A short Rajput history by Sardar Ali Ahmed Khan, Lahore, February 2002

When the old Kshatriyas of the Vedas were completely disarmed under the influence of Buddhism, in the 5th and later centuries B.C., they were merged into commercial tribes. The only other tribe in the indo-pak sub-continent which stubbornly resisted the influence of Buddhism and eventually succeeded in expelling it to other neighboring countries, were the Brahmins. After the political castration of the fighting Kshatryas and passing of the rulership of the country to other inferior (non-Kshatriya) tribes, the socio-political order passed through a period of chaos; yet some of the new ruling dynasties contributed to Brahmanism but majority of them like the Mauriyas and the Guptas professed Buddhism.

This state of affairs did not suit the Brahmanical idea of both religion and politics. Just as luck would have it, a fresh wave of migration of tribes started from central Asia via Afghanistan into India, spearheaded by the famous Yadu tribe. This started sometime in the 2nd Century B.C., and lasted till the third or fourth Century A.D. The new migrants were animistic and idolators as far as religion was concerned, but they were free from any influence of Buddhism. They were physically strong people, barbaric in their disposition, and great fighters. These tribes suited the Brahmins to replace the old Kshatriyas with, as rulers in India.

According to old traditions the number of these great tribes was 36 (hence the 36 royal races). It was difficult for the Brahmins to absorb these tribes into the then existing Indian society, just as Kshatriyas of the old order, simply because they were not part and parcel of the Vedic Aryans. The Brahmins, however, invented a new ceremony of purifying them by means of 'sacred fire' or Hawan. After the ceremonial 'purification', the Brahmins gave them the sacred thread and called them the Rajputs - the soverigns of India and with their spiritual blessings they set up kingdoms and states just like the old Kshatriyas.

The very famous of the tribes out of these (besides the Yadus) were Bhattis, Chauhans, Kchhwaha, Jhalas, Parmars, Rathors, and Sisodhias. These tribes spread all over the north west, central, and southern parts of the sub-continent. In eastern India they had set up their states in Orissa and Bihar as well as West Bengal, while east Bengal and Assam were lightly touched by their migrations as these zones had their own ancient tribes, and were ruling small kingdoms. There is no doubt that in the extreme southern India, like Travancore and Madras, there were some ancient states ruled by the indegenous rulers. But side by side with them, the Rajputs also carved out large principalities, for instance the Rashtrakutas (which after a lapse of centuries became the Nizam's territories) comprising of Telangara, etc. Part of these very tribes when they came to inhabit northern India and settled in Rajputana, they changed their tribal name to Rathors. The princely states of Jodhpur and Bikanir were the renowned remnants of these tribes.

It is to be noted that quite a number of the aforementioned tribes had stayed in the border countries between India and Afghanistan as well as the present day Baluchistan. These tribes ruled in these territories for a very long time till the advent of Islam. The Kchhwahas of Jaipur are actually the Kachtries of Baluchistan; and the Jhalas migrated from Jhalawan; and the Jams of Kathiawar are also a branch of the family of Lasbela.

The Bhitanis of the North West Frontier Province are in fact the parents of the Bhattis of the Punjab and Rajputana, who were eventually divided into quite a number of sub-tribes. One of the proof given by historians of note about the origin from Turkestan of the Rajputs lies in their extra chivalerous behavior, their mode of dressing and ornament, like the chak-phools, etc.