Chattar
Encyclopedia
Chattar Chattari, Chhatri or Chatri, is the mother caste of Suryavanshi Rajputs which originated from Rajputana
(Rajasthan
). However, there are many gotras and sub-castes in other major dynasties which emerged from the Chattari lineage. Chattaris belong to the Kshatriya
military and ruling order of the traditional Vedic-Hindu social system as outlined by the Vedas
.
The "cenotaph
" or "Chhatri
" of a Rajasthani architecture is the symbol of Rajput pride, which philosophically portrays a Chattari ruler who will sacrifice at all costs to defend and save the tribe under its shadow. Vedas gives its word that the ordinary people are safe under the "Chattar Chaya" (shelter or refuge) of a true Kshatriya.
According to the Vedas,
The Chattar has many subcastes and gotras. Most commonly the subcastes are known by the subcaste titles, not by their mother caste. For example, the Chattaris of Jammu region are classified as Dogra
, and the Chattaris of Mewar
are called Sisodia
or Guhilot. Chattaris use the title of Raja
or Thakur
, while some were given the honorary titles of Sheikh
or Malik
after conversion to Islam. Chatri rulers typically used the title of Maharaja
but historically, Rajput kings also used the title of Chhatrapati
with their names.
and Pakistan
are derived from Chattar, witnessing the history of Chatri rulers of the area. This very normadic or curious nature of a Chattari warrior is described in the Rajput war cry as follows:
, Chattarora (Bagh District
), Pir Chattar, Mool Chattar (Doda District
), Chattar plain, Chattar Bagh/Park (Islamabad
), Chattar Judicial Town (Islamabad), Natha Chattar (Gujar Khan
), Chattar Kalas, Chattar Domel, Upper Chattar, Lower Chattar, Bun Chattar, Chattan, Chattar Pari (Chitter Pari).
, Chattar Manzil
, Chittor, Chittorgarh
, Chattarpur temple (Delhi), Rattar Chattar, Kot Chattar, Chhattar Bilas Gardens (Rajasthan), Chattar Mahal (Rajasthan).
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
(Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
). However, there are many gotras and sub-castes in other major dynasties which emerged from the Chattari lineage. Chattaris belong to the Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
military and ruling order of the traditional Vedic-Hindu social system as outlined by the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
.
Symbolism
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
" or "Chhatri
Chhatri
Chhatris are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indian architecture. Chhatris are commonly used to depict the elements of of pride and honor in the Rajput architecture of Rajasthan. They are widely used, in palaces, in forts, or to demarcate funerary sites...
" of a Rajasthani architecture is the symbol of Rajput pride, which philosophically portrays a Chattari ruler who will sacrifice at all costs to defend and save the tribe under its shadow. Vedas gives its word that the ordinary people are safe under the "Chattar Chaya" (shelter or refuge) of a true Kshatriya.
According to the Vedas,
Classification
Dogra
The Dogras are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group in South Asia. Being a diversified group, the Dogras include both Savarnas such as Brahmins, Rajputs and Non-savarnas. The Dogras also incluide merchant castes such as Mahajans...
, and the Chattaris of Mewar
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
are called Sisodia
Sisodia
The Sisodia are Chattari Rajputs of the Suryavanshi lineage who ruled the kingdom of Mewar in Rajasthan. Prior to Rana Hamir the clan was known as Gehlot or Guhilot. In 1303 CE Alla-ud-din Khilji attacked Chittor...
or Guhilot. Chattaris use the title of Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
or Thakur
Thakur (Indian title)
Thakur is an Indian feudal title in several Indian languages, literally meaning "lord". A Thikana is the state or estate of a Thakur. A Thakurani is the wife of a Thakur...
, while some were given the honorary titles of Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
or Malik
Malik
Malik is an Arabic word meaning "king, chieftain".It has been adopted in various other, mainly Islamized or Arabized, Asian languages for their ruling princes and to render kings elsewhere. It is also sometimes used in derived meanings...
after conversion to Islam. Chatri rulers typically used the title of Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
but historically, Rajput kings also used the title of Chhatrapati
Chhatrapati
Chhatrapati is the Indian honorific title equivalent to the European Emperor. It is more formally written as Kshetrapati, from the Sanskrit kshetra- and -pati...
with their names.
Toponyms
The names of many places in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
are derived from Chattar, witnessing the history of Chatri rulers of the area. This very normadic or curious nature of a Chattari warrior is described in the Rajput war cry as follows:
Kashmir and Pakistan
ChattrohChattroh
Chattroh is a small village in the Dadyal tehsil of Mirpur District, Azad Kashmir, lying on the banks of the River Jhelum. Ancient Chattroh was founded by the rajput rulers of the valley of Indherhill....
, Chattarora (Bagh District
Bagh District
Bagh District is one of the eight districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The district, which had been part of Poonch District, was created in 1988...
), Pir Chattar, Mool Chattar (Doda District
Doda District
Area11,691 km²Population525,000 Population density36/km2 Literacy18.5% Doda is a district of Jammu region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India...
), Chattar plain, Chattar Bagh/Park (Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
), Chattar Judicial Town (Islamabad), Natha Chattar (Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the largest tehsil of Punjab. It is approximately 55 kilometres southeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan and 220 km to the north west of Lahore, capital of Punjab...
), Chattar Kalas, Chattar Domel, Upper Chattar, Lower Chattar, Bun Chattar, Chattan, Chattar Pari (Chitter Pari).
India
ChhatarpurChhatarpur
Chhatarpur is a city and a municipality in Chhatarpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Chhatarpur District.- History :...
, Chattar Manzil
Chattar Manzil
The Chattar Manzil , or Umbrella Palace, was constructed by order of Nawab Ghazi Uddin Haider and completed after his death by his successor, Nawab Nasir Uddin Haider. The imposing building has large underground rooms and a dome surmounted by a gilt umbrella...
, Chittor, Chittorgarh
Chittorgarh
Chittorgarh is a city and a municipality in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgharh District and a former capital of the Sisodia clans of Rajputs of Mewar...
, Chattarpur temple (Delhi), Rattar Chattar, Kot Chattar, Chhattar Bilas Gardens (Rajasthan), Chattar Mahal (Rajasthan).
See also
- Chattra
- ChhatarpurChhatarpurChhatarpur is a city and a municipality in Chhatarpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Chhatarpur District.- History :...
- ChhatrapatiChhatrapatiChhatrapati is the Indian honorific title equivalent to the European Emperor. It is more formally written as Kshetrapati, from the Sanskrit kshetra- and -pati...
- Chittorgarh FortChittorgarh FortChittorgarh Fort is the largest fort in India and the grandest in the state of Rajasthan. The fort, plainly known as Chittor, was the capital of Mewar and is today situated several kilometres by road south of Bhilwara...
- Maharaja ChhatrasalMaharaja ChhatrasalBudelkhand Kesri Maharaja Chhatrasal , was a Bundeli warrior who chose to turn against the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and seek to establish his own kingdom in Bundelkhand....
- Rao Raja Chattar SalRao Raja Chattar SalRao Chattar Sal built the temple of Keshavarao at Patan and Chattar Mahal at Bundi. He saw service with the Mughal forces in the Deccan and was trusted by Dara Shikoh with governorship of Delhi, a rare privilege for a Rajput...
- Chattar Singh AttariwallaChattar Singh AttariwallaGeneral Chattar Singh Attariwalla, was a military commander and a member of the Sikh nobility during the period of the Sikh Empire in the mid-19th century in Punjab. He was also Governor of Hazara province and fought in the Second Anglo-Sikh War against the British...