Rana (title)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rana is a variation on the royal title Raja.

Contents

[edit] Ruler title in British India

Rana is a title given to King of the state in India. It can be earned, but most of the time it is transferred from generation to generation. People who do not belong to Royal Families in India are not allowed to keep their last name Rana.

Rana Pratap is one of the famous Ranas who fought Mughal emperors. The descendants of Rana even live today in various places in Pakistan, India and abroad.

Some people varies this to Raja, Rao,etc which also means King. Raja and rao's rajput were considered King of the city. Rana brothery did so many works for their people. The former Rana of Bangalore reached this status where people solute him on his kind acts, but after the name of the state was changed to Mandi, after the new capital, and the title to Raja. The Rajas of Ali Rajpur and Bashahr were also formerly styled Rana. Before 1947 division Indian society is divided into different levels of standards called Zatpatt or brothery.

The Rana of Porbandar was upgraded in 1918 to Maharana Rana Sahib (only one incumbent before accession to India: MahaRana of Barwani).

Especially minor princely states (for many the term non-salute state is used) did use the ruler style Rana.

The following are examples - in some cases, sources may be contradictory:

Rana was later exchanged for Raja in Baghal, Baghat and Keonthal (in Himachal Pradesh).

States which never changed the ruler's title from Rana include Bhajji, Darkoti, Jobat, Jubbal, Kumharsain and Kuthar (both in Himachal Pradesh), Mangal, Sakti and Wao. That was also true in Dhami, a tributary state of Bilaspur.

Rana may also be a promotion from a lower title, as in Balsan and Tharoch, each from Thakur.

[edit] Compound title

  • H.H. the MahaRana of Dholpur- Hereditary salute of 15-guns (17-guns personal)
  • MahaRana is a higher title.

[edit] Other use

Like other titles of nobility, "Rana" may be awarded as a non-hereditary personal distinction "King of the state".

[edit] Sources

This biography of a member of an Indian royal house is a stub. See the WikiProject India for article coordination. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.