<P> However, recent research suggests that the Rajputs came from a variety of ethnic and geographical backgrounds . The root word "rajaputra" (literally "son of a king") first appears as a designation for royal officials in the 11th century Sanskrit inscriptions . According to some scholars, it was reserved for the immediate relatives of a king; others believe that it was used by a larger group of high - ranking men . Over time, the derivative term "Rajput" came to denote a hereditary political status, which was was not necessarily very high: the term could denote a wide range of rank - holders, from an actual son of a king to the lowest - ranked landholder . Before the 15th century, the term "Rajput" was associated with people of mixed - caste origin, and was therefore considered inferior in rank to "Kshatriya". </P> <P> Gradually, the term Rajput came to denote a social class, which was formed when the various tribal and nomadic groups became landed aristocrats, and transformed into the ruling class . These groups assumed the title "Rajput" as part of their claim to higher social positions and ranks . The early medieval literature suggests that this newly - formed Rajput class comprised people from multiple castes . Thus, the Rajput identity is not the result of a shared ancestry . Rather, it emerged when different social groups of medieval India sought to legitimize their newly - acquired political power by claiming Kshatriya status . These groups started identifying as Rajput at different times, in different ways . </P> <P> Scholarly opinions differ on when the term Rajput acquired hereditary connotations and came to denote a clan - based community . Historian Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya, based on his an analysis of inscriptions (primarily from Rajasthan), believed that by the 12th century, the term "rajaputra" was associated with fortified settlements, kin - based landholding, and other features that later became indicative of the Rajput status . According to Chattopadhyaya, the title acquired "an element of heredity" from c. 1300 . A later study by of 11th - 14th century inscriptions from western and central India, by Michael B. Bednar, concludes that the designations such as "rajaputra", "thakkura" and "rauta" were not necessarily hereditary during this period . </P> <P> During its formative stages, the Rajput class was quite assimilative and absorbed people from a wide range of lineages . However, by the late 16th century, it had become genealogically rigid, based on the ideas of blood purity . The membership of the Rajput class was now largely inherited rather than acquired through military achievements . A major factor behind this development was the consolidation of the Mughal Empire, whose rulers had great interest in genealogy . As the various Rajput chiefs became Mughal feduatories, they no longer engaged in major conflicts with each other . This decreased the possibility of achieving prestige through military action, and made hereditary prestige more important . During 16th and 17th centuries, the Rajput rulers and their bards (charans) sought to legitimize the Rajput socio - political status on the basis of descent and kinship . They fabricated genealogies linking the Rajput families to the ancient dynasties, and associated them with myths of origins that established their Kshatriya status . This led to the emergence of what Kloff calls the "Rajput Great Tradition", which accepted only hereditary claims to the Rajput identity, and fostered a notion of eliteness and exclusivity . The legendary epic poem Prithviraj Raso, which depicts warriors from several different Rajput clans as associates of Prithviraj Chauhan, fostered a sense of unity among these clans . The text thus contributed to the consolidation of the Rajput identity by offering these clans a shared history . </P>

Who were the rajput write in short about their qualities