Mair Rajputs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mair Rajputs or Maid Rajputs is the name of a Hindu Punjabi cast in India from amongst the Punjabi Rajputs. They are Hindu by religion and comprise of the warrior race of Rajputs who had originally migrated from Rajasthan with the movement of the armies that brought Rajput rule over Punjab and had settled down in Punjab generations ago[citation needed].
During the ensuing prolonged period of lasting peace thereafter [citation needed] when they could not be supported by the armies and could not find any work as warriors they chose to work as Sunars to survive. "Sunar" is a Hindi word for Goldsmith and Jeweler in India, a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and also at the same time is a businessman specializing in selling gold, silver, other precious metals including precious stones and jewelry / ornaments crafted from these. In time it soon became a well known fact thereafter, locally in Punjab, that the profession and business of "Sunars" was monopolized and run by Hindu Rajputs who had slowly become a subcast of the Punjabi Rajputs by then and became known as "Mair Rajputs".
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[edit] History
With the partition of India in 1947 into India and Pakistan the Indian state of Punjab was also split in two. Hindus and Sikhs including Mair Rajputs living in the portion of Punjab that was given to the newly created Muslim country of Pakistan had to leave by force to save themselves from communal slaughters and forceful conversion to Islam, many of them fled their ancestral homeland now in Pakistan in a complete destitute state and had to start life afresh in India. All their ancestral land, property and wealth was left behind in Pakistan. The following book gives a detailed account of the atrocities commited against Hindus and Sikhs including Mair Rajputs in Punjab during partition of India in 1947:
- Talib, Gurbachan (1950). Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947. India: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.Online 1 Online 2 Online 3
Please Note: Included are three online sources above from where a free online copy of the above book can be read for reference.
Life was tough for the refugees including the Mair Rajputs at the beginning after partition; they had to live in a destitute state in refugee camps in India before they were allotted specially constructed houses in the Refugee colonies by the government of India. Many of them settled in Delhi and other parts of India after partition.
Today they are again a very successful clan of people and have brought pride for their families and country by excelling in all walks of life, many of them joined the Armed Forces, even the British recruited from this clan for their Rajput Regiments due to their famous Rajput warrior bloodline [citation needed].
A small percentage of them still continue to do business and practice as Sunars however majority of them were abruptly shocked to find that in portions of India outside Punjab where they had to migrated to, the profession of Sunars was considered as something practiced by lower cast Hindus. Mair Rajputs are of the warrior cast "Kshatriya" which is the second highest cast in India after the learned "Brahmins". "Kshatriya" or the Rajputs are the ruling cast of India, a cast of Warriors and Kings / Rajas. Thus the Mair Rajput families after having migrated out of Punjab (the portion that was given to create the Muslim country of Pakistan) to India during partition in 1947 were embarrassed to mention their family craft and business as that of having known to be that of Sunars in the most recent past. They instead preferred to call themselves as "Punjabi Rajputs", which is of course also true and hid any association to Sunars / Goldsmiths / Jewelers. Many had already left practicing as Sunars many generations ago and entered other professions especially after higher education was more readily available.
Today the Mair Rajputs not only live in India but have migrated and settled down all over the world and are doing very well for themselves in all fields [citation needed].
[edit] Notable "Mair Rajput" Gothras (Families)
Babbar: Bagga: Baghel: Bagri: Bhutta: Bir: Dhalla: Dhariwal: Desor (Dasaur): Dhunna: Gogna: Jaura: Karwal(Gharwal?): Khangar(Khungar): Khich: Luddhar(Ladhar): Main: Mandhari: Masaun: Mitru: Nischal (Nichal): Pajji: Plaud: Roda: Rudra: Sadhiora: Shinh (Sinh): Sohal: Sur:
[edit] See also
- Kshatriya
- Rajput
- Bhati (Rajasthan) / Bhatti (Punjab)
- Raja
- Mair - Mair-Minhas, see Minhas, the Rajput tribe of Chakwal in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, named after Raja Mair (whose name before conversion to Islam in 1190 was Raja Bhagir Dev), the ancestor of Minhas Rajputs in Punjab (mair means brave in Sanskrit)
- Minhas
- Khatri
- Punjab (India) State of Punjab, India.
- British Raj (colonial era in British India)
- Punjab (Pakistan)
- Punjab (British India)
- History of the Punjab
- Partition of India
- Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947
- Hinduism
- Sikhism
- Indian caste system
- Persecution of Hindus
- Anti-Hindu
[edit] References
- This article on "Mair Rajputs" on Wikipedia has originally been written by Atul Singh Nischal (Bhatti / Bhati), I am a Mair Rajput, I have also referred to my own questioning of elders in our family of Nischal, Shinh, Sur and Luddhar / Luthra. [this source's credibility needs verifying]
- "The Mair Rajputs of Punjab" by Mr. Rajesh K Verma
- The Mair Rajputs Today
- Gothras of the Mair Rajputs
- Notable Mair Rajput Gothras (Families)
- Talib, Gurbachan (1950). Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947. India: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.Online 1 Online 2 Online 3
[edit] Further Reading
- Blunt, E.A.H. The Caste System of Northern India. Delhi: S. Chand & Co., 1969.
- Chattopadhyaya, Brajadulal. The Making of Early Medieval India. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994.
- Ibbetson, Sir Denzil. Panjab Castes. Lahore: Superintendent, Gov't. Printing, Reprint 1916 (from 1883 original of 1881 census).
- Jain, Kailash Chand. Ancient Cities and Towns of Rajasthan. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1972.
- Rose, H.A. A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. Lahore: Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1914.
- Saggar, Balraj. Who's Who in the History of Punjab: 1800-1849. New Delhi: National Book Organisation, 1993.
- Singh, K.S. National Series Volume VIII: Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames, & Titles. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1996.
- Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal. The History of India: 1000 A.D.-1707 A.D. Jaipur, Shiva Lal Agarwala & Co., 1964.
- Tod, Lt. Colonel James. Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, Vol. 1 (1829), Vol. 2 (1832).
- Walker, Benjamin. The Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. New York: Frederick Praeger, 1968.
- Talib, Gurbachan (1950). Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947. India: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.Online 1 Online 2 Online 3 (A free copy of this book can be read from any 3 of the included "Online Sources" of this free “Online Book”)
Please Note: Please add any other credible published sources that can be referred to here in this list for additional information for readers.
[edit] External Links
- The Mair Rajputs of Punjab
- Yahoo Group of MairRajputs
- Rajputs Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition; 2005
- Rajput Encyclopedia Britannica; 1911
- British Association of Rajputs
- Rajput Association of America
- RAJPUT ASSOCIATION OF NORTHAMERICA (RANA)
- RAJPUTINDIA
- Rajput Samaj of UK
- Rajput Samaj: Online Rajput Community Center
- Rajput Vansh, Clans, Gotra
- Rajasthan and the Rajputs
- Information on clan system
- Punjabi Rajput Matrimonial Site at PunjabiMatrimony.com
- Welcome to Official Web site of Punjab, India
