Rajput

| languages = Hindi-Urdu, Haryanvi, Bundeli, Bagheli, Chhattisgarhi, Marwari, Mewari, Shekhawati, Dhundari, Malwi, Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj Bhasha, Angika, Magahi, Maithili, Gujarati, Sindhi, Punjabi, Marathi, Western Pahari, Dogri, Kumaoni, Garhwali | country = • • • | state = | populated_states =Rajasthan • Gujarat • Madhya Pradesh • Haryana • Indian Punjab • Pakistani Punjab • Himachal Pradesh • Uttarakhand • Jammu and Kashmir • Azad Kashmir • Uttar Pradesh • Bihar • Maharashtra • Sindh | region = •Northern India
•Western India | ethnicity = | population = | family_names = | endogamous = | notable_members = | related = | historical_grouping = | disputed_grouping = | status = Forward caste
(except in Karnataka) }}

Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of feudal and aristocratic castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. The term ''Rajput'' covers various patrilineal clans historically associated with warriorhood: several clans claim Rajput status, although not all claims are universally accepted.

According to modern scholars, most of Rajputs rose via ''Rajputisation —'' where peasants'','' pastoralists and tribals (eg. Yadav, Kushwaha, Gurjar, etc.) gained military or political power and hired Brahmins to ''invent'' Kshatriya genealogies, and adopted Kshatriya customs. While on the contrary some clans (eg. Chauhans, Paramaras, etc.) primarily found in the Rajputana region are universally accepted as Rajputs, primarily due to their elite origins.

Over time, the Rajputs emerged as a social class comprising people from a variety of ethnic and geographical backgrounds. From the 12th to 16th centuries, the membership of this class became largely hereditary, although new claims to Rajput status continued to be made in later centuries. Several Rajput-ruled kingdoms played a significant role in many regions of central and northern India from the seventh century onwards.

The Rajput population and the former Rajput states are found in northern, western, central and eastern India, as well as southern and eastern Pakistan. These areas include Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Eastern Punjab, Western Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Sindh and Azad Kashmir.

In terms of religious affiliation, in 1988 it was estimated that out of a total Rajput population of roughly 38 million in the Indian subcontinent, the majority, 30 million (79%) were Hindus, nearly 8 million (19.9%) were followers of Islam (mostly concentrated in Pakistan) while slightly less than 200,000 (0.5%) were Sikhs. Provided by Wikipedia