amar_jkp

1. Rajputs were not a caste during its initial stages i.e. 10th and 11th centuries. They were the confederation of Various raja-putra (please note that its "Rajaputra and not Yuvraj or Rajkumar") clans such as Chauhans, Tomars, Kachhwahas, Chandelas and Rathods etc. 2. Rajputs were mostly feudal lords holding the status of the revenue collectors for the Gurjar overlords. (As written in the Indian Civil services solved papers). 3. Rajputs asserted independence after the fall of last Pratihar King Rajyapal, who was defeated by Ghazni. It raise another doubt that how the Pratihar kingdom, which successfully checked the advance of Arabic invaders for more than 300 years, was defeated by Ghazni (who was nowhere near the strength of Arabic Invaders). 4. Rajputs were basically the illegitimate children of the Gurjar-Pratihars, who claim descent from Sooraj (most probably Mihir Bhoj), and hence called themselves soorajvamshi (they could obviously not originate from SUN, though later they created another story of them being fire born or agnivamshi, which made their claim more funny and illogical). (As written by Ferishta 5. Most of the Rajputs were the pedigree of Gurjars, which is clear with the adoption of their clan names by earliest Rajputs such as Chauhans, Tomars and Parmars etc. 6. Rajput was not used in the Indian writings until the times of Babar (early 16th centuries). Even the famous books such as rajtarangini, kumarpal charita, prithviraj Raso etc. never used the word rajput as a caste or community. Rajput was used as a military position in the administration records of Gurjar-Pratihars. 7. Rajputs were dissatisfied and annoyed with the Gurjars due to their negligence and not offering them any kingdom, even after their being the children of those Gurjar overlords. 8. It gives us a clue that the Rajputs might have helped Ghazni to overthrow the Gurjars. The sudden rise of various small Rajput Kingdoms immediately after the fall of Gurjar-Pratihars states that they were installed to the thrones (raising their status from revenue collecting feudatories to Rajas) by Ghazni. Thet tributary Vassal status of these states again proved this point. They continued this practice at the time of Moghals and Britishers as well. They were installed to the thrones of various Riyasata and Taluks, given higher psots in army, a regiment of their own etc. Eventually, they became socially very powerful and rich. They changed the historical records (with the help of bribed Brahmin scholars and Bhats) to prove them as the real kings during medieval age. But they could not change the Turkish, Iranian, Arabic and Chinese records. And today most of the historians have realized what the truth is and most of the Indian records (altered by Rajputs) is not considered authentic by any international historian.

What are you views on Rajputs inviting Abdali ?

Madhaosing was equally a firm ally of Rahilla-Pathans. He sent the copy of the letter sent by him to Pant Pradhan, to the Durani Chief for his knowledge, engaged Malharrao in Jaypur territory when his help was badly needed by Dattaji in December 1760 A.D. rejected the overtures of Gaziuddin and Jankoji Shinde and also the friendly had of the Peshwa (40), and did everything to promote the Durani cause excepting the actual participation against the Marathas. The last act he did not do only because he was not sure of Abdali's disposition ("If only his promise of safety could be relied upon, the Rajputs would certaily wait upon him" Badrinath, son of Keshwada) when finally the plan succeeded at Panipat, Abdali himself in a long letter informed Madhaosing about his victory over the Marathas. Vijaysing also was equally in sympathy with Abdali (41). The Marathas were ignorant of these activities till last. They realized of the conspiracy against them when Abdali dashed into Punjab driving away Sabaji Shinde from Punjab and when the latter arrieved with his wornout soldiers in Doab in 1759, November A.D. Govind Ballal wrote from Ganga in Nowad conspired for the last two years to bring Abdali once more to uproot the Maratha rule (in the North). Thus the secret correspondence continued. Vakils were active in their reciprocal visits. We had no knowledge of all this till now we (recently) knew of it, when everything was clear

In 1759 A.D. it seemed that the Marathas had reached their goal of All-India supremacy. But they were not destined to attain it as their enemies were already active (38) against them. Madhaosing had sent Har Jasrao to Taimur Shah and through him established his contacts with Abdali in December 1759 A.D. The Shah now informed him that taking advantage of his absence in Iran, where he had led his forces, the Marathas had thrown the whole of Hindusthan into disorder and hence he was forced to turn his attention to Hindusthan. The Shah asked Madhaosing (of Jaipur) to join hands with Vijaysing and stop the passages of the Marathas towards Deccan and to keep him informed of everything. He was assured that, "Najibuddaula has impressed me of your sincerity, fidelity and devotion and God willing, you will attain pre-eminence and distinction greater than the days of preceding sovereigns of Hindusthan." Thus Madhaosing (39) began his active participation in the designs of Najib Khan and Abdali, for the downfall of the Marathas, and it continued throughout till the object was achieved on the fatal field of Panipat, in 1761 A.D. For that, Madhaosing was kept well informed by Abdali and Najib Khan of all the developments during 1759 to 1761 A.D. and in return he kept the Durani fully acquainted with what was happening on his side. He was praised for his fidelity, encouraged over his successes and contantly asked to repel the Marathas from his dominion. For that he was asked to stop the ways and passages to the South, to be in close contact with Vijaysing and to cooperate fully in wiping out the traces of the Marathas from the North to prevent the possibility for them of raising their heads again.

Rajput invite and aid Ahmed Shah Abdali- 1761 AD The raids of Abdalli into India around 1750 Ad are well known to every child in India. His atrocities, the want destruction need no retelling. The defeat of the Maharattas and the Jats in the 3rd battle of Panipat is said to be the turning point for the decline of the Maharatta power in India, and the rise of the British power. What is not so commonly known is the role of the Rajput of Rajastan; that the Rajput states wee conniving with Abdalli , two years prior to the battle of Panipat in 1761, and had invited Abdalli into India. Many have wondered why the Rajputs stayed aloof from these battles, which could have got rid of the foreign invaders. Or why they stood shoulder to shoulder with the Rohilla Mulsims. The reasons though distasteful, are clear, they were instrumental in actively aiding Abdalli, as they had the Muslim invaders in the past.

The marriage of Hira Kunwari, daughter of King Bharmal of Amer province (Jaipur) with Akbar is one such example. It was an historical alliance between the two drastically opposite communities and after this marriage soon the trend followed with many Rajput Kings and chieftains giving the hand of Rajput princess to the Mughals as wife or concubine. These princesses then became one of the several wives or one of the hundred concubines of the emperor and lived a life in Purdah as well as seclusion until their death. I see, for the sake of their happiness, the life of the women fraternity was sacrificed, did it really make the then Rajputs brave or was it an act of total cowardice? Rajput are the kshatriyas and well-known over the ages for their sense of dignity, pride and act of heroism. However, if the Rajputs were so brave and full of self-esteem, why then they traded the poor princess to these lusty rulers and sex starved men? Why they forgot their age old culture of self-respect, dignity and admiration towards women in lust of the jagirs they lost? Instead of trading women they should have joined hands together to fight the Mughal troops. But no, they never came together and continued to fight amongst themselves for their petty lands. Lord Rama was a kshtraiya too and from the Suryavanshi lineage just like them. However, he for his lady had gone extremes to fight one of the most intelligent and powerful man of his era. I wonder, what might be his plight when he would have witnessed from the heaven that the Rajputs out of their own cowardice/greed ushered their daughters into the Muslim harems? No wonder, this was the darkest phase in the history of Rajputs till today. However, even during this time, there were two Rajputs who always remained against it. One was the Hadas of Rathambore and the other, the Sisodiyas of Mewar. Besides, who can forget the brave Maharana Pratap who fought bravely till his last breath? Still, there were majority of the Rajputs that followed the trend of sending the Rajput Princesses into the Muslim harems who after going there became nothing more than an object of desire for the Muslim rulers. This makes me wonder did greed take over their sense of consideration towards their own daughters and sisters?

The Doubtful “Bravery of Rajputs” during the Mughal Era The exchange of Rajput Princesses into the Mughal Harems (as a barter against their lost privileges) only highlights Rajputs as cowards and not as brave! Predominantly belonging to three lineages – Suryavanshi (Solar Race), Chandravanshi (Lunar Race) and Agnivanshi (Fire Race) – Rajputs, are a kshatriya clan of indigenous India known for their bravery and courage through ages. Over the times, they have nurtured a warlike and military personality. However, the same warriors who carried the genes of might, power and valor were defeated by the Mughal invaders consistently, no matter how much they tried. This was then compensated by giving their sister’s and daughter’s hand to the Muslims rulers as a Quid Pro Quo – Exchange to retain their lost privileges. Brave enough, why did they trade the lives of their own women to get back their pride and honor? Why did they sacrificed the Rajput women into the Mughal harem, doesn’t this act makes them cowards and rip off from the bravery tag? Well, time to have a fresh look at the “bravery of Rajputs” during the Mughal Era - When Muslim rulers tried to invade the territories of India, be it the Delhi Sultans or the Mughals – the Rajputs, the fiery Indian warriors in spite of showing enormous valor, always ended up in the losing end. Whether it was the defeat of Prithvi Raj Chauhan against Mohammad Ghori in the battle of Tarain or the attacks of Akbar against Rana Sangha, the Rajputs were always crushed by the Muslim invaders. Makes one wonder – “Did all these defeat played a vital role in altering their psyche in taking drastic steps to retain their prestige, privilege and power or was their fall of power also the fall of their pride?”As we all know, the Rajputs during the Muslim era traded their sisters and daughter to re-establish their provinces which they lost in the battlefield.

Both Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur and Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur spent their life in service of Aurangzeb. In fact, they both died (at different times) fighting on behalf of Aurangzeb. It was Raja Jai Singh who essentially arrested Shivaji (though it was a sort of forced agreement) and brought him to the Mogul court to be humiliated. Ajit Singh (Son of Jaswant Singh) was portrayed as saviour of Hindu religion. But he married his daughter to one of the weakest Mogul emperors, Farouq Siyar, who was totally controlled by Sayyad brothers and finally murdered by them in the most brutal fashion. In the third battle of Panipat, where the Maratha General Sadashiv Rao Bhau, assembled a huge army (mostly Hindus but few Muslims too) including 25,000 Jats against Ahmad Shah Abdali, there was not a single Rajput supporting Sadashiv Rao.

Bhindranwale Jindabad

Even in Rajasthan Hindu Jaat and Jatt Sikhs are doing better then Rajputs .

Sikhs are doing better then u Hindu Rajputs . Jinki maari sab ne ma ke Ch............... Unko kehte hai Rajput

Read my articles on Rajputs and shut up . What they did ? Dis their contibution end up anything ? There are large number of Rajput who become Muslims ? Pakistani Punjab is full of Muslim Rajputs . Fudu Bahman

Interesting points about Akali Dal, Punjabi Hindus and Indian policies .

Dont be jealous bahman you know you status is even lower then banzaara in Punjab .

There is Baani of Dhana Jatt and Bhagat Namdev is also there but you want to see Bahman and Khatris . In Punjab Bahmans are halwais they cook food in our marriages and Khatris are shoopkeepers we called them Lala g . Both are good in making money by hook or by crook .

Another cause of 1857 is the mindset of myth vs history and hagiography vs biography and romanticism vs factual analysis which effected how different people saw events in 1857. Indians saw myth as truth and real historical persons as heros or villains just as they saw history as only a myth everyone wanted to be true. History as facts, exposes, feet of clay, flaws, failures, the gritty warts and all reality unvarnished was horrifying and even today is unacceptable and disrespectful. Indians want to worship and adore, not doubt and question. They wanted their heroes to be without flaw or warts or failures like demigods. They want history to be a Bollywood movie musical. Mangal Pandey cannot be a drugged sepoy rebelling because he was an arrogant but illiterate Brahmin scared by events. he cannot be seen as insulted by a Dalit pissed off by his arrogance who finally snarled back at last, displaying shocking disrespect toward his divine master, like an uppity person instead of a religious leper, finally demanding respect from a Brahmin who believed he was born entitled to loath every caste but his own. Pandey can only be a shining demigod who must look like a Bollywood movie star. General Hearsay cannot be seen as weeping as he pleaded with the sepoys he loved. General Hearsay must be an evil and corrupt Brit blundering his way into shocking disrespect of the sepoys. The Rani of Jhansi can only be Joan of Arc and not an Indian Mary Queen of Scots gambling recklessly as events careen out of control over which she had no real power to control. Nana Sahib cannot be a stooge who blessed 1857 because the British refused him a million pound a year stipend. Dalhousie can only be an evil schemer and not a stubborn Scot sure of his economics. The EIC was a blood sucking vampire and the Great Divergence had absolutely nothing to do with India’s stagnation between 1500 and 1857. It is a fundamentally different mindset than the British who obsessed with statistical graphs and nitpicked facts as if a dissection. Even today 1857 sepoys must be seen like some Bollywood movie star instead of the way they probably really were. Check the real vs Bollywood. In the same way Che must be air brushed and not pointing a gun at someone to blow them away. Obama cannot smoke and the Kennedys must be demigods. ‘Dear Leader’ is a towering bronze and not five foot five. The evil Loyalists who fiendishly blew noble sepoys away by cannon were all British in shiny red 1880 tunics and 1880 tropic white helmets. Instead, 3/4’s of the Loyalists in 1857 were actually native Indians in khaki and Mughals invented blowing from cannon. Barely over a 100 sepoys were blown away in total and never in a heroic line of 50 martyrs at a time. Shivaji must be King Arthur of India and not warty Cromwell who in fact he paralleled. In 1857 the Brahmin sepoys and Muslims saw history through rosy whitewash and therefore could negate history and see the British entirely as fiends deserving to be ‘chopped up like radishes’. Their world was black and white, good and bad, simple, pure, reassuring, and utterly deceiving. Don’t let facts get in the way of a spiel they so desperately wanted to believe and of course they absolutely believed the blood libels…..

Rajput age was a Dark Age for masses of India Swami Dharma Teertha narrates the further story in these words: "With the help of the Rajputs who became powerful in all parts of India, Brahmanism entered on a career of merciless extirpation of Buddhism, and with it of nationalism. The avenues of light and information were all closed, From the 8th to the 10th century an impenetrable darkness enveloped Northern India. History refuses to disclose the nature of the happenings of that terrible darkness. As in the Dark Age which followed the Mahabharata War, so under the cover of this frightful oblivion, Brahmanism did its work thoroughly monasteries were demolished, monks were banished or killed, books were burnt, Buddhism was stamped out; nationalism was crushed. The country fell into the hands of Rajput barons, soon to be followed by the Mohammedan invaders who completed the work of annihilation. Rajputana became a congeries of rival states, each with its own chief, war loving and constantly quarreling with each other." [Dharma Teertha, p.119] "There could be hardly any doubt that Rajput rule was an undiluted military imperialism, a coalition of Kashtriya exploiters and insatiable Brahman priests, in which the people were fleeced to amass wealth for palaces and temples. In an incredibly short time huge temples requiring the labour of many thousands of workmen, generally slaves or prisoners, and involving fabulous expenditure, were built all over the country; the secret cells of temples were filled with gold and silver and other treasures beyond description. Hundreds of dancing girls with all the temptations of music and decoration served in the temples to complete the vices of priest craft. The kings surrounded themselves with all imaginable pomp, luxury and vice. Nobody cared for the people; we hear nothing of the people when the Mohammedan invaders made their incursion in to the big cities and temples for plunder of the accumulated treasures. The princes kept quarreling among themselves for wealth and women. The Brahmans were sunk deep in the temptations of the temple. We see Mohammedans marching through the country hundreds of miles without anybody opposing them, appearing before the gates of cities and temples, before the authorities got any information, and loaded with rich booty returning unmolested over vast tracts of inhabited area. There seemed to be no government in the land. "The despotic nature of the regime could be noticed also in the employment by Rajput rulers of large bodies of Mohammedan mercenaries. It was so in Vijayanager too. another Brahman dominated empire. Both in North India and in Vijayanager, the presence of Mohammedan troops in the heart of the Hindu kingdoms, in the employed and confidence of their rules, facilitated the final success of the Mohammedans. What was worse, the soldiers of Islam were invited to invade India, and there were Rajput princes to help them in their conquest of the country. The four chief royal houses of North India were Delhi, Chittor, Kanouj and Gujrat. The last two kings sided with Mohammedans until they became undisputed masters of the situation. Raja Jaichand of Kanouj is said to have invited Shahabuddin to attack Prithvi Raj of Delhi. [Lala Sundar Dass, "Decline and fall of Hindu Empire", p. 25] India fell betrayed by her own princes and priests who were no more interested in the unity, strength and prosperity of the Indian masses then the Mohammedan or the European conquerors.[ p.n.121 ] The Ruling Class Swami Dharma Teertha explains how the fate of any country usually depends on the character of its Ruling Class. Even in democratic countries, the rise and fall, the progress and decadence of the nation depends to a great extent on the ideals which animate the policy and conduct of this class. In India, this class is the Brahmins. Swami observes: "From days immemorial, the Brahmans have been the undoubted aristocrats of India, the leaders of the people, the custodians of religious and secular learning, unrivaled politicians and administrators, and owners of wealth and power, besides being the trustees of the peoples conscience as priests. Probably no other class of persons in any society ever combined in themselves all these advantages so exclusively as the Brahmans. It is equally doubtful if any other aristocratic class has ever exercised their privileges to the detriment of the common people so unscrupulously and for so long a period as these Hindu priests. "For an understanding of the causes which have brought India to her present condition no study is more important than that of the policy and doctrines of the Brahmans." [Dharma Teertha, p. 122] Brahmins were benefited by Muslim Conquest There is a lot of propaganda, that Muslim period was a foreign rule over Indian masses, who were crushed under the foreign yoke. All this is a great and fake propaganda by the brahmanical scholars. Actually, it was this class who got the maximum benefits of Muslim raj. Here we have to remember that India has triple governance. Governance at the village and town level, second is regional level and top most is national level. The local level governance is the actual governance. In India it makes no difference, who ruled at the top, at the local levels it was the Brahmins who always ruled. And their rule was as per the Laws of caste. Swami Dharma Teertha observes: "The disappearance of Buddhism and the passing of political power into the hands of the Mohammedans, though they meant the extermination of national life, was a triumph for Brahmanism. ... in the period of national prostration and political chaos roughly from the eight to the twelfth century after Christ, there is a phenomenal revival, expansion and consolidation of the theocratic domination of the Brahmans. One prominent result of the invasion of India by the Mohammedans was that, so far as Hindu society was concerned, Brahmans became its undisputed leaders and law givers.

"Brahmanism has never stood for any religious doctrine or faith. Its life and soul, then, as it is now, was the Caste System with the Brahmin as the highest sacredotal caste, and its vital interest was priestly exploitation." These objects were achieved to a great extent before Gupta age. Then why did they need the Rajputs? Swami Dharma Teertha observes: "Though all these things were accomplished in the Gupta period, there was yet no guarantee that Brahman predominance would be upheld by succeeding rulers, and without the king's support it could not be maintained. Repeated experience had shown that though new kings, in order to obtain Brahman co- operation to establish their power, often yielded to the wishes of the latter, no self-respecting ruler would long tolerate the yoke of Brahmanism. Indian kings almost invariably, encouraged Buddhism side by side with Brahmanism, even when they had been raised to power with the help of Brahmans. Brahmanism could therefore be permanently established only with the disappearance of Buddhism and also of all Indian rulers, Its security lay in the revival of a race of Kshatriya princes who would submit to the Brahmanas the highest caste and whose primary concern would be exploitation of the country the common platform on which priestly imperialism could join hands with foreign imperialism. It happened exactly like this. The Brahmans did not rest until they succeeded in handing over the nation to a new race of Kshatriyas, the Rajputs whom they raised to Kshatriya hood for the purpose and who in a few centuries enslaved the country first to debasing priest craft, and then to Mohammedan fanaticism. [swami Dharma Teertha, p. 117] Harshavardhana was a staunch supporter of Buddhism, along with Brahmanism. At the time of visit of Huen Tsang, Brahmins tried to kill Harsha. As a result, five hundred Brahmins, it is said, were banished from the kingdom. This temporary setback did not deter the Brahmins. After the death of Harsha, Brahmins got their opportunity. As Havel expressed,: "It was therefore to be expected that orthodox Brahmanism would seize the opportunity of Harsha's death to reassert its political supremacy in Aryavrata." [E.B.Havell, History of Aryan Rule in India, p. 217, Quoted by Dharma Teertha, p. 118] Chinese mission who visited in response to Harsha's complementary mission, was insulted by the minister of Harsha who had usurped the throne. This infuriated the Chinese leader and getting help from Tibet, he overran Magadha and the Brahman king of Assam helped Chinaman with large supplies of military equipment and cattle, thus finishing the mighty Buddhist kingdom of Harsha. This was the opportunity for the Brahmins to assert their dominance. Swami Dharma Teertha observes: "The empire having been broken up, the Brahmans took the opportunity to invite foreign adventurers to support their cause. The Rajputs appear on the scene as the valiant protectors of Brahmanism. Historians do not know definitely the origin of the Rajputs, but all are agreed in believing that they were the descendants of some of the foreign invaders. That they were raised to power by the Brahmans is admitted in the legend of the Puranas. It says that they were the descendants of four warriors conjured into existence by the sage Vasishta from the sacrificial fire he kindled on Mount Abu. In plain language they were a new people raised to Kshatriyahood by the Brahmans in order that they might reestablish Brahmanism in the land. "Everywhere they favourd Puranic Hinduism, and the Brahmans rewarded them for their toil, and reorganized the new race as the Kshatriyas of modern time." [Dutt R. C., 'Later Hindu Civilization', p.38] "Whatever the origin of the Rajputs may be, there is no doubt that they were newcomers within the pale Hindu civilization and religion. Like all new converts they were fired with an excessive zeal to revive the religion they embraced. Brahmans worked on the zeal of this new race of Kshatriyas and the Chohan and the Rathore vindicated their claims to be regarded as Kshatriyas by established the supremacy, of the Brahmans." [Dutt R. C., 'Later Hindu Civilization', p. 40, quoted by Dharma Teertha, p. 119]

Marvarman Rajsimha I, was a powerful ruler, (c. 740-765) who defeated Chalukyas and married a Western Ganga princess. The famous Velvikudi grant of his son Nedunjadaiyan mentions that Rajsimha had made many mahadanas, gosahasras, hiranya-garbhas and tulabharas. [D. C. Sarkar, 'Classical Age', p.268] Rashtrakutas - Dantidurga Formerly a feudatory of Chalukya, Dantidurga was the founder of Rastrakuta dynasty, a strong, aggresive and militant supporter of Brahmanism. Cave XV at Ellora called Dasavtara, which has a long undated inscription of Dantidurga carved on its entrance, was originally a Buddhist Vihara, which was converted to Brrahmanic Temple, by chiseling out Buddhist images. [Yazdani G., 'Early History of Deccan', Oxford Univ. Press, 1960, p.731] Dantidurga is reported, in a later record, to have performed Hiranyagarbha at Ujjayini in which "kings such as Gurjara lord and others were made door-keepers" [Altekar A. S., 'The Age of Imperiaal Kanauj', p.1, HCIP vol. IV, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan 1955] Persecution of Buddhists was maximum during Rajput period The persecution of Buddhists was started by the brahmins long time back. The authority of Brahmins over the masses was tremendous. Masses following Buddhist tenets was a great danger to Brahmin supremacy. They had tried to sabotage Buddhist sangha and Asoka had to drive away sixty thousands of fake bhikus. Real persecution of Buddhists had started at the time of Pushyamitra Shunga, who burnt monasteries and killed many monks. Persecution by Mihirgula was so horrible, that he was declared by Brahmins to be an avatar of "Kalanki", the tenth avatar of Vishnu, which now they say is yet to come. He built big temples for the benefit of Brahmins and wiped out all Buddhist monasteries. All this had happened before the Brahmins brought in the Rajputs. But there was some life left in Buddhism, the religion of masses. This was wiped out during the Rajput period. this period was the "Dark Age" of India. Mentioning about this period, Swami Dharmateertha rightly observes: "But so long as India had at least a glimmer of national life and freedom, she made incessant efforts to assert her self-respect and thwart Brahman tyranny and it was only when the country ultimately fell a victim into the hands of foreigners the Buddhism was crushed to death and Brahmanism spread its fangs over the prostrate people. He quotes R. C. Dutt who says: "For it was in the Dark Age that religious persecution began in India. Monasteries were demolished, monks were banished, and books were burnt: and wherever the Rajputs became rulers, Buddhist edifices went down and Hindu temples arose. By the end of the 10th century, Buddhism was practically stamped out from India, and the work of destruction was completed by the Muslims who succeeded the Rajputs as masters of India." [Epochs of Indian History, by R. C. Dutt] Swami Dharma Teertha further avers: "So complete was the destruction that modern antiquarians and historians who have gathered Buddhist sacred books from all parts of Asia have not succeeded in gleaning any valuable text from India. [swami Dharma Teertha, "The menace of Hindu Imperialism", p.n.108 ] Why did Brahmins need the Rajputs? We find in the history of India, king after king came into power by brahmin help, but got disgusted by the tyranny of Brahmins and accepted Buddhism. Brahmins had to find another usurper or invader to replace him. They already had acquired legal and religious right to kill the unwanted king through Manu. Explaining how Brahmins frequently used Indian usurpers and even foreign invaders as an instrument of enforcement of Brahmanism over masses, Swami Dharma Teertha observes: "... These unpatriotic and some times treacherous methods were also sought to be justified by the philosophy of Puranas. ..." [Dharma Teertha, p. 111] Chandragupta Maurya, came to power by help of a clever Brahmin, Kautilya. They tried to invite Alexander to invade Magadha. Chandragupta's empire grew but his grandson Asoka became devout Buddhist and all plans of Brahmins were foiled. So they brought in Pushyamitra and later Kanva kings. But another rising Indian people, the Satvahanas, who were patrons of Buddhism, foiled their designs. So Brahmins carved out a kingdom for Wema- Kadphises II, who worshipped Brahmanic gods. The next king Kanishka was initially under brahmanic influence but later on when he became enthusiastic patron of Sangha, he was killed by smothering to death in his bed by a pillow. King of Kashmir Jayapira, who trusted Kayastha ministers, was killed. King Nahapana in Saurashtra was helped to revolt against Magadha. He helped Brahmins but later refused to become puppets of Brahmins and also patronized Buddhism along with Brahmanism.. After Kingdom of Magadha under Satvahanas broken down, Brahmins managed to bring Gupta reign, and thus started "a long period of Brahmanical supremacy, huge horse sacrifices, and the revival of Sanskrit" [Dharma Teertha, p.116] During Gupta period Brahmins consolidated their gains, temple worship was started in place of Vedic religion, Puranas were edited and reedited, caste system, the "most deadly weapon of imperialistic domination ever invented by human brain" was started to "effectively divide them into groups and prevent their rising against their oppressors", temple worship was started which was "another instrument in the scheme of priests to exploit the people". They had to make some changes in their religion but as Swami Dharma Teertha observes:

Southern India In Southern India, the rite performed for purification, convertion, and initiation into awarding Ksatriyahood was called "Hiranya-garbhs mahadana" and the king was designated as Hiranya- garbha-prasuta, i.e. "one who performed the sacred rite of hiranya-garbha which consists in the performer passing through an egg of gold which was afterwards distributed among the officiating priests". [D. C. Sircar, 'The Classical Age', HCIP vol. III, p. 225] The Hiranya garbha prasuta kings of South India belong to the following dynasties, 1. Ananda gotra connected with Chezarla 2. Vishnukundin connected with Srisaila 3. Chalukyas 4. Pandyas 5. Rashtrakutas Andhra Desha - Ananda Kings Pallavas of Kanchi conquered heart of Andhra country around end of third century. The area around Guntur was freed from Pallavas by the dynasty of kings called "Ananda gotra". Only three kings are known from inscriptions; they are 1. Kandra, 2. Attivarman, and 3. Damodarvarman. Different dates, from 290 to 630 A.D., have been ascribed to these kings by different scholars. King Kandara was founder of city of Kandarapura, identified with modern Chezarla in Guntur District. Damodarvarman, who is regarded predecessor of Attivarman, was devotee of Samyak Sambuddha. The Kapoteswara temple at Chezarla of fourth century was a originally a chaitya hall later converted into a brahmanic temple. He is described as son of king who performed Hiranyagarbha mahadana. Attivarman, worshiper of Sambhu, performed this mahadana. [D. C. Sarkar, 'Classical age' p.202 ff.] Vihnukundins - Srisailam Their original home was Venukonda, 60 miles east of Srisaila hills, giving them the name. They were worshipers of god "Shriparvata Swamin". Whether it is identified with Srisailam Mallikarjuna Siva can not be certain. As a matter of fact, Sriparvata has been identified with a Buddhist site Nagarjun Konda. Whether it is identified with Srisailam or Nagarjun Konda, in either way it denotes Buddhist origin. In his own charters, Madhava Varman I is credited with having performed Hiranygarbha mahadana. He was great patron of learning. He is referred to in the Arya Manjushri Mulkalpa as Madhava. [D. C. Sarkar, 'Classical Age', p. 208 ff.] Shri K. R. Srinivasan has confirmed that what is now known as Anantasayangudi cave temple in Undavali was a temple of Vishnukundin times and originally a Buddhist temple which was converted to a Vishnu temple. [p. 33 and 81, 'Temples of South India'] Chalukyas of Badami Imperial Chalukyas of Badami (Bijapur district) reigned over vast areas for about two centuries. They were indigenous people, claiming status of Ksatriyas. Hiuen Tsang refers to Pulakesin II as Ksatriya. The Badami inscription of Chalukya Vallebheswara, i.e Pulakesin I, of 543 A.D., represents the monarch as "Hiranya garbha prasuta". So also do the records of his son Mangalesha's times. [D. C. Sarkar, 'Classical Age', p. 227] It is interesting to note that later inscriptions try to connect the dynasty to Manu or Moon and associates it with Ayodhya, though all such claims are myths. [Clas. Age, p. 229 ff.] Swami Dharmatirtha observes: "In the Deccan the Buddhist Kings were superseded by a Rajput dynasty, the Chalukyas, who were protagonists of Brahmanism. The fourth king of this line Pulkesi I destroyed the monastery at Amaravati and abolished Buddhism in those parts. He performed Ashwamedha Yajna and other sacrifices; grants of lands were made to the brahmanas; temples were built; worship of Siva in the terrible form of Kapaleswara was made popular." [p. 115, Menace of Hindu Imperialism] The Pandyas We know the Kalabharas, the Buddhist kings, had convulsed the affairs in Tamil country. They were defeated by Kondugan Pandya, (c. 590-620 A.D.) who is considered as the founder of Pandya dynasty. Huen Tsang says there were many Buddhist monasteries in ruins but only a few monks. Arikesari Parankusha Marvarman (c.670-710) was the ruler under whom began the imperial career of Pandyas. He is identified with Kun Pandya who was converted from Jainism to Saivism by saint Sambandar who cruelly persecuted the Jains. According to the story, 8000 Jains were impaled on stakes. Chola queen had invited Saint Sambadar to Madura.

The role of a Bard The importance of bards in Rajput period can not be under estimated. The bard, the Bhat or Charan was an important feature of the court life of the Rajputs. He recited the heroic deeds of the ancestors of the Rajputs. He was an important and favoured person, He was the reposiitory of the unwritten history of the clan. He was the undisputed authority on all genealogical matters. He was the registrar of the family's births, deaths and marriages. His verdict was final in setting disputes about the division of ancestral property or of caste and consaguinity in the case of wedlock. The person of the bard was sacrosanct. He acted as a herald in war, and as a pledge for the fulfilment of contracts. If those contracts were broken the bard would commit "Traga" or religios suicide, and thereby bring the most terrible of curses upon the head of the offender. The difficulty in deciding about origin of Rajputs has been increased on account of the fact that the Brahamanas and these bards have given very lofty pedigrees to the Rajputs. The Rajputs claimed to be the lineal descendants of the Kshatriyas of the Vedic times. They traced their pedigrees from the Sun and the Moon and some of them believed in the theory of Agnikula. Condition of women in Rajput times Though we hear of "swayamwara" in Rajput times, which gives an impression of adult marriages, in reality, the age of marriage was growing earlier, as per tenets of Manu Smriti, and child marriages were rampant. This curse goes on even today, and many responsible leaders do not consider it as an evil practice. There were plenty of child widows and the remarriage of a widow was not allowed. The result was that young widows had to live a life of misery. The practice of polygamy was very common. The birth of a daughter was not liked by the Rajputs as it was felt that the father of a girl would have to show himself inferior at the time of her marriage. No wonder, many girls were killed at the time of their birth by or with the connivance of their own prents. The question of women education was unthinkable. The condition of an average woman was deteriorating. She was becoming more and more dependent on her husband or his male relatives. The Brahmanic authors, poets and bards have not only glorified "Sati", they have glorified the "Jauhar" also, which was a mass suicide in order to escape defilement at the hands of the victor of alien faith. Women were made to believe that this was worse than death. This was most horrible method to preserve the caste, ever seen in India. There are examples in Rajput history when women entered fire to save their honour. Conditions of upper classes As of today, agriculture was the main profession of the people. While the poor toiled as free labour for constructions of temples and forts and palaces, for the construction of many irrigation works, reservoirs, tanks, wells and canals in time of famine, scarcity or drought, the condition of upper castes was very good. Mahajan explains: "... Trade and commerce flourished during the Rajput period. Big cities were linked up with roads. The people were wealthy and prosperous. The fame of their riches invited the cupidity of the Muslim invaders." [Mahajan p. 557] "The upper classes lived in palatial buildings and enjoyed all kinds of comforts. They had even slaves. There were many festivals and fairs throughout the year. Music, dancing, drama, dice, hunting, chess, etc. were very favorite hobbies. Both men and women put on ornaments, they were fond of various kinds of dresses. ... The upper classes did a lot of drinking. The use of opium and wine was common. The use of betel leaves was popular, ..." [Mahajan, p.557] Superstitions in Rajput period About how caste system and brahmin supremacy was destroying the old Buddhist vitality and assimilative power, Mahajan observes: "It has been stated that "the people were kept in ignorances, fed with unwholesome superstition and beguilded with gorgeous and never ending festivals." The Hindus were losing their old assimilative power. They were losing their old vitality. The rigid caste system was making them unprogressive. The dominance of the Brahmanas, both in spiritual and secular matters was doing havoc." [Mahajan, p.557] Regional Languages flourished The "Kalivarjya" had made its impact. The country was broken into regions and even a few miles constituted "par desh", a foreign land. The language which originally was Prakrit with slight differences in dialect, spoken by masses throughout the country, got divided into regional languages. These were made stronger and stronger by regional feelings developed by brahmins by creating literature in these languages thus making them even more powerful, though at the same time taking care that their own language, i.e. Sanskrit, over which they retained monopoly, remains same throughout India. Mahajan observes: "It is to be noted that it was during the Rajput period that vernacular literature made progress. It is rightly contended that the foundation of the modern vernacular languages of India such as Hindi, Gujrati, Marathi and Bengali were laid down in the Rajput period. Poetry was first developed in the vernacular literature of this period. Hemchandra Suri, a great Jain saint, made a great contribution towards our national literature." [Mahajan, p. 559] Obscene Art flourished The Rajputs were great builders of temples, for the benefit of Brahmins. Though many are destroyed by Muslims, some are still surviving to show the skill, money and labour spent on creation of them. Unfortunately the later Rajput creations of art are the preservations of sexual obscenity. "... The art critics divide the evolution of temple architecture in the Rajput period into two parts, The first part covered the period from 600 to 900 A.D. During the first period, there was a regular progress in the abundance of ornamentation in temple architecture. The originality of the ancient times was lost and the artisans relied on volume to give an expression of grandeur. Their tastes degenerated and we come across obscene figures. That was probably due to the influence of Tantrism on Hinduism. It has rightly been said that there is no beauty of original art in the architectural monuments of the age." [Mahajan, p. 559] Ranas of Mewar too Also some tribal chiefs were among those who became the Rajputs. Giving example of House of Mewar which played important role in political and military history of India for centuries to come, and gave heroes like Bapa Raval, Rana Sanga, and Rana Pratap, Stella Kramerish observes: "Formerly they (Bhils) ruled over their own country. This was prior to the arrival or Rajputs. The Rajputs, the 'sons of king', invaded the country, subsequently Rajasthan in about sixth century A. D. They became Ksatriyas, the nobility par excellence of India. Some of these Rajput princes, including the most exalted of them, the Rana of Mewar, at the inception of their rule, had their foreheads marked with the blood of a Bhil. It was drawn from his thumb or big toe. This was an acknowledgement of the precedence of Bhils as rulers of the country". [stella Kramerish, "Selected writings of Stella Kramerish", Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1968, p. 90; fn:- Koppers, "Die Bhil", p.14]

Rajput Government. As is well known, the government of the Rajputs was of a feudal character. All Rajput kingdoms in Northern India were divided into a large number of jagirs held by the jagirdars, who were mostly of the same family as the Rajput chiefs. The strength and security of the State depended upon those jagirdars rendering financial assistance and military service to the king. They were bound to the king by ties of personal devotion and were supposed to prove their fidelity in times of difficulty or danger. Such a government was bound to be inefficient as it fostered individualism and stood in the way of to combination of all the political forces in the state for a common purpose. Since everything depended upon the personality of the king, everything was paralysed if the king happened to be a weak person. No wonder, feuds were a common feature. [Mahajan, p.554] Life of a common man It is to be noted that changes in the government at the centre did not affect the life of the people in the villages. The people continued to manage their affairs in their village councils undisturbed by bigger events. Revenue of the state was collected through the agency of Panchayats. The latter also administered civil and criminal justice. The head man of the village and the Patwari performed their usual functions of collecting land revenue and submitting the same to the Treasury. Social Life. Prof. Mahajan explains how caste system was made rigid and how Brahmins arranged for their dominance to be always maintained.: "The caste system dominated the Rajput society. There were not only the Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras but also many new sub-castes. In Rajput society, the Brabmanas occupied the first place and commanded the greatest respect. They claimed to have the monopoly of all knowledge, whether it was spiritual or secular. They acted as counselors and ministers of the Rajput Kings. ... The Brahmanas were known as priests and philosophers. They enjoyed those privileges and facilities which were not enjoyed by others. for example, capital punishment was not awarded to Brahmanas. The Rajput rulers and soldiers came from the kshatriyas. The work of business and money-lending was done by the Vaishyas. The Sudras followed the profession of agriculture and artisans. They also served all the three higher castes. The untouchables lived outside the village or the town." [Mahajan, p. 555] Rigidity of Caste System The rigidity of Caste system is the legacy of the Rajput period. All the severity and the degradation was brought about during this period. All those masses practicing Buddhist faith and following different vocations became castes. That is, they stopped marrying among themselves. How such castes were produced by imposition of endogamy on an exogamous group and how this was due to the feeling of imitation of Brahmins, was explained by Dr. Ambedkar long time back in 1919. About Rajput period, Prof. Mahajan observes: "Caste system was not rigid at the beginning of the Rajput period ... However, in the later Rajput period, the caste system become very rigid and in doing so the Brahmanas played the most important part. During this period a large number of new castes or sub-castes came into existence. ... Many new occupational castes such as those of the carders, weavers, smiths, fishermen, brewers, oil men, cow-herds, carpenters, etc., came into existence. A new caste known as that of the Kayasthas also appeared. The main function of the Kayasthas was clerical. Probably the Kayasthas came from many castes." [Mahajan, p. 555 ff.]

Fighting was their duty As they were created for the purpose of putting down the Buddhists by use of force and uphold the supremacy of Brahmins, it was natural that they be mentally prepared to keep themselves ready to fight any time the Brahmanism needs their services. Prof. Mahajan explains: "The whole of the life of a Rajput was devoted to war. On reaching puberty, a Rajput boy was initiated in knighthood by the ceremony of Kharg Bandha or binding of the sword. He was brought up on the stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. His ideal was Rama. When not fighting, a Rajput spent his time in hunting and hawking or in feats of arms. During his leisure time, he was entertained by his bards and dancing girls. He also spent his time in drinking opium water (Kusumba) with his retainers. According to Bernier, 'If the Rajput is a brave man, he need never entertain an apprehension of being deserted by his followers; they only require to be well led, for their minds are made up to die in his presence rather than abandon him to his enemies. It is an interesting sight to see them on the eve of adieu one another, as if certain of death.' " [Mahajan, p. 554] "... The Rajputs loved war so passionately that they passed the night before battle, listening to recitation from the Mahabharata, longing for the morning as a lonely wife longs for her husband. They asked: When will the night pass away; when will the morning come: the time of battle?" [Mahajan, p.554] Why Rajputs failed Their loyalty to the chief and the clan was very great. They spent their time in quarreling with their neighbours and raiding their territories even for the most trivial reasons. It is stated that once a bloody battle was fought because a Raja, when out hawking, picked up a particle which had fallen over the boundary of his neighbour. But that was the intention of their creators. Brahmins knew that if these people did not fight among themselves, they would be burden to brahmins and a danger to their position in times to come. That was the reason only the selected few were made Rajputs, the rest remaining Jats, Ahirs and other commoners. Loyalty to Clan and not for nation was the cause of their fall, as Mahajan explains: "Although the Rajputs were strong and brave, they failed to accomplish much. That was partly due to their clannish patriotism. They cared only for their chiefs and the clans. They did not brother about the country as a whole. They were not able to combine together and defeat the foreign invaders. They kept on quarreling among themselves. They fought separately against the foreign invaders and each one of them was defeated separately. They wasted all their time and energy in mutual bickerings and jealousies and no wonder they accomplished nothing. Had the Rajput learned to pool all their sources together. it would have been impossible for the Muslim invaders to defeat them. The history of India would have been different." [Mahajan, p.554]

Rise of the Rajputs "The most prominent feature of this transitional period is the rise of the Rajput Clans. Henceforth the Rajputs began to play a prominent part in the history of Northern and Western India. Almost all the kingdoms were ruled by families of Rajputs. Hence the period from the death of Harsha to Muslim conquest of Hindustan may be called the Rajput period. India split up into numerous states due to absence of a paramount power "Another feature of this period is that during this long interval, India was not permanently occupied by any foreign people. The country was split up into a large number of states ruled by local Hindu rajahs, often at war with each other. There was no paramount power to unite together under one rule the various kingdoms each of which pursued its own course quite independently. Hence the history of this period lacks unity and can not be conveniently presented as a continuous narrative. The Rajput were mostly of foreign origin "The term 'Rajput' does not occur in early Sanskrit literature nor do we hear of Rajput clans before the eighth century A.D. This proves that they were a later addition to the population of India. During the troubled times that followed the breakup of the Gupta Empire, many foreign races such as the Huns, the Gurjaras, etc. settled in the Punjab and Rajputana and became Hinduised in course of time. The upper ranks of these foreigners, whose main occupation was war, came to be known as Rajputs,

Rise of Rajputs was for suppressing Buddhism This was the time when a new people i.e Rajputs were coming up on horizons, in North India, who were subsequently to dominate the history of India, for some centuries to come. Rise of Rajputs is too big a subject to be discussed here. It could form a subject matter of a separate work. Suffice it to say here that these people were made prominent by the Brahmins, for the specific purpose of suppressing Buddhism by use of force, from among the remnants of Hunas and other foreign hordes which had been broken down by the activities of kings like Baladitya and others. The following account is mainly drawn from a school text book, "History of India (Hindu period)" by Prof. L. Mukherjee, M.A., Mondal Brothers & Co. Pvt. Ltd. 54-8, College Street, Calcutta. 12. 26th edition., p 198 ff. "It was a transition period marked by a new grouping of states due to Hun invasions" "The series of invasions by the Huns and other associated foreign tribes in the fifth and sixth centuries shook the fabric of the Hindu society and brought a rearrangement of the caste system and of the ruling dynasties. The destructive effects of the Hun inroads were, to a certain extent, arrested by Harsha but as soon as his strong hand was removed, they manifested themselves in a regrouping of states. Hence the latter half of seventh century, during which this new grouping of states took place, may be regarded as a period of transition from early to medieval India.