Rawal (also spelled Raval) or Raol originally is a regional variation of the Hindi princely ruler title Raja/Radjah (literally "king") used in some

princely state 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 ...

s in

Rajputana Rājputana, meaning "Land of the Rajputs", was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and some adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day ...

and Western India (notably Gujarat), and is now also used as a caste designation or surname by several communities in Southern Asia. A village near Sumer has people filled with surname- Rawal of General Category.

Princely titles

Notable (but non-salute) states using this title for their ruling prince were, both under the colonial

Mahi Kantha Agency Mahi Kantha was a political agency or collection of princely states in British India, within the Gujarat Division of Bombay Presidency. In 1933, the states of the Mahi Kantha Agency, except for Danta, were included in the Western India States Ag ...

(in the third -high- of seven classes of states) and in present

Gujarat, India Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

: * the Raol of Malpur * the Raol of

Mansa Mansa may refer to: Places In India * Mansa, Gujarat, a town in northern Gujarat, Western India; the capital of: ** Mansa, Gujarat Assembly constituency ** Mansa State, a princely state under the Mahi Kantha Agency in India * Mansa district, ...

Maharawal

This 'Western' equivalent of the higher (gradually deflated) Hindi title

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

(literally 'great king') was notably used by three

salute state A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...

s in

(presently in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

), all entitled to a (high-ranking) Hereditary

gun salute A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number (''21-gun salute''), with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world. Histo ...

of 15-guns : * the Maharawal (also called Maharaja) of

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...

* the Maharawal of

Banswara Banswara is a city in the Banswara district in southern Rajasthan, India. The name, Banswara, came from "Bans wala" (bamboo) forests, as Bamboo grew in abundance around this place within the area. Banswara is also known as "City of a Hundred ...

* the Maharawal of

Dungarpur Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dungarpur District. It is the fastest developing town in the southern part of Rajasthan, alongside Aspur ''tehsil''. History Dungarpu ...

and one in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, entitled to a (rather low-ranking) Hereditary salute of 9-guns (11-guns personal) : * the Maharaol (or Maharawal) of Bari(y)a

Surnames

As a surname, "Rawal" is found among multiple communities in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. * Raval/Rawal surname also found in

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

community in Gujarat, for example Paresh Rawal. *

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

s for example

Bappa Rawal Bappa Rawal (c. 8th century) was a king of the Mewar kingdom in Rajasthan, India. The bardic chronicles describe him as a member of the Guhila Rajput Clan, and some of them consider him to be the founder of the Guhila dynasty. He is credited ...

. *

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...

s * The

Nambudiri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal el ...

priests of the

Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...

and

Kedarnath Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of t ...

were given the title of "Rawal" by the king of Garhwal in 1776 * Raval (also known as Rawal or Raval Yogi), an Indian caste categorized among the

Other Backward Classes The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, ...

* Rawal, a caste found in Pakistan and Pakistani diaspora; its members claim to be the original rulers of Rawalpindi

People

People with the title or surname Rawal include (''in alphabetical order''): *

(Rajput), legendary ruler of Mewar kingdom India *

Bhim Bahadur Rawal Dr. Bhim Bahadur Rawal ( ne, डा.भीम बहादुर रावल) commonly known as Bhim Rawal is a Nepali politician, former Deputy Prime Minister & Defence Minister of Nepal in Second Oli cabinet. He served as the Minister of Hom ...

, Nepali politician *

Jam Rawal Jam Rawal Lakh (1480–1562), was Jadeja Rajput ruler, who ruled Kutch State from 1524 to 1548 and later was founder-ruler of Nawanagar State from 1540 to 1562. Ruler of Kutch Jam Raval was son of Jam Lakhoji, the chief of Tera branch of Kut ...

, ruler of Kachchh princely state in India *

Narendra Raval Narendra Raval (born 1962) is a Kenyan industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist of Indian Gujarati origin. Raval who serves as the Executive Chairman of the Devki Group of Companies, a conglomerate in East Africa that manufactures ...

, Kenyan entrepreneur and philanthropist *

Jayakumar Jitendrasinh Rawal Jaykumar Rawal is a member of the 13th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He represents the Sindkheda Constituency. Jaykumar Rawal is a descendant of the royal family of Dondaicha Sansthan and his grandfather Sahakar Maharshi Dadasaheb Rawal was ...

, Indian politician * Jitendra Jatashankar Rawal, Indian astrophysicist *

Kalpana Rawal Kalpana Hasmukhrai Rawal (born 15 January 1946 in Bhuj, India) is a Kenyan-Asian lawyer and the former Deputy Chief Justice and Vice President of the Supreme Court of Kenya. She was sworn in on June 3, 2013 as the Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya in ...

, Kenyan lawyer and judge * Lal Bahadur Rawal, Nepali politician * Nisha Rawal, Indian model-actress * Paresh Rawal, Indian actor * Rajendra Rawal, Nepali footballer *

Darshan Raval Darshan Raval is an Indian singer, composer, actor, and songwriter. He sings predominantly in Hindi along with Gujarati and Telugu. He was the first runner-up in the StarPlus music reality show, '' India's Raw Star'' in 2014. Career In his in ...

, Indian singer *

Rawal Jaisal Rawal Jaisal (–1168), was a Bhati Rajput ruler of Jaisalmer who lived during the 12th century and founded the city of Jaisalmer and Jaisalmer state. Sixth in descent from Rawal Deoraj Bhati, he was the eldest son of Rawal Dusaj of Deoraj (D ...

, ruler of Jaisalmer state in India *

Rawal Mallinath Rawal Mallinath is a 14th-century folk hero of Rajasthan. He was the eldest son of Rao Salkhaji, the ruler of Mehwanagar in Barmer District. He and his wife, Rani Rupade, are revered as folk saints in Western Rajasthan. Military career He ruled ...

, folk hero of Rajasthan, India *

Rawal Ratan Singh Ratnasimha (IAST: Ratna-Siṃha, r. c. 1302 –1303 CE) was a ruler of the Medapata (Mewar) kingdom in present-day Rajasthan, India. He belonged to the Rawal branch of the Guhila dynasty, which ruled from the Chitrakuta fort (modern Chitt ...

, ruler of Mewar state in India * Sanjay Rawal, American documentary film director * Sashi Rawal, Nepali pop singersinger * Vaibhav Rawal, Indian cricketer * Vipul K Rawal, Indian scriptwriter

Clan

* Rawalpindi, Rawal, A Clan Of Lord Shiva Followers.

Places

* Rawal lake, a reservoir in Pakistan * Rawal Express, a Pakistani train service between Lahore and Rawalpindi * Rawal, Uttar Pradesh

References

{{authority control Heads of state Noble titles Royal titles Titles in India Titles in Pakistan Court titles History of Pakistan Titles of national or ethnic leadership Filipino royalty Hindi words and phrases Shaikh clans Social groups of Punjab, Pakistan Social groups of India