Kachhwaha

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The Kachhwaha is a Rajput clan found primarily in India. [1] [2] They claim to be descendants of Lord Kusha, hence from the Suryavanshi (Solar) dynasty. [3] [4] [5] The Kachhwahas ruled the Kingdom of Amber of present day Rajasthan, India. [6] [7]

Contents

Painting depicting Raja Man Singh Kacchwaha Raja Man Singh of Amber.jpg
Painting depicting Raja Man Singh Kacchwaha

Etymology

According to Cynthia Talbot, Kachhwaha is a Sanskrit word which means tortoise. [8] According to other sources, the clan name ‘Kacchwaha’ has been derived from the name of Kusha, Lord Rama’s son, so they also claim descent from Rama’s son Kusha and thus from the Suryavanshi lineage. [9] [10] [11]

Origin

Original Jharshahi Flag (Kovidar/kachnar dhvaj) Flag of Kohra.png
Original Jharshahi Flag (Kovidar/kachnar dhvaj)

The Kacchwahas claim descent from Kusha, son of the Hindu God Rama. [12] According to James Mills, the ancestors of Kacchwaha Rajputs had migrated from Kosala and established a new dynasty at Gwalior and later migrated to Rajasthan in 1028 AD. Some historians associate Dulha Rao, the founder of the Jaipur-Kachhwaha lineage, with the Kachchhapaghata dynasty of 10th century. [13] [14]

According to Rima Hooja, the Kachhwahas were initially referred to by names such as Kachhapaghata, Kachwaha and Katsawaha. The variant Kachawa became popular in the late 16th century during the reign of Raja Man Singh. Several inscriptions and manuscripts, such as those found in Balvan, Chatsu, Sanganer and Rewasa are cited in support of this theory. [15]

History

Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (1688-1743) one of the Greatest Kachhwaha Ruler. 1 Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II ca 1725 Jaipur. British museum.jpg
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (1688–1743) one of the Greatest Kachhwaha Ruler.
Chandramahal in City Palace, Jaipur, which was built by the Kachwaha Rajputs. Jaipur 03-2016 19 City Palace complex.jpg
Chandramahal in City Palace, Jaipur, which was built by the Kachwaha Rajputs.

Dulha Rai

Kachhwaha established their kingdoms in the Dhundhar region of modern Rajasthan in the 11th century. One Kachhwaha Dulha Rai conquered most of the Dhundhar area from Bargujars. [16] [17]

Raja Kakil deo

After Dulherai, his son Kakil Deo defeated the Meenas of Amer and made Amer the capital of Dhundhar after Khoh. [18] [19] He also defeated the Ahirs of Dhundhar region and annexed their territories in the battles of Med and Bairath. Bairath is the corrupted name of Viratnagar which has a great significance in Mahabharata.

Raja Pajawan

Raja Pajawan helped Prithviraj Chauhan in his most of the campaigns and conquests. In total, he is credited to have fought 64 battles in his career. He was married to a cousin of Prithviraj Chauhan. [16] He died before the popular Battle of Tarain.

Raja Prithviraj Singh I

Kachhwaha King Prithviraj Singh I fought along with Rana Sanga at battle of Khanwa. [16] He was married to the daughter of Rao Lunkarna of Bikaner, with all his wives summed to nine, giving birth to 18 sons. One of his sons, Purnamal died fighting with Humayun's brother Hindal in a battle that occurred in 1539 AD.

Raja Man Singh I

He was one of the most trusted nobles of Akbar. He was the supreme commander of the Mughal forces. He built the Amer Fort. He built and saved a number of Hindu temples.

Sawai Jai Singh II

He built the pink city of Jaipur and five astronomical observatories at Delhi, Jaipur, Benaras, Mathura and Ujjain. He also established Govind Dev Ji temple at Jaipur.

Sub-Clans

There are approximately 71 subclans of the Kachhwahas. [20] The prominent ones are:

Notable people

Khoh Kingdom

Amber Kingdom

Jaipur State

Alwar State

Kohra Estate

Shekhawati Region

See also

•Rajput clans

•Rajputana

References

  1. ↑ Sen, Sailendra Nath (2007). Textbook of Indian History and Culture. New Delhi, India: Macmillan India Limited. p. 167. ISBN   978-1-4039-3200-6.
  2. ↑ The Rajput Palaces: The Development of an Architectural Style, 1450–1750 p. 88 – "the Kachwaha Rajputs (who had previously ruled in Gwalior) established themselves in an adjacent region, founding Dhundar as their capital in 967 AD ISBN   9780195647303."
  3. ↑ “Out of thirty six major clans of the Rajputs, ten belong to Suryavanshi (Sisodia, Rathor, Kachhwaha etc.) and ten to Chandravanshi”, Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). People of India: Rajasthan. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN   978-81-7154-769-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ “12. The suryavanshi are divided into three major clans: the Guhilot, Kachwaha and the Rathod (Karve 1965: 166).”, Maya Unnithan-Kumar (1997). Identity, Gender, and Poverty: New Perspectives on Caste and Tribe in Rajasthan. Berghahn Books. ISBN   978-1-57181-918-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Metha, Arun (2004). History of Medieval India. ABD Publishers. ISBN   978-81-85771-95-3.
  6. ↑ Chakravarti, Anand (1975). Contradiction and Change: Emerging Patterns of Authority in a Rajasthan Village. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-560523-5.
  7. ↑ "Kingdom of Amber", Wikipedia, 29 June 2025, retrieved 1 August 2025
  8. ↑ Talbot, Cynthia (2015). "Imagining the Rajput Past in Mughal–era Mewar". The Last Hindu Emperor: Prithviraj Cauhan and the Indian Past, 1200–2000 (illustrated ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 146–182. doi:10.1017/CBO9781316339893.006. ISBN   9781316339893. This is a reference to Pajjun's family name, Kachhwaha, which means tortoise
  9. ↑ Prasad, Rajiv Nain. Raja Man Singh Of Amber.
  10. ↑ “Also, there are people in India by surname Kushwaha & Kachhwaha, who claims to be descendants of Lord Rama.”, Suresh Kumar Pareek (22 August 2024). Know the God through the Lens of Science. Notion Press. ISBN   979-8-89519-587-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ “The Kachhwahas are suryavanshi (of the Sun dynasty), tracing their descent from Kush, son of Lord Rama.”, DK (2 November 2009). Great Monuments of India. Dorling Kindersley Limited. ISBN   978-1-4053-4782-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Bhatnagar, V. S. (1974). Life and Times of Sawai Jai Singh, 1688-1743. Impex India.
  13. ↑ Bahadur, Krishna Prakash (1977). Caste, Tribes & Culture of India. Ess Ess Publications.
  14. ↑ Nijjar, Bakhshish Singh (2008). Origins and History of Jats and Other Allied Nomadic Tribes of India: 900 B.C.-1947 A.D. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN   978-81-269-0908-7.
  15. ↑ History of Rajasthan by Rima Hooja Section:The Kachwahas of Dhoondhar p. 2 ISBN   9788129108906
  16. 1 2 3 Sarkar, Jadunath (1994). A History of Jaipur: C. 1503–1938. Orient Blackswan. pp. 20–33. ISBN   978-81-250-0333-5.
  17. ↑ Wink, André (2002). Al-hind: The Making of the Indo-islamic World. BRILL. p. 287. ISBN   978-90-04-09249-5.
  18. ↑ Jaigarh, the Invincible Fort of Amber. RBSA Publishers, 1990. 1990. p. 18. ISBN   9788185176482.
  19. ↑ Taknet, D. K.; IntegralDMS (7 July 2016). Jaipur: Gem of India. IntegralDMS. ISBN   978-1-942322-05-4.
  20. ↑ Meena, R. P. RPSC RAS Prelims: History of Rajasthan Complete Study Notes With MCQ. New Era Publication.
  21. ↑ Crooke, William (1896). The Tribes and Castes of the North-western Provinces and Oudh. Office of the superintendent of government printing.
  22. ↑ Aberigh-Mackay, George (1878). The Native Chiefs and Their States in 1877: A Manual of Reference. Times of India Steam Press.
  23. 1 2 Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. ISBN   978-81-291-0890-6.
  24. ↑ Bayley, C. S. (2004). Chiefs and Leading Families in Rajputana. Asian Educational Services. ISBN   978-81-206-1066-8.

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