History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v2.c28.s1.103

v2.c28.s1.103

These settlements of the Vedic Kshatriyas in the inhospitable sandy and hilly regions of Rajastan before and about the beginning of the Christian era, it is not difficult to imagine, must have been impelled by the pressure of foreign invaders on their ancient homes in the Panjab and the Gangetic valley. In fact throughout Indian history Rajputana appears to have afforded a sheltering ground to the Indo-Aryans, whenever they were thrust out of their richer lands, blessed with plentiful water, by barbarian hordes like the Śakas, the Kushans, the Huns and lastly the Mahomedan Turk's and Afghans. The last of the Rajput families which thus took shelter in the sands of Rajastan, we know from authentic history, were the Rāṭhods of Kanauj, who after the defeat and death of Jayachand came from the Gangetic valley to the sands of Marwar. In fact Rajputana has got this name—the land of Rajputs—from Mahomedan times only. History furnishes proof, though not certain, of many such immigrations in times previous to the advent of the Rāṭhods. The first historical mention is that of the Mālavas, the Malloi of Greek historians. From coins discovered at Nagar in Rajputana, Cunningham inferred that the Mālavas were there in their migration from the Panjab to Malwa about the first century B. C. as the coins bear the simple legend 'Jaya Mālavanam' (Cunningham's Arch. Survey Report Vol. XIV). The next mention we have is that of the Madhyamikas who had a kingdom somewhere near Jaipur and who were invested by Śakayavanas. The Gaur Rajputs appear from tradition to have come from Gauda Deśa *i. e.* the region about Thanesar (not Bengal as people wrongly think) and settled in Ajmer where they were subsequently supplanted by Chāhamānas. The Gurjaras of Bhinmal were in our opinion not foreigners as Smith and Bhandarkar believe but were, on the contrary, Vedic Aryans pressed by foreigners from their homes in the Panjab taking shelter as usual in the sands of Marwar and preserving their independence. We have no record left of other Kshatriya tribes founding settlements in Rajputana in the 3rd and 5th centuries onsted by Kushans and Huns. But it may be surmised that the Kshatriyas or Rajputs who now came to prominence in the 8th century by their heroic conflicts with the Arabs were descendants of Vedic Aryans who had come to Rajastan being driven out of better homes in the Panjab and the Gangetic valley by foreign invaders. The religious map of India which we have appended to our first volume shows that this part of India was not predominently Buddhist nor Hindu-Buddhist, but predominently Hindu. Here in the deserts and hills of Rajputana, the Vedic Kshatriyas had preserved their independence as well as their Vedic religion and when here also they were attacked by new foreigners who, to the cruelties of invaders, added the ferocious intolerance of a new idol-breaking faith, the Vedic Kshatriyas or Rajputs rose to the height of their efforts in defence of their religion and their independence. It is hence we see the phenomenon that in Rajputana, new Kshatriya clans came into prominence about this time and not only beat back the Arabs but by their new vigour founded the second set of Hindu Kingdoms which ruled India in the second portion of the mediæval Hindu period. Of these Rajputs the Guhilots, the Chāhamānas, the Pratihāras and the Paramāras were the most prominent and we proceed to sketch the history of these and other clans and the kingdoms they founded in our next book, beginning of course with the Guhilots to whom by the unanimous consent of modern Rajputs the palm of chivalry and pure Kshatriya blood has been properly conceded.