References

Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Several volumes published during the 20th century.
A.K. Warder "An Introduction to Indian Historiography", Popular Prakashan 1972.
Thakur Udaynarayan Singh , "Kshatriya Vamshavali" (in Hindi), Khemaraj Shrikrishnadas, 1989.
Jwalaprasad Mishra, "Jati Bhaskara", 1914, Khemaraja Shrikrishnadas
Col. James Tod, "Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan" Two volumes, published in 1829, 1832.
Scythic Origin of the Rajput Race by Mulchand Chauhan

Independent India

On India's independence in 1947, the native rules were given three choices, join one of the two states Indian or Pakistan, or remain independent. Rajput rulers of Rajputana and Central India acceded to newly-independent India; Rajputana was renamed Rajasthan and became an Indian state in 1950. The Maharajas were given special recognitions and an annual amount termed privy-purse was endowed them.
Many of the Rajput Maharajas entered politics and served India as elected representatives. In 1971, Indira Gandhi "de-recognized" the Maharajas and abolished the privy-purses. As a result, the Maharajas had to transform some of their palaces into hotels and tourist destinations. Today, the Maharajas still fulfill some of the ceremonial duties as recognized elders and private citizens in India.

Maratha Domination and British Rule

The quarrels among the Rajputs led to their inviting the Marathas for help in their power struggles; this resulted in the subjection of all the Rajput states to the Marathas. Jodhpur was conquered by Sindhia, who levied a tribute of 60,000 rupees, and took from it the fort and town of Ajmer. Internecine disputes and succession wars disturbed the peace of the early years of the century, and the Rajput princes asked for British protection from the Marathas during the Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1817-1818. At the conclusion of this war in 1818, 18 states in the Rajputana region, of which 15 were ruled by Rajputs, became princely states of the British Raj, while the British took direct control of Ajmer, which became the province of Ajmer-Merwara. A number of other Rajput states in central India, including Rewa, Ajaigarh, Barwani, Chhatarpur, Datia, Orchha, and Ratlam, became princely states as well, and were placed under the authority of the Central India Agency.

Rajput resistance to Muslim Attack

Rajput Kingdoms contended with the rising and expansionist empires of Central Asia, be they Arabs, Moghuls, Mongols Afghans, or other Turks. They earned their reputation by fighting these battles with a code of chivalrous conduct rooted in their strong adherence to tradition and (Hindu dharma). The Rajput Kingdoms held out against the Arab Caliphates and other Central Asian Empires for several centuries. A few Rajput Kings did convert to Islam, and eventually an alliance formed with the Mughals, which laid the foundations for the creation of the largest pre-colonial era empire in South Asia. The heroism and sacrifice displayed by the Rajputs is legendary in the chronicles of Indian history.
In the early 11th century, Mahmud of Ghazni conquered the Hindu-Shahi kingdom in the Punjab, and his raids into northern India weakened the Pratihara kingdom, which was drastically reduced in size and came under the control of the Chandelas. Mahmud sacked temples across northern India, including the temple at Somnath in Gujarat, but his permanent conquests were limited to the Punjab, and Somnath was rebuilt after the raid. The early 11th century also saw the reign of the polymath king Bhoj, the Paramara ruler of Malwa.
The Rathores, as the Gahadvala dynasty, reestablished the kingdom of Kannauj, ruling the Ganges plain. The Rahevars, as the Rever dynasty, established the kingdom of Tarangagadh in 11th through the 12th century, and conquering Marwar in the 13th. The Rajputs fought each other in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Prithiviraj II, ruler of Delhi, crushed Muhammad of Ghor in 1191 at the First Battle of Tarain and Ghori was captured. After Ghori sued for his life he was let go despite strong resistance by Prithviraj's generals. Ghori managed to defeat Prithviraj the following year at the Second Battle of Tarain, and the attacks of Muhammad's armies brought down the Gahadvala kingdom of Kannauj in 1194. The Delhi Sultanate was founded by Qutb ud din Aybak, Muhammad of Ghor's successor, in first decade of the 13th century.
The Chauhans reestablished themselves at Ranthambore, led by Govinda, grandson of Prithviraj III. Jalore was ruled by another branch of Chauhans, the Songaras. Another branch of the Chauhans, the Hadas, established a kingdom in Hadoti in the mid-13th century.
Sultan Ala ud din Khilji (1296–1316) conquered Gujarat (1297) and Malwa (1305),captured fort of mandu and handed over to the songara chouhans, and captured the fortresses of Ranthambore (1301), Mewar's capital Chittorgarh (1303) and Jalor (1311) after long sieges with fierce resistance from their Rajput defenders. Mewar reestablished their supremacy within 50 years of the sack of Chittor under Maharana Hammir. Hammir defeated Muhammad Tughlaq and captured him. Tughlaq had to pay huge ransom and relinquish all of Mewar's lands. After this the Delhi Sultanate did not attack Chittor for a few hundred years. The Rajputs reestablished their independence, and Rajput states were established as far east as Bengal and north into the Punjab. The Tomaras established themselves at Gwalior, and the ruler Man Singh built the fortress which still stands there. Mewar emerged as the leading Rajput state, and Rana Kumbha expanded his kingdom at the expense of the sultanates of Malwa and Gujarat. The Delhi Sultanate recovered somewhat under the Lodhi dynasty, and Rana Sanga of Mewar convinced Babur to challenge Ibrahim Lodi for control of the Delhi Sultanate, hoping that the struggle between Muslim rivals would allow the Rajputs to reclaim Delhi. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat on April 21, 1526, and the Rana Sanga rallied a Rajput army to challenge Babur. Babur barely managed to defeat the Rajputs at the Battle of Khanua on March 16, 1527. The Rajput rulers agreed to pay tribute to Babur, but most retained control of their states, and struggles between Babur's successor Humayun and the Suri Dynasty for control of the Sultanate preoccupied the Muslims for several decades.
Mewar and the Mughals
Soon after his defeat in 1527 at The Battle of Khanwa, Rana Sanga died in 1528. Bahadur Shah of Gujrat became a powerful Sultan. He captured Raiseen in 1532 and defeated Mewar in 1533. He helped Tatar Khan to capture Bayana which was under Mughal occupation. Humayun sent Hindal and Askari to fight Tatar Khan. At the battle of Mandrail in 1534 Tatar Khan was defeated and killed. Raja of Amber Puranmal helped Mughals in this battle. He himself was killed in this battle. Now it became necessary for Humayun to crush the rising power of Bahadur Shah. When Bahadur Shah was engaged in besieging the fort of Chittor, Humayun started against him. Hearing the news Rani "Karmawati" widow of Rana Sanga sent Rakhi to Hymayun. Humayun is considered to have accepted the Rakhi but stopped at Sarang Pur in January 1535. Mewar was weakened due to constant struggles. After a long wait Rajputs had a last fight on March 8, 1535 and Rani Karmawati together with other women committed Jauhar the same day. Humayun now pursued Bahadur Shah. Later Bahadur Shah and Sher Shah Suri created many problems for Humayun and he lost the empire. Fortunately he regained the empire in July 1555. Soon after he died in January 1556. Akbar the son of Humayun tried to persuade Mewar to accept mughal sovereignty like other Rajputs. But Rana Udai Singh didn't accept it. Ultimately Akbar besieged the fort of Chittor in 1567. This time Rana Udai Singh acted tactfully and left the fort with his family. Jaimal Rathor of "Merta" and Fatah Singh of "Kelwa" were left to take care of the fort. On 23 February 1568, Akbar hit a Prominent Person with his gun who was looking after the repair work. The person was Jaimal Rathore. In the same night Rajput women committed Jauhar and Rajput men, led by the wounded Jaimal and Fatta (Fatah Singh), fought their last battle. Akbar entered the fort and at least 30,000 innocent people were killed. Later Akbar placed a statue of these two brave Rajput warriors on the gates of Agra Fort.
Akbar won the fort of Chittor but Rana Udai Singh was ruling mewar from another places. On March 3, 1572 Udai Singh died and his son Rana Pratap sat on throne at Gogunda. He vowed that he will liberate Mewar from Mughals and till then will not sleep on a bed, will not live in a palace, and will not have food in a plate (Thali). Akbar tried that Rana Pratap should have a treaty with him. But he did not succeed in it. Finally he sent an army under Raja Man Singh in 1576. Rana Pratap was defeated at the Battle of Haldighati in June 1576. Rana Pratap escaped from the battle and started guerrilla warfare with Mughals ultimately he was successful in liberating most of the Mewar except the fort of Chittor. Rana Pratap died on January 19, 1597 and Rana Amar Singh succeeded him. Akbar sent Salim in October 1603 to attack Mewar but he stopped at Fatehpur Sikri and sought permission from emperor to go to Allahabad and went there. In 1605 Salim sat on the throne and took the name of Jahangir.
Jahangir sent an army to attack Mewar in 1605 under his son Parvez. A battle was fought at Debari but was not decisive. Again in 1608 the Mughal emperor sent Mahabat Khan. In 1609 he was called back and Abdulla Khan was sent. Then Raja Basu was sent and then Mirza Ajij Koka was sent. But no conclusive victory could be achieved. Ultimately Jahangir himself arrived at Ajmer in 1613 and he appointed Shazada "Khurram" to fight against Mewar. Khurram devastated the areas of Mewar and cut the supplies to Rana. With the advice of the nobles and his crown prince "Karna" Rana sent a peace delegation to Khurram under Shubhkaran and Haridas. Khurram sought an approval of treaty from his father Jahangir at Ajmer. Jahangir issued a Farman (Order) to authorize the Khurram to agree a treaty with Rana Amar Singh. The treaty was agreed between Rana Amar Singh and prince "Khurram" in 1615 CE. 1.Rana of Mewar accepted Mughal sovereignty. 2.Mewar and the fort of Chittor was returned to Rana. 3.The fort of Chittor could not be repaired or renovated by Rana. 4.Rana of Mewar would not attend personally the Mughal court. Crown prince of Mewar will attend the court and give himself and his army for the Mughals. 5.It was not necessary for Rana to establish marriage alliance with Mughals.
This treaty was respectable for both parties and ended the 88-year long enmity between Mewar and the Mughals.

Aurangzeb and Rajput rebellion
The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who was far less tolerant of Hinduism than his predecessors, placed a Muslim on the throne of Marwar when the childless Maharaja Jaswant Singh died. This enraged the Rathores, and when Ajit Singh, Jaswant Singh's son was born after his death Marwar nobles asked Aurangzeb to place Ajit on the throne. Aurangzeb refused and instead tried to have Ajit assassinated. Durgadas Rathore and others smuggled Ajit out of Delhi to Jaipur, thus starting the 30 year Rajput rebellion against Aurangzeb. This rebellion united the Rajput clans, and a triple-pronged alliance was formed by the states of Marwar, Mewar, and Jaipur. One of the conditions of this alliance was that the rulers of Jodhpur and Jaipur should regain the privilege of marriage with the ruling Sesodia dynasty of Mewar, on the understanding that the offspring of Sesodia princesses should succeed to the throne over any other offspring. This stipulation would lend itself to many future conflict

Early dynasties

The first Rajput kingdoms are attested to in the 6th century, and the Rajputs rose to prominence in the 9th and 10th centuries. The clans that descended from the solar and lunar lineage i.e. 'Suryavanshis' and 'Chandervanshis' rose to prominence first, followed by the five Agnivanshi clans, the Pratiharas (Parihars), Chauhans (Chahamanas), Solankis (Chaulukyas), Paramaras, and the Rathores.
The Pratiharas (Parihars) established the first Rajput kingdom in Mandore [1], Marwar in southwestern Rajasthan, with the Chauhans at Ajmer in central Rajasthan, the Solankis in Gujarat, the Paramaras in Malwa, the Rever's in Tarangagadh. The Rajput Rai Dynasty ruled Sind during the 6th and 7th centuries. Sind was conquered by an Arab Muslim army of the Califate, led by Muhammad bin Qasim, in the 8th century. Bin Qasim attacked Chittorgarh, and was defeated by Bappa Rawal Guhila. The Pratiharas rebuffed another Arab invasion in the ninth century. No further significant invasions occurred until the eleventh century. The Pratiharas later established themselves at Ujjain and ruled Malwa, and afterwards at Kanauj in the Ganges-Yamuna Doab, from which they ruled much of northern India, from Kathiawar in the west to Magadha in the east, in the ninth century. Clans claiming descent from the Solar and Lunar races, who were originally vassals of the other clans, later established independent states. The Guhilas (later called the Sisodias) established the state of Mewar (later Udaipur), under Bappa Rawal, who ruled at Chittorgarh, which was given in dowry to Bappa in 734 for his bravery. The Kachwaha clan came to rule Dhundhar, with their capital at Amber, and later Jaipur. The Chandela clan ruled Bundelkhand after the tenth century, occupying the fortress-city of Kalinjar and building the famous temple-city of Khajuraho.
The Tomars/ Tanwars established a state in present day Delhi,Haryana, and Eastern Punjab, rebuilding and founding in 736 A.D. the city of Dhiliki, ancient Inderprastha and modern day Delhi). Tomars/ Tanwars, being of Chandravanshi (Bharatvanshi) lineage, descended from Mahabharat's great hero, Arjun, through his son, Abhimanyu, and grandson, Prikshit. King Anangpal-I Tomar rebuilt Dhilika. Tomar/ Tanwar rule lasted at least until 1182 A.D when the then Tomar King Anangpal-II appointed Prithviraj, his daughter's son, as 'Caretaker'. King Anangpal-II Tomar,in the words of Lt. Col. Tod - quoting Chand Bardai- 'was justly entitled to be termed as the sovereign of Hindustan'. According to 'Jagas' of Tomars/ Tanwars, King Anangpal-II handed over the kingdom to Prithviraj when he went on a religious pilgrimage. However, Prithviraj refused to hand over the kingdom when King Anangpal-II returned from pilgrimage.The Kachwahas, and Chandelas and the bargujars were originally vassals of the Pratihara kingdom. The inscriptions from this period mention frequent intermarriage among the ruling clans.the Bargujars originated as the vassals of the pratiharas and are of suryavansh lineage

Rajput origins

While it is widely recognized that no single origin for the rajputs can be authoritatively identified, various theories of origin have been put forward. All of them are informed by Hindu puranic legend. The rajput clan system and the traditional view of their origins is elaborated upon in Rajput clans while other hypotheses, ascribing to them a Scythian (Saka/Huna) origin, are detailed in Origin of Rajputs.
Because of the fluid social structure in early medieval India, a tribe could gain or lose in status based on political importance and occupation. Many tribes over the course of time became extinct because of war, or relocated to another location and changed their names. Traditionally, every rajput must belong to one of 36 specific clans. During the rule of the British, Lieutenant Colonel James Tod visited Rajasthan and attempted to write a definitive list of the 36 Rajput tribes. However, everyone that he spoke to gave him varying lists. It can thus be concluded that any caste or clan that had furnished warriors or was politically dominant in a particular region can justly call itself Rajput. James Tod uses this legend as a basis for speculating upon a scythian origin for the rajputs. He suggests that scythian tribes which invaded India in the 1st century AD and disappeared into the population soon afterwards were the forbears of present-day rajputs.
The rajputs first came into historical prominence around the 7th and 8th century BC; they emerge as a set of inter-marrying tribes located in central India and Rajasthan. They were allegedly migrants to India from Central Asia who mingled with the aboriginal tribes and were given Kshatriya, or warrior status by the priests. However, this view of Rajput descent from the Hepthalites or White Huns is disputed, and arises from the rise of Rajput ascendancy in the wake of the successful invasion by the Hepthalites into the Gupta Empire.
Harshavardhan (606-648 AD) of Kannauj was the first to use the term Rajputra. The term was used for the descendants of the Turkic-Shahi dynasty present in Kashmir in Rajatarangini of Kalhana. The 36 Rajput clans are first mentioned in the Kumarpala Charita of Jayasimha and then in the Prithviraj Raso of Chandbardai. The lists include classical clans like Ikshvaku, Soma,\, and Yadu; well-known Rajput clans such as Bargujar, Rathore, Paramara, Rever, Chauhan, Gaharwar,Chalukya, Parihar and Chandela; as also lesser-known clans such as Silar (Shilahara), Chapotkat and Tank.
Today, with the aid of inscriptions and copperplates discovered, it is possible to trace the history of the royal clans with considerable certainty. However they were not available in 17-18th century when a number of chronicles (khyats) were compiled, often based on oral tradition. By this time, the Agni-kunda myth had been expanded to explain the origin of four of the major clan. James Tod wrote his influential book The Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan in 1829 and 1832 on the basis of these chronicles. Other authors have used some of his hypotheses, even though the texts discovered and read during the 20th century show that Todd's hypotheses are sometimes inaccurate.
Prithviraj III
Prithvi Raj Chauhan (1168-1192 CE; pronounced: [prɪ.t̪ʰvɪ.ˈraːdʒ tʃaʊ.ˈhaːn]) Prithvi Raj Chauhan was a king of the Hindu Rajput Chauhan (Chahuwan) dynasty, who ruled a kingdom in northern India during the latter half of the 12th century.
Prithvi Raj Chauhan was the second last Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi (the last Hindu king being Hemu). He succeeded to the throne in 1179 CE at the age of 11, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. He controlled much of Rajasthan and Haryana, and unified the Rajputs against Muslim invasions. His elopement with Samyukta (Sanyogita), the daughter of Jai Chandra, the Gahadvala king of Kannauj, is a popular romantic tale in India, and is one of the subjects of the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem composed by Prithviraj's court poet and friend, Chand Bardai.
Prithvi Raj fought and defeated the Afghan ruler Muhammad Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain in 1191 CE but was then immediately defeated at the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 CE. After his defeat, India was open to invasion by the Mahmud Ghori, and Delhi came under the control of him. Qila Rai Pithora in Delhi, also known as Pithoragarh, is named after him

Rajput Clans

Rajputs regard themselves as being descended from the vedic warrior class known as the Kshatriyas. To differentiate them from ordinary Kshatriyas the word Rajput was used, which literally means "son of a King."
Rajputs belong to one of three great patrilineages (vanshas), which are sub-divided into 36 main clans (kulas), which in turn divide into numerous branches (shakhas), to create the intricate clan system of the Rajputs.
The 36 Rajput clans are first mentioned in Kumarpala Charita of Jayasimha and then in Prithvirāj Rāso of Chandbardai. The lists include classical clans like Ikshvaku, Soma, and Yadu, well-known Rajput clans such as Bargujar, Parmar, Puwar,Chauhan, Chalukya, Rathore, Parihar, Chandela etc as well as lesser known clans such as Silar (Shilahar), Chapotkat, Tank, etc.
Today, with the aid of inscriptions and copperplates discovered, it is possible to trace the history of the royal clans with considerable certainty. However they were not available in 17-18th century when a number of chronicles (khyats) were compiled, often based on oral tradition. By this time the agni-kunda myth had been expanded to explain the origin of four of the major clans. James Tod wrote his influential book "The Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan" in 1829 and 1832 on the basis of these chronicles. Some of his hypotheses have been used by other authors, even though the texts discovered and read during the 20th century show that Todd's hypotheses are sometimes inaccurate.
The principle of patrilineage is staunchly adhered to in determining one's place in the system and a strong consciousness of clan and lineage is an essential part of the Rajput character. As the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica states, this tradition of common ancestry permits an indigent Rajput yeoman to consider himself as well-born as any powerful landholder of his clan, and superior to any high official of the professional classes. Authoritative listings of the 36 Rajput clans are to be found in the Kumārpāla Charita of Jayasimha and the Prithvirāj Rāso of Chandbardai.

The Suryavanshi lineage
Suryavamshi claim descent from Surya. The Sun Dynasty is oldest among Kshatriyas. The first person of this dynasty was "Vivaswan," who by the meaning of his name is considered to be "Surya." Ikshvaku was the first important king of this dynasty. Other important kings were Kakutsth Harishchandra, Sagar, Dileepa, Bhagiratha, Raghu Dashratha and Rama. The poet Kalidasa wrote the great epic Raghuvamsa about the dynasty of Raghu including the great king born in the Sun Dynasty.
The Rajwar, a cultivating caste of Bihar and Chota nagpur who claim Surajvansi Rajput descent, but is not generally admitted. The Surajvansi are sometimes also called Kaushilya or Kaushal (after Kush), while the chandravansi are called Kaushik. The Kausik(a) rajput tribe is also found in considerable numbers in Ghazipur, Azimgarh and Gorakhpur, claiming descent from Kausik, father of Gadhi, founder of Gadhipur (Ghazipur).
suryavansh clans: Balla, Bargujar, Gehlot, Haiwaha, Hul, Jhala, Jamwal, Kachwaha, Minhas, Rathor, Senghar.
these clans further divide into branches.

The Chandravanshi lineage
Chandravanshi claim descent from Som which literally means "Moon." This Lunar Dynasty is also old but younger than the Sun Dynasty. Som was the first king of this dynasty. Other important kings were Pururawa, Nahush, Yayati, Dushyant, Bharata, Kuru, Shantanu and Yudhishthir. Yadu was the eldest son of Yayati claim descent from Yadu. Krishna was also born in this dynasty of Yadu . Harivamsa gives details of this dynasty. The Suryavamsha as well as the Somavamsha originated from the common ancestor, the great Brahma. His sons were : Marichi; his son sage Kashyap; his son Vivaswan or Surya i.e. Sun, and the descendants vamsha was Suryavamsha.
The other son of Brahma was Atri. And his sons were Sagar or Samundar i.e. sea (from which the apavansi or sagarvansi sprang and Sagar’s son was Soma or Chandra, and his descendants were the Somavansa.
From the start of Somvansh to Shree Krishna, there were 46 generations of kings, all given in this section. The first seven being (in that order): Soma, Buddha (not the Gautama), Puruva or Yela, Ayu, Nahush, Yayati and Yadu. The 46th being Lord Krishna.
chandravansh clans : Bharra, Bhatti, Chavada, Gaharwal, Jadeja,Mangral, Jadon, Janjua, Jethwa, Katoch, Pathania, Saini [12] [13][14][15] [16][17] [18], Silahar, Tuar.
these clans further divide into branches

The Agnivanshi lineage
It claims descent from four persons who were born from fire or by the influence of Ved Mantras." According to Puranic legend, as found in Bhavishya Purana, a yagna was held at Mount Abu, at the time of emperor Ashoka's sons. From the influence of Mantras of the four Vedas, four Kshatriyas were born. They were: 1. Pramar (Paramara), 2.Chaphani (Chauhan); 3.Chu (Chalukya); 4.Pariharak (Pratihara). But since fire cannot produce warriors, it should be understood that these four persons were either reconverted into Hinduism or revitalized to fight against invaders. They could not be of foreign origin because India was fighting against Indo-Greek kings at that time. Pusyamitra Sunga and his son Agnimitra were Brahmins. They are known for reviving Hinduism. This theory of origin has produced much controversy; however, only four clans out of many Rajput clans are considered to be Agnivanshi. Some scholars also count Nagavanshi and Rishivanshi. One of the most important clans of the Rishivans is Dhakare. It was believed that the origin of the Dhakare Rajput was when Raja Bali the king of Patal lok was injured during war with Raja Indra, king of Devta. Then his blood was collected on the leaf of a Dhakh and his guru Sukracharya make one man, by his mantras, whose name was Dhakare, fight against Devtas. The traditional lineages of Dhakare Rajput presently live in Agra (UP) and near the river Chambal. The Yaduvanshi lineage, claiming descent from the Hindu god Krishna, are in fact a major sect of the Chandravanshi.
It is believed that 4 Agnikula clans originated by Brahmanas having concentrated them by fire.
According to the myths, Parmar, was created out of fire by Indra Devta, the god of fire, at Mount Abu. It is said that as the newly created man had come out from fire saying “Param-Amar, Param-Amar” or "immortal fire" loudly, he came to be known as parmar. Vikramaditya according to some was a Pa(r)war, but most probably a Tomar. There were many other kings bearing the name Vikramaditya.
The Rishis and Munis (Hindu ascetics) further say that afterwards Brahma created a young man from fire. He was holding a sword in one hand and Veda in the other. He came to be known as ‘Chilonki’ because it is believed that as Brahma had prepared the putla or human image on his hand, then had thrown it into fire, the man had born. It is said that the word got corrupted to ‘Milonki’ and later on to ‘Solinki’.
It is said that afterwards god Shiva created a man from fire, who had a dark complexion. This man, though not brave, was well suited to act as guard at the door. This is exactly the reason why he came to be known as ‘Prithvi Dwar’. In its changed form it came to be known as Parrhiar.
Later on the god Vishnu created a man from fire and made him like himself and with complexion of Krishna (black). He was very brave with bow tied to his body and arrow in one hand and sword in the other. Because of these attributes he came to be known by the name of ‘Chifrang’, which in its corrupted form became ‘Chauhan’.
In this way the Rajputs were born from fire by the kindness of the gods. They are also known to be agnikul or the fire family hence agni-vansi. The place of fire at the Mount Abu where they were created is still held sacred by them and they prefer pilgrimage (tirath) to it.
agnivansh clans : Parmara, Parihara, Chalukya, Chauhan.
these further divide into branches.

Legend of Agnivansha
Among the legends mentioned above, the one which addresses the origin of the Agnivanshi Rajputs is particularly disputed not least because they were the earliest to rise to political prominence. This legend begins with the puranic legend wherein the traditional kshatriyas of the land were exterminated by Parashurama, an avatara of Vishnu. Later, the legend says, sage Vasishta performed a great Yajna, or fire-sacrifice, to seek from the Gods a provision for the defense of righteousness on earth. In answer to his prayer, a youth arose from the very flames of the sacrifice -- the first Agnivanshi Rajput. According to Bhavishya Purana an yagna was held at Mount Abu during the time of Ashoka's sons. This produced four warriors and an elephant. The Agnikunda legend is explained in Agnivansha. Ashoka and his sons were Buddhists but the general of last Mauryan empereor was a staunch Brahmin.
Legend of Agnivansh is associated with Sage Vashishta when trying to save his Ashram from Vishwamitra's army he creates a "fire born" kshatriya. This legend has been embeliished by indologists over the years

Who Are Rajputs

Rajput constitute one of the major Hindu Kshatriya groups from India. They claim descent from ancient royal warrior dynasties of Kshatriyas. They are identified with the word "Rajanya" found in ancient Indian literature and trace their roots to Rajputana. In ancient times the son of a king was referred as to Rajput- Raja-putra. The Rajputs are of many clans.
From ancient times they were known for their valor and chivalry in battle. They are considered to be formidable warriors even to this day. It is common to find many of them serving in the Indian Armed Forces. In current days Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh are home to most of the Rajputs. Lord Rama of the Hindu Pantheon was a Kshatriya of the Raghuvanshi or Suryavanshi clan which is said to continue to this day in the royal descent of the Udaipur and Jaipur royals. The Rajputs ruled more than four hundred of the estimated six hundred princely states at the time of India's independence. From those princely states, 121 were Salute states in which Rajputs ruled 81 of them at the time of India's independence. The Rajputs were classified as a martial race by the British colonial government and recruited for the military establishment during the subcontinent's colonial period. "Martial Race" was a designation created by officials of British India to describe "races" (peoples) that were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle, and to possess qualities like courage, loyalty, self sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness, the ability to work hard for long periods of time, fighting tenacity and military strategy. The British recruited heavily from these Martial Races for service in the colonial army.