History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v2.c28.s1.61

v2.c28.s1.61

Hence it is that about the beginning of the 11th century Rajputs confined themselves to the tract where the Kshatriya kingly families were chiefly gathered. And the status of Kshatriya was naturally confined to those who could prove descent from undoubted Kshatriya kings within the memory of the generation and had not to depend on bardic legends, broken as they were by many centuries of Buddhist and foreign rule. The word Rājaputra became, therefore, of special importance and the thirty-six royal families of Kshatriyas were enumerated, marriage within which group was considered proper. We need not wonder that those families were chiefly confined to what is now called Rājputāna and the adjoining portions of Central India where, as the religious map appended to our first volume shows, Hinduism was very strong even in the days of Hiuen Tsang and Buddhism had not much hold upon the people, Kshatriyas and Rajputs outside these limits were looked upon as not undoubted Kshatriyas. And it is thus that the gulf between the central tract Rajputs and the Kshatriyas of Bengal and the Deccan arose. It must be noted that Rajputs who have now given their name Rājputānā to this central tract can all trace their descent step by step to some known king ruling in the 7th and 8th centuries A. D. It may seem strange but it is nevertheless true that such descendants of one man in the 9th century or even the 12th may be reckoned at this day by thousands. The Rajput has thus preserved the purity of his race unquestionably from the 8th century onward down to this day in a manner not to be found in any other caste, not even Brahmins in India, or any people in the whole world.