Rai (Indian)
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Rai is a word with the following related meanings and derived and compound forms in the Indian continent.
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[edit] Princely title
Rai was a title of honour for certain rulers in Northern India.
- Rai was used to refer to the rulers of Sindh. (Rai Dynasty)
- It was the style since 1887 (earlier: Thakur) in Sangri.
- Rais (?Rai) was the style of the ruler of Sohawal till 1911 (since then Raja).
[edit] Court titles
In the major Islamic state of Hyderabad, it was the lowest of the aristocratic ranks (in the Mughal Padshah court's Persian tradition) for Hindu retainers of the ruling Nizam, under Raja, Raja Bahadur, Raja Rai Bahadur, Raja Rai-i-Rayan Bahadur, Vant, Maharaja and (the highest) Maharaja Bahadur.
The equivalent of Rai for Muslim retainers was the style Khan, under the higher ranks, in ascending order: Khan Bahadur, Nawab, Jang, Daula, Mulk, Umara and Jah.
When obtaining a higher rank, the nobleman would generally keep following it with the lower one(s), in most cases preceded by a personal (poetic) title.
[edit] Compound titles
Rai is also a Sikh Bhapa surname found in India's Punjab state. Most Sikh Rai's live in Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts of Punjab. This region is known as the Doaba.
Apart from the above-mentioned uses of Rai or combinations for ennobled Hindu court retainers, there also were also titles of honour for Hindus, awarded with a decoration during the raj (British colonial rule):
- Rai Bahadur
- Rai Sahib
[edit] Derived titles
Raikat: ruler.
