The formation of states under the Rajputs was a complex and gradual process that developed mainly between the seventh and twelfth centuries in northern and western India. The term “Rajput” refers to several warrior clans and ruling lineages that emerged as important political powers after the decline of major imperial authorities such as the Harsha Empire. Rajput political formation was not based on the establishment of a single unified Rajput state. Instead, it involved the rise of numerous regional kingdoms ruled by different clans such as the Chauhans, Gahadavalas, Paramaras, Chandelas, Solankis, Sisodias and Rathores. Their political structure was characterised by clan-based authority, hereditary kingship, military power, local alliances and a highly decentralised administrative system. The decline of large political powers created favourable conditions for the emergence of regional states. After the death of Harsha in the seventh century, northern India lacked a strong central authority capable of controlling large territories. Political power became dispersed among local chiefs and ruling families. Many of these chiefs gradually expanded their territories and transformed themselves into kings. The rise of Rajput states therefore represented an important stage in the process of regionalisation of political power in early medieval India. The emergence of Rajput ruling families was closely connected with the process of social and political integration. Different groups of local chiefs, tribal communities and warrior groups were incorporated into the emerging Rajput social order. Genealogies were constructed to establish the prestigious ancestry of ruling families. Theories such as the Agnikula tradition associated certain Rajput clans with a fire sacrifice at Mount Abu. Such traditions helped ruling families establish political legitimacy and claim a high social position. Thus, state formation was accompanied by the development of a political identity based on lineage, warrior traditions and claims of aristocratic descent. The Rajput state was essentially