TheGautam is aRajput clan found primarily in north region of Indian subcontinent.[1][2] The erstwhile head of Gautam Rajputs had also claimed himself to be descendant of theShakyas[3] thus possibly giving an alternate origin for this clan.
The clan nameGautam means "descendant of Gautam or one who has most light", "Gautama" meaning "one who has the most light,"[6] and may indicate the possibility ofKshatriya clans adopting theBrahminical gotra of theirpurohit.[7][need quotation to verify]
Territory
The territory of key Gautam Rajput settlements included the following areas.
The Gautam Rajput clan was formerly very powerful near lowerDoab. The Gautam Rajput family of Argal, fought several battles forSher Shah againstHumayun.[9] The clan is divided into tribes: Raja, Rao (Birhampur), Rana [Chilli (Kanpur)], and Rawat (Bhaupur).[10][11][12]
^Singh, Ram Bali (1975).Rajput Clan-settlements in Varanasi District. National Geographical Society of India. p. 61.
^Singh, Ram Bali (1977).Clan Settlements in the Saran Plain (Middle Ganga Valley): A Study in Cultural Geography. National Geographical Society of India, Banaras Hindu University. p. 145.
^Witzel, Michael (2012). "Ṛṣis".Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online. Brill.
^"History".Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved31 October 2024.
^Kolff, Dirk H. A. (2002).Naukar, Rajput, and Sepoy The Ethnohistory of the Military Labour Market of Hindustan, 1450-1850. Cambridge University Press. p. 65.ISBN9780521523059.
