Gaur

The Gaur or Gour Rajputs are one of the 36 major Rajput clans in India, claiming descent from the Solar Dynasty (Suryavanshi lineage), which traces its roots to Surya, the Hindu Sun-god. According to the Uttar Kand of the Valmiki Ramayana, Lord Ram’s younger brother Bharat established the Gaur dynasty. Upon dividing his kingdom, Bharat founded the kingdom of Gandharv, which later evolved into Gaur.

History of Gaurs

Akshay Kumar Maitreya, a contemporary of Rabindranath Tagore, in his book Gaurer Katha (The Story of Gaur), wrote that the entire region once known as Gaur Desh is now part of history. The Pratna Samiksha journal, in its special issue on the medieval city of Bengal (1450-1565), explores the ruins of Gaur, which shed light on the history of the Gaur Rajputs. British colonial texts also refer to the Pala Dynasty as Gaur Rajputs, highlighting their presence in Bengal and Bangladesh from the 8th to the 11th century AD.

After the Palas, the Sen Dynasty took control over Bengal. Ballal Sen (1159-1179 AD) and Lakshman Sen (1179-1206 AD) were notable rulers. Lakshman Sen expanded the Sena Empire to regions like Assam, Odisha, Bihar, and Varanasi, with its capital at Laknuati or Lakshmanvati. However, in 1203–1204 AD, Bakhtiyar Khilji, a Turkic general under Qutb-ud-din Aybak, conquered northwest Bengal, leaving Eastern Bengal under the control of the Sen kings.

Following this, the Gaurs relocated to regions in Central and Northern India, notably Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Some princely states in Himachal still carry the name 'Sen,' which further links them to the Sen Dynasty.