RAS question
Rao Shekha, founder of the Shekhawati region, belonged to which Rajput clan?
Correct answer: (A) Kachwaha.
Rao Shekha, after whom the Shekhawati region is named, belonged to the Kachwaha Rajput clan.
Explanation
Rao Shekha (1433-1488) was a Kachwaha Rajput who carved out an independent territory from the Amber kingdom. The answer is Kachwaha because the Shekhawats are a sub-clan of the Kachwahas, and Rao Shekha stands at the centre of that regional identity. Rajasthan Tourism also anchors the geographical clue: it describes Shekhawati as a region comprising Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu, and says the land derives its nomenclature from Rao Shekha. So the question is not asking for a generic Rajput clan associated with Rajasthan; it is testing the specific founder-lineage link between Rao Shekha, the Shekhawat identity and the Kachwaha clan.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Chauhan is wrong because Rao Shekha was Kachwaha, with Shekhawats as a Kachwaha sub-clan.
- (C) Sisodia is wrong because the founder-lineage link runs through Rao Shekha and the Kachwaha-Shekhawat line, not a Sisodia line.
- (D) Rathore is wrong because Rao Shekha belonged to the Kachwaha Rajputs, with Shekhawat treated as a Kachwaha sub-clan.
Concept
This tests the RAS history theme of Rajasthan's regional polities, clan identities and place-name origins. It recurs because Shekhawati links political lineage with a familiar Rajasthan sub-region: Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu.