India, May 22 -- By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist

The Rajputs are warrior communities who thrived in the shadows of the Aravalli mountains and controlled the Thar Desert. Some even lived in the Punjab plains and Malwa plateau. They rose to prominence during the Mughal era, and scholars have long been trying to understand their emergence, as there is no real reference to Rajputs in Vedic literature or later Puranic literature.

However, they have played a very important role in Indian history since the 10th century onwards, with their influence amplifying after the 15th century. Were they Sakas or Hunas who married local women? No one knows for sure.

The Rajputs themselves have many stories about their...