Kshatriya (Hindi: क्षत्रिय, kṣatriya from Sanskrit: क्षत्र, kṣatra) is the title of the princely military order in the Vedic society. The Kshatriya are one of the four varnas of Hinduism, the other three being Brahmins, Vaishyas and Shudras. They are the warrior and ruling caste in the varna system. The word means the protector of land. They are supposed to uphold the code of honour, bravery and loyalty. Everyone in the military and governing hierarchy from king to village chief and from general to foot-soldier is a kshatriya. In ancient Hindu society, a person's aptitude (guna), conduct (karma) and nature (swabhava) were considered to assign his occupation or varnas .
Etymology
In Sanskrit it is derived from kšatra, meaning "dominion, power, government" from a root kšī "to rule, govern, possess". It is related to Old Persian xšāyaθiya ("emperor") and xšaθra ("realm"), and thus to the New Persian words šāh ("emperor") and šahr ("city", "realm").
Kshatra is God's energy which descends upon those who are righteous.
In the early Vedic civilization, the warrior caste was called rājanya & kšatrīya. The former was an adjectival form of rājan "ruler, king" from a root rāj "to rule", cognate to the Latin rex "king" and the German Reich "empire".
Holy warriors
Lord Sri Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. Rama and Lakshmana are always shown to be ready for battle (with bow and arrow) as it is their Kshatriya dharma to fight. Rama is shown having blue skin which is a characteristic of Vishnu
Lord Sri Rama (center) with wife Sita, brother Lakshmana and devotee Hanuman. Rama and Lakshmana are always shown to be ready for battle (with bow and arrow) as it is their Kshatriya dharma to fight. Rama is shown having blue skin which is a characteristic of Vishnu
The Kshatriyas were assigned to be protectors of Dharma (duty/justice), their subjects and livestock. They were sanctioned by holy scriptures to govern. The noble king is regarded as a Dharma Raja (Just Ruler)
The Rig Veda states:
praja arya jyotiragrah. RV, VII. 33.17
People ruled by Aryans (nobles) are led by the Divine light. King Rama of Ayodhya is considered the greatest of the Dharma Rajas:
arya sarva samascaiva sadaiva priyadarsanah
Noble who worked for the equality of all, was dear to everyone. Ramayana said:
Like the ancient monarch Manu, father of the human race,
Dasaratha ruled his people with a father's loving grace,
Symbol of Kshatriya
In the initiation rituals, the nyagrodha (Ficus Indica or Sacred Fig tree) danda is assigned to the Kshatriya class.
The nyagrodha or banyan tree, with its bending branches which take root in the ground, was regarded as a resembling form of the Kshatriya. The nyagrodha is the kshatra power of trees, and the Kshatriya is the kshatra power [among humans], for the Kshatriya dwells fastened to the kingdom, and is supported [by it]. And the nyagrodha is fastened to the ground by its downward growths, and supported [by it].
(Aitereya Brahmana, 7.31; see also Satapatha Brahmana 5.3.5.13)
"The staff made of this wood is taken by the Kshatriya initiate with a mantra imparting physical vitality or ojas".
(Reflections on Resemblance, Ritual, and Religion; Brian K. Smith)
In Manu Smriti the Kshatriya caste is given the Varna (Color) red, to
symbolize strength, passion and Valor.
Theology
In Vedic theology, Manu is considered the law giver and progenitor of Humans. He had over 50 sons. Manu was both king and priest and his children (and thus all of humanity) are considered highborn. Due to the eventual differences in occupations, people ended up in different jātis and caste. Those who studied the Vedas became known as Brahmins, those who practiced trade became Vaishya, those who labored became Sudra, and those who took up martial arts became Kshatriyas. The word Arya means "noble" and was initially only used for kings and kshatriyas, the word Arya is related to "Aristocracy".
Panchjanya, meaning five people, is the common name given to five most ancient vedic kshatriya tribes. It is supposed they are all descendants of Turvasha, Yadu, Puru, Anu and Druhyu. For e.g. Yadav for descendants of Yadu, Paurav for descendants of Puru etc.
Kshatriyas were created from the arms of God and the priests were from his mouth and the merchants from his abdomen and the laborers from his legs. This was to be interpreted as meaning that no one caste is more important than the other and that society cannot survive without all parts working together.
Vedic Origin
In modern India, caste is inherited. Most of the Kshatriya communities claim descent from Surya, Chandra, or Agni. The Surya descendants claim descent from Sun Dynasty (Suryavansh). Rama also belonged to this dynasty.Maharaja Agrasen also belonged from the same descent. The Chandra descendants claim descent from Lunar Dynasty (Chandravansh). Krishna also born in this dynasty.Yaduvanshi Kshtriyas consider him as an ancestor. This is based on the writings of the Rig Veda and other Puranas.Great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and Raghuvamsa also support it.
Two camps exist about the importance of these texts. One camp is similar to the literalists of the Christian faith who believe that their holy texts are verbatim documentation of real people, events and dates and that modern society is descended from them. The other camp believes that the holy texts are not meant to be taken literally and should be used symbolically as examples of the proper way to live.
Those who believe the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Puranas were verbatim documents feel that modern Kshatriyas are descended from the Vedic Kshatriyas. The reason for the controversy is that we do not have any physical evidence of their existence. There are no bones, forts, weapons, coins, monuments, pictures etc. discovered to state unequivocally that they existed. This issue can be debated at length.
Siddhartha Gautama was born into a Hindu Kshatriya family
Siddhartha Gautama was born into a Hindu Kshatriya family
What historians generally agree on is that from around 1000 BC onwards we have archeological, literary, and artistic evidence of the communities that existed in India. Gautama Buddha and Mahavira are two Kshatriya sages who made a lasting impression on the world.
Jain Origin
According to Jainism, Rishabh, the first Tirthankar founded three varnas namely Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Later, Bharat the elder son of Rishabh and the first Chakravarti founded Brahmin varn in absence of Rishabh. When Rishabh got this news, he said to Bharat, “It is your great mistake. These Brahmins will create problems for mankind. They will promote inequality in people”
According to Jain and Buddhist literature, Kshatriyas are nothing but those who own a farm, i.e. farmers.
By the way, four varns came into existence namely Kshatriys, Brahmins, Vaishyas and Shudras. Here you can see that the Brahmins got the second position, not the first in the four varns.
Kshatriya Clans:
All the kshatriys are descendents of Rishabh, the first Jain Tirthankar. This fact is clearly stated in many Hindu puranik literature like Bhagwat Puran, Brahma Puran, Vishnu Puran etc.
The clan of Rishabh was called Ikshwaku. So it is clan of all khsatiryas. Later two branches of this clan came into existence. First was Suryawanshi which was named after Adityayash (Ark kirti), the elder son of Bharat and the Grand Son of Rishabh and second Somvansh named after Somyash, the elder son of Bahubali. (Bahubali was younger brother of Bharat and son of Rishabh)
Later Suryavansh was divided into 36 clans and Somvansh was divided into 60 clans. Thus the total number of Kshatriya clans became 96
Establishments and assimilation
In ancient age, there was mobility between varnas, as people learned new skills and changed their actions and occupation. Historians believe that the Hindu caste system became rigid around 1000 BC. Prior to this in ancient India the nomadic tribes did not have a fixed caste system. They initially assigned roles based on an individual’s aptitude and ability. This was necessary in order to ensure the tribe's survival. The stronger members of the tribe became the warriors and were given a higher status in society as they were more important to the survival of the tribe at the time. As the tribes became more familiar with farming they built up surpluses and became more settled. This more sedentary and leisurely lifestyle shifted the people's focus to accumulating wealth and finding a meaning to life. Priests began to take the preeminent role in society as they ensured spiritual salvation. This led to society forming a more rigid social system where position was determined by birth rather than merit. Thereafter, those in the more powerful classes enforced this caste system to remain in power, a pattern also exhibited by the nobles of Europe. During the Epic Age people began to question these institutions.
Many historical rulers came from other castes, or were descended from non-Hindu foreign conquerors, and were either granted de facto Kshatriya status by virtue of the power they held, or they created fictionalized family histories to connect themselves to past Kshatriya rulers. For instance, the Sakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Pahlavas, Paradas etc were foreign invaders from north-west but were assimilated into the Indian community as Kshatriyas.
Non-Puritan Kshatriyas
The Ashtadhyayi of Panini (sutra 4.1.168-175) attests that the Kamboja and Gandhara were very important Kshatriya kingdoms of Uttarapatha during or prior to Paninian times (500 BC). See more on ancient Kamboja Kshatriyas
The Manusmriti, written about 200 AD states that the Sakas (Scythians), Yavanas (Ionian, Indo-Greeks), Kambojas (Central Asians), Paradas (Sinkiang), Pahlavas (Persians), Kiratas (Nepal, Assam), Dravidas (Tamil,Pandiya Kula Kshatriya Mara Nadar), and Daradas were originally noble Kshatriyas but were relegated to the Barbaric (Vrishala) status due to their neglect of the Brahmanas as well as due to their non-observance of the sacred Brahmanical codes (X/43-44).
Anushasanaparava of the Mahabharata also views the Sakas, Kambojas and the Yavanas etc. in the same light. Patanjali in his Mahabhasya regards the Sakas and Yavanas as pure Sudras (II.4.10).
The Vartika of the Katyayana informs us that the kings of the Sakas and the Yavanas, like those of the Kambojas, may also be addressed by their respective tribal names.
The Mahabharata also associates the Sakas, Yavanas, Gandharas (Northwest India), Kambojas (Pamir-Badakshan), Pahlavas, Tusharas, Sabaras, Barbaras, Dravidas, etc.. and addresses them all as the Barbaric tribes of Uttarapatha.
In another verse the epic groups the Shakas, Kambojas and Khashas together and state them as the tribes from Udichya, i.e. north division (5/169/20).
The Kishkindha Kanda of the Ramayana locates the Sakas, Kambojas, Yavanas and the Paradas in the extreme north-west beyond the Himavat (i.e. Hindukush) (43/12) in the Shakadvipa, adjoining the land of Uttarakurus.
The Udyogaparava of the Mahabharata (5/19/21-23) tells us that the composite army of the Kambojas, Yavanas and Sakas had participated in the Mahabharata war under the supreme command of Sudakshina Kamboja. The epic repeatedly applauds this composite army as being very fierce and wrathful. Some verses of Mahabharata also attest that the Tusharas or Tukharas were also included in the Kamboja division (e.g.: MBH 6.66.17-21; MBH 8.88.17). 'Tocharians
Puranic accounts attest that the Dravidas are Kshatriyas and are said to be descendants of the sons of Vishwamitra. Like the Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas, Daradas, Khashas etc, the Dravidas were recorded as Kshatriyas who no longer were initiated into the sacred thread due to their neglect of the Brahmanas as well as due to their non-observance of the sacred Brahmanical codes.
Kshatriya communities
The Kshatriya communities are generally very prominent in Indian history, having been major influences on Indian politics, society, culture, religion and economics for hundreds of years. The Rajputs, Kurus, Panchalas, Khatris, Kosalas, Matsyas, Magadhas, Chedis, Yadus, ,Jats,Kambojas, Gandharas, Kekayas etc in epic times and Mauryas, Guptas, Chalukyas, Marathas, Reddys, Sainis, Dhangars, Kurmis,Ghosh etc. in post-epic/medieval eras are considered to have been particularly influential.
Vedic Kshatriyas
Suryavanshi and ChandravanshiKayasthas (Originated from pre Moryan Vedic Kshatriyas)
Khatris (the Original members of the Vedic Kshatriyas, have mixed blood with Greco-Bactrians in some cases)
Kunbis or Kanbis/Kurmis/Kambes
Marathas
60 clans (Suryavanshi)
36 clans (Chandravanshi)
Rajus (Andhra Pradesh)
Suryavanshis
Bais Rajput (Uttar Pradesh and North India)
Kachwaha
Lohanas
Guhilote or Sisodiya
Rathore
Ayyaraka Patrudu
Bhandaris
Chandravanshi
Chandel
Kuruba
Maurya
Saini
Somvanshi Kshatriya Pathare
Yadav
Non-Vedic Kshatriyas
Agnivanshi
Many of the Rajputs are known as Agnivanshi Kshatriyas. According to Agni Purana the Agnivanshi Rajputs were born from the fire which resides in Mt. Abu in Northwestern India after the "destruction of ancient Kshatriyas".However historians interpretes this as suggestive of Indo-Scythian origin because this place was entrance gateway for scythic groups in India .In fact lineage of all 36 Rajput rajcule has been traced to Indo-scythic races [5].However, it is also suggested that, by the tenth century, much of the Post-Gupta Kshatriya rulers of northern and central India also adopted the term Rajputs and were responsible for the continuity of administrative style and coinage of the preceding period[6].
Agnivanshi Rajputs
Solanki
Gurjara-Pratihara, Gujjars
Chauhans
Bhadorias / Bhadaurias
Paramara
Ghosh
Nagavanshi
These are the Kshatriyas belonging to the Serpent dynasty called Nagavansham. They are the Kshatriyas of South India (in particular Kerala and Tamil Nadu). They are serpent worshippers.
Nair (Naagar)
Indravanshi
The Ahom kings of Assam were traced to the the union of Indra (identified with Khunlung) and Syama (a low-caste woman), and were declared Indravamsa kshatriyas, a lineage created for the Ahoms.
Sun and Fire Worshippers
Sakas (Lohars, Tarkhans, Cheema, Jats)
Yavanas
Kambojas
Pahlavas
Paradas
Sisodias .
Others
Aroras
Bhatias
Bhavsars
Bunts
Daradas
Dogras
Dravidas
Gurkhas
Kayasthas
Kiratas
Soods
Kodavas
Pathare prabhu
Non-Indian
Hindu
BALI KSHATRIYAS
About 40 percent of the total population of Bali comprises Balinese Kshatriyas. Balinese Hinduism has a caste system and is heavily influenced by the Vedas. Balinese people are of mixed Mongoloid, Polynesian, Australoid, Aryan and Dravidian races.
CHAM SATRIAS
The Balamon Hindu Cham people of Vietnam consist of 70% Kshatriyas (pronounced in Vietnamese as "Satrias"). Although Balamon make up only 25% of the overall Cham population (the other 75% are Muslims or Cham Bani). These Balamon Kshatriyas claim to be the descendants of the Champa Empire.
References
According to Col. James Tod (Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan), C. T. Metcalfe (The Rajpoot Tribes) and some other ethnographers, the ancestors of the Sisodias/Guhilots were Guebres i.e. Iranians and were sun & fire worshippers. There is powerful evidence to support this view. It is also interesting to notice that the Guhilots/Sisodias claim their ancestry from the Maitraka (q.v.) dynasty (475 AD-766 AD) of Saurashtra.
^ "Maitraka, a Rajput dynasty, thought to be of the Bala tribe, whose capital was Vallabhi in the Saurashtra peninsula (now modern Gujarat). The final ruler was King Siladitya VI who perished when the city was destroyed by invaders from the west, possibly a Muslim force from Sind. His wife, Pushpavati, on a religious pilgrimage in Mewar at the time, gave birth to a son shortly after. This was GUHIL who founded the GUHILOT Dynasty (ca AD 569), forerunner of the Mewar Dynasty". See Maitraka in the The Mewar Encyclopaedia at [1]. See also: [2]
^ Bappa Rawal also called Kalbhoj (b. Prince Kalbhoj, ca 713 – 753 AD, possibly at Eklingji), eighth ruler of the Guhilot Dynasty and founder of the Mewar Dynasty (ruled. 734AD - 753 AD). The name Kalbhoj, in all probability, seems connected with Sanskrit Kambhoj. Kambhoj is non-iranianised version of Kamboj which name carries Pisachi influence per Dr K. P. Jayswal. See link for more details: [3]. See also: Kamboi
Books, Magazines and Articles
History and Culture of Indian People, The Vedic Age, p 313-314
History of Gurjara Rajputs: [9]
Late Shri Harilal Upadhyay: This great gujarati author did a lot of research work on ancient and modern era and wrote books which can be considered as enclopedia cum novels. He wrote books on chandravansh and suryavash, further details are found at his official cum tribute web site. However he did all his work in his mother tongue (Gujarati) but the site provide some comprehensive information in English.
