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Religious liberalism in Rajput courts

There have been manifestations of religious liberalism in Rajput courts evident in acts of Rajput rulers who held sway over substantial areas of North India in past centuries, with support forZoroastrianismBuddhism and Jainism.


Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism, the state religion of Sassanid Persia, was supplanted by Islam following the defeat of Yazdgerd III at the Battle of Nihawand in 642 AD. In due course the lives of non-Muslims became untenable, and many Zoroastrians who continued to adhere to their ancestral faith were forced to emigrate. According to the Qissa-i Sanjan, an epic poem written about 1600 CE, one group of fleeing Zoroastrians landed in what is now GujaratIndia. They were granted refuge by the local king Jadi Rana, and were allowed to practise their religion freely. These refugees would later found the city of Sanjan in present-day Gujarat.
An even older tradition links the Zoroastrians to India. Many Rajput rulers built temples to the sun god (Mithra (Mihira in Persian). By tradition, only the Maga/Bhojaka priests (originally from Shaka-dvipa in present-day Afghanistan) were entitled to lead worship in these temples. The Maga (called "Magi" in the New Testament) were priests belonging to the Mazdayasni (Zoroastrian) tradition.

Buddhism

Gautama Buddha was born into a Suryavansha Kshatriya (Shakya) family. Buddhism had a significant presence in several early Rajput kingdoms, although it declined in popularity during the Gupta period (which preceded that of the early Rajput kingdoms).
The Gahadvalas were an early Rajput dynasty who ruled a substantial area in present-day Uttar Pradesh during the 12th century. Gahadvala Govindchandra supported the construction of a large Buddhist vihara at Jetavana. A copper-plate grant of Govindachandra from 1129 mentions the donation of several villages to the Jetavana Mahavihara, the chief of whom was Buddha-Bhattaraka. An inscription (c. 1170) by Gahadvala Jayachandra, located at Bodhgaya, opens with an invocation to Buddha, the Bodhisattvas and the king's preceptor (a monk named Srimitra) and mentions the construction of a cave-monastery at Jayapura. The dikshaguru of Jayachandra was Jaganmitrananda (Mitrayogi), who is considered one of the Mahasiddhas; his book, the Chandra-raja-lekha, has survived in its Tibetan translation.
GAHARWAR Raja Govindachandra moved his capital from Kannauj to Varansi (1114-1154). Gaharwars were emigrated to various part of the country and their descendants are known as Danesra, Abhaipura, Kapolia, Kora, Jarkhera, Padma, Aihara, Parakh, Chandela, Bira, Beruari, Kherodia and Chandra Kamdhujs respectively. Amongst 13 sons of Punja Kamdhuj, Muktaman, who conquered possession in the north from Bhan Tuar, his descendants called Bira Kamdhuj came to occupy territory of Madhya Desh - Bundelkhand. Bira Baghwa - Lion's back rider nearby dense forest of Banpur to Jamdhar river in Madhya Desh was popuarly known as Baghroha and their descendants are pronounced as Baghwar, Bagwar, Badwar etc… It is believed, that thy Shiv Linga has emerged from the Kunda of Baghwar Suryawanshi Kshatriya clan landlady long back before Samvat, 1201 (1144) as engraved footnote found below the Nandi of Kundeshwar Mahadev. According to ethics, Banpur was the capital of Banasur the king of demons and a great devotee of the Lord Siva Mahadev, her daughter Usha Devi was also a dedicated and regular devotee of thy Shiv Linga of Mahadev in midnight. Usha Devi was married to Anirudha, the grandson of Lord Krishna and son of Pradumna.
Numerous other examples of Rajput support for Buddhist institutions exist.  Inscriptions documenting the renewal of grants to Buddhist Viharas by the Chandellas of Bundelkhand are one example. The Ajanta caves are Buddhist, and were created in the Rashtrakuta kingdom. The Shilaharas of Kolhapur are also known to have supported both Jainism and Buddhism.


All but two of the Jain tirthankars are ascribed to the Ikshvaku family (one of the main Rajput clans, also known as Suryavansha). The dynesty was formed by the first king, Ikshvaku. Munisuvrata (the 20th) and Neminatha (the 22nd) were from the Harivamsa clan. According to the Jain canon, Rishabha (the first tirthankar) was the founder of the Ikshvaku dynasty. This dynasty was said to originate with Rushabha who is regarded as the first King on the earth, according to Jain cosmology. The Ikshvaku name for this clan was given by Lord Saudharmendra. When Rishabha was one year old, Lord Saudharmendra came to Rishabdev's father, Nabhi, to formalize the family name. He carried sugar cane in his hand, and Rishabh was sitting on his father's lap; when he saw the sugar cane, he eagerly extended his hands to grab it. Lord Saudharmendra gave the sugar-cane to the baby and seeing his affinity for sugarcane, he formally named the family as Ikshvaku.[3] Most Jain tirthankars belong to the Ikshvaku clan. Across India, royal families have claimed lineage from the house of Ikshvaku (synonymous with the Suryavansha solar dynasty. Kings such as Bhagiratha and Dasaratha preceded Rama.

Jainism

The last Jain tirthankara, Mahavir belonged to the Gautam clan of Suryavanshi Kshatriyas. Jainism flourished during Rajput rule; Jains were appointed to high government positions, and Rajput kings supported Jain scholars and institutions. Jain temples ornamenting the landscapes of Rajasthan and Gujarat (including those at Mount AbuPalitana and Osian) bear testimony to the support extended by Rajput rulers to the Jain tradition.