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110
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1874.
the Rajas of Nagpur are descended; the Chalak yas or Solank hi at Kalyan, the fourth at Sawant Wadi; the fifth at Wavi, Silê ra s at Kolhapur, the Yå da vas, and so out of which family the father of the present on. There can be no doubt that many of these Raja of Satara was adopted; the sixth at Mûn- immigrant Kshatriyas formed connections with gi, on the Godavari; the seventh at Sambuthe women of the country or of lower caste. Mahadeva; the eighth at Borigam; the ninth The offspring of such connections would naturally at Jinti; and the tenth at Khanwata, oat of dwell with pride on their descent on the paternal which family the present Raja of Kolhapur's side, and would call themselves by the triba father was adopted."
names of their fathers, while they would in From the above it will be seen that it is only the course of time merge into and become some of the great families of Marâthâs that undistinguishable from the surrounding poclaim to be Kshatriyas, and that it is gener- pulation. This is exactly what has taken ally acknowledged that the bulk of the popula- place in Gujarat in historical times. We see tion are Sudras. The question then narrows there constantly Kolts, and even Bhills, bear. itself into this-Are the great families that ing Rajput tribal names, and priding them. claim to be Kshatriya really so? When selves on their descent by the father's side considering this, it is first to be remarked that from a Rajput family. I remember, when there is, so far as I am aware, no ethnological in the Mahi Kantha, receiving a visit from a or sectarian difference between these families Thâkûr who was to all intents and purposes & and those who are acknowledged to be Súdras, Koli. In the course of the visit, his Kamadâr, while there is a marked difference in both as the most acceptable topic of conversation to respects between them and the Rajputs—the his master, dwelt on the latter's Rajput origin, acknowledged representatives of the Kshatriyas. and informed me that the family had only very The claims, therefore, of these families are recently lost caste by the marriage of its Rajput based solely on the existence among them of the progenitor with a woman not of the same race. tribal names above alluded to, and on tradition. This, then, is the only way of accounting for
I think we may dismiss, with little cere- the existence of Kshatriya tribal names among mony, the legend which represents the founders certain Marathå families that occurs to me. of the leading Marathả clans as coming from This theory would account, too, for the tradition Rajputâna in comparatively recent times. Had of the Kshatriya origin of these families, and they come to this part of the country so lately, for the legends based on that tradition. When they would be able to trace their genealogies such families rose into importance, they and to the original families, and we should find their flattorers would naturally seek to bring these genealogies corroborated by the bardictheir Kshatriya origin into prontinence, and chronicles in Rajpitâna; for three or four as the only Kshatriyas they knew of then hundred years is but a short period to a Rajpât would be the Rajpûts, legends would, as a matter genealogist. There would not, too, be the of course, grow up narrating how their ancesmarked difference in type of face, as well as intors migrated from Rajputâna, -the mythical habits and customs, which is apparent to every immigrants' names being joined on to a corone who has seen the two races.
rect genealogy of historical personages so as If we go back to more ancient times, we may to make a vraisemblant whole. The answer, find a clue to the origin of these tribal designa- therefore, that I would suggest to the questions among the Marathas, and some ground for tion put at the head of this little paper, is, that the tradition of their Kshatriya origin. We while the bulk of the Marathả population are know from the evidence of inscriptions that from Sadras, some families among them have a strain the 5th to the 14th centuries the country now of Kshatriya blood in them, so to speak, but occupied by the Marathas was governed by not sufficiently strong to distinguish them from various Kshatriya dynasties, such as that of the the rest of their countrymen.
• Clunes' book was published in 1833.
