Ravana Rajput is an
Indian caste. They are among the castes known as
Darogas.
Origins
The Ravana Rajputs are descendants 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 ...
men and non-Rajput women, and were not originally accepted by the Rajput community as Rajputs. They were regarded as the children of the Rajputana princes' from concubines
and were household
slaves
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
.
They served the royal
Rajputana
Rājputana (), meaning Land of the Rajputs, was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the entire present-day States of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, parts of the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and adjo ...
families as guards, soldiers and household servants.
In order to raise their status, these people organized themselves into a caste
Present status
Historically, the Ravana Rajputs born from the concubines of Rajputs.
The Ravana Rajputs are the highest in the rural caste hierarchy.
According to a 2013 ''
Business Standard
''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busi ...
'' report, the Ravana Rajputs form around 7% of the Rajasthan state's population. They have been granted the
Other Backward Class status for affirmative action.
In July 2017, the Ravana Rajput community were among those who protested against the alleged
fake encounter killing of
Anandpal Singh, who belonged to their community and was considered a hero by many in his village. Aside from being a gangster, Singh was known for having escalated the rivalry between Rajputs and
Jat people. and the agitation following his death united the local Rajput community.
References
{{Social groups of Rajasthan
Social groups of Rajasthan
Other Backward Classes
Concubinage