The Badgujar (also spelt as Bargujar and Badgurjar) is a clan of

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

s. They are also a distinct caste in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

History and Origin

Similar to several other Rajput clans, the Badgujars also claim descent from the ancient Suryavanshi king

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

. The Bargujars ruled over Rajorgarh,

Dausa Dausa is a city and administrative headquarters of Dausa district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is 55 km from Jaipur, 240 km from Delhi and located on Jaipur-Agra National Highway (NH-21). Etymology The name ''Dausa'' (Hindi ...

, Deoti and Ghasira, Macheri. They were expelled from Dausa, Rajorgarh and Deoti by

Kachhwaha The Kachhwaha is a Rajput clan found primarily in India. They claim descent from the Suryavanshi (Solar) dynasty. Etymology According to Cynthia Talbot, the meaning of word ''Kachhwaha'' is tortoise. Origin There are numerous theories on ...

Rajputs when they migrated to Dhundhar. In 11th century

Dulha Rai Dulha Rai was the founder of the Kachhwaha dynasty and also the 1st king from this dynasty who ruled the territory of Dhundhar, with his capital at Khoh in present-day Rajasthan. He started his rule from Dausa which he obtained as a dowry from ...

, won the areas of Dausa and Deoti from the Badgujar Rajputs, who were thus reduced to status of a feudatory or jagirdars. In 18th century Surajmal with the help of Mughal wazir took the Bargujar stronghold of Ghasera from its ruler Bahadur Singh Badgurjar which was again recovered by Bahadur Singh's son with the help of Imad ul MulK.

Princely State & Jagirs controlled by Bargujars

Among small petty states ruled by Bargujar Rajputs were Daria Kheri, Dhabla Dhir, Dhabla Ghosi, Kamalpur. Other important

Jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

once controlled by Badgujars was Barauli Rao.

Heritage

The Ghasera Fort and Khandar F ort are among the two major forts built by Bargujar Rajput rulers. Kangure

Distribution

They are mainly distributed parts of present-day

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

Notable people

* Raja Pratap Singh Badgujar * Raja Anup singh Badgujar *

Raj Kunwar Singh Raja, Rao Raj Kunwar Singh (17 November 1897 – 1968) was a noted zamindar, known as Raja of Barauli Rao and member of legislative assembly in British India. Life sketch Early life He was adopted son of Rao Karan Singh, who was also the ru ...

References