''Rai'' ( ur, , ; bn, রায়) is a historical title of royalty and nobility in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
used by rulers and chieftains of many
princely states
A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...
. It is derived from ''Raja'' (king, prince or chief). The Marathi/Telugu variant Rai was used as a substitute to King. Rai has no trace in sanskrit origin.
When
Babur conquered
Hindustan, he found many principalities which had been subordinated by the Emperor of Hindustan and innumerable others which never have been effectively subdued. When
Akbar ascended to the throne, Hindustan had numerous autonomous and semiautonomous rulers. These hereditary rulers were known by various names such as ''Rais'', ''Rajas'', ''Ranas'', and ''Rawals''.
During Mughal rule, while conferring a title on a Hindu or Sikh Chief the word Raja or Rai was added to the name of person. The Mughals seems to have inherited the practice of bestowing titles from the Sultans of Delhi. The appellation "Rai" is primarily applied to men, while for women the appellation "Rani" is used.
During
British Rule, ''Rai Sahib'' and ''Rai Bahadur'' were titles of honour given for service of visionary leadership to the nation. They were given immense power too and were equivalent to autonomous native rulers within their feudal estates
Other variations of ''Rai'' are ''Roy'' and ''Rao''. These are also used as surnames by
Kolis,
Bhumihars and
Yadavs. Rai was the title used by the Zamindars (landowners) of Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during the colonial rule after the Permanent settlement system introduced in Bengal-Bihar and the state of Benaras.
The descendants of these earlier rulers, chieftains and leaders still use these titles as patronymics, but these titles although having social acceptance as per local customs, holds no recognition and privilege in the eye of law after the abolition of titles in 1971 from the Indian Constitution.
See also
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Rana (title)
Rana ( IAST: ''Rāṇā'', Sanskrit: ) is a historical title denoting an absolute Hindu monarch in the Indian subcontinent. Today, it is used as a hereditary name in the Indian and Pakistani subcontinent.
"Rana" was formerly used as a title of m ...
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Raja
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Rani
''Rani'' in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, sometimes spelled ''Ranee'', is a Hindu/Sanskrit feminine given name. The term is the female form of the term for princely rulers in South and Southeast Asia and applies equally to the wife of a ...
References
Bibliography
WorldStatesmen - India*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rana
Cultural history of India
Royal titles
Titles of national or ethnic leadership
History of South Asia
Titles in India
Rajput titles