Rajpurohit

Page protected with pending changes
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Rajpurohit
Jagirdar
StatusForward caste

Rajpurohit

ideologies.[6]

Social structure

Rajpurohit is a Brahmin community, who as a rule, did not provide Brahminical services as expected with the caste duties of Brahmins. Their ancestors are Brahmins, mostly notable

Gaur lineage. Though they have been described as a Brahmin group which mediates matrimonial alliances of Rajputs, they did not play any role in actual rituals of the wedding for which the services of a regular Brahmin were employed.[5] They take part in battlefield, business, promoting culture through arts, educational services etc.[7]

Patshah Akheraj Rajpurohit of Tinwari
Rajpurohit Kesari Singh, pride of Marwar on his horse

In the folk history of

strategic
positions. Thakur GopalSingh ‘Rashtravar’ Kharwa has written in his historical research that

"In every war of Rajputs, the Rajpurohits has sacrificed everything without any greed."

Bravery memorial built in memory of Rajpurohit Guman Singh of Tinwari[8]

Even today Damamis, Bhats and poets are found praising these local heroes in various areas, villages and hamlets. Soratha/Dohas are stilll popular by the Damamis of Tinwari:

चारण कर कवराज, रण खेती राजपूता री |

बहुविधा(शस्त्र) जुधबाज, राजनीत राज प्रौहिता ||

चारण देवी सुं छावा खत्रवट कवत बखाण |

सतिवत जूंझण रण सरैं , छत्रिय , प्रौहित राण ||[7]

Historical background

Mythological mention and legend

There is evidence in the Puranas that every state had a Rajpurohitt, Rajguru or Kulguru, who were mostly famous Saptarishis or their descendants. Vashishtha was the Rajguru of the Ikshvaku clan in the kosala kingdom. During the Mahabharata period, Kripacharya, Dronacharya for Kuruvansh, and later Dhaumya Rishi held this position for the Pandavas.[9]

The Battle between Arjuna and his Guru, Dronacharya

In the mythologies, the character of Rajpurohit is said to be one of the major characters who used to express his opinion on every matter of the state and played an important role in the battlefield. According to folklore, there is mention of four Rajpurohit or Kulguru Purohit along with four Rajput branches by the Yajna of Guru Vashishtha.

In the

civil administration works.[10] Over time this position became hereditary.[7]

Social Formation in medieval period

Purohit Jagannath of Mewar, 19th-century Mewar oil painting

They attained the

royal house, educating princes, guiding the king, providing advice on the matters of welfare of the state, and performing religious duties as they were into helping maintain the security of the kingdom by being actively involved in battles. Rajpurohit as a community is a group of Brahmins who are/were royal caretakers and priests of a Hindu Kingdom in medieval times. Over the last few centuries, the Rajpurohits were incorporated into the feudal structure of Rajasthan, as they received grants of villages, called jagirs, from the rulers from time to time. Consequently, they came closer to Rajputs in terms of tradition and way of life. Though they retained the Brahminical customs of vegetarianism, wearing of Janeu, and others.[5][7]
By the medieval period, many societies under Rathore rule laid more emphasis on strategic power and political empowerment so that they could prove their worth and serve in the royal court. For the first time, during the time of Rao Maldev, Rajpurohits got the opportunity to get important positions in the feudal system. This was the time when Jats, Charans, and Kayasthas were being established in important positions in the feudal system. Akheraj Rajpurohit was one of the important confidants of Maharaj Jaswant Singh who later also served Prince Ajit Singh.[11]

Samant Rajpurohit Somaji Mutha[12]

Indeed, the Rajpurohit consider themselves descendants of those great

Thikana, and feudal lands. These villages or land were considered to be free from any ruler and were outside the ambit of any form of tax. That’s why there is a difference in traditions between the Rajpurohit and other Brahmin castes. There are many clans in the Rajpurohit caste but the most prominent among them are Sevad, Sodha, Rajguru, Manana, and Jagarwal. Much information about these clans comes from the ledgers of the jagirs and thikanas granted to them and some information from the historical sources of Raj Marwar.[13]

Demography

Rajpurohit is a title bestowed upon those learned Brahmins, who were masters in 4 arts i.e mantras ( all rituals), economics, politics, and warfare. They looked after the administrative running of the kingdoms. In the course of their service to the kingdom, according to ancient traditions, the kings used to award a few non-taxable villages or land known as Sasan Jagir and donated called Doli Jagir within his kingdom to their Rajpurohits. These villages or land were considered to be free from any ruler and were outside the ambit of any form of tax. Since in India, the majority of Rathore raj was prevalent in Rajasthan before the independence of India, the Rajpurohit caste is prominently found in the Marwar & Godwad region of Rajasthan i.e. Jodhpur, Jalore, Pali, Nagaur, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Churu & Sirohi districts of Rajasthan. Apart from this, this community has spread all over the country. Most of the Rajpurohits who live in other parts of India can trace back their roots, up to one to two generations, back to some village in Rajasthan.[14]

Status

Rajpurohit are counted among the

unreserved category. Most of the population is engaged in agriculture and business
.

Political activities

The Rajpurohit community had previously been allied primarily with the Bharatiya Janata Party. In 2009, however, the community switched loyalties to the Indian National Congress, due to perceived neglect by the BJP.[6]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Aside from being a community, Rajpurohit is synonymous with Rajguru as an ancient term for a type of Brahmin. Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund note that "There is much evidence in ancient texts that there were two ideal types of Brahmins in those days, the royal priest or advisor (rajpurohit, rajguru, "akherajot" and "kanot") and the sage (rishi) who lived in the forest and shared his wisdom only with those who asked for it."[1] Its modern use in this sense has been described by Sumit Sarkar as a "self-conscious archaism".[2]

Citations

  1. ISBN 9780415329194
    . Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  2. ISBN 9780253342034
    . Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  3. ^ Hardyal, Munshi (2020). The Castes of Marwar (Census Report of 1891) (1st ed.). Books Treasure.
  4. ISBN 978-81-8475-983-9
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 8129108909
    . Rajpurohit are a community of people residing in Bikaner State,Marwar,Nagaur etc. They were granted jagiri for large villages for their participation and bravery shown on the battlefield and were very active in councils of King
  6. ^ a b "Rajpurohits pitch in for Cong". The Times of India. 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d Singh, Dr.Prahlad (1982). Rajpurohit Jaati ka Itihaas. Rajasthani Granthnagar.
  8. ^ "Gumansingh Rajpurohit's bravery day celebrated". Patrika.com.
  9. ISBN 978-8171101962
    .
  10. ISBN 978-9354403705
    .
  11. ISBN 9788186103321. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help
    )
  12. ^ VYAS, KANTILAL BALDEVRAM (1997). Kanhadade Prabandha (1st ed.). Jodhpur: RAJASTHAN ORIENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, JODHPUR.
  13. ISBN 9789387297722
    .
  14. ^ "Rajpurohit Samaj Maha Sammelan". ndtv.in.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rajpurohit&oldid=1219303432"