For the legendary Pandava, see
Sahadeva.
The Sehdev is a clan associated with both the Rajput and Jat communities, predominantly found in Punjab and Rajasthan. The Rajputs, whose name is derived from "Rajputra" meaning "son of a king," are traditionally part of the Kshatriya varna, known for their warrior and ruling class status.
During the Mughal era, many Rajput families, including the Sehdevs, were influenced by the teachings of Sikh Gurus. This period saw numerous Rajputs converting to Sikhism and becoming baptized as Khalsa Sikhs. The Khalsa Panth, established by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, promoted principles of equality, justice, and resistance against oppression. The Sehdevs, like many other Rajput clans, joined the Khalsa and contributed to its military and spiritual endeavors.
The Jats, another significant community in Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, also saw many of their members embrace Sikhism. Traditionally a landowning agricultural community, the Jats have a rich history of valor and agrarian influence.
Lineage
The Sehdev clan shares family tree with the Mair Rajput community, which is primarily found in the northern regions of India, including Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The Mair Rajputs, also known as Mair Rajput Sunars, belong to the Kshatriya varna and have a distinct identity within the broader Rajput community. They trace their lineage to the Suryavanshi (solar dynasty), which is associated with Lord Raama, the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana. This Suryavanshi lineage is an important aspect of their heritage, linking them to ancient royal traditions.
In addition to their noble lineage, the Mair Rajputs, including the Sehdev clan, have traditionally been associated with the goldsmith profession. Known as Sunars, they have a history of craftsmanship in gold and jewelry. The association with gold and the role of goldsmiths combines their noble warrior heritage with the prestigious craft of creating royal adornments.
Profession
The Sehdevs (or Sadiouras) are traditionally known for their skills as goldsmiths, silversmiths, and jewelers. In Punjab, most goldsmiths belong to various Rajput clans, including the Sehdevs, Chauhans, Suris, and Dhunnas. These communities have a long-established reputation for their craftsmanship in working with precious metals and gemstones, producing intricate and culturally significant jewelry pieces. Their expertise is highly regarded, particularly in cities like Amritsar, which is renowned for its vibrant jewelry market.
The Rajputs, traditionally a warrior class, have diversified into various professions over time. In Punjab, the integration of Rajput clans into the jewelry trade is notable, with many becoming well-known goldsmiths and jewelers. This historical development underscores the multifaceted contributions of Rajput communities to the cultural and economic fabric of the region.
Singh is a title, middle name, or surname that means "lion" in various South Asian and Southeast Asian communities. Traditionally used by the Hindu Kshatriya community, it was later mandated in the late 17th century by Guru Gobind Singh for all male Sikhs as well, in part as a rejection of caste-based prejudice and to emulate Rajput naming conventions. As a surname or a middle name, it is now found throughout the world across communities and religious groups, becoming more of a generic, caste-neutral, decorative name.
Rajput, also called Thakur, is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Rajput covers various patrilineal clans historically associated with warriorhood: several clans claim Rajput status, although not all claims are universally accepted. According to modern scholars, almost all Rajput clans originated from peasant or pastoral communities.
Khatri is a caste originating from the Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are warriors who took to trade. In the Indian subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantile professions such as banking and trade. They were the dominant commercial and financial administration class of late-medieval India. Some in Punjab often belonged to hereditary agriculturalist land-holding lineages, while others were engaged in artisanal occupations such as silk production and weaving.
Parmar, also known as Panwar or Pawar, is a Rajput clan found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and North Maharashtra. The clan name is also used by Kōḷīs, Garoḍās, Līmaciyā Valands, Mōcīs, Tūrīs, Luhārs, Kansārās, Darajīs, Bhāvasārs, Cūnvāḷiyās, Ghañcīs, Harijans, Sōnīs, Sutārs, Dhobīs, Khavāsas, Rabārīs, Āhīrs, Sandhīs, Pīñjārās, Vāñjhās, Dhūḷadhōyās, Rāvaḷs, Vāgharīs, Bhīls, Āñjaṇās, Mer and Ḍhēḍhs.
The Nihang or Akali, also known as Dal Khalsa, is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihangs are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the "Akal Sena" started by Guru Hargobind. Early Sikh military history was dominated by the Nihang, known for their victories where they were heavily outnumbered. Traditionally known for their bravery and ruthlessness in the battlefield, the Nihang once formed the irregular guerrilla squads of the armed forces of the Sikh Empire, the Sikh Khalsa Army.
Arora is a Punjabi caste, comprising both Hindus and Sikhs. The name is derived from their native place Aror. In 712, the Arora people are said to have left Aror and started to settle in the cities of Punjab, mainly in South Punjab. However, according to W. H. McLeod, many Aroras originally came from Pothohar area.
Rajput is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Rajput covers various patrilineal clans historically associated with warriorhood: several clans claim Rajput status, although not all claims are universally accepted. According to modern scholars, almost all Rajputs clans originated from peasant or pastoral communities.
Sidhu is a Punjabi Jat clan found in Punjab.
Jat Sikh or Jatt Sikh is an ethnoreligious group, a subgroup of the Jat people whose traditional religion is Sikhism, originating from the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the dominant communities in the Punjab, India owing to their large land holdings. They form an estimated 20–25% of the population of the Indian state of Punjab. They form at least half of the Sikh population in Punjab, with some sources estimating them to be about 60–66% appx. two-third of the Sikh population.
The Khangura is a gotra of Jat community from the Punjab region in India.
The Gurjar are an Indo-Aryan agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic activities and formed a large heterogeneous group. The historical role of Gurjars has been quite diverse in society: at one end they have been founders of several kingdoms and dynasties and, at the other end, some are still nomads with no land of their own.
The Swarnkar is a Kshatriya caste in India or Nepal. Swarnkar is a hindu suryavanshi and chandravanshi caste in India or Nepal. The Sunar community works trader of gold or as goldsmiths. The community is primarily Hindu, christian,buddhist and found all over India or Nepal.
Rajasthani people or Rajasthanis are a group of Indo-Aryan peoples native to Rajasthan, a state in Northern India. Their language, Rajasthani, is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages.
The Batwal caste is a community predominantly found in the Jammu and Kashmir region of India. Historically, they are known for their role as tax collectors under the Dogra regime and have a rich heritage linked to the Suryavanshi Rajputs.
Inder Singh Kudrat is an Indian jeweller and Master Craftsman who specialised in kundan meenakari. An artisan of Jaipur he was also known as Swarnkar, or Sunar.
The Jat people are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory, northeastern Rajputana, and the western Gangetic Plain in the 17th and 18th centuries. Of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh faiths, they are now found mostly in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Punjab.
A dera is a type of socio-religious organization in northern India. Jacob Copeman defines the deras as "monasteries or the extended residential sites of religious leaders; frequently just glossed as sect".
Modern historians agree that Rajputs consisted of a mix of various different social groups and different varnas. Rajputisation explains the process by which such diverse communities coalesced into the Rajput community.
Bhāt is a "generic term" used to refer to a bard in India. The majority of Bhats hail from Rajasthan and worked as genealogists for their patrons, however, they are viewed as mythographers. In India, the inception of Rajputization was followed by the emanation of two groups of bards with a group of them serving the society's influential communities and the other serving the communities with lower ranking in the social hierarchy.
Parmar some-times also spelled as Panwar is a gotra (clan) of the farming Jat community of India. They have a large population in many villages based in the north Indian states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Western-Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, India.
