Kshatriya

In traditional Hindu social theory, the
kshatriyas were the second most influential of the four major social groups
(varnas). The kshatriyas’ function was
ruling, protecting, and creating social
order so that the other varnas could
carry out their tasks. This image is
reflected in the creation story known as
the Purusha Sukta. The kshatriyas are
described as being created from the
Primeval Man’s shoulders and associated with strength and power. In actual
practice, the kshatriya varna may have
been the most permeable of all, since
any person with the power to rule was
usually given de facto kshatriya status,
which could be solidified by a fictitious
genealogy in the following generations.
Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon is the subgroup known as the
Rajputs (“king’s sons”), who at varying
375
Kshatriya
The Krishna River runs across south central India,
from Maharashtra to the Bay of Bengal.
times ruled large sections of northern
and western India, but whose origins are
unclear and obscure.