Rajpurohit (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

:राजपुरोहित) is a Brahmin sub caste residing in South Asia natively in western

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 ...

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 ...

. They maintain traditions that are similar to both

Brahmins 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 o ...

and

Rajputs 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 ...

. They are historically engaged into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

trading Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exchan ...

, jagirdar, royal council Member and are spread across entire country. They were given villages at boundary of kingdom. According to political analysts,

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 ...

, Rajpurohit and

Charan Charan ( IAST: Cāraṇ; Sanskrit: चारण; Gujarati: ચારણ; Urdu: ارڈ; IPA: cɑːrəɳə) is a caste in South Asia natively residing in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states of India, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan provinces ...

communities are considered to be identical in regards to their social customs and political ideologies.

Social Structure

Rajpurohits are a

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, who as a rule, did not provide Brahminical services as expected with the caste duties of

s Their ancestors are Brahmins of different sub castes such as-Gaur,Paliwal,Pushkarna,Nagar,Pareek,Khandelwal,Dadheech and Bias but most of them has gaur linage. Though they have been described as a Brahmin group which mediates

matrimonial Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

alliances of Rajputs, they did not play any role in actual

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

s of the

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

for which the services of a regular Brahmin were employed. they take part in battlefield, business, promoting culture through arts, educational services etc.

Political activities

The Rajpurohit community had previously been allied primarily with the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...

. In 2009, however, the community switched loyalties to the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

, due to perceived neglect by the BJP.

Notable Historical figures

Purohit Devidas

Purohit of Rao

Lunkaran Lunkaran (12 January 1470 – 30 March 1526) was the third Rao of Bikaner, ruling from 1505 to 1526. He spent much of his two-decade long reign consolidating and expanding the territories of his relatively new kingdom. Background Lunkaran was ...

who fought for him in almost every battles of him and died along with

and his sons against Nawab of Narnaul.

Purohit Narain Das

Naraian das fought and died in the

Siege of Chittorgarh (1535) The siege of Chittorgarh took place in 1535, when Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat attacked Chittor Fort, after the death of Rana Sanga, with the aim of expanding his kingdom. The forts defense was led by the Widows of Sanga. Background Rana Vikra ...

.{{Cite book, first=G.N, last=sharma, title=Glories of Mewar, url=https://books.google.com/books?

Rajpurohit Pratap Singh Mulrajot

Pratap singhji fought and attain Martyrdom in the Battle of Sammel

Gopinath and Jagannath Purohit

Both of them fought with

Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I, popularly known as Maharana Pratap (c. 9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), was a king of Mewar from the Sisodia dynasty. Pratap became a folk hero for his military resistance against the expansionism of the Mughal Empire under A ...

against Mughals.{{Cite book, first=M.N, last= Mathur, title=Battle of Haldighati, url=https://books.google.com/books?

Teja Purohit

Teja was Minister of peace and war for Rana Kumbha i.e

Kumbha of Mewar Kumbhakarna Singh (r. 1433–1468 CE), popularly known as Maharana Kumbha, was the Maharana of Mewar kingdom in India. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Rajputs. Rana Kumbha is known for his illustrious military career against various sultanat ...

Garibdas Purohit

Purohit Garibdas was a great military general of Maharana Raj Singh. He commanded the forces of Mewar in the battles of Aravali hills.

Rajpurohit Kesari Singh Akherjot

Chief commander of

Abhai Singh of Marwar Maharaja Abhai Singh Rathore (7 November 1702 – 18 June 1749) was the Raja of Marwar (Jodhpur) Kingdom 24 June 1724 – 18 June 1749.N.S. Bhati, Studies in Marwar History, page 6 Coronation Abhai Singh was crowned on the death of his father ...

in the Battle of Ahmedabad against Mughal governor Sarbuland Khan.

Purohit Jag Nath

Jag Nath purohit was the chief commander and purohit to Bakht Singh of Marwar His father Jaideo purohit was a पुष्करणा Brahmin who helped Durgadas Rathore and protected young Ajit Singh., book, title=Mediaeval History of Rajasthan: Western Rajasthan, Published=1992, Publisher=Rajvi Amar Singh

Legacy

Rajpurohit paintings

Gallery of some rajpurohit warrior potraits

Memorials

Kanji sewad Rajpurohita statue in his Chhatri

Rajpurohit Pratap Singh Mulrajot Chhatri

Notable members of the Rajpurohit community

* Sant Kheteswara - Notable saint of Rajasthan. * Govind Singh Rajpurohit, an Indian legal educational administrator. * Gulab Singh Rajpurohit is an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party. * Jethu Singh Rajpurohit, an

n politician and member of the

from

Bali, Rajasthan Bali is a town and a municipality in Pali district in the state of Rajasthan, India. The town is situated on the left bank of the Mithari River. This walled town was the headquarters of a district having the same name in the Jodhpur State. Bal ...

. *

Shankar Singh Rajpurohit Shankar Singh Rajpurohit is an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party and a two term member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly representing the Ahore Vidhan Sabha constituency of Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings ...

, an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

References

Notes {{notelist Citations {{reflist Social groups of India Social groups of Rajasthan {{india-ethno-stub{{Social groups of Rajasthan