Ravana Rajputs

Ravana Rajput is an Indian caste. They are among the castes known as Darogas,[1] who claim Kshatriya status.[2]

Origins

The Ravana Rajputs are descendants of Rajput men and their concubines, and were not originally accepted by the Rajput community as Rajputs.[3] They were regarded as the children of the Rajput princes' from concubines[4][5][6] and were household slaves.[4][7] They served the royal Rajput families as guards, soldiers and household servants.[8]

In order to raise their status, these people organized themselves into a caste,[9] and styled themselves as "Ravana Rajputs". The British Indian census authorities, however, rejected their claim to the Rajput status.[10]

Present status

Historically, the Ravana Rajputs have faced caste-based discrimination.[11] The upper-caste Rajputs regard them as inferior, especially for matrimony.[6] Nevertheless, the Ravana Rajputs place themselves highest in the rural caste hierarchy.[5]

According to a 2013 Business Standard report, the Ravana Rajputs form around 7% of the Rajasthan state's population.[12] They have been granted the Other Backward Class status for affirmative action.[13]

In July 2017, the Ravana Rajput community staged a protest against the alleged fake encounter killing of gangster Anandpal Singh, who belonged to their community and was considered a hero in his village.[14] Singh was known for having escalated the Rajput-Jat rivlary,[15] and the agitation following his death united the local Rajput community.[16]

References
  1. Varsha Joshi (1995). Polygamy and Purdah: Women and Society Among Rajputs. Rawat. p. 199. ISBN 978-8-170-33275-6.
  2. K.S.Singh (1998). Rajasthan, Volume 1. Popular. p. 305,306. ISBN 978-8-171-54766-1.
  3. Lindsey Harlan (1992). Religion and Rajput Women: The Ethic of Protection in Contemporary Narratives. University of California Press. pp. 145, 167. ISBN 978-0-520-07339-5.
  4. D. D. Gaur (1978). Constitutional Development of Eastern Rajputana States. Usha. p. 49. OCLC 641457000. These slave communities were known by various names, such as Darogas, Chakars, Hazuris, Ravana- Rajputs, Chelas, Golas and Khawas.
  5. Vinay Kumar Srivastava (1997). Religious renunciation of a pastoral people. Oxford University Press. p. 266. ISBN 978-0-19-564121-9.
  6. Salik Ahmed (13 July 2017). "Why Rajputs in Rajasthan have erupted in anger over gangster Anandpal's encounter killing". Hindustan Times.
  7. P. S. Choudhry (1968). Rajasthan between the two world wars, 1919-1939. Sri Ram Mehra. p. 97. According to the census report of 1921, there were 1,60,755 slaves in Rajputana, including 10,844 born domestic slaves in Bikaner and 43,100 in Jodhpur. They mostly belonged to the Chakars and Daroga classes, and were divided into many groups such as Hazurias, Ravana Rajputs, Chellas and Gollas.
  8. Bindu Manchanda (2001). Jaisalmer: The City of Golden Sands and Strange Spirits. HarperCollins Publishers India. p. 92. ISBN 978-81-7223-434-8.
  9. Narendra Kumar Singhi; Rajendra Joshi (1995). Folk, Faith & Feudalism: Rajasthan Studies. Rawat Publications. p. 119. ISBN 978-81-7033-273-2.
  10. Sarangadhar Das (1940). Bikaner: A Report Submitted to the President, All India States Peoples' Conference. K.B. Menon, Office-secretary, All India States Peoples' Conference. p. 49.
  11. Mahim Pratap Singh (30 June 2017). "Anand Pal Singh, gangster Rajasthan can't forget". The Indian Express. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  12. "Ravana Rajput Samaj warns BJP, Cong of using NOTA in Raj polls". Business Standard. 10 November 2013.
  13. "The Man without a smile". Tehelka Magazine, Vol 9, Issue 13. 31 March 2012.
  14. "Anandpal's family seeks CBI probe; native village protests killing". Hindustan Times. 25 June 2017.
  15. "Gangster Anand Pal Singh: A man who is making news even after his death". Financial Express. 30 June 2017.
  16. Prakash Bhandari (19 July 2017). "DNA ANALYSIS: Raje again demonstrates political acumen in politically sorting out Anandpal case". DNA.
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