Muslim Rajputs
| Regions with significant populations | |
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| Rajputs |
Muslim Rajputs or Musulman Rajputs, are patrilineal descendants of Rajputs of Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who are followers of Islam.[1] Today, Muslim Rajputs can be found in Northern India and some parts of Pakistan.[2] They are further divided into different clans.
History
The term Rajput is traditionally applied to the original Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi and Agnivanshi clans, who claimed to be Kshatriya in the Hindu varna system.
Conversion to Islam and ethos
There are recorded instances of recent conversions of Rajputs to Islam in Western Uttar Pradesh, Khurja tahsil of Bulanshahr.[3]
Despite the difference in faith, where the question has arisen of common Rajput honour, there have been instances where both Muslim and Hindu Rajputs have united together against threats from external ethnic groups.[4]
Medieval Muslim Rajput dynasties of the Indian subcontinent
Kharagpur Raj
The Kharagpur Raj was a Muslim Kindwar Rajput chieftaincy in modern-day Munger district of Bihar.[5][6] Raja Sangram Singh led a rebellion against the Mughal authorities and was subsequently defeated and executed. His son, Toral Mal, was made to convert to Islam and renamed as Roz Afzun. Roz Afzun was a loyal servant to the Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan and Jahangir referred to him as his "favourite" commander in the empire.[7] Another prominent chieftain of this dynasty was Tahawar Singh who played an active role in the Mughal expedition against the nearby Cheros of Palamu.[8]
Soomra dynasty
The Rajput Soomra dynasty replaced the Arab Habbari dynasty in the 10th century. The dynasty lasted until the mid-13th century. The Soomras are one the longest running dynasties in the history of Sindh, lasting 325 years. They had converted to Islam under the Arab rule. During their reign, Sindh saw a period of relative peace, expansion of commerce and trade, and flourishing local culture.[9]
Muzaffarid dynasty
The Gujarat Sultanate was an independent Rajput kingdom established in the early 15th century by the Muzaffarid dynasty in Gujarat. Under the dynasty, trade, culture, and Indo-Islamic architecture flourished. The city of Ahmedabad was founded by the dynasty.
Khanzada Dynasty
Mewat was a kingdom in Rajputana with its capital at Alwar ruled by a Khanzada Rajput dynasty during the period of the Delhi Sultanate in India. Mewat was covered over a wide area, it included Hathin tehsil, Nuh district, Tijara, Gurgaon, Kishangarh Bas, Ramgarh, Laxmangarh Tehsils Aravalli Range in Alwar district and Pahari, Nagar, Kaman tehsils in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and also some part of Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.[10][11] The last ruler of Mewat, Hasan Khan Mewati was killed in the battle of Khanwa against the Mughal emperor Babur.
Notable people in medieval India
- Raja Hasan Khan Mewati, was the ruler of Mewat and built the Alwar fort
- Isa Khan, was the Chief of the Baro Bhuiyans (twelve landlords) of 16th century Bengal. Throughout his reign he resisted the Mughal Empire
Beliefs and customs
Muslim Rajputs often retain common social practices (such as purdah [seclusion of women], which is generally followed by Hindu, Sikh and Muslim Rajputs).[2]
See also
- List of Rajput dynasties
- Sindhi-Sipahi
- Rannghar
References
- ^ "UNHCR Refugee Review Tribunal. IND32856, 6 February 2008" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Rajput". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ Muslim Women by Zakia A. Siddiqi, Anwar Jahan Zuberi, Aligarh Muslim University, India University Grants, M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd., 1993, p93
- ^ Self and sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850 by Ayesha Jalal, Routledge 2000, p480, p481
- ^ Tahir H Ansari (2001). "Kharagpur Raj Under Akbar". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 62: 1096–1097. JSTOR 44155867.
- ^ Yogendra P. Roy (1999). "Agrarian Reforms in "Sarkar" Munger under Raja Bahrox Singh (1631-76) Of Kharagpur". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 60: 287–292. JSTOR 44144095.
- ^ Yogendra P. Roy (1993). "Raja Roz Afzun of Kharagpur (AD 1601 - 31". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 54: 357–358. JSTOR 44142975.
- ^ Yogendra P. Roy (1992). "Tahawar Singh-A Muslim Raja of Kharagpur Raj (1676 - 1727)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 53: 333–334. JSTOR 44142804.
- ^ http://www.uok.edu.pk/faculties/sindhi/docs/soomroEng.pdf
- ^ Mewat The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, v. 17, p. 313.
- ^ Powlett, P. W. (Percy William) (30 November 1878). "Gazetteer of Ulwur". London : Trübner & co. – via Internet Archive.
