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akdalal
January 18th, 2003, 02:55 PM
Western India remained in a state of political instability for a very long period of nearly 500 years until the Gupta period beginning from 320 AD. The scattered local kingdoms were swamped by many waves of people originating from the Caucasian area bordering the Caspian and Black seas.
The Parthians and Sythians were followed by many other tribes and the Kushan (Kuie-shang) empire loosely united many of them in a vast region from Afghanistan to Varanasi and Malwa from the beginning of the Christian era to about 150 AD. The Chinese accounts describe them as white faced with long noses and thick beards so they may not have had the typically Mongolian features.

Their greatest king to extend his empire to India was Kanishka. Many such tribes loosely known as Jats in India, Jatts/Zotts in Arabia, Djati in Egypt, Yue-Chi/Git-ti in China and Goths/Jutt in Europe poured out of central Asia. The word Jat only became associated with castes much later.

About 244 Jat tribes are now known in India. The oldest tribes were Virk, Dahiya and Kang but many others could be traced to places of their Caucasian origins as far back as 600 BC. One of their clans the Hsung-Nu or the Huns shook the last of the great Roman and Gupta empires in the 5th century AD.

After the 9th century AD, one of their clans the Turs seem to have became the powerful Turranis or Turks who were to later play such an important role in later history of India and west Asia. Most had rather shallow religious traditions and gradually came under the influence of Islam after the 10th century.

Another of their tribes, the Gujjars, also rose to prominence in the 6th century and the names of Gujarat in India and Georgia in south eastern Europe are named after them. They later went into decline in India and became troublesome nomadic cattlemen who were forcibly settled by the British about a century ago.

These Jats tribes were a hardy group of cultivators and herdsmen who had very little religious interest and many still do not subscribe very actively to the religions throughout the region. In India, most of their tribes did not come under Brahmin sway and many Jat villages still do not have any temple. They retained many customs completely alien to the Brahmin tradition like the marrying of widows of their brothers, equal sharing of property and total contempt for religious customs. Consequently Brahmin influence was very weak in the areas that they dominated for hundreds of years and very few old temples were constructed west of Mathura.

The word Rajput is unknown to Indian history till the 7th century. It may have been derived from an old Persian word Vishpuhr meaning the son of a king. Even the titles Raja, Rana and Rai come from this period.

In the 7th century there was a huge fire sacrifice or yagna conducted at Mount Abu by a celebrated Brahmin sage who called himself Vishwamitra. At this coronation ceremony, four previously casteless Jat or Hun tribes were raised to the rank of Kshatriya. The main clans to convert were the Parmars, Parihars, Chauhans and Chalukyas (Chulik/ Sulik).

These Rajputs soon developed a new code of chivalry and military pride and were sometimes called Brahma Kshatras. Many other Jat clans gradually followed their example and were converted. Many other Jat tribes remained unconverted and casteless until they adopted Sikhism, which also abhorred the caste system.

ravichaudhary
January 20th, 2003, 11:03 PM
Thank you
Could you tell us about your family history

Ravi

chashokverma
January 29th, 2003, 10:47 PM
Dalal ji

You are absolutely right. Compliments to you for correct assessments. Please ref my postings on origin of Jats. Many of the Jadu Vanshi tribes/ gotras like Hagan, Bhatti are equally old. In fact before Kanishka it was Hagan who was ruling at Mathura.

urmiladuhan
January 30th, 2003, 12:37 AM
Ch Ashok Verma (Jan 29, 2003 12:19 p.m.):

Dalal ji



You are absolutely right. Compliments to you for correct assessments. Please ref my postings on origin of Jats. Many of the Jadu Vanshi tribes/ gotras like Hagan, Bhatti are equally old. In fact before Kanishka it was Hagan who was ruling at Mathura.



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What specific reference is being cited regarding Hagans ruling Mathura?

The Arya Manju Sri Mulakalpa, a Buddhist chronicle, calls Harshvardhan Jaatanaam-Anujeshvara- meaning the younger lord of the Jatas (Aryan Tribes and Rigveda- B.S Dahiya). The book also mentions the Gupt kings to be Jatas from Mathura. I am yet to find reference of Hagan in similar context.

urmiladuhan
February 1st, 2003, 12:49 AM
Anand jee- what reference are you quoting?