Eternal Rajputi. Who are the Rajputs

India, in its thousand-year history, has seen many conquerors who brought death and destruction to the land of India. Only one people managed to almost painlessly fit into the complex system of social relations that already existed in this ancient and diverse country, having adopted and absorbed the customs and beliefs of the indigenous people. These people were the Rajputs, who came to Northern India in the 6th century as conquerors and settlers, but soon became its main defenders.

"Rajput" comes from the Sanskrit phrase "raja putra", which means "son of a king" or "son of a raja". The Rajputs of India received this aristocratic name from the local population of India, subordinate to them, who was struck not by the cruelty and bloodthirstiness of the newcomers, but by their external and internal beauty, unconditional respect for the customs of the ancient Hindus and the nobility of their deeds.

The Rajputs came to India from the territory of modern Central Asia, like many of their predecessors, and in a short historical period of time they managed not only to organically merge into the motley society of India, but also to take a very honorable place in it - only Brahmins were higher than them in the caste hierarchy of India , at all times considered the highest caste in India. The Brahmins of India were priests, compilers and interpreters of laws, spiritual teachers and generally the main authorities in almost all areas of Indian life in a strictly regulated Indian society. It was with the help of the Brahmins that the leaders of the militant Rajput clans very quickly managed to understand how they could become the ruling elite of India - for this they had to accept the Hindu values ​​​​and principles of the social life of this country. And since the main duties of all rulers in India were considered to be the protection of gods, brahmins and holy places, it was not difficult for the Rajputs to follow these principles, as well as to monitor the strict fulfillment of their duties by people of other castes: numerous agricultural, craft, trading castes, not to mention the "untouchables", soon followed all their commands unquestioningly. So the Rajputs became the caste of the rulers of India. Military affairs in India also became their duty and privilege. However, they did not want anything else.

The ethnic origin of the Rajputs of India is still the subject of debate by numerous researchers. Most Western European scholars believe that they are newcomer East Iranian tribes who have assimilated into Indian society. As for Indian scholars, they adhere to the point of view that the Rajputs have always lived in North India and in ancient times were called Kshatriyas, and in the early Middle Ages they began to be called Rajputs. The truth, apparently, lies somewhere in the middle, but still, most researchers agree that the Rajputs are the descendants of ethnic groups that came to India, largely Hinduized later.

As for the internal Rajput social organization, from time immemorial it has been and remains complex to this day. Every Rajput in India, by right of birth, is included in one of the four main associations, the so-called Lines, or Dynasties, inherited from the Kshatriyas: Solar (Suryavamsha), Lunar (Chandravamsha), Fiery (Agnikula) and Serpentine (Nagavamsha). Formally, all these Lines are equal in rights, but the most numerous and influential of them are still the Solar and Lunar, which are recognized genealogical lines of Rajput families. Thus, the Rajputs in India were recognized as direct descendants of the Vedic Kshatriyas (in Sanskrit kshatra - power), one of the four main varna classes.

It is believed that all representatives of the Solar line come from Rama, and the Lunar line - from Krishna. The Great Buddha is also considered the ancestor of the Rajputs, especially since he came from the Kshatriya varna. The Rajput Lineages, in turn, were subdivided into tribal groups called "kula". There are a lot of these kul, but only 36 of them, collected from representatives of all four lines, are united in a special group called "royal kula". Any of the representatives of the Rajput community knows their Kula affiliation, its history and, not without reason, is proud of their glorious ancestors. Every Rajput inherits the kula of his father, and therefore cannot marry representatives of his own kula. That is why all Rajputs who bear the name of one of the existing kulas, being considered descendants of one ancestor, are brothers and sisters, which means that marriages within the kula can only be considered as incestuous.

The Kula, which can be very numerous and include up to several hundred thousand people, in turn, consists of clans. The clan can also be very large and famous, no less than the kula itself. Traditional ties along the family-clan-kula line among the Rajputs are very strong and, in their entirety, are of a fundamental and system-forming nature. Moreover, the clan is the most important unit in the entire social structure of the Rajput community. The property of each family belonging to the clan belongs to the clan, but for its part, the clan must do everything in its power to ensure that this very property belongs to each family included in it. Moreover, in no case should it be divided, but only grow.

There were two types of landowners in the Rajput state: “bhumia” - hereditary landowners and “gracia” - who received land for the period of their service to the raja. It was the Gracia who were in feudal relations with the Raja, while not being members of the ruling clan. The raja himself did not own the land and could not dispose of it, since it was the property of the clan. He could only temporarily transfer to some person useful to the clan (not a member of the clan) the right to collect taxes from some piece of land. Becoming a "bhumia" was the cherished dream of any ordinary Rajput, and the only way to achieve this was an aggressive campaign within the framework of the principle of majorat. Which to a large extent contributed to the widespread settlement of the Rajputs throughout Northern India.

And, nevertheless, any Rajput family has always been a true guarantor of the social significance and well-being of each of its members. The brothers of the father or grandfather took care of the children in the absence of their own father or grandfather, and in the event of their death, any remaining man in the family took on this responsibility. This order was necessary in the face of the constant participation of Rajput men in endless battles and their high mortality rate. After all, the Rajput clans had to defend the interests of their kulas by military means, since various kulas rarely lived in peace and harmony among themselves. Only the threat of external aggression could unite them, and even then not always. The highest value for the Rajputs has always been the land, because of which, in fact, there were constant inter-clan conflicts. One thing is certain - despite the fact that any Rajput was almost completely dependent on his family, this dependence was voluntary, since any of them sought to do everything possible to help her rise. The first great Rajput ruler was Harsha (Harshavardhana), who managed to subjugate all of Northern India to his influence. After his death in 647, these lands, later called Rajputana, or in the modern sound of Rajasthan, began to appear numerous states, headed by various Rajput clans. It was at this time that numerous cities and temples of India were built, various crafts developed rapidly, and beautiful literary monuments were created. Despite the constant internecine conflicts, the Rajputs most directly influenced the fate of all of India for 500 years - from the 7th to the 12th centuries - it was this time period, called the "Rajput period" by researchers, that became the "Golden Age" for the Rajputs themselves.

From time immemorial, the Rajputs lived according to the once adopted and most strictly observed law of majorat, which states that only the eldest son of its head, the rajah, can inherit the property of the clan. Thus, all the younger sons, and there were many of them in polygamous Rajput families, had to take care of their well-being, property and place under the sun themselves. Despite the apparent cruelty and injustice of this law, it contained the deepest meaning - this state of affairs undoubtedly contributed to maintaining the constant combat readiness of the numerous younger generation, and therefore the entire Rajput community.

This historical period ended in 1193, when the Muslim ruler of the state of Gur (a region of western Afghanistan), Muhammad Guri, defeated the famous Raja, the ruler of Delhi, Prithviraj Chauhan, in a fierce battle. After the death of Guri, his governor in the Ganges valley, declaring himself the ruler of India, created the Delhi Sultanate. From that moment in India began a long period of Muslim rule and an equally long period of the liberation struggle of the Rajputs and their many exploits. It was at that difficult time for the country that the Rajputs showed themselves as great warriors who defended Hindu values ​​and the very foundations of the life of the entire Indian people, thereby earning the greatest authority that has been preserved for many centuries.

The knighthood is not an exclusively European "invention". In Japan there were samurai, in Russia there were heroes. Despite their inherent uniqueness, there is something related between them. In medieval India, knights were called Rajputs. However, many have not even heard of the existence of such a caste. Let's take a look at this topic.

Rajput in translation from North Indian languages ​​\u200b\u200b(emphasis on the first syllable) means "son of a king, son of a raja." This is a military-feudal estate or, if we use an analogy close to a European, a knight of medieval India. In the history of India there is a "Rajput period" - from the 7th to the 12th century. Then, under the Rajput rulers of India, the states prospered, cities and temples were built, crafts and art developed. The period from the 12th to the 18th century is filled with struggle and exploits. Under the Muslim rulers of India, the Rajputs were the main defenders of Hindu values. From that era comes a flattering idea for the Rajputs about them as great warriors, as the kshatriyas of our days.

The historical Rajputs lived in present-day North India and lands west of India's current borders. Under the pressure of the Muslim conquerors, first the Arabs, then the Afghans, the Rajputs settled in the Punjab, the Ganges valley, the foothills of the Himalayas from Kashmir to Bengal. In the middle of the 7th century, the territory of modern Rajasthan was called Gujararatra.

Almost half of their land Rajasthan is occupied by the Thar Desert. The Rajputs themselves call it "Marusthali", "Marubhumi" - literally "A place where you can die." Among the sands, the Rajput cities of Jaisalmer and Bikaner were built. In the eastern part of Rajasthan there were ancient principalities, for example, Mewar and Bundi. Poetry lovers will surely remember Rudyard Kipling's Queen Bundi. True, in the translation of S. Ya. Marshak it turned out that Bundi is her name. However, the Rajput queens were most often named after their place of origin, that is, it would be correct: "Queen from Bundi."

In the caste hierarchy, the Rajputs constituted a special layer just one step below the Brahmins. The Rajputs belonged to the ancestors of many dynasties of the rulers of medieval Indian states, to know and a significant part of the armies. Domestic researchers most often consider the Rajputs as a military class.

However, there is no unequivocal answer to the question “who are the Rajputs”? The reason is that genealogical, ethnic, caste, social status and estate components are intertwined in the Rajput society in the most complex way. When the Rajputs are called a caste community, they either talk about one large caste, or about a group of castes consisting of tribal groups, or describe them as a caste-structured tribal community.

It should be noted that researchers do not have a unanimity of opinion on the issue of typological identity and genetic continuity of varna and caste. There is such a figurative comparison: caste is the cells of the body, and varnas are the skeleton of Hindu society. The main professional duty, first for the Kshatriya varna, and then for the group of Kshatriya, or Rajput, castes was military affairs. Therefore, sometimes Rajputs are called "kshatriyas of our days." Hence the comparison with European knights or Japanese samurai.

With the latter, who have a kind of chivalrous code "Bushido" - "the way of the warrior", the Rajputs have in common with them "Rajputi" - the ritualized way of the warrior in Hinduism. There is a lot of symbolism here that makes the Rajputs related to both the knights of the West and the heroes and heroes of Rus'. Remember how Russian soldiers put on clean white shirts before the battle. Look through the pages of Tolstoy's War and Peace.

The Rajputs wore a special headdress - a crown. pestilence("peacock"), a jeweled turban. They wore it only twice in their lives - during the wedding and in the last battle, when all the women of the clan died in the sacrificial fire. jauhara. In this case, putting on the crown symbolized the betrothal of the fallen warriors to the celestial maidens Apsaras. Isn't it very reminiscent of the German-Scandinavian Valhalla and the warrior maidens Valkyries?

The main occupation of the Rajput is military affairs. It is unworthy for him to engage in agriculture, trade, and even to get too carried away with religion. The main weapon of the warriors is the sword and he should not touch the plow. Remember, the faithful knight Roland even had his own sword - Durandal. The samurai were no less reverent about this weapon. "Hazing" in the Rajput army was reduced only to family relations and ties between representatives of different clans. All males served. The Rajputs were supposed to be a matter of honor not to obey anyone except the elders in their clan.

The Rajputs hated envy, excessive sensual pleasures, and the betrayal of friends. At the same time, they did not disdain to drink alcoholic beverages, hunt and eat meat (goat meat, lamb and chickens). It was allowed by Hindu law. The protection of women consisted not only in rescuing charmers from brutal violence and greedy robbers. The fair sex was provided with life to fulfill its main purpose as a wife and mother.

The suffering of women from the violation of the right life means that the Rajput has not fulfilled his destiny. In the event of the death of all the men of the clan, the women acted as warriors and protectors of their children. The wife not only arranged the life of her husband and provided him with a rear - the wife, first of all, strengthened dharma husband, his rajputi. The concept of female honor among the Rajputs did not include marital fidelity of the wife - this was not even discussed! There is no wife without fidelity. There is no concept of an “unfaithful” wife, because this is no longer a wife, and not even a person.

Sati- "faithful wife" in literal translation ascends to the funeral pyre of her husband. Therefore, every self-respecting warrior-hero sent his head to his wife so that she could become sati. It was customary to keep the head (or at least a turban) of a murdered spouse on the lap of a woman who was burned alive. In 1743, three of his wives and several concubines ascended the funeral pyre of the Mewar Maharana Sawai Jai Singh.

The Rajputs did not understand not only adultery, but also any cohabitation without marriage. They acquired a full-fledged existence only in marriage, when the masculine and feminine principles are combined. According to the authoritative opinion of E. N. Uspenskaya: “The whole life of a Rajput is perceived in their culture as an existence on the verge of life and death, and a woman with her sacred power can keep a warrior on this side, or she can push him over the edge. Hence the increased responsibility that Rajput women show literally to their every deed and word, and to the unspoken word - thought. Hence the piety of life, to which they strive in everything, to self-sacrifice.

Igor Bukker

Language

The variety of places where the Rajputs lived played a role in their use of different languages ​​and dialects. Depending on the region of residence, the languages ​​spoken are: Rajasthani, Punjabi, Sindhi, Gujarati.

Story

« Rajput"- Sanskrit phrase " raja putra”, which means “son of a king” or “son of a raja”. The ethnic origin of the Rajputs of India has not yet been precisely established. There is a Western European version that by origin they go back mainly to the Saks, Yuezhi, Hephthalites and Gurjars, who migrated to India from Central Asia between the beginning and the 6th centuries. Also interesting is the Indian version, which claims that the Rajputs lived in Northern India and were called " kshatriyas"(warriors), and the name" Rajputs»acquired during the early Middle Ages.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the Delhi sultans of the Khalji dynasty made an attempt to suppress the resistance of the Rajputs, but over time, the Rajput state recovered from the blow inflicted on it and began to claim the role of unifier of all Northern India.

After the defeat by Babur in the Battle of Khanua (1527) and the capture of the Rajput strongholds by the troops of his grandson Akbar (1568-69), all the Rajput feudal lords (with the exception of the rulers of Mewar) entered the military service of the Mughals in exchange for maintaining autonomy within their empire.

However, Sultan Aurangzeb's intolerant policy towards non-Christians (forced conversions to Islam, return of the collection of jizya, a tax on Hindu pilgrimages, a ban on the construction of temples, the transformation of existing ones into mosques, discrimination and squeezing Hindus out of trade and civil service, etc.), caused numerous uprisings Rajputs, who became one of the main reasons for the weakening and decline of the Mughal Empire.

Life

The traditional occupation of the villagers is irrigated arable farming. Traditional crafts - textile dyeing, jewellery, stone and ivory carving, miniature art, metal working. Many Rajasthani are employed in the mining, textile, cement industries, construction, and processing of agricultural raw materials.

Literature

• Uspenskaya E.N. Rajputs: Knights of Medieval India. - St. Petersburg: Eurasia, 2000, 384 p., ill.

Links

• History of India: Rajputs in India, , , , .

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See what "Rajputs" are in other dictionaries:

- (Sanskrit, children of princes). Warlike population of the eastern part of Hindustan. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. RAJPUTS military Indian caste. A complete dictionary of foreign words that have come into use in ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (from the Sanskrit raja putra, i.e. the son of the raja) a military caste - an estate in medieval India; a group of castes in modern India... Law Dictionary

Military caste - an estate in medieval India, a caste in modern North. India. The ancestors of the Rajputs inhabited mainly the territory of Rajasthan ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

In medieval India, the military feudal caste was an estate, in modern North India it was a caste. The ancestors of the Rajputs inhabited mainly the territory of Rajasthan ... Historical dictionary

Exist., number of synonyms: 1 caste (10) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

Rajputs- (Rajputs, Sanskrit sons of the king), to the Center, and Sev. India, a class of landowners, also called thakurs, who considered themselves direct descendants of the Hindu caste of kshatriyas (warriors). Some influential clans of R. have a royal origin, others lead ... ... The World History

A caste that considers itself to be the descendants of the Kshatriyas, i.e. class of warriors in ancient Indo-Aryan India. By origin, they go back mainly to the Saks, Yuezhi, Hephthalites and Gurjars, who migrated to India from Central Asia between ... ... Collier Encyclopedia

Military caste - an estate in medieval India, a caste in modern North India. The ancestors of the Rajputs inhabited mainly the territory of Rajasthan. * * * RAJPUTS RAJPUTS, a military caste, an estate in medieval India, a caste in modern North ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

A military feudal caste is an estate in medieval India, a group of castes of high status in modern India. R. claim to be descended from the ancient varna of the Kshatriyas (See Kshatriyas) (the name comes from the Sanskrit Rajaputra, that is, the son of ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (from Skt. râjaputra = royal son) an aristocratic race or caste in the sowing. parts of the East Indies, mainly in the so-called. Rajputan (see), Rogilkonde, Punjab, Guzherate, East. Oude and others. Numerous ruling houses quasi ... belong to R. Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

The Rajputs (from the Sanskrit word râjaputra = king's son) are an aristocratic caste in the northern part of India, mainly in Rajputan, Rogilkond, Punjab, Guzherat, Oud, and others. Numerous ruling houses of the quasi-independent feudal states of this part of India belong to the Rajputs. In the modern caste system of India, the Rajputs replace the former Kshatriyas, although in fact they do not always have a connection with them, being often of later origin. In the old days, the entire population who devoted themselves to the military craft was enrolled in the military caste. Members of the lower castes, who stood out for their courage, were also considered Rajputs, and even non-Aryans fell into the Rajputs. Thus, the purity of Rajput blood is highly questionable.

The very name Rajput is not commonly used everywhere; so, in the lower Rogilkond and other places they are called thanurs (leader, master, noble-born). Physically, the Rajputs do not differ from the Brahmins of these areas and, apparently, represent the same anthropological type. The Rajputs are for the most part at a low level of education and have more prejudices and superstitions than the Brahmins. Their main occupations are military service (there are quite a lot of them in the Indian troops), agriculture (in the Ganges valley) and cattle breeding; one can meet, however, whole families or clans of Rajputs engaged in trade and industry. Rajput farmers have a communal democratic structure: each member of such a community is free and equal, the land is divided among all community members. The Rajputs speak New Indian Hindi.

The majority religion is Hinduism, but there are also Mohammedans. The Rajputs do not show special respect for the Brahmins, but they accept all the rites and superstitions of Hinduism, are very scrupulous about the difference between castes, looking extremely proudly and scornfully at all other castes and races, the purity of the blood of which is suspicious to them; they are also very picky about food and cook it themselves, with great precautions. The Rajputs are especially dominant in Rajputana or Rajasthan, although they do not represent the majority of the population here belonging to the Jat race. The main place of the former settlement, glory and power of the Rajputs was on the Ganges River. Defeated by the Mohammedan invaders who swept over India, the main families of the Rajputs retired to a barren country east of the Indus River, to which they gave their name. The Rajputs themselves, divided into many clans or clans, originate from two ancient Indian dynasties: solar and lunar, from where the two main Rajput tribes (out of three) come from: Suryavansha (solar clan) and Chandravansha (lunar clan), or Yadu. The third division of the Rajputs, the agnikula (fire tribe), is considered to be descended from the sacred fire (Sanskrit agni-s) lit by the sage Agastya on Mount Abu.

Marriages are concluded only between different clans, and within the same clan are carefully avoided. Despite this, the number of Rajputs is declining: military service, numerous wars in the old days have exhausted or weakened the strength of Rajput men; the previously practiced (and still secretly performed) killing of female infants was also reflected in the size and strength of the race. Nevertheless, among the Rajputs, even from the poor class, there are beautiful specimens of beauty; their women are especially beautiful. The latter usually lead a very secluded life, like the Muslims, without even taking part in field work. The Rajputs in everyday life never mention or name their wife.

Rajputs a special community in the most complex system of Indian caste society, who moved to Northern India and strengthened there by the 7th century in the province of Rajasthan, managed to become the true heirs of the ancient Indian Kshatriyas, not only in the art of government, but also in all aspects of military affairs. And all thanks to the fact that the leaders of the Rajput tribes showed rare wisdom and far-sightedness, adopting the ideology and values ​​of Hinduism and deciding to peacefully “integrate” into Indian society in close cooperation with the Brahmins, the highest Indian caste of religious teachers and spiritual authorities. Together with the “blessing” of the Brahmins to engage in the difficult art of war, the Rajputs also adopted from them the Kshatriya military ideology, fully formulated by that time in the four great works of ancient Indian literature: Arthashastra, Laws of Manu, Mahabharata and Ramayana.

The treatise "Arthashastra" (translated from Sanskrit "Science of Benefit") was and in many ways could remain and still is a kind of instruction for kings on managing the state. It is believed that Kautilya, an adviser to the ancient king Chandragupta Maurya, wrote this treatise in the first centuries of our era. This book contains a lot of practical advice and recommendations on almost all aspects of socio-political life, including administrative methods of management, the activities of the state security service, the conduct of military operations, and the like. In addition, this work also legitimized the duties of the kshatriyas, which consisted in "teaching, sacrifice, distribution of gifts, earning a livelihood by military affairs and protecting living beings." But here there was also a deep contradiction between the occupations of military science, which initially involved violence, and the Hindu religion, which rejected the infliction of any harm to a living being - not only to man, but also to the smallest representative of the animal world.

That is why both the Arthashastra and other writings of the ancient Indian Brahmin thinkers formulated a special military ideology, a code of rules, having learned which a Hindu Kshatriya could kill the enemy on the battlefield without losing mental balance. At the same time, all writings emphasized that any war is evil, and, therefore, the main goal of state administration should be to minimize violent actions. In politics, rulers must use four main means: peace negotiations, bribery, sowing discord among enemies and extracting their own benefit from this. If none of these means led to the desired result, then the use of extreme means was allowed - the use of force as a punishment for enemies who did not succumb to any of the peaceful means of influence.

It also introduced the idea of ​​"punishment of villains", following which the warrior could, without thinking about the consequences, fulfill his caste duty and personal dharma, because the price of these consequences is not determined by the person himself. The brahmins constantly emphasized that the killings committed by a kshatriya in war are nothing but the fulfillment of his religious duty.

The great Indian epic "Mahabharata", which tells about the rivalry between two royal families for the hereditary kingdom and is for any Hindu not only an outstanding literary monument, but also a real tractate of law, contains a lot of reasoning about good and evil and about how exactly each person should follow your dharma.

The most important information for a kshatriya is contained in the Bhagavad Gita, the poem of the Mahabharata, which is considered one of the main religious texts of Hinduism. This poem is a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna the representative of the forces of light and Krishna his charioteer and divine assistant, who took on a human form in order to help the forces of good restore justice and punish those who do evil. The conversation takes place before the start of the decisive battle between the army of Arjuna and his brothers and the army of cousins, who personify evil forces in the poem. It is difficult for Arjuna to fight with relatives, but Krishna, in response to his grave doubts, reminds Arjuna of the need to fulfill dharma religious law, which is the meaning of existence of every kshatriya. And it was in these words of Krishna that the Rajputs found for themselves the answer to the question "what is good and what is bad."

“When bodies perish, the Incarnate in none of them dies; This means: You, Arjuna, should not regret Him in all beings. Also, observing your dharma, you do not dare to hesitate in battle: Thinking about duty, fighting is good for a kshatriya! ". Arjuna, having received such a parting word and at the same time an indulgence, boldly rushed into battle and won a decisive victory over his relatives. Every Kshatriya and every Rajput learned this teaching of Krishna in their childhood, and later they had no doubts about how to behave in war.

Young Fighter Course

All the traditional education of Rajput boys was aimed at developing the qualities necessary for a warrior. Starting from the age of 78, they were taken hunting, and it happened, to fight with the enemy. In order for the little Rajput to get used to the sight of blood, he was taught during the holidays to cut off the heads of sacrificial goats and lambs with a small saber. This custom has survived to this day.

The first independent success of a young man in a real hunt for animals was an occasion for his father to arrange a big holiday. From the same early age, the Rajputs began to take part in sports activities, of which there were many: horse dressage, shooting at a target with a bow and gun, throwing a spear at a target from a horse on the move, fights in a circle on horseback using blunt spears, horse polo with ball, training in the ability to jump off a horse at full gallop and grab onto low-hanging tree branches, wrestling, including unarmed against armed, and so on.

It must be said that the young warrior not only strengthened his body and developed combat skills, but also received a general education. It consisted in a detailed study of historical legends, traditions and tales both about one's own clan and in general about the entire Rajput community. Knowledge of the exploits and accomplishments of the ancestors helped the Rajput to feel like a true custodian of the historical traditions of his people. And from childhood, the Rajput learned to play musical instruments and sing the ability to perform an old ballad was considered extremely prestigious for anyone, even the most high-ranking person.

The boys also necessarily studied the intricacies of the game of chess this game developed the mind and strategic thinking of future warriors. Not only boys, but also girls were taught to write, compose poetry and generally express their thoughts on paper, as well as string flower garlands, which in itself was a separate art form.

Thus, the Rajput youth entered adulthood, not being a primitive "killing machine", but a comprehensively educated person who knows how to appreciate both life itself and its beauty, and at the same time is able to give this life at any moment, defending his own honor. or clan honor.

Rajput throughout his life could only engage in military affairs and nothing else. Trade and agriculture were considered unacceptable occupations, moreover, the Rajput was forbidden to even touch the plow. Excessive religious zeal was also not welcomed. The representatives of other castes have always been involved in ensuring the livelihoods of the Rajputs, who received protection as a reward for this.

The main goal of the Rajput was the strict adherence to the ritualized path of the warrior, the path of sacrificial service, called "Rajputi". Participating in the battle, which was for him a sacrifice to the gods, the ancient Indian warrior performed his duty in the best possible way. To give one's life in battle meant that by fulfilling one's dharma, the warrior would receive the salvation of the soul in the right way. Its most complete execution was death in the sacred battle "shaka". Before it began, the women of the Rajput clan performed the ritual of self-immolation "jauhar", and the men went out for the last battle, trying to destroy as many enemies as possible and at the same time die themselves, including through suicide. Even if militarily this last battle did not decide anything, in a symbolic sense its significance was enormous. The land and fortresses for which the Rajput clan sacrificed itself, according to traditional concepts, were considered “forever fixed” to the donors, and their grown-up children subsequently not only could, but had to return the lost. Therefore, before their collective sacrifice, the Rajputs tried to transport the children of the clan to a safe place.

For his last fight, the Rajput put on a saffron-colored garment sacred to Hindus and a special headdress - a “mor” - a turban adorned with jewels. Only twice in his life could a Rajput put on such a turban at a wedding and at the final battle of his life, but even then only when all the women of the clan died in the fire of “jauhara”, after which the dressing of a Rajput in such a turban became a symbol of his betrothal to heavenly Apsara virgins.

Preparation for the battle was of a solemn ritual character. First, the Rajput bathed and sprinkled himself with the sacred water of the Ganges River, which was stored in a special vessel. Then there was a rite of sacrifice to various gods and to one's "kul-devi" goddess the guardian of the clan. Then the warrior rubbed his body with oily sandalwood paste and meditated, setting himself up for battle. Before the start of the battle, much attention was paid to all kinds of signs. The worst of them was to see a mad elephant in a dream. Such natural phenomena as a thunderstorm, a whirlwind or an earthquake were also considered unfavorable. Military happiness brought the appearance of animals or birds on the right side of the marching army, but not on the left. However, all these signs were not of decisive importance - nothing was able to deprive the Rajputs of courage. In any circumstance, they fulfilled their dharma.

Cavalry

The main arm of the Rajputs was the cavalry. It was the war horse that was the true friend, helper and family member of the Rajput warrior. Poems and ballads were dedicated to horses, praising their beauty, strength, intelligence, fearlessness and loyalty. It was the Rajputs, formerly nomads, who brought such a reverent attitude towards horses to India, these animals lived in well-equipped stables, they were looked after by stables, jockeys and doctors. The Iraqi and Central Asian horses, the Akhal-Teke, brought from the historical homeland of the Rajputs, were especially valued.

Before the start of the battle, no less cleansing rites were performed on the horse than on the owner. Even the saddle on it was fixed under the reading of special mantras, and there were even more decorations on the horse than on the rider. The tail and hooves were stained with saffron infusion, then a sacred point - tika - was applied to the horse's forehead with red paste, just like the owner. All these measures were supposed to protect the horse and the owner from failure in battle. If the horse died in battle, then the Rajput grieved in the same way as in the event of the loss of a friend. The Rajput rider was armed with a bow, arrows, spear, shield, sword and daggers. The horse was often protected by a blanket with metal plates, and his head was protected by shields and chain mail.

Chariots

At the beginning of our era, the Kshatriya war chariot "ratha" was the most important and honorable weapon; all the gods and heroes of ancient Indian epics moved and fought on it. She was two-wheeled and harnessed by four horses. It housed a charioteer and a warrior, less often several people. "Raths" were made of wood, protected by steel plates and richly decorated. Both military leaders and the ruler himself fought on chariots. The role of the charioteer was extremely important, since it was on his skill that the life of the commander depended, and very often the success of the entire battle, since the soldiers were guided precisely by the main chariot.

war elephants

In combat conditions, the elephant carried up to 7 warriors armed with bows, darts and other throwing weapons. A well-trained elephant was able to trample down entire clearings in the enemy ranks. He also had a special weapon like a flail - two metal balls connected by a chain, studded with spikes, he was protected by special metal armor that covered the trunk, neck and sides from above. The elephant was trained, educated and led into battle by the mahout, who urged the elephant with the “ankush” with an iron hook on the handle, with which, if necessary, he beat off attacks on his pet.

The most important thing for the enemy was to unbalance the elephant so that he fell into a rage and began to destroy not only strangers, but also his own. For this, different methods were used, but the most original one entered history, the one that Rana (raja) Pratap (15721576) used in the battle of Haldighati. His warhorse Chetak managed to stand with his front hooves on the head of the elephant of the Mughal commander Man Singh, the elephant fell into tetanus from such a reception, and Pratap managed to cut off the hands of his driver. Man Singh wasted no time jumping from the elephant to his horse.

Pratap was inspired to take this step by capturing his own beloved elephant, Ram Prasad. At the beginning of the battle, his driver was killed and the Mughals managed to take the animal away. Pratap failed to repel his favorite and, despite the successful outcome of the battle for him, was inconsolable.

Strategy and tactics

In terms of military organization, the Rajputs generally adhered to the ancient Kshatriya military science. In the first millennium of our era, the army consisted of 4 types of troops: elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry. Their classic ratio was 1:10 10 elephants corresponded to one chariot, 10 horses for each elephant, 10 foot soldiers for each horse.

Over time, the combat value of the chariot fell; during the Middle Ages, they are not even mentioned. Then the Rajput army consisted mainly of cavalry and some war elephants and infantry. Elephants were the most ancient and classic Indian branch of service. They terrified all conquerors, from the Arabs to the British, and only against gunpowder was the mighty animal powerless.

The Rajputs had few infantry to fight "on foot" was considered below their dignity. A self-respecting Rajput should generally touch the ground as little as possible with his feet. Some Rajput rajas generally managed to never touch the ground with their feet in their entire lives. Therefore, the Bhils, representatives of the indigenous Indian tribes, and illegitimate "half-Rajputs" fought in the infantry. Subsequently, this neglect of the infantry cost the proud riders dearly.

The principle of plurality

All Rajputs were conscripts by birth, and every chief of the clan raja had to put up a detachment, which consisted of all who were able to bear arms. Ordinary warriors obeyed only the orders of the leader of their clan. Warriors of different clans did not listen to the orders of other rajas, so the maharaja had to lead the united clan army through a complex system of intermediaries, whose candidacies had to be accepted by the leaders of all clans, which was not at all easy. Therefore, on the battlefield, it was incredibly difficult to maintain effective control of the troops because in the event of the death of their leader, a whole clan, consisting of thousands of people, ceased to follow the orders of strangers, and each fought at his own discretion. And such cases were not uncommon, since the Rajput Rajas always fought on the front line, inspiring their subordinates by personal example. If Rajputs fought Rajputs, the battle was almost always chaotic and the battle plan did not matter much. But if, for example, the Mughals or the British opposed the Rajputs, the loss of control of the troops meant an inevitable defeat for the Rajputs, despite all their heroism.

The most "correct" battle, according to Rajput ideas, was a one-on-one duel. Sometimes two rulers took part in it, and then victory meant winning the whole battle, since the army of the vanquished admitted defeat. The duel continued until one of the opponents threw away the weapon, which happened rarely, or died, which happened much more often. No wound was considered sufficient to withdraw from the battle. If the wounded lost consciousness, then this automatically meant his defeat.

In a duel, the warriors used weapons according to the principle “from the lowest to the highest”: from a spear, pike or dart to a sword or saber. There were also hand-to-hand fights between the Rajputs. Given this, the Rajputs did not wear long hair, but grew their nails to scratch the enemy. Iron "tiger paws" - hooks worn on the hand, as well as short daggers - "scorpions" were also used in such fights. It was not considered shameful in hand-to-hand combat to throw sand or quicklime stored in advance into the eyes of the enemy.

Mughal yoke

This era of chivalry ended in the 16th century, when the Rajputs clashed with the ruthless Mughal conquerors. The rulers of the Delhi Sultanate, the Arabs, Marathas and other former enemies of the Rajputs, like them, adhered to raiding tactics and could not conquer the Rajput principalities, despite some successes. The Mughals, on the other hand, preferred an unprincipled approach: everything that led to victory was good. The Rajputs had to quickly forget about fair one-on-one duels with witnesses - they were opposed by a well-trained army with iron discipline, armed with cannons, siege weapons, muskets. This army was commanded by a magnificent strategist and tactician, one of the best commanders of his time, Padishah Babur, the founder of the Great Mogul dynasty.

Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur was born on February 14, 1483 in Fergana in the family of a ruler. He was the fifth direct descendant of Timur on his father's side and the fourteenth descendant of Genghis Khan on his mother's side. His brothers ruled in Bukhara and Samarkand, other relatives ruled in Tashkent and Khujand. This ruling Turkic family had its own name Mughals. All relatives were satisfied with their position, and only Babur wanted more - his idol was Timur, who conquered half the world, and Babur wanted to repeat his path. To begin with, he tried to seize the capital of his famous ancestor, Samarkand, but literally all his relatives took up arms against him, and young Babur lost his army three times, becoming, in his own words, a "homeless tramp." But, as he himself tells in his magnificent book of memoirs Babur-name, he never despaired.

Having shown outstanding diplomatic and military abilities, he managed to assemble a new, even stronger army and, having armed it, including artillery, conquered Afghanistan, where in 1504 he took the title of padishah in Kabul. Having abandoned the idea of ​​punishing uncompromising relatives, he became interested in India, especially since his outstanding ancestor Timur never conquered this country. Babur decided that the conquest of India was quite in line with his ambitions, and after several preparatory sorties fell upon the Delhi Sultanate, where at that time the young and inexperienced Ibrahim Lodi ruled. The decisive battle took place at Panipat on April 21, 1526, Babur won a quick victory in it. The Sultan died, his army was partially destroyed, and partially fled. So Babur became the ruler of Delhi. Sangram Singh, the Rajput ruler of Mewar, Sangram Singh, also known as Rana Sanga (r. 15091528), could not stand this. This great warrior was a participant in almost a hundred battles, twice defeated Ibrahim Lodi, bled him dry and was already preparing for a decisive assault on Delhi, when Babur suddenly appeared and took “not his own”.

Rana Sanga, who had considerable influence among other Rajput rulers, gathered 80,000 selected soldiers under his banner and prepared to throw the newcomer back into the Afghan mountains. Rana Sanga accepted into his army the surviving Muslim commanders and even his brother Ibrahim Mahmud, whom he temporarily recognized as the legitimate ruler of Delhi. Muslims and Rajputs did not really trust each other, but they were united by one goal to remove the third.

The beginning of hostilities did not bring any satisfaction to Babur. The Rajputs stormed the fortified fortress of Bayan, killed the Mughal garrison and destroyed the Mughal detachment of 1,500 horsemen sent to rescue the defenders of the fortress. The surviving Mughals talked about how terrible the Rajput warriors were, and until Babur executed them, they managed to create an opinion in the army that it was time to go home, keeping what they managed to loot. An astrologer from Kabul also added fuel to the fire, predicting an inevitable defeat in the battle with the Rajputs. Babur also executed him, and then addressed the army with a decisive speech. He told all his mercenaries, who made up the majority of his troops (there were also many Europeans there), that all life ends in death, and their home is too far away, and if they are destined to die, then they must do it with honor, but if they are destined to win, then all of them will receive the richest country and increase the glory of Allah.

At the end of his speech, Babur declared jihad, a holy war against the Rajputs. And the army perked up.

Perhaps the greatest of all the battles in the history of India took place on March 17, 1527 near the village of Khanua in the Agra region. Rana Sanga fielded about 80,000 men and hundreds of war elephants. Babur about 40,000 soldiers and artillery. The battle lasted 10 hours and was extremely hard-fought. The Rajputs, at first stunned by artillery fire, managed to pull themselves together, pacify the elephants and push the Mughals along the entire front, almost destroying their right flank. The victory of the Rajputs was already visible when Babur made a crushing flank attack with his best cavalry detachment, which he kept in reserve until the last moment.

The Rajputs still had the opportunity to regroup their forces, but just at that moment Rana Sanga was wounded and carried unconscious from the battlefield. Babur, in the absence of the commander, crushed the Rajputs and won. Subsequently, in his memoirs, he highly appreciated the combat capabilities of the Rajputs and called the battle of Khanua the most difficult in his career. Rana Sanga tried to gather an army again, but no one wanted to obey him, and the Rajput rajas and maharajas returned to their usual point of view "every man for himself." This was only to the advantage of the bloodless army of the Moghuls, and Babur, again gathering his strength, began to tear off “piece by piece” from the Rajput principalities. Rana Sanga, suffering greatly both from the wound and from the misunderstanding of his compatriots, died in 1528. Babur no longer had equal rivals.

Thus began almost 300 years of Mughal rule in India. However, Babur himself did not enjoy the victory for too long and died in December 1530. As for the Rajputs, they did not stop their struggle against the Mughals for a single day. Throughout the 300 years of their rule, they, mainly by guerrilla methods with the full support of the rest of the population, inflicted great damage on the invaders. The Rajputs perfected their raiding tactics, and until the arrival of the British, a number of Himalayan and western hard-to-reach Rajput principalities managed to maintain their independence. The rest of the Rajputs either died in an unequal struggle, or, in some cases, went to cooperate with the Mughals, giving their daughters in marriage to them and making a successful career in the Moghul army. The Rajput military leaders won many glorious victories in the east and south of India, but only a few converted to Islam and opposed their compatriots, like Man Singh in the unsuccessful battle of Haldighati for him. For almost 500 years, his native clan, the Kachchwa, does not like to remember this shameful fact for them. But the rest of the Rajputs remember this because the history of their people for them is not something frozen and covered with the dust of centuries, it is an inextricable and eternally living link of times, from the depths of which brave ancestors proudly look at their brave descendants, who at any moment ready to accomplish a feat in the name of their own honor and the honor of their homeland and go the way of a warrior and a Rajput to the end.