Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, or the Central and Western Rajput States of India v1.c20.3

v1.c20.3

Titles of Mewār Chiefs : descent from the Sun.—These are styled Ranas, and are the elder branch of the Suryavansi, or ‘ children of the sun.’ Another patronymic is Raghuvansi, derived from a predecessor of Rama, the focal point of each scion of the solar race. To him, the conqueror of Lanka,¹ the genealogists endeavour to trace the solar lines. The titles of many of these claimants are disputed ; but the Hindu tribes yield unanimous suffrage to the prince of Mewar as the legitimate heir to the throne of Rama, and style him Hindua Suraj, or ‘ Sun of the Hindus.’² He is universally allowed to be the first of the ‘ thirty-six royal tribes ’; nor has a doubt ever been raised respecting his purity of descent. Many of these tribes³ have been swept away by time ; and the genealogist, who abhors a vacuum in his mystic page, fills up their place with others, mere scions of some ancient but forgotten stem.