The Agnikula or Agnivanshi rajputs (Sanskrit: "fire-born" or "fire-clan" rajputs), are one of the three main lineages of the Rajput community. Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम्) is an Indo-European classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The legend

The rajputs (Sanskrit Raj putra, sons of kings) are a prominent Hindu caste of northern India and Gujarat. Their origins are shrouded in mystery. The Agni-kunda legend attempts to explain the origin of some or all of the Rajputs. According to this legend, sage Vasishta created one or more warriors from an Agnikunda to replace the ancient kshatriyas who were anihilated by Parasurama. According to different versions of the legend, one or three or four of the Rajput clans originated from the Agnikunda, including the Pratiharas (Pariharas), Chauhans (Chahamanas), Solankis (Chaulukyas), and Paramaras (Parmars). The Pratiharas established the first Rajput kingdom in Marwar in southwestern Rajasthan in the 6th century, the Chauhans at Ajmer in central Rajasthan, the Solankis in Gujarat, and the Paramaras in Malwa. A Hindu (archaic Hindoo), as per modern definition is an adherent of philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of the Indian subcontinent and the island of Bali. ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification. ... Bold text To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Gujarat or Guzarat (Gu: , Hi: ; , IPA ; also spelled Gujrat and sometimes (incorrectly) Gujarath) contained many of the former Princely states of India, and is the second-most industrialized state in the Republic of India after Maharashtra. ... Vasishta, in Hindu mythology was chief of the seven venerated sages (or Saptharishi) and the Rajaguru of the Suryavamsha or Solar Dynasty. ... In Hinduism, Parashurama (axe-wielding Rama) is the sixth avatar of Vishnu, and a son of Jamadagni. ... The Pratiharas, also called the Gurjara-Pratiharas were an Indian dynasty who ruled kingdoms in Rajasthan and northern India from the sixth to the eleventh centuries. ... The Chauhans or Chahamana are a clan who ruled parts of northern India in the Middle Ages. ... For the English cricketer, See Vikram Solanki The Solanki or Chalukya is a Hindu Gurjar,Rajput dynasty of India, who ruled the kingdom of Gujarat from the 10th to the 13th centuries. ... The Paramara or Parmar were a prominent Rajput clan of medieval India. ... Marwar is the southwest region of Rajasthan in India that lies in Thar Desert. ... This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century. ... Ajmer, or Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Indias Rajasthan state. ... Gujarat or Guzarat (Gu: , Hi: ; , IPA ; also spelled Gujrat and sometimes (incorrectly) Gujarath) contained many of the former Princely states of India, and is the second-most industrialized state in the Republic of India after Maharashtra. ... Malwa (Malvi:माळवा) is a region in western India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin in the western part of Madhya Pradesh state and the south-eastern part of Rajasthan. ...

Evolution of the legend

A large number of inscriptions and texts have come to light since the mid-19th century that allow us to trace the evolution of this legend in detail. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Agnikunda story is first found in the Nava-sahasanka-charita by Padmagupta, a fictional romance where the hero is identifiable as Sindhuraja, the patron of the author Padmagupta. This work mentions that the progenitor of the Paramaras was created from fire by sage Vashishtha. During the period of decline of the Paramaras of Dhar, the story finds mention in several royal inscriptions. Later, the story is expanded to include two or three other Rajput clans. Eventually, some scholars proposed that all of the Rajputs were created from the Agnikunda. The Paramara or Parmar were a prominent Rajput clan of medieval India. ... Dhar is a town in the Malwa region of western Madhya Pradesh state in central India. ...

The legend and the Paramaras

• 949 AD: First known Paramara copperplate found at Harsola. Mentions Paramara Siyaka as a feudatory of Rashtrakuta Akalavarsha. It mentions the Paramaras as being of the same clan (kula) as the Rashtrakutas.
• 975, 986 AD: Vakpati Munja assumes Rashtrakuta name Amoghavarsha and titles Srivallabha and Prathvivallabha, indicating that he regarded himself as being a succesor of the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta.

Thus, there is no mention of the Agnikunda legend in the early records; the Paramaras appear as a branch of Rashtrakutas, as proposed by D.C. Ganguli. The Rashtrakutas were a dynasty which ruled the Deccan during the 8th-10th centuries. ... Amoghavarsha Nripathunga was the greatest of the Rashtrakuta kings. ...

Speculations on chronology

• 1005 AD: Padmagupta writes the Navasahasanka-charita during the rule of the Parmar king Sindhuraj (c.995-1055) of Dhara. This is the first mention of the legend wherein the first Paramara is created from an Agnikinda by Vashista.
• 1000-1055 AD: Bhoja: no mention of Agnikunda in his copperplates or inscriptions.
• 1042 AD: Vasantgarh inscription mentiones Paramara origin from Agnikunda.
• 1070-1093 AD: Udayaditya, Udayapur prashasti mentions Paramara origin from Agnikunda.
• uncertain date: The Prathviraj Raso is composed, the oldest copies of which do not mention the Agnikunda legend.
• uncertain date: Agnikunda legend inserted into the Prithviraj Raso, where three clans, Pratihar, Chalukya and Panwar, are mentions as having been created from the Agnikunda.
• Uncertain date: Agnikunda legend in Bhavishya Purana. It mentions four clans: Paramara, Chauhan, Chalukya and Parihara, as having been created from fire to annihilate the Buddhists during the time of Ashoka.
• Uncertain date: Unknown text that was later consulted for Ain-i-Akbari.
• Ain-i-Akbari by Abul Fazl (1551-1602) mentions creation of a Dhanji from an Agnikunda, somewhere in the Deccan, to fight Buddhism. That fire-born warrior goes to Malava (Malwa) and establishes his rule. When Puraraj, fifth in line from him, dies childless, a Paramara is selected to succeed him.
• 1832 AD: James Tod presents his theory that the Agnikunda legend symbolizes the elevation of Sakas, Hunas etc. to the status of being Kshattriyas; by implication, all the Rajaputs are descendants of central Asian invaders.
• 1954 AD: Tod's view is repeated by Basham in his magnum opus "The wonder that was India". By now, the view becomes accepted.

Bhoja from a mural in the Parliament of India building Bhoj was a great philosopher king and polymath of medieval India. ... The Prithviraj Raso or Prithvirajaraso is an epic about the life of Rajput king Prithviraj III Chauhan, who ruled Ajmer and Delhi from 1165 to 1192. ... Emperor Ashoka (a possible picturisation) Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक; IAST transliteration: ) was the emperor of the Mauryan Empire from 273 BCE to 232 BCE. After a number of military conquests, Ashoka reigned over most of South Asia and beyond, from present-day Afghanistan to Bengal and as far south as... Abul-Fazel, the vizier of the great Mughal emperor Akbar, and who wrote an account of his reign and of the Mogul empire; he was assassinated in 1604. ... The Deccan Plateau is a vast plateau in India, encompassing most of Central and Southern India. ... A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found from Sarnath, near Varanasi. ... James Tod (1782-1835), British officer and Oriental scholar, was born on March 20 1782, and went to India as a cadet in the Bengal army in 1799. ... The Indo-Scythian King of Kings Azes II (c. ... Billon drachm of the Hephthalite King Napki Malka (Afghanistan/ Gandhara, c. ... According to the Sanskrit a Kshatriya is the caste of princes and warriors, conquerors, one of four varna. ...

See also

• Rajput
• Rajput Clans
• History of Rajputs

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Rajputs, c. ... // Rajput Origins Rajput is a kshatriya caste in India. ...

References

• H.V. Trivedi, "Inscriptions of the Paramaras, Chandellas, Kachchhapaghatas and two minor Dynasties", part 2 of the 3-part Vol III of Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, 1974 (published in 1991).
• A.K. Warder "An Introduction to Indian Historiography", Popular Prakashan 1972.
• Thakur Udaynarayan Singh , "Kshatriya Vamshavali" (in Hindi), Khemaraj Shrikrishnadas, 1989.