Various suppositions regarding origin of Rajputs have been put forward. The term Rajputs seems to be the corrupt from of "Rajaputra". In the accounts of Bana and Indian Puranas, "Rajaputra" is mentioned as a highborn Kshatriya. According to the contemporary literary sources, the Rajputs were originated from the highborn Kshatriyas. The centuries between the death of Harsha and the Turkish conquest was marked by the ascendancy of the Rajputs. The entire northern India was disintegrated and came under the sway of the different houses of the Rajput. The Rajputs are usually a social group of northern India and Gujarat flourished during the period. The Rajputs were the dominant martial and land-owning community of northern India. The period is conveniently termed as the Rajput period of Indian history.
Many historians believe that that they are the brood of distant invader like Sakas, Kushanas, Huns who were Hinduized. The upper rank came to be known as Rajputs. A different observation is that Rajputs are the descendants of Brahmin or Kshatriya families. Some scholars have opined that Gurjaras entered India through Afghanistan, settled themselves in different parts of India and were the ancestors of the Rajputs. However this theory had less acceptability. Other hypotheses, ascribing to them a Scythian origin who came to India and settled here. Invasions of the Huns had an impact on Indian society socially and culturally which also established many new ruling empires. Later, they mixed themselves in the Indian society and almost lost their individuality. Certain customs like women`s status in society, horse worship were similar to clan of Shakas, Huns and Kushanas so their foreign origin is proved.
Chand Bardai, court poet of Prithviraja Chauhan state that Rajput`s origin lies in sacrificial fire pit. Sage Parasuram destroyed all the Kshatriyas and then the ancient sages performed a yajna on Mount Abu to guard the Vedic religion. Out of that yajna four heroes were born and their progeny were the Chauhans, Solanki, Parmara, and Pratihara. This is believed to be origin of Agnivanshi Rajputs. Suryavanshi Rajputs trace their ancestry to the Sun. They ruled Mewar, Marwar, and Amber. Chandravanshi Rajputs descended from Moon. Gujarat, Jaisalmer was ruled by Chandravanshi Rajputs.
Again there are many Historians who held the view that Rajputs were descendants of Hindu Kshatriya or Brahmin families. On the basis of ancient inscriptions they have rejected the story of sacrificial- fire pit and also the view of the foreign origin of the Rajputs. They believe that the founder of Chauhans, the Gehlots, the Pallavas, the Kadambas, the Pratiharas and the Parmaras were Brahmins.
Whatever the origin is, the Rajputs were believed till date as one of the virulent warrior tribes ever ruled in India. They never originated as a tribe or a single community. They were a collection of clans ruling different regions. The term Rajput as it is used today refers to the set of intermarrying royal clans.
"It is their war like occupation coupled with their aristocratic rank that gave them a distinctive common feature and made the Brahmins recognize them as Kshatriyas." In a broad spectrum no single origin-theory can be held to be authoritative.
