Gaur (clan)

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Gaur also known as "Gour" is a Rajput clan. [1] [2] [3] [4] They have ancient ancestry and find mention by James Tod as one of 36 royal races in his book Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. [5]

Contents

Gaur Rajputs
Maharaja Fateh Singh ji ( king of Fatehgarh, pawayan ) gaur dynasty rulers.jpg
A Gaur Rajput aristocrat from Powayan.
Jāti Rajput
Gotra Bhardwaj, Kashyap
Religions Om.svg Hinduism,
Languages Hindustani(Hindi-Urdu), Punjabi, Rajasthani languages
CountryFlag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan, Flag of India.svg India
Region Punjab, Rajasthan, [6] [7] Uttar Pradesh, [2] Madhya Pradesh [8] [9]
Feudal title Raja
Rana

Gaur dynasty rule in India

Rajasthan

The Gaur Rajputs once held a prominent position in Ajmer till the time of Prithviraj Chauhan. The Gorwar and Gaurawati/Gaurati regions gets their name from this clan. In later years they lost the territories of Pali, Jalore, Sirohi, Kuchaman, Maroth, Ajmer, Some area of Shekhawati which was ruled by the Gaur Rajputs of Gaurati. In 15th century, they fought at least 13 battles with Shekhawats. In one of these battles Rao Shekha, the patriarch of shekhawats lost his life fighting against Gaur Rājpūts. [10]

The Rajgarh territory [11] was one of the last bastion of Gaur Rajputs during the times of Britishers. Gaur Rajputs remained allies to Mughal till the time of Aurangzeb, whose political decisions, alienated Rathores, Sisodias, Hadas and Gaur Rajputs from Mughals. [12]

Uttar Pradesh

Outside, Rajasthan, the Chief of Chamraoli (near Unnao), a Gaur Rajput, was held in high esteem by Alwar Raj and was amongst the very few who were given honor of tazim.

Madhya Pradesh

Sheopur town and fort was founded by Gaur rulers in 1573. [13]

War of Independence

During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Dariyav Chandra Gaur, the Raja of Naar Kahinjari estate near Cawnpore, rebelled against British forces, turning the fort into a local stronghold. From his fort, he and allied forces resisted British EIC troops for several days, reportedly capturing the local tehsil treasury and forcing temporary British withdrawal from parts of the Kanpur region. British forces suffered losses in various attempts to capture him, they then ambushed him using betrayal, captured him and bombarded his fort. He was then hanged from a Neem tree at Rasulabad tehsil compound as a public warning and his ancestral fort was partly demolished. He is remembered locally for his role in the uprising. [14] [15] [16]

Notable Rulers

Raja Fateh Singh of Powayan Maharaja Fateh Singh ji ( king of Fatehgarh, pawayan ) gaur dynasty rulers.jpg
Raja Fateh Singh of Powayan

Population

Their population today is found in Indian States of Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, [6] [7] parts of Uttar Pradesh [2] and parts of Madhya Pradesh. [21] [9]

References

  1. Bayley, C. S. (2004). Chiefs and Leading Families in Rajputana. Asian Educational Services. pp. 25, 82, 100, 106, 110. ISBN   978-81-206-1066-8 . Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Khan, Rānā Muḥammad Sarvar (2005). The Rajputs: History, Clans, Culture, and Nobility. Rana Muhammad Sarwar Khan. pp. 12, 159. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  3. Gazetteer of the Province of Oudh: N to Z. North-Western and Oudh Government. 1878. p. 386. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  4. Fox, Richard Gabriel (1971). Kin, Clan, Raja, and Rule: Statehinterland Relations in Preindustrial India. University of California Press. pp. 85–88. ISBN   978-0-520-01807-5 . Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  5. Tod, James (1829). Annales and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of Indian. Smith. pp. 80, 115–116. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  6. 1 2 Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. p. 399. ISBN   978-81-291-0890-6 . Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  7. 1 2 Bahadur), Har Bilas Sarda (Diwan (1941). Ajmer: Historical and Descriptive. Fine Art Printing Press. pp. 300, 309. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  8. census of India. 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Sheopur history, District Sheopur, Government of Madhya Pradesh, India" . Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  10. Sinh, Ranbir (2001). History Of Shekhawats. Jaipur: Publication Scheme. ISBN   8186782745.
  11. Rajasthan district gazetteer Ajmer. B.N dhoundiyal. 1966. pp. 741, 759, 123, 122. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  12. Indian Defence Review. Lancer Publishers. 2003. p. 81. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  13. "Sheopur history, District Sheopur, Government of Madhya Pradesh, India" . Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  14. "Remembering Raja Dariyav Chandra Gaur, the forgotten hero of ..." India Today. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  15. "ब्रिटिश खजाना लूटने पर राजा दरियाव चंद्र को नीम के पेड़ से लटकाकर दी थी ..." Navbharat Times. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  16. "India@75: कहानी उस महान राजा दरियाव चंद्र गौर की जिससे खौफ खाते थे अंग्रेज". आज तक(Aaj tak). Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  17. Gaur history
  18. La Touche, J. D. (1900). Report On The Settlement Of The Ajmere Amp Mhairwarra Districts.
  19. "Vijay Stamb at kanpur".
  20. Meharda, B. L. (2006). Territory, Polity, and Status: A Study of Shekhawats. Rawat Publications. pp. 14, 110. ISBN   978-81-7033-887-1 . Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  21. census of India. 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2021.