Rathore

The Rathore or Rathor (Sanskrit Rashtrakuta) are a Rajput clan from western Rajasthan in India. Rathore dynasties ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states in Rajasthan and neighboring states before India's independence. Jodhpur (Marwar) was the largest kingdom, followed by Bikaner (also known as Jangladesh). Other states ruled by Rathore clans included Kishangarh and Nagaur in Rajasthan, Idar in Gujarat, and Sitamau, Sailana and Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh.

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In Rajasthan, the Rathores first emerge shortly after the conquest of the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta. At Hathundi, in former Jodhpur state, 10th century inscriptions have been found mentioning Harivarma, Vidagdha, Mammata, Dhavala and Balaprasada of Rashtrakuta dynasty.

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The Rathores were originally feudatories of the Pratihara dynasty, who in the early 9th century established a kingdom in central India with its capital at Kannauj. Kannauj was sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1019, which ushered in a chaotic period for the kingdom. The kingdom was much reduced in size, and came under the influence of the Chandela Rajputs of Bundelkhand, who deposed the last of the Pratihara kings in 1036, The Gahadvala dynasty of Rathores established control of the kingdom by the end of the eleventh century. Kannauj recovered some of its former prosperity under the Gahadvalas, who expanded the kingdom to include Varanasi, which became a second capital. Kannauj was sacked again in 1194 by Mohammed of Ghori, and thereafter conquered by the Delhi Sultanate.

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A group of Rathores retreated west into Rajasthan, under the leadership of Sheoji, grandson of Jai Chandra, the last Rathore king of Kannauj. They settled in the town of Pali in Marwar kingdom, which was ruled by another branch of the Pratiharas. By the early 15th century the Rathores had taken complete control of Marwar from the Pratiharas. Rao Jodha founded the city of Jodhpur in 1459, and moved the capital of the kingdom from Mandor. In 1488 Rao Bika, one of his sons, established the city of Bikaner in the Jangladesh region to the north of Marwar, which became a second Rathore kingdom.

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The Kingdom of Jodhpur included the present-day districts of Jodhpur, Pali, Nagaur, Barmer, and Jalor. The Kingdom of Bikaner included present-day districts of Bikaner, Churu, Ganganagar, and Hanumangarh.

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Rashtrakuta: The Rashtrakutas were a dynasty which ruled the Deccan during the 8th-10th centuries. Feudatories of the Chalukyas they rose to prominence after the Chalukyas fell to Dantidurga. The Pratiharas, Vengis, Gangas Cholas and Palas were their contemporaries....

Rajput: A Rajput (from Sanskrit rāja-putra, "son of a king") is a member of a prominent caste who live throughout northern and central India, primarily in the northwestern state of Rajasthan. They are thought to number about 12 million....

Rajasthan: Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the geographically largest state in northwestern India. It borders Pakistan to the west, Gujarat to the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast and Punjab to the north. Rajasthan co...