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Rajput or Rajputra is derived from Sanskrit word raja-putra which means “son of a king“. They were the descendants from the Kshatriyas or warriors of Vedic India.
Over time, the Rajputs emerged as a social class comprising people from a variety of ethnic and geographical backgrounds. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the membership of this class became largely hereditary, although new claims to Rajput status continued to be made in the later centuries. Several Rajput-ruled kingdoms played a significant role in many regions of central and northern India from seventh century onwards.
The Rajput population and the former Rajput states are found in northern, western, central and eastern India as well as southern and eastern Pakistan. These areas include Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Eastern Punjab, Western Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Sindh.
WHO ARE WE ?
Mair Rajputs is the name of a Hindu and Sikh Punjabi caste in India from amongst the Punjabi Rajputs. They are Hindu or Sikh by religion and comprise of the warrior race of Rajputs who had originally migrated from Rajasthan with the movement of the armies that brought Rajput rule over Punjab and had settled down in Punjab generations ago.
During the ensuing prolonged period of lasting peace there after when they could not be supported by the armies and could not find any work as warriors many join Army and other trade and being rich some started jewelry businesses. “Sunar” is a Hindi word for Goldsmith and Jeweler. In India, a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and also at the same time is a businessman specializing in selling gold, silver, other precious metals including precious stones and jewelry / ornaments crafted from these. In time it soon became a well known fact thereafter, locally in Punjab, that the profession and business of “Sunars” was monopolized and run by Rajputs who had slowly become a subcast of the Punjabi Rajputs by then and became known as “Mair Rajputs”. They also go by Sikh Rajputs. It must be noted that not all Sunar/Jewelers are Mair Rajputs.
OUR HISTROY
With the partition of India in 1947 into India and Pakistan the Indian state of Punjab was also split in two. Hindus and Sikhs including Mair Rajputs living in the portion of Punjab that was given to the newly created Muslim country of Pakistan had to leave by force to save themselves from communal slaughters and forceful conversion to Islam, many of them fled their ancestral homeland now in Pakistan in a complete destitute state and had to start life afresh in India. All their ancestral land, property and wealth was left behind in what was now Pakistan. The following book gives a detailed account of the atrocities committed against Hindus and Sikhs including Mair Rajputs in Punjab during partition of India in 1947: Talib, Gurbachan (1950). Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947. India: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.
Life was tough for the refugees including the Mair Rajputs at the beginning after partition; they had to live in a destitute state in refugee camps in India before they were allotted specially constructed houses in the Refugee colonies by the government of India. Many of them settled in Delhi and other parts of India after partition.
Today they are again a very successful clan of people and have brought pride for their families and country by excelling in all walks of life, many of them joined the Armed Forces. The British recruited from this clan too from amongst the Rajputs for their Rajput Regiments due to their famous Rajput warrior bloodline and today the Indian Army continuous this tradition.
A small percentage of them still continue to do business and practice as Jewellers however majority of the profession of Sunars was considered as something practiced. Mair Rajputs are of the warrior cast “Kshatriya” which is the second highest cast in India after the learned “Brahmins”. “Kshatriya” or the Rajputs are the ruling cast of India, a cast of Warriors and Kings / Rajas. Thus the Mair Rajput families after having migrated out of Punjab (the portion that was given to create the Muslim country of Pakistan) to India during partition in 1947 were embarrassed to mention their family craft and business as that of having known to be that of Sunars in the most recent past. They instead preferred to call themselves as “Punjabi Rajputs”, which is of course also true. Today the Mair Rajputs not only live in India but have migrated and settled down all over the world and are doing very well for themselves in all fields[citation needed].
Notable “Mair Rajput” Gothras (Families)
All families are sourced from Mair Rajputs Gotra List
Aashat (Asht): Babbar: Bagga: Bhatti: Buttar: Baghel: Bagri: Bhutta: Bir: Chauhan: Dhalla: Dhariwal: Desor (Dasaur): Dhunna: Gogar: Gogna: Jaswal: Jaura: Kanda: Karwal(Gharwal?): Khangar(Khungar): Khurmi: Khich: Luddhar(Ladhar): Luthra: Main: Mandhari: Masaun: Mitru: Nischal (Nichal): Pajji: Plaud: Roda: Rudra: Sadhiora: Sarna : Shinh (Sinh): Sohal: Sur: Rana and Parmar Rode etc.