Rastogi
 MahaRaja Harishchandra, the Legendary King who was the forefather of Rastogi, Rohatgi and Rustagi | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| India, United States, Nepal and England | |
| Languages | |
| Hindi, English, Haryanvi | |
| Religion | |
Majority: Vedic Religion  HinduismMinority:Jainism |
Rastogi is a surname of Kshatriya Varg within Hindu Society. The legacy of King Harishchandra's son, Rohitashva, whose name signifies "lineage of the sun," gave rise to a series of surnames (Rastogi, Rohatgi, Rustagi) associated with the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriya(Ikshvaku), or the Warrior Clan. However, as time passed, they shifted their focus to commerce and were subsequently recognized as members of the Vaishya (Bania) elite community, renowned for their trading prowess. The Rastogis have a rich history as money lenders and businessmen. After the introduction of the Nesfield[1] theory in 1885, they were officially classified as Vaishya based on their occupation. The Mahabharata recounts the glory of Rohitaka's kingdom[2] founded by Rohitashva, whose glory is preserved in its 4 parva (Virata Parva), 35 upa-parva (Nakula Digvijaya), and 5 adhyayas. The kingdom stretched from Kashi's south banks on the Son River all the way to the borders of Indraprastha Punjab in the northwest and Kannauj in the north. Their capital, Rohtasgarh[3], was named after their ancestral prince Rohitashva. The present-day district of Bihar Rohtas is also named after him. To better administer their kingdom, they established sub-capitals such as Rohtak[4] in Punjab named after Prince Rohitashva/Raja Rohtash. They ruled until the fifth century A.D. The majority of the Rastogi's are concentrated in the Uttar Pradesh Province of India.
[[Rohitashva was the son of Legendary King Harishchandra ]] [5]
Extras[edit]
The Rastogis are indeed connected to the term “Rohtari Rajputs.” According to historical accounts, the Rastogis, who trace their origins to the legendary King Harishchandra’s son Rohitashva, established their rule in several places, a group that migrated to Kannauj and ruled up to the fifth century A.D. later became known as Rohtari Rajputs.[6]
Today, the Rastogis are an endogamous community, meaning they marry within their own group, and their internal marriage system is regulated by ‘gotra’ exogamy, which prohibits marriage within the same clan lineage1. This historical connection indicates that the Rastogis and the Rohtari Rajputs share a common ancestry and cultural heritage, although over time, their societal roles and occupations may have diverged.
It’s important to note that caste identities and histories can be complex and multifaceted, often involving a mix of mythology, historical migrations, and socio-economic developments. The Rastogis’ association with the Rohtari Rajputs is one aspect of their rich historical narrative.
References[edit]
- ^ "John Nesfield".
- ^ [https://www.vedadhara.com/nakula-article/
- ^ [https://rohtas.nic.in/tourist-place/rohtas-garh-fort/
- ^ [https://rohtak.gov.in/about-district/
- ^ The Life of Harishchandra Raghavanka.
- ^ Rastogi, Sudha; Tyagi, Deepak (1975). "Rastogis and Secretor Status". Man. 10 (2): 218–220. doi:10.2307/2800495. JSTOR 2800495.
Notable Rastogis[edit]
- K. C. Rastogi, former Secretary-General of Lok Sabha, Parliament of India
- Air Vice Marshal Subhash Chandra Rastogi
- Brigadier Mukesh Rastogi
- Group Captain Subodh Kumar Rastogi
- Anurag. Rastogi, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance & Planning
- Vikas Rastogi, IAS, Principal Secretary, Higher and Technical Education Department, Government of Maharashtra
- Radhika Rastogi, IAS, SPL Director
- Dipali Rastogi, IAS,State Government Department of Commercial Tax & Excise
- Santosh Rastogi, IPS, Inspector General, National Investigation Agency
- Puneet Rastogi, IPS, Inspector General BSF
- Aishwarya Rastogi, IPS
- Shivang Rastogi, IAS
- Rajeev Rastogi, Indian computer scientist Vice President of Amazon Machine Learning.
- Sanjay Rastogi, British polymer physicist and professor
- Anil Rastogi, Indian theatre, television and film actor
- Ajay Rastogi (born 1958), Indian Supreme Court judge
- Anuj Rastogi, Canadian film composer, producer, musician, artist, writer and live event producer
- Karan Rastogi, Indian tennis player
- Manit Rastogi, Indian urban planner
- Natasha Rastogi, Indian actress and director
- Roshni Rastogi, Indian television actress
- Sonali Rastogi, Indian architect
- Veer Bala Rastogi, Indian zoologist
- Vineeta Rastogi, American AIDS activist, public health worker and Peace Corps Volunteer
- Yogendra Rastogi, Indian calendar art painter
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