particular caste were arbitrated upon by its own senior people (the "Panch"), but if they failed to do so, the elderly Ror in that village played the role of arbitrators and these decisions were accepted as binding. [ People of India: Haryana, Volume XXIII, General Editor K.S.Singh (Part of Anthropological survey of India Series), ISBN 81-7304-091-5, Page: 427 ] Umri, a village on the GT Road right before Kurukshetra as you approach from the direction of Delhi, is the perfect place to check this out. The Ror are in a minority in this village and a different land-owning caste resides in bigger numbers but the "Sarpanch" (Headman) is mostly a Ror.

ocial Customs

Religious Beliefs

Rors are staunch Hindus. Some Rors did join the Sikh Panth to fight the Mughals on the request of Guru Gobind Singh. Most of the Sikh Rors are to be found in Kurukshetra and Karnal districts of Haryana. But it is hard to separate the two groups and there is no practical distinction as they intermarry freely. A few Rors are also followers of Swami Dayanand's Arya Samaj and believe in Yajna and Gayatri. Because of Swami Dayanand Saraswati's influence, Rors stopped eating meat.

Child Birth

Dashauthan ceremony is held after child birth.

Marriage

A mare was given in dowry in marriage. Married Ror women still follow Purdah, which amongst Hindus is only followed by Royal families.

Ror women wear Gold jewellery on their feet as a tradition. Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur explains::Because they respected Gold, ordinary (Rajput) women did not wear gold on their feet. Only if you were of royal blood did you wear gold on your feet and if you were that class you never put on silver. [Lives of the Indian Princes, by Charles Allen and Sharada Dwivedi. ISBN 81-86982-05-1, Pub: Business Publications Inc, Page 168.] Ordinarily, Rajput women and women of all other Kshatriya groups use silver jewellery on their feet.

In considering proposals for marriage, four gotras are excluded by Ror families:
* Own Gotra
* Mother's Gotra
* Grandmother's Gotra
* Maternal Grandmother's Gotra

ati

Ror women were known to perform Sati till late 19th century. Only two Kshatriya groups had this custom, Ror and Rajput. In the 19th century a girl from Amin village, who was married to a man of village Bastara performed Sati. A shrine has been erected at that spot and it can still be seen (being worshipped every year on the eve of Deepawali) right on the G T Road passing by the village. [ People of India: Haryana, Volume XXIII, General Editor K.S.Singh (Part of Anthropological survey of India Series), ISBN 81-7304-091-5, Pages 425-426 ] Katlaheri, a village on the Karnal-Jind road between Jundla and Pyont, has a shrine dedicated to Sati as well and it is venerated by all Ror families of the village.

Dress and Appearance

Ror men wore "Angrakha" and parted their beards in the middle.

Descent

The descent of the Ror from Ikshvaku, the Suryavanshi is as follows:-

Ikshvaku - The Suryavanshi

* Kuksi * Vikuksi * Paranjaya * Anena
* Prthu * Vishvagasya * Ardr * Yuvanashva
* Shravasta * Brhadashva * Kuvalayashva * Drdhashva
* Varyashva * Nikumbha * Samhatashva * Krshashva
* Prasenjit * Yauvanasva * Mandhatr * Durgaha
* Giriksit * Purukutsa * Trasadasyu * Sambhut
* Vishnuvrddha * Anaranya * Trasadashva * Haryashva II
* Hasta * Rohidashva * Vasumanas * Trivrshan
* Tryaruna * Trishanku * Harishchandra * Rohit
* Harita * Chanchu * Vijay
* Ruruk * Virk * Bahu * Sagar
* Asamanjasa * Anshuman * Dilip * Bhagiratha
* Suhotra * Shruta * Nabhaga * Ambarisha
* Sindhudvipa * Ayutashva * Rituparna * Sarvakama
* Sudasa * Mitrasaha * Ashmaka * Mulaka
* Dasharatha I * Ilivila * Krtasharma * Vishvasaha
* Dilipa * Dirghavahu * Raghu * Aja
* Dasrath II * Sri Ramchandra * Luv/Kush * Atithi (from Kush)
* Nishadha * Nala * Nabha * Pundreek
* Kshemadhanva * Devaneek * Ruru

Recent Personalities

Rajarishi

*Guru Brahmanand (1915-1969), a Ror ascetic born in the Samdhyan Gotra, who had followers all over Haryana

Armed Forces

* Martyr "Amar Shaheed" Wing Commander Chander Singh, Village Dadupur
* Colonel Sunehara Singh, Vir Chakra, 1971 Indo-Pak War
* Major Amit Prakash Kadian, Shaurya Chakra 2001, Anti-insurgency operations in the North-East

Politics

* Ishwar Singh, Ex-Speaker of Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Village Staundi
* Chambel Singh Chauhan, MLA, Haryana, Village Amin
* Chanda Singh, MLA, Haryana, Village Butana
* Babu Anant Ram, a member of the Legislative Assembly of United Punjab before 1947, Village Kaul
* Shiv Ram Verma, MLA, Haryana, Village Jhinjari
* Multan Singh, MLA Haryana, Village Kutel
* Makhan Singh, MLA Haryana, Village Kaul
* Tejbir Singh, MLA Haryana, Village Staundi
* Dharampal Seedhpur, MLA Haryana, Village Seedhpur

Administrators

*Virender Singh, Sessions Judge , Village Kunjpura , District Karnal

*Zaildar Parshu Ram Singh Deora, Village Aaun, Collector of over 200 villages in British times

*Balkar Singh, IAS, Village Munnarehri

*Vijay Singh, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Haryana Civil Services, Village Umri

*Devendra Singh Kalyan, Additional Commissioner Income Tax, Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Village Kutel

*Dr. Surat Singh, Director, Haryana Rural Development Board

*Narender, IAS, Haryana Cadre, Village Kunjpura

*Krishan Kumar, DANICS, Karnal

*Balwaan Singh, DANICS, Village Kurana, District Panipat

*Maha Singh, IAS, Village Kalkha, District Panipat

Police

* Badan Singh , IPS, Village Kunjpura
* Ramnish Geer, Superintendent of Police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), New Delhi
* Raj Singh, Superintendent of Customs, Central Excise and Service tax, New Delhi
* Ishwar Singh, Superintendent of Customs, Central Excise and Service tax, New Delhi

Sports

* Balwant Singh "Ballu", Arjuna Award winner, Captain, Indian Volleyball Team, Village Kaul
* Ajmer Singh, Arjuna Award winner, Captain, Indian Basketball Team. Currently Head Coach of Indian Railways
* Dalel Singh Ror, Arjuna Award winner, Captain, Indian Volleyball Team, Village Amin
* Mehar Singh, Captain, Indian Volleyball team
* Balkar Singh, Member, Indian Volleyball team, Village Amin
* Raj Singh, Member, Indian Volleyball team
* Darshan Singh, Member, Indian Volleyball team
* Ram Pal Singh, Member, Indian Volleyball team
* Sunil Kumar Singh, Member, Indian Volleyball team
* Surjeet Singh, Member, Indian Volleyball team
* Ankit Chaudhary, Member, Indian Volleyball team
* Sher Singh Ror, International level Kabaddi player in the 1950s and '60s, Village Khedi Ramnagar

Research and Academia

* Dr. Dharam Pal Kadian (Prof. Agronomy), Director, Regional Research Station, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Uchani, Karnal
* Dr. Mohinder Singh Sagwal - Director, Defence Research and Development Organization, Delhi
* Dr. (Mrs.) Shanti Balda (Ph.D. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia), Professor and Head, Department of Human Development and Family Studies (Child Development), I. C. College of Home Science, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
* Dr. Mewa Singh Turan (Ex Dean, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar), Additional Director, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Delhi
* Dr. Randhir Singh (Retired Prof. Biochemistry & Ex Dean, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar), Principal, Seth Jai Parkash Mukand Lal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Radaur, Yamunanagar
* Dr. Devi Singh, Dean, SVBP University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
* Dr. Jai Pal Singh (Ph.D. University of Saskatchewan, Canada), Professor and Head, Department of Soil Science, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
* Dr. Pala Ram (Ph.D. Moscow State University, Moscow), Professor (Entomology), Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
* Dr. Chandgi Ram (Ph.D. USA), Professor (Plant Breeding), Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar

Ror Gotra/Clan Names

Ror villages are predominantly occupied by just one gotra. Nearly all Ror gotra or clans are listed here:-

* Atri
* Badsar
* Bakoru
* Balda
* Ballan (Guhil, Bappa Rawal's ancestor, was from this race)
* Battan
* Bhakla (Branch of Parmar and Raja Bhoj of Malwa belonged to this race)
* Bhawaniwal/Beniwal (A Chauhan sept)
* Bhimainiya
* Bhookna
* Bhuran
* Boda (A Chauhan clan)
* Bodla
* Chauhan ["Chauhan - Found in villages Amin, Raipur Roran, Beed Amin", Page 55, Ror Itihaas Ki Jhalak, by Dr. Raj Pal Singh, Pal Publications, Yamunanagar] (Prithviraj Chauhan (Rai Pithora Chahaman) was from this race)
* Chhachhra (A branch of Chauhan)
* Chhakdan
* Chopra ["Chopra - Found in villages Rukanpur and Khanra", Page 55, Ror Itihaas Ki Jhalak, by Dr. Raj Pal Singh, Pal Publications, Yamunanagar]
* Chuchayan
* Chuhlan/Chulyan (Branch of Parihar)
* Dabra/Devra (Sept of Chauhan)
* Dahiya ["Dahiya - Found in village Gudha", Page 55, Ror Itihaas Ki Jhalak, by Dr. Raj Pal Singh, Pal Publications, Yamunanagar] (Listed as one of the thirty six ruling clans of India by James Tod)
* Dahlan
* Dhandul/Deendal (Listed as a branch of Rathore by James Tod)
* Dhadhan
* Dhakla (Branch of Parmar)
* Dhankar/Dhankhad (A Tomar clan)
* Dhanyan
* Dheemar
* Domiyan/Domyan
* Doodan
* Dudhiyan (Listed as a ruling clan of India in the Kumarpal Charitra)
* Ghartan/Ghadtan (Branch of Parihar)
* Ghiar/Geed/Geer/Gheer
* Ghoochan
* Gogayan (A Kachhwaha sept)
* Golia/Gulia (Corrupted from original Gohila or Guhila, meaning descendant of Sri Guhil)
* Gollen
* Gora (The kings of this clan ruled from 'Chhoti Sadari' near Chittor)
* Graak
* Guchhla
* Hurda (A Chauhan Sept)
* Jaglan/Jogran (A Chauhan Sept)
* Jandslaar
* Jhakla/Jhankla (Branch of Parmar)
* Jharotiya (Sept of Kacchwaha)
* Jhojhan
* Jhojhroo
* Jood
* Kadian (Descended from Kshatriya Brahmarshi Vishvamitra)
* Kahanwal/Kainwal
* Kaindal
* Kainsha
* Kaira (Listed as a ruling clan of India in the Kumarpal Charitra)

* Kalantagdiya/Kaltagra (Branch of Parmar and the clan of the great Vikramaditya of Ujjain)
* Kalyan (Sept of Kacchwaha)
* Kandhol
* Kangar/Khangar (A Kachhwaha sept)
* Kanyan
* Kaanyara
* Kapsa
* Keshwar/Khasbar
* Khainchi/Khichi (A branch of Chauhan)
* Kharanghar
* Khokher
* Kunkan
* Ladkyan (A Kacchwaha Sept)
* Laharwal
* Lamba
* Lather
* Loham
* Lorkan
* Machhran
* Madhotra
* Malgas
* Maniyal
* Masaaniya (Listed as a ruling clan of India in the Kumarpal Charitra)
* Mehla/Mahla (A Tomar clan)
* Memain
* Mepla
* Mokkal (Listed in the Kumarpal Charitra as a ruling clan of India)
* Mola (Listed in Srimad Bhagavatam as a clan that will provide 11 kings to India post-Mahabharat)
* Moman
* Nadan
* Nausraan
* Nimainiya
* Raitan
* Rai/Raya (This clan was ruling Sind till some years before the Arab invasion under Bin Qasim)
* Rojera
* Ruhlan/Ruhlyan (Branch of Parihar)
* Sagwal
* Samdhyan
* Sandyan
* Shera/Sehra (Descendants of Rai Sahiras or Siharas or Shri Harsh of Rori)
* Singhariya/Singhra (A branch of Kachhwaha from Singha Ji)
* Surha (Listed as a branch of Chauhan by James Tod)
* Tamak
* Taya
* Thardak
* Tholla
* Tuarka/Turka (A Tomar clan)
* Turan (Listed as a ruling clan of India in the Kumarpal Charitra)

Note

Ror Tomar Kul is Suryavanshi; the Nishan is same as that of Arjun but that is a pure coincidence. The specifics of the Ror House of Tomar are as follows,

* Lineage: Suryavansha * Colour of throne, sign and canopy: Green *Colour of horse: Yellow * Heraldic sign (Nishan): Hanuman on flagpole *Clan Goddess (Kuladaivat): Shakumbari * Devak (Clan object): Umbar (Ficus racemosa tree) * Guru: Parashar *Gotra: Nikam *Veda: Yajurveda *Mantra: Gayatri

ee also

* Kaul
* Amin
* Katlaheri
* Kadian
* Gora
* Bhrithari
* BhainsRor
* Ikshwaku

References

Books

* Tod, James & William (Editor) Crooke (1994), Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (2 vols.)., Trans-Atl, ISBN 81-7069-128-1.
* Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province By H.A. Rose, Published 1990 by Asian Educational Services, 2076 pages, ISBN 8120605055
* The Sindh Story, by K. R. Malkani Karachi, Publisher: Sindhi Academy (1997), ISBN-10 8187096012
* Lord Mahavira and His Times, by Kailash Chand Jain, Motilal Banarsidass Publications, ISBN 8120808053
* Charles Allen & Sharada Dwivedi, Lives of the Indian Princes, ISBN 81-86982-05-1, Pub: Business Publications Inc.