The Kachhwaha is a

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 ...

clan found primarily in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. 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 the origin of the Kachhwahas. Prominent of those theories are of claiming scion from the Suryavansh and the Kurma Avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Suryavansh origin

Suryavansh Dynasty or Ikshwaku Dynasty or Raghuvansh Dynasty : Kachwaha claim descent from mythological character

Kush KUSH 1600 AM is a radio station licensed to Cushing, Oklahoma. The station broadcasts a Full service format, consisting of local and national talk, sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, tha ...

, a son of the

avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

of mythological

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

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' ...

, as expressed by them citing historical documents during the Supreme court of India proceedings on

Ram Mandir The Ram Mandir (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Shri Ramlalla Mandir, is a partially constructed Hindu temple, Hindu temple complex in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Many Hindus believe that it is located at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, t ...

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

. Ish Devji a Kachhwaha Raja of outstanding merit, with his capital at Gwalior, is recorded to have died in 967 A.D.

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

genealogists place him as being the three hundred & third generation after Ikshwaku. The Kachhwahas of Amber are descendants of Ish Devji. According to Rima Hooja, the Kachhwahas initially called themselves "Kachhapaghata", "Kachwaha" and "Katsawaha". "Kachawa" word became popular in the late 16th century during the reign of Raja Man Singh. There are many inscriptions and manuscripts which prove this theory, like the ones found in Balvan, Chatsu, Sanganer and Rewasa.

History

1 Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II ca 1725 Jaipur

Dulha Rai

Kachhwaha established their kingdoms in the Dhundhar region of modern Rajasthan in the 11th century. One Kachhwaha

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 ...

conquered most of the Dhundhar area from

Bargujars The Badgujar (also spelt as Bargujar and Badgurjar) is a clan of Rajputs. They are also a distinct caste in Maharashtra. History and Origin Similar to several other Rajput clans, the Badgujars also claim descent from the ancient Suryavanshi c ...

Raja Kakil deo

After Dulherai, his son Kakil Deo defeated the Meenas of Amer and made Amer the capital of Dhundhar after Khoh. He also defeated the Ahirs of Dhundhar region and annexed their territories in the battles of Med and Bairath. Bairath is the corrupted name of Viratnagar which has a great significance in Mahabharata.

Raja Pajawan

Raja Pajawan helped

Prithviraj Chauhan Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; 22 May 1166 – February 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, w ...

in his most of the campaigns and conquests. In total, he is credited to have fought 64 battles in his career. He was married to a cousin of Prithviraj Chauhan. He died before the popular Battle of Tarain.

Raja Prithviraj Singh I

Kachhwaha King

Prithviraj Singh I Prithviraj Singh I (died 4 November 1527), also known as Prithvi Singh I, was a 16th-century Rajput ruler of Amber. He was a monarch of strong religious inclinations and during his reign, Amber became increasingly politically active. He took pa ...

fought along with

Rana Sanga Sangram Singh I (12 April 1482 – 30 January 1528), most commonly known as Rana Sanga, was the Rana of Mewar, Maharana of Mewar from 1509 to 1528. A member of the List of Ranas of Mewar, Sisodia dynasty, he controlled parts of present-day Ra ...

at battle of Khanwa. He was married to the daughter of Rao Lunkarna of Bikaner, with all his wives summed to nine, giving birth to 18 sons. One of his sons, Purnamal died fighting with Humayun's brother Hindal in a battle that occurred in 1539 AD.

Raja Man Singh I

He was one of the most trusted nobles of Akbar. He was the supreme commander of the Mughal forces. He built the Amer Fort. He built and saved a number of Hindu temples.

Sawai Jai Singh II

He built the pink city of Jaipur and five astronomical observatories at Delhi, Jaipur, Benaras, Mathura and Ujjain. He also established Govind Dev Ji temple at Jaipur.

Sub-Clans

*Rajawat - descendants of Raja bhagwant das * Shekhawat - descendants of Rao shekha. * Naruka - descendants of Rao Naru . *Nathawat - descendants of rao natha. *Khanghrarot - descendants of Rao khangar.

Notable people

Khoh Kingdom

* Kakil

Amber Kingdom

* Pajawan *

Bharmal Raja Bharmal, also known as Bihari Mal, and Bihar Mal (1498 – 27 January 1574), was the 23rd ruler of Jaipur State, Amber, which was later known as Jaipur. He was a ruler of the Kachhwaha clan. His daughter, Mariam-uz-Zamani was the chief ...

Bhagwant Das Raja Bhagwant Das ( – 4 December 1589) was the 23rd ruler of Amber. He also served as the Mughal Subahdar of Lahore and the Subahdar of Kabul for a few months in 1586. His step-sister, Mariam-uz-Zamani, was the chief consort of Mughal empero ...

Man Singh I Mirza Raja Man Singh I (21 December 1550 – 6 July 1614) was the 24th Raja, Kachawaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber from 1589 to 1614. He also served as the foremost imperial Subahdar of Bihar Subah from 1587 to 1594, then for Ben ...

* Mirza Raja Jai Singh I

Jaipur State

* Maharaja Sawai

Jai Singh II Sawai Jai Singh II (3 November 1688 – 21 September 1743), was the 30th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He became the ruler of Amber at the age of 11, after ...

* Maharaja Ram Singh I * Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I * Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh * Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II * Maharani

Gayatri Devi Gayatri Devi (born Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar; 23 May 1919 − 29 July 2009) was the third Maharani consort of Jaipur from 1940 to 1949 through her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Following her husband's signature for the ...

* Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh * Princess

Diya Kumari Diya Kumari (born 30 January 1971) is an Indian politician from Bharatiya Janata Party currently serving as the 5th Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan alongside Prem Chand Bairwa in the ministry of Bhajan Lal Sharma. She currently represents ...

* Maharaja

Padmanabh Singh Padmanabh Singh (born 2 July 1998) is an Indian Polo player and head of the Kachhwaha clan, the former royal family of the Jaipur State. Personal life Padmanabh Singh was born in New Delhi on 2 July 1998 to Diya Kumari, an Indian politician, ...

Alwar State

* Rao Raja Pratap Singh * Colonel HH Raj Rishi Shri Sawai Maharaja Sir Jai Singh * HH Raj Rishi Shri Sawai Maharaja Jitendra Singh * Rajkumari Bhuvneshwari Kumari