Kinwars Hindi: केनवार or किनवार is an Indian clan whose members belong to the

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

caste and worship Hindu goddesses Kulkula Mata or Mahamaya Mata or Durga Parameshwari Mata as their

Kuldevi A kuladevatā (), also known as a kuladaivaṃ, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism. Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion (''bhakti''), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (''kula''), gotra, family, and child ...

. They principally resided in the states of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

and

Eastern Uttar Pradesh Purvanchal () is a subregion of the Bhojpuri region of India which comprises eastern Uttar Pradesh. Purvanchal region gained independence from the Avadh and Mughal rule under Zamindar Balwant Singh, a Bhumihar zamindar from Benaras State. I ...

. Many have now migrated to other parts of India and other countries. However, some population of Kinwars can still be found in Balia District, Sitab Diara and nearby areas. Most Kinwars use Singh as their surnames but some use Kinwar or Kenwar also. It is believed that the word Kinwar (also spelt as Kenwar) takes after the

Ken River The Ken River is one of the major rivers in the Bundelkhand region of central India and flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is a tributary of the Yamuna. Course The Ken River originates near the village Ahirgawan ...

. The ancestors of the Kinwars came from Ken river basin. It is the branch of Suryavanshi

rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

. Kenwar literally means guardians of the Ken river. Ken river basin was the stronghold of Kinwars during mediaeval times. There are ruins of several castles along the banks of 427 KM long Ken river. The Kinwars were likely the guardians (and probably the owners) of many of these castles. These castles were vital in defending their territories against the foreign invaders for a long time but ultimately fell to Mughal empire. Not much is available in terms of recorded history about Kinwar (Kenwar) migration out of Ken river basin. It is likely, most of them were killed or migrated defending their territory. However, there are some documented evidences that at least two teenage Kinwar princes were given refuge by Raja of

Benares Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tr ...

(present day Varanasi). One of them was Baijul Singh Kenwar. Most present day Kinwar are descendants of Baijul. According to Saiyad Hasan Ansari (1986) in "Evolution and Spatial Organization of Clan Settlements: A Case Study of Middle Ganga Valley", Baijul commanded the army of Raja Guhurwar (the Raja of Benares. Also spelled as Gaharwar) and married Raja's daughter. Their descendants are what remains of the Kinwar clan.

References

Rajput clans of Uttar Pradesh Rajput clans of Bihar Rajput clans {{India-ethno-stub