rAjaputra – story of the term and its application
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This is not the only one. Many people ask for proof of Rajputs prior to even 1300-1500 AD.
So let’s use this opportunity to enhance our understanding. What is the story of this term Rajput or rAjaputra?
Literal meaning of rAjaputra is – son of a King or royal child. Earliest recorded reference to this term are in Aitareya, Taittiriya and Sathapatha Brahamanas of the Rigveda (people called rAjaputra include Vishwamitra. Later it appears in Kathaka Samhita and other vedic literature compilations.
Then in Mahabharata, lord Rama and Lakshmana are called rAjaputra.
Shrimad Bhagvatam 1.12.311 calls Abhimanyu’s son Parikshit a rAjaputra.
Next, Kautilya’s arthashAstra 3rd-4th century BCE and Kalidasa’s mAlavikAgnimitram 1st century BCE refer to rAjaputras on multiple occasions.
A silver coin of Amoghabhuti (2nd-1st century BCE) the ruler from Kuninda kshatriya clan contains – “Rajnah Kunindasya Amoghabhutisya Maharajasya“.
Notice that despite taking up a boastful title of Maharaja, the King is still sticking to the traditional clan head title i.e. rAjnah. Because his was a kshatriya clan-based Kingdom held together by his clansmen. This was the norm and not an exception. It continued even in medieval times as we shall see.
Asvaghosha‘s (80-150 A.D.) Saundarananda refers to rAjaputras.
Various buddhist texts call Budhha a rAjaputra.
Early 6th century around 510 A.D. the Kura stone inscription of Toramana mentions rAjaputras.
Numerous Gupta and Lichhavi inscriptions use the term rAjaputra.
In the 569 A.D. Sumandala copper plate of Dharmaraja, an almost independent feudatory of Prithvi Vigraha is referred to a rAjaputra.
Lichhavi king Gangadev’s Shankhamula inscription (567-73 A.D.) refers to rAjaputras Vajraratha, Babharuvarma, and Deshavarma.
The Five Damodarpur copper-plate inscriptions of the Gupta rulers have rAjaputra epithet, such as those of Kumaragupta III 533 A.D.
One of them reads thus – ‘Rajaputra Deva- Bhattaraka uparika Maharaja’.
In the Sanga (Nepal) inscription early 7th century A.D. its dutaka the Chief Minister under Amsuvarman is called rAjaputra Vikramsena.
Many more Nepalese (Lichhavi) inscriptions in Gupta characters found by Italian scholar Raniero Gnoli refer to rAjaputra Jayadeva, rAjaputra Shurasena, rAjaputras Nandavarma, Jishnuvarma and Bhimavarma.
Emperor Harshavardhan gets crowned in 606 A.D. at Kannauj and yet continues for many years with the epithet rAjaputra shilAditya.
Literature like the Harshacharita and Kadambari by BAṇabhaṭṭa (7th century AD) also talk of rAjaputras like Malavs rAjaputra named Madhavgupt. This is also corroborated from his mention later in Apshad inscription of the 8th century.
Then in the 837 A.D. Mandor (Jodhpur) Inscription of Bakula Pratihara uses the term mahArAjini for the queen.
9th century copper plate grants of Bhanja dynasty Orissa have the term ‘rAnaka’ used for princes. It is a distortion of rAjanka / rAjanaka and got further shortened to rAnA over time.
Arabs of 9th century A.D. acknowledge rAshtrakutas aka Vallabh-Raj or Ballah-Raya or Al-Ballahara as the greatest King in India and one of the 4 most prominent Kings in the world. Rathores are descendants of these Rashtrakutas. Copper grant of prince GovindaChandra of Rashtrakuta branch named Gadhavala/Gahadvala, dated 1104 A.D. calls him mahArAjaputra.
1143 AD inscription of his son shows the same title and is in the name of mahArAjaputra rAjyapAladeva.
1134 AD Inscription of Singar/Sengar family who were feudatory of Gadhavalas, is in the name of mahArAjaputra vastarAjadeva.
10th century text from rAshtrakuta rule called Yasastilaka Champu describes rAjput military camps as follows: –
Camp Name – skandhavara
Arsenal in charge – mahAyudhapati
Cavalry in charge – asavapati
Infantry in charge – paikkadhipati
Elephant in charge – pilupati
Soldier description – Dhoti coming up to knees. Loins girt with daggers mounted on handles of buffalo horns. Hair on body. Quivers on either sides of head. Experts in shooting arrows.
Military titles – senani, thakkura, kottapAla
Feudal titles – rAjA, rAjakula, mahAsAmanta, mahAmandalika
Most of these titles are common with Pratiharas as well.
Given below is part of the Chamba copper plate inscription of Vidagdha Verman of 960 AD regarding a land grant in village Sumangala. Inscription names all concerned functionaries and state officials etc of the village Sumangala in a huge list. Notice the terms in line 7 – rAja-rAjAnaka-rAjaputra-rAjAmAtya-rAjasthAneeya. Clear indication of these being land owning gentries with administrative or military skills. Vidagdha Verman was a Suryavanshi rAjaputra of Mushana dynasty (moshuna gotra).
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Similar list with terms like rajanyaka-rajani-ranaka-rajaputra are found in many other inscriptions like those of Vallalasena and LakshamanSena.
The kathAsaritasAgara of Somadeva around 1070 AD writes of two men Shiva and mAdhava. Of them mAdhava is described as a rAjaputra. Throughout the story this mAdhava has no connection with being a prince. He is just a land holder and yet called rAjaputra.
Kadmal plates of Vijayasimha Guhilot 1083 AD mention that a messenger named ranadhavala, son of sagamdA was a Chauhan rAjaputra.
Udayagiri cave inscriptions near Bhopal dated end of 11th century AD mention land grants by many minor paramAra chieftains like rAjaputra dAmodara jayadeva, rAjaputra Sodha, rAjaputra vAhilavAhada.
Paldi inscription of 1116 AD says that Saulanki rAjaputra Sri sAlakhArana was the son of rAjaputra Sri Upala.
These cases above clearly indicate proliferation of the term rAjaputra regardless of whether one was a prince, chieftain or neither – just an official.
Nadol copper plates of 1161 A.D from South Rajasthan proclaim the local Chauhan lineage’s progenitor Kirtipal Chauhan as rAjaputra.
Delhi Shiwalik inscription of Vigraharaja Chauhan 1163-4 A.D. mentions – rAjaputra SallaksanapAla was serving as mahAmantri.
Lalrai inscription 1176 AD from south Rajasthan speaks of Chauhan princes Lakhanapal and Abhaypala as rAjaputras and rulers of the region.
Jaypura (Bihar) inscription of 12th century AD calls a Gupta dynasty’s Krishnagupta as rAjaputra.
Hemachandra’s Trishashti ShalAkA Purusha Charita of 12th century AD refers to numerous personalities of rAjaputra descent.
Another case of connotation proliferating from individuals to groups is Kalhana‘s (12th century A.D.) Rajatarangini. It uses the term rAjaputra a lot of times in numerous contexts. For actual princes, as well as for the general land holders. For example, one verse describes the King Ananta being followed by a host of ‘bands of rAjaputra horsemen, soldiers and damaras’. Even by stretch of imagination these bands of rAjaputra horsemen can’t be all princes (how many could be there anyway). Because the immediately previous verse uses the term Nrapatmajah for princes.
Jalor Stone Inscription of SamaraSimhaDeva 1182 AD refers to Rajaputra Jojila Chauhan.
Firstly, all the above mentioned was not an exhaustive list but just some examples. Secondly, it becomes an even larger list if we were to include occurrences of other closely associated terms in vogue that came out similarly – Rawal from rAjakula, Rajanya, rAjini (women), mahArAjini, also rAjanaka, rAjanka ranaka, rAnA, Rao, Rawat (from rAjaputra) etc.
If present date Brahmins are descendants of Vasishtha, Bharadvaja, Mudgala, Kaushika. Then how come Rajputs are not descendants of Vedic Kshatriyas. Did the latter disappear in thin air? Various Kshatriya clans rose and fell in northwest India from the vedic times and are recorded since Panini. The medieval Rajput clans are just a continuation with a different term i.e. Rajaputra. Following is just one point in time snapshot of ancient Kshatriya clans straddling the entire north and west of India. Notice that one is even named rAjanya, suggesting that the whole warrior clan was of royal pedigree.
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From the highly centralized system of ruling with Mauryas to the decentralized Gupta empire. There came a huge change which became precursor to format of medieval Kingdoms. Imperial centre (native as well as foreign origin) would just exact tributes from smaller Kingdoms, require their armies in campaigns and leave them be with local sovereignty. Thus, an oscillation between – subdued local Kingdoms paying regular tributes when Imperial centre is strong. And revolting, tribute-withholding local Kingdoms when Imperial centre was weak. This formed the bedrock of upcoming feudalism or state level focus in a politically divided India. Thus, the clans who were prominent in each of these kingdoms gradually attached their loyalty and focus only to their own local Kingdom and its ruler; not the Imperial centre.
Guptas were perhaps the first native Empire to rule such an increasingly de-centralized setup lacking any semblance of a united politico military nationality. With this, armies everywhere became more clan based, fragmented. Further, land grants from Imperial centre thus started going by default to the clan based hereditary successors. Parting from ancient republics the various kshatriya clans wherever they were, evolved into Kingdoms and the land ownership was private now. Of course new clans kept replacing old ones as usual. All these transformations continued throughout Gupta rule, Harshavardhan and show complete with the appearance of Pratihars in domination. By the time of Guptas already, the princes were regularly using hierarchical titles like mahArAjaputra DevabhAttarak.
Harshavardhan had driven out the last remnants of pre-Islamic foreign origin rulers. Thus before the dawn of Arab invasions broke. Entire North India was under the sway of Kshatriya ruled Kingdoms. where the dominant ones were Mukharis of Kannauj, Pushyabhutis of Thaneswar and Maitrakas of Vallabhi.
The time in history when Pratihars emerged to prominence is the same when the term Rajput i.e. rAjaputra started to get applied in community connotation. It is after the Arab invasions which catalysed another phase of new kshatriya clans replacing the old ones into prominence. A question arises. Why are early Islamic invaders noting their opponents as Rana’s, Rais and not Rajputs. Answer is that it takes time for a term to gain social currency for people to apply to a whole community and doesn’t happen overnight. First the spoken languages like Prakrit and Apabhramsa adopt the change and then the classical ones like Sanskrit. But what were the catalysts of this process and why only these people of North and West India?
Northwest India was at the forefront of constant invasions from Millenias, not just in Islamic era. With Imperial centres coming and lapsing. The numerous kashatriya clans that straddle these lands at least since Panini’s time, were obviously more keen on self-reliance, sovereignty and standalone setup for their own preservation. Because they fought on all sides all the time.
The identity of medieval rAjputs as a community was however iron cast in the furnace of one such grand invasion by Arabs in the 8th century (also the core of my contention with the oxymoron called muslim Rajput). Chewing the elsewhere victorious Arabs then, was a big achievement for the currently presiding kshatriya clans in north India. They were led by nAgabhatta PratihAra, with Chauhans, Guhilots and Chalukyas in supporting role. While the bigger Kingdoms splintered around that whirlwind. The clans led by kshatriya feudal chieftains succeeded those larger empires/kingdoms of past in their own limited capacities. From the rubble of Arab storm, we see fully hereditarily operated smaller Kingdoms, now thriving & rising further. Their titles became beacons of their leadership, resistance and prestige.
Powers like Pratihars, Chauhans, Paramars, Chalukyas, Guhilots etc which rose after this epoch were fully clan based Kingdoms in military as well as administration. With the completion of heredity trumping ancient republic structures in politico- military operations of people. This is how the term rAjaputra gradually gained credence for application to wider groups (kshatriyas clans that got popular Arabs onwards) later known as rAjputs.
It is foolhardy to expect Kings before 650 A.D to use the title rAjaputra. Back then we had monarchies at higher levels and tribal republics at lower levels. The very term rAjaputra was by its etymology a psychologically deep assurance to the Hindu prajA; that kshatriya descent people are still taking care of the kingdom and upholding dharma. When would you need it the most by turning rAjaputras from individuals to groups, if not with the onset of Islamic dark age in India?
