Sehdev | |
---|---|
Sehdev, Sadioura | |
Jāti | Rajput |
Religions | Sikhism, Hinduism |
Languages | Punjabi |
Original state | Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi |
Region | Punjab |
Ethnicity | Punjabi |
The Sehdev is a clan associated with the Rajput community, [1] 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. [1]
The Sehdev clan shares family tree with the Mair Rajput community, [2] 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. [3]
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. [4]
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.
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and serviceable utensils, and ceremonial or religious items.
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—similar to names such as Kumar and Lal.
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 northern part of 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.
'Varṇa', in the context of Hinduism, refers to a social class within a hierarchical traditional Hindu society. The ideology is epitomized in texts like Manusmriti, which describes and ranks four varnas, and prescribes their occupations, requirements and duties, or Dharma.
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 is a Rajput clan found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and North Maharashtra. The Panwar ruled in Ujjain and later in Dhar.
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.
Muslim Rajputs or Musalman Rajpoots are the descendants of Rajputs in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who generally are followers of Islam. They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period onwards, creating various dynasties and states while retaining Hindu surnames such as Chauhan. Today, Muslim Rajputs can be found mostly in present-day Northern India and Pakistan. They are further divided into different clans.
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.
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.
Mair (caste) is found in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and other surrounding areas.They are also known as Sunar and Verma.In haryana they call themselves Deshwali Sunar.
The Sonar is a caste in Nepal and India.The Sonar community work as traders of gold or as goldsmiths. The community is primarily Hindu, and found all over Nepal and India.
The Sikligar is a community found in the Indian states of Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab. By tradition, the Sikligar people specialized in the craft of making and polishing weapons. They are typically Hindu in Gujarat, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh; Sikh in Punjab; and either Hindu and Sikh in Haryana.
The Amils are a Sindhi Hindu sub-group of Lohana. The word "Amil" has its origin in the Persian word "amal". Amils used to work in Administration in Government services.
Khalsa Mahima is the name of two compositions that praise the Khalsa in poetic form, composed by Guru Gobind Singh, each present in Dasam Granth and Sarbloh Granth.
The Jat people, also spelt Jaat and Jatt, 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 regions of Sindh, Punjab and AJK.
Lohtamia is a sub-clan of Badgujar Rajputs They are old Suryavanshi Kshatriya and descendants of Lav, they are also known as The Lohtambh Bargujars. They migrated from Lahore and established their kingdom Lohgadh and in 11th century. They settled around gangetic area in Bihar and U.P. It is said that they were such a courageous Rajput community who never made any matrimonial alliances with the Mughals in order to save their daughters from the eyes of Muslim invaders, they went and settled on the banks of Ganga in Bihar.
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 an oral repository or 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.
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