Mair Rajputs or Maid Rajputs is the name of a Hindu Punjabi caste in India from amongst the Punjabi Rajputs. They are Hindu by religion and comprise of the warrior race of Rajputs who had originally migrated from Rajasthan with the movement of the armies that brought Rajput rule over Punjab and had settled down in Punjab generations ago.

During the ensuing prolonged period of lasting peace thereafter[citation needed] when they could not be supported by the armies and could not find any work as warriors many join Army and other trade and being rich some started jewelry business. “Sunar” is a Hindi word for Goldsmith and Jeweler. In India, a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and also at the same time is a businessman specializing in selling gold, silver, other precious metals including precious stones and jewelry / ornaments crafted from these. In time it soon became a well known fact thereafter, locally in Punjab, that the profession and business of “Sunars” was monopolized and run by Hindu Rajputs who had slowly become a subcast of the Punjabi Rajputs by then and became known as “Mair Rajputs”.It must be noted that not all Sunar/ Jewelers are Mair Rajputs

History

With the partition of India in 1947 into India and Pakistan the Indian state of Punjab was also split in two. Hindus and Sikhs including Mair Rajputs living in the portion of Punjab that was given to the newly created Muslim country of Pakistan had to leave by force to save themselves from communal slaughters and forceful conversion to Islam, many of them fled their ancestral homeland now in Pakistan in a complete destitute state and had to start life afresh in India. All their ancestral land, property and wealth was left behind in what was now Pakistan. The following book gives a detailed account of the atrocities committed against Hindus and Sikhs including Mair Rajputs in Punjab during partition of India in 1947: Talib, Gurbachan (1950). Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947. India: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.

Life was tough for the refugees including the Mair Rajputs at the beginning after partition; they had to live in a destitute state in refugee camps in India before they were allotted specially constructed houses in the Refugee colonies by the government of India. Many of them settled in Delhi and other parts of India after partition.

Today they are again a very successful clan of people and have brought pride for their families and country by excelling in all walks of life, many of them joined the Armed Forces. The British recruited from this clan too from amongst the Rajputs for their Rajput Regiments due to their famous Rajput warrior bloodline and today the Indian Army continuous this tradition.

A small percentage of them still continue to do business and practice as Jewellers however majority of the profession of Sunars was considered as something practiced. Mair Rajputs are of the warrior cast “Kshatriya” which is the second highest cast in India after the learned “Brahmins”. “Kshatriya” or the Rajputs are the ruling cast of India, a cast of Warriors and Kings / Rajas. Thus the Mair Rajput families after having migrated out of Punjab (the portion that was given to create the Muslim country of Pakistan) to India during partition in 1947 were embarrassed to mention their family craft and business as that of having known to be that of Sunars in the most recent past. They instead preferred to call themselves as “Punjabi Rajputs”, which is of course also true. Today the Mair Rajputs not only live in India but have migrated and settled down all over the world and are doing very well for themselves in all fields.

Notable “Mair Rajput” Classifications (Families)

All families are sourced from Mair Rajputs Gotra List

Aashat (Asht): Babbar: Bagga: Bhatti: Buttar: Baghel: Bagri: Bhutta: Bir: Chauhan: Dhalla: Dhariwal: Desor (Dasaur): Dhunna: Gogar: Gogna: Jaura: Kanda: Karwal (Gharwal): Khangar(Khungar): Khurmi: Khich: Luddhar(Ladhar): Luthra: Main: Mandhari: Masaun: Mitru: Nischal (Nichal): Pajji: Plaud: Roda: Rudra: Sadhiora: Sarna : Shinh (Sinh): Sohal: Sur: Rana and Parmar Rode etc.,

Hinduism, Sikhism and Punjabi Hindu Rajputs

Punjabi Hindus hold Sikhism in high regard, many Punjabi Hindus not only in India but worldwide today visit their local Gurudwaras regularly and adhere to the preaching’s of the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhism is traditionally seen as a religion of warriors who were protectors of Hindus against marauding Islamic invaders who seeked to convert Hindus to Islam by lethal force. There has been a long standing practice in Punjab which still continuous where Hindu families give their first born son to the Guru to be baptized as a Sikh and join the Guru’s army of protectors. Many Punjabi Rajput families too have been giving their sons to be enrolled in the Guru’s Army and baptized as Sikhs. Thus there are many Hindu, Punjabi Hindu Rajput and Punjabi Hindu Mair Rajput families whose kin are proud followers of Sikhism today. Thus there are many Sikhs who call themselves “Sikh Rajputs” today and still use Rajput family names.

Classifications of the Mair Rajputs

Judging from a few lists of Mair Rajput gothras that were different from each other, it is difficult to see which gothras were the original Mair Rajput gothras and which ones have recently made their way into the tribe. Because Rose’s list is the oldest, dating back to 1914, and also the most extensive, I have used that as a starting point and added the gothras that he failed to mention. Because one gothra can have several different spellings, I have in most cases only written the most common spelling. The italicized names are unconfirmed gothras that have only recently appeared as Mair gothras in a list. Some of these unconfirmed gothras are those of other Rajput tribes. Also, because the Mairs and Tanks have several gothras in common, it is possible that some formerly Tank gothras have now become Mair gothras.

In his 1914 book , Rose mentioned that in the Punjabi Gujrat area, a part of present-day Pakistan, the Mairs had 52 gothras. The whole area of Punjab had a total of 56 Mair Rajput gothras. However, his list of Mair gothras included at least 108 distinct gothras (530). The list below contains at least 120 distinct, confirmed Mair Rajput gothras.

A: Ahat, Ahi, Ajipal, Alu, Ashat, Achil, Adhupiya, Ajwal

B: Babbar , Bachcha, Badra, Bagga , Baghel , Bagri , Bahrawal, Bajania, Ballan, Barare, Basaan, Buttan, Bir , Bham, Bhashaan, Bhodla, Bhulla, Bhutta , Bohr, Brajpal, Buland, Buttar(Butra), Bageshwar, Begal, Bhajwal, Bhamber, Bhatala, Bhatwar

C: Chalagni, Changeri, Chauhan**, Chatrana, Chamras, Chhahrawa, Chhurga

D: Dadar, Dahli, Dahm, Dasaur (Desor), Dasamedhia, Dawar, Dhalla , Dhariwal , Dharma, Dharna, Dhunna(Dhuna) , Dhupar(Dhoopa), Dur, Dhuma, Daangar, Dahela, Dala, Dalal, Dhaya, Dhera, Dhooliya, Dholiyan, Dhorana

G: Gogar, Gogna , Gogta, Gohngla, Gori, Gund, Gajjar, Gotiyan

H: Hira

I:

J: Jala, Jahlu (Jhalu), Jalur, Jaura , Jhangi, Jhangli, Jhatiwal, Jhingoa, Julpan, Jajoriya, Jalagaria, Janglawa, Jatyan, Jhajhora, Jhoonda

K: Kuchhera (Kachiyara), Kakka, Kanda, Kandiwal, Karor, Karwal (Gharwal), Kashiari, Khepal, Khich , Khokhal, Khori, Khungar (Khangar) , Khurmi, Kunjhai, Kalwa, Kanak, Kangra, Kanwar, Khajuria, Khajwal, Kikyan, Kukra

L: Ladhar (Lodhar, Luddhar) , Ledha, Lota, Luthra

M: Main , Malhaddi, Malpana, Mahaich, Mandhari , Mannan, Masaun , Maston, Mitru , Modan, Mukara, Mahesh, Manda

N: Nagora, Nahal, Narnori, Nischal , Nakhla, Nagrana, Narnauli

O: Odar(Udera)

P: Paham, Pajji , Pidri, Phaur, Partola, Pikhi, Plaud , Pancham, Parwala

R: Rajpal, Rangar, Ranman, Ratti, Roda , Rudke, Rudra

S: Sadhiora (Sehdev), Sarwana, Sarna, Sanderia, Shinh(Sinh), Sedha, Seedha, Siri, Sunik, Sachchu (Suchchu), Sur , Susa

T: Tarriwal, Thakran, Tunwa, Tohaj, Toshawar, Tukrada

U: Udera(Odar)

V: Vaid, Vichcha

W: Waddar

**Chauhan technically is not a Mair Rajput gothra. It is the most famous Rajput tribe of India and many Mair Rajputs write their last name as “Chauhan.” This connection is explored in other links on this home page.