Tomar orTanwar (also calledTomara) is a clan name, some members of which ruled parts of North India at different times. They areRajputs and claimChandravanshi descent.
Most of their population is primarily concentrated inDelhi,Haryana-Torawati andWestern UP. There exist 84 villages of Tomars inWestern UP alone. Besides, some areas in Northern Madhya Pradesh likeMorena,Bhind andGwalior are referred to as "Tomargarh" meaning "Fort of Tomars" due to quite large population of Tomar Rajputs outside Delhi and its surrounding areas.[1]
Some notable Tomar Rajput rulers are:
The Tomar clan claim descent fromChandravanshi dynasty, naming theMahabharata warriorArjuna among their forebears.[6]
The earliest extant historical reference to the Tomaras (theSanskrit form of "Tomar") occurs in thePehowa inscription of theGurjara-Pratihara kingMahendrapala I (r. c. 885-910 CE).[7] This undated inscription suggests that the Tomara chief Gogga was a vassal of Mahendrapala I.[8]
During 9th-12th century, theTomaras of Delhi ruled parts of the present-dayDelhi,Haryana,Western Uttar Pradesh,Gwalior and parts ofRajasthan.[9][need quotation to verify] Much of the information about this dynasty comes from bardic legends of little historical value, and therefore, the reconstruction of their history is difficult.[10] According to the bardic tradition, the dynasty's founder Anangapal Tomar (that is Anangapala I Tomara) founded Delhi in 736 CE.[7] The bardic legends also state that the last Tomara King (also named Anangapal) passed on the throne of Delhi to his son-in-lawPrithviraj Chauhan. This claim is subject to interpretation: historical evidence shows that Prithviraj inherited Delhi from his fatherSomeshvara.[10] According to theBijolia inscription of Someshvara, his brotherVigraharaja IV had captured Dhillika (Delhi) and Ashika (Hansi); he probably defeated a Tomara ruler.[11]
TheTomaras of Gwalior ruled an area north of Gwalior known as the Tonwargarh tract. The most notable of these rulers wasMan Singh Tomar (1486-1517).[12]
According to these inscription, Anangpal of the Tomar Rajputs founded Delhi between 1053 and 1109 AD. It refers to Delhi as Dehlu, a name that has endured and resurfaced at various points of time during its long history