The Rajputs in Gujarat, or Gujarati Rajputs are members of 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 ...

community living in the western Indian state of

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 ...

. They ruled several dynasties and

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 during the British era. Some Rajput clans of Gujarat have origins from outside regions such as

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 ...

, while others are native to the region.

Society

In Gujarat, the highest ranking Rajputs were those who belonged to royal families of important kingdoms, with rank declining as the territories they ruled became smaller and smaller kingdoms, fiefs, and land tenures.

History, clans, and dynasties

Solanki dynasty

The

Chaulukya The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...

s, also known as the Solankis, ruled parts of what are now

and

in north-western India, between the 10th and 12th centuries

Jhala clan

Jhala is a Rajput clan fount in

Jhalavad Jhalawar () is a city, municipal council and headquarter in Jhalawar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the southeastern part of the state. It was the capital of the former princely state of Jhalawar, and is the admini ...

region of

which was ruled from 11th century by the Jhalas.

Jadeja clan

The Jadejas are a Rajput clan of Gujarat who claim descent from

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

Vaghela dynasty & clan

The Vaghela dynasty were an offshoot

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

clan connected to the Chaulukya dynasty, ruling Gujarat in the 13th century CE. Their capital was

Dholka Dholka is a city and municipality in the Ahmedabad District of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the headquarters of Dholka Taluka, and is 48 km by road via National Highway 8A southwest of the city of Ahmedabad. Dholka has an average ...

. They were the last Hindu dynasty to rule Gujarat before the Muslim conquest of the region. Early members of the Vaghela family served the Chaulukyas in the 12th century CE, and claimed to be a branch of that dynasty. In the 13th century, during the reign of the weak Chaulukya king

Bhima II Bhima II (r. c. 1178–1240 CE), also known as ''Bhola Bhima'', was an Indian king who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Chalukya or Solanki) dynasty. During his reign, the dynasty's power decli ...

, the Vaghela general Lavanaprasada and his son Viradhavala gained a large amount of power in the kingdom, although they continued to nominally acknowledge Chaulukya suzerainty. In the mid-1240s, Viradhavala's son Visaladeva usurped the throne, and his successors ruled Gujarat until Karna Vaghela was defeated by Nusrat Khan of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

in 1304 CE, and lost Gujarat.

Chudasama dynasty

The Chudasama dynasty ruled sorath prant of the present-day Saurashtra region of Gujarat state in India between the 9th and 15th centuries. Their capital was based in Junagadh and Vamanasthali, and they were later classified among the Rajput clans.

References

Sources

* * *{{citation , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EjORKo7maRUC&pg=PA168 , title=The Structure of Indian Society: Then and Now , last=Shah , first=Arvind M. , author-link=Arvind Shah , year=2012 , publisher=Routledge , isbn=978-1-13619-770-3 Princely states of Gujarat Rajputs Gujarati people