RAS question
The Chauhan dynasty claimed descent from the Agnikunda (fire pit) legend at Mount Abu. This legend suggests Rajputs originated from:
Correct answer: (D) A Vedic fire sacrifice.
The Chauhan claim in the Agnikunda legend links Rajput origins to a Vedic fire sacrifice at Mount Abu.
Explanation
The Agnikunda legend is a Rajput origin myth centred on emergence from sacrificial fire, not on migration, invasion, or descent from a celestial body. Sage Vasishtha performs a yajna at Mount Abu, from which four Rajput clans are said to emerge: Chauhan, Solanki, Paramara, and Pratihara. Britannica supports the same core idea by describing Agnikula as a fire lineage and noting that the major Rajput dynasties, including Chauhan, claimed that lineage, with the ancestor arising from sacrificial fire. Therefore, the legend points to a Vedic fire sacrifice as the source of the claimed origin.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Sea voyage is wrong because the Agnikunda account is built around emergence from sacrificial fire at Mount Abu, not travel by sea.
- (B) Divine descent from the sun is wrong because the Agnikunda legend belongs to the fire-lineage tradition, not a solar-lineage claim.
- (C) Foreign invasion is wrong because the Agnikunda legend explains origin through sacrificial fire rather than conquest or arrival from outside.
Concept
Rajput origin traditions in Rajasthan history include the Agnikula claim attached to Chauhan and other major Rajput dynasties. Chauhan, Paramara, Pratihara, Solanki, and Mount Abu recur in RAS because they are standard anchors in Rajasthan's medieval history syllabus.