The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c31.s9.2

c31.s9.2

Ethnological speculations, or discussions about facial angles, thick or thin noses, long skulls or broad skulls, the mystery of the origin of caste, and so forth, are foreign to the purpose of this work, and cannot be even lightly handled in these pages.² But the narrative sections of this chapter dealing with the political fortunes of many Rājpūt clans can hardly fail to suggest to the thoughtful reader inquiries which seem to demand with urgency some sort of answer. Who were these Rājpūts—Parihārs, Pawārs, Chandēls, and the rest—and why do they and their affairs make such a confused stir during the centuries intervening between the death of Harsha and the Muhammadan conquest? The dominance of the Rājpūt clans is at first sight the conspicuous fact differentiating the mediaeval from the ancient period in the history of Northern India, and the mind craves for an explanation. It is proverbially easier to ask questions than to answer them, and in this case the facts are far too complex and imperfectly known to admit of concise satisfactory explanations. Still it may be worth while to make a few observations on the subject, designed to help the weary reader in his endeavour to find some sort of clue to guide him through the maze of dynasties.