User:Poona caste of Uttarakhand

POONA Rajputs are a group of people who reside in Uttarakhand,Ajmer, Ballabgarh, Faridabad, PalwalRajsamand, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh and Palidistricts of Rajasthan, the area known as Magra-Merwara and the Kumaon division and Garhwal Divisions of Uttarakhand, India. The Poona Rajputs of Magra (Rajasthan) claim their descent from warriors of the Chauhan dynasty. Poona Gotra is also found in Meenas and bhils in Rajasthan which is not to be confused with the Poona Rajputs as the Poona Rajputs have distinct Rajput surnames as Mehra, bhandari, rawat, chauhan, Panwar, bhati etc. Poona Rajputs of Magra Merwara traditionally marry only among other Poona Rajputs of the same region.

According to historian Robert Vane Russell, Rawat, a gem of Rajputra or "priceless", is the name borne by the Ahir caste in Chhattisgarh and Maharastra.

Villages of Poona Rajputs are also found in the Nainital, Almora, Tehri Garhwal and Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and some villages are also found in the Shivpuri and Datiadistricts of Madhya Pradesh. Some if not all of the Poona Rajputs are believed to have migrated from the Indian plains during the Middle Ages. They still retain the name of their areas of origin: for instance, the 'POONAKOTE' in Kumaon and Garhwal is a group of villages inhabited by people believed to have migrated from Udaipur in present-day Rajasthan.