Rawal (also spelled Raval) or Raol originally is a regional variation of the Hindi princely ruler title
Raja/Radjah (literally "king") used in some
princely state
A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...
s in
Rajputana
Rājputana, meaning "Land of the Rajputs", was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and some adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day ...
and Western India (notably Gujarat), and is now also used as a caste designation or surname by several communities in Southern Asia. A village near Sumer has people filled with surname- Rawal of General Category.
Princely titles
Notable (but non-salute) states using this title for their ruling prince were, both under the colonial
Mahi Kantha Agency
Mahi Kantha was a political agency or collection of princely states in British India, within the Gujarat Division of Bombay Presidency. In 1933, the states of the Mahi Kantha Agency, except for Danta, were included in the Western India States ...
(in the third -high- of seven classes of states) and in present
Gujarat, India
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth- ...
:
* the Raol of
Malpur
Malpur is a census town in Aravalli district in the Indian state of Gujarat.
History
Malpur State was an Indian princely state founded about the middle of the fifteenth century. Rawal Virajmal, son of Rao Kiratsinghji of Idar State, was succ ...
* the Raol of
Mansa Mansa may refer to:
Places In India
* Mansa, Gujarat, a town in northern Gujarat, Western India; the capital of:
** Mansa, Gujarat Assembly constituency
** Mansa State, a princely state under the Mahi Kantha Agency in India
* Mansa district, P ...
Maharawal
This 'Western' equivalent of the higher (gradually deflated) Hindi title
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
(literally 'great king') was notably used by three
salute state
A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...
s in
Rajputana
Rājputana, meaning "Land of the Rajputs", was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and some adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day ...
(presently in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
), all entitled to a (high-ranking) Hereditary
gun salute
A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number (''21-gun salute''), with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world.
Histo ...
of 15-guns :
* the Maharawal (also called Maharaja) of
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...
* the Maharawal of
Banswara
Banswara is a city in the Banswara district in southern Rajasthan, India. The name, Banswara, came from "Bans wala" (bamboo) forests, as Bamboo grew in abundance around this place within the area.
Banswara is also known as "City of a Hundred ...
* the Maharawal of
Dungarpur
Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dungarpur District. It is the fastest developing town in the southern part of Rajasthan, alongside Aspur ''tehsil''.
History
Dungarpu ...
and one in
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, entitled to a (rather low-ranking) Hereditary salute of 9-guns (11-guns personal) :
* the Maharaol (or Maharawal) of
Bari(y)a
Surnames
As a surname, "Rawal" is found among multiple communities in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
* Raval/Rawal surname also found in
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
community in Gujarat, for example
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient ...
.
*
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 ...
s
for example
Bappa Rawal
Bappa Rawal (c. 8th century) was a king of the Mewar kingdom in Rajasthan, India. The bardic chronicles describe him as a member of the Guhila Rajput Clan, and some of them consider him to be the founder of the Guhila dynasty. He is credited w ...
.
*
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...
s
* The
Nambudiri
The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal el ...
priests of the
Badrinath
Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham Hindu pilgrimage, pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgr ...
and
Kedarnath
Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of the ...
were given the title of "Rawal" by the king of
Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India:
Places
*Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas
*Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom
* Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India
*Gar ...
in 1776
* Raval (also known as Rawal or Raval Yogi), an Indian caste categorized among the
Other Backward Classes
The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, S ...
* Rawal, a caste found in Pakistan and Pakistani diaspora; its members claim to be the original rulers of Rawalpindi
People
People with the title or surname Rawal include (''in alphabetical order''):
*
Bappa Rawal
Bappa Rawal (c. 8th century) was a king of the Mewar kingdom in Rajasthan, India. The bardic chronicles describe him as a member of the Guhila Rajput Clan, and some of them consider him to be the founder of the Guhila dynasty. He is credited w ...
(Rajput),
legendary ruler of Mewar kingdom India
*
Bhim Bahadur Rawal
Dr. Bhim Bahadur Rawal ( ne, डा.भीम बहादुर रावल) commonly known as Bhim Rawal is a Nepali politician, former Deputy Prime Minister & Defence Minister of Nepal in Second Oli cabinet. He served as the Minister of Hom ...
, Nepali politician
*
Jam Rawal
Jam Rawal Lakh (1480–1562), was Jadeja Rajput ruler, who ruled Kutch State from 1524 to 1548 and later was founder-ruler of Nawanagar State from 1540 to 1562.
Ruler of Kutch
Jam Raval was son of Jam Lakhoji, the chief of Tera, Kutch, Tera bra ...
, ruler of Kachchh princely state in India
*
Narendra Raval
Narendra Raval (born 1962) is a Kenyan industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist of Indian Gujarati origin. Raval who serves as the Executive Chairman of the Devki Group of Companies, a conglomerate in East Africa that manufactures ...
, Kenyan entrepreneur and philanthropist
*
Jayakumar Jitendrasinh Rawal
Jaykumar Rawal is a member of the 13th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He represents the Sindkheda Constituency.
Jaykumar Rawal is a descendant of the royal family of Dondaicha Sansthan and his grandfather Sahakar Maharshi Dadasaheb Rawal was ...
, Indian politician
*
Jitendra Jatashankar Rawal, Indian astrophysicist
*
Kalpana Rawal
Kalpana Hasmukhrai Rawal (born 15 January 1946 in Bhuj, India) is a Kenyan-Asian lawyer and the former Deputy Chief Justice and Vice President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. She was sworn in on June 3, 2013 as the Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya in ...
, Kenyan lawyer and judge
*
Lal Bahadur Rawal
Lal Bahadur Rawal ( ne, लाल बहादुर रावल) is a member of 2nd Nepalese Constituent Assembly. He won Bajhang–2 seat in CA assembly, 2013 from Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist)
The Communist Part ...
, Nepali politician
*
Nisha Rawal
Nisha Rawal (born 18 November 1980) is an Indian actress, known for her role in television show ''Main Lakshmi Tere Aangan Ki'' (2011-2012).
Career
Before getting into acting, Rawal appeared in advertisements for Sunsilk, Coca-Cola and Fem Bl ...
, Indian model-actress
*
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient ...
, Indian actor
*
Rajendra Rawal, Nepali footballer
*
Darshan Raval
Darshan Raval is an Indian singer, composer, actor, and songwriter. He sings predominantly in Hindi along with Gujarati and Telugu. He was the first runner-up in the StarPlus music reality show, '' India's Raw Star'' in 2014.
Career
In his in ...
, Indian singer
*
Rawal Jaisal
Rawal Jaisal (–1168), was a Bhati Rajput ruler of Jaisalmer who lived during the 12th century and founded the city of Jaisalmer and Jaisalmer state. Sixth in descent from Rawal Deoraj Bhati, he was the eldest son of Rawal Dusaj of Deoraj (D ...
, ruler of Jaisalmer state in India
*
Rawal Mallinath
Rawal Mallinath is a 14th-century folk hero of Rajasthan. He was the eldest son of Rao Salkhaji, the ruler of Mehwanagar in Barmer District. He and his wife, Rani Rupade, are revered as folk saints in Western Rajasthan.
Military career
He ruled ...
, folk hero of Rajasthan, India
*
Rawal Ratan Singh
Ratnasimha (IAST: Ratna-Siṃha, r. c. 1302 –1303 CE) was a ruler of the Medapata (Mewar) kingdom in present-day Rajasthan, India. He belonged to the Rawal branch of the Guhila dynasty, which ruled from the Chitrakuta fort (modern Chitto ...
, ruler of Mewar state in India
*
Sanjay Rawal
Sanjay Rawal (born October 30, 1974) is an Indian-American documentary film director who lives in New York City. His first feature length film ''Food Chains'' premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in its Culinary Cinema Programme in 2014 and had ...
, American documentary film director
*
Sashi Rawal
Sashi Rawal ( ne, शशि रावल) is a Nepali pop singer. She became popular with the song called ''Chahana sakiyo bahana sakiyo'' which was written and composed by Kali Prasad Baskota from her first album ENTRANCE released in 2007. She ...
, Nepali pop singersinger
*
Vaibhav Rawal
Vaibhav Prem Rawal (born 9 November 1991) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Delhi in domestic cricket. He is a left-hand batsman and leg-break bowler. He is a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad in the Indian Premier League
T ...
, Indian cricketer
*
Vipul K Rawal
Vipul K Rawal is an Indian scriptwriter, film maker, and author. Rawal's most recent film was '' Rustom'' starring Akshay Kumar for which Akshay Kumar won the National Award for the best actor. Rawal also wrote the episodic television series ''V ...
, Indian scriptwriter
Clan
*
Rawal
Rawal (also spelled Raval) or Raol originally is a regional variation of the Hindi princely ruler title Raja/Radjah (literally "king") used in some princely states in Rajputana and Western India (notably Gujarat), and is now also used as a caste ...
, A Clan Of Lord Shiva Followers.
Places
*
Rawal lake, a reservoir in Pakistan
*
Rawal Express
''Rawal Express'' ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Lahore and Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Kar ...
, a Pakistani train service between Lahore and Rawalpindi
*
Rawal, Uttar Pradesh
References
{{authority control
Heads of state
Noble titles
Royal titles
Titles in India
Titles in Pakistan
Court titles
History of Pakistan
Titles of national or ethnic leadership
Filipino royalty
Hindi words and phrases
Shaikh clans
Social groups of Punjab, Pakistan
Social groups of India