Chandravanshi Rajput Origin of Mangrals

Lord Krishna with Radha, as painted by Raja Ravi Varma

Mangrals are a Chandravanshi Rajput clan descended from Raja Mangar Pal son of Hani Dev who migrated to present day Sialkot from the Jangladesh region of northern Rajastan in the Twelfth century A.D. Hani Dev's brother Nirmal Dev continued to live in Jangladesh. Prior to the mid 15th Century Jangladesh was a wild barren area. It was subsequently conquered by Rao Bika a Rathore Rajput and since then has been known as Bikaner.

In Hindu mythology, the Chandravanshi lineage is one of the three lineages into which the Kshatriya caste of Hindus is divided, the other two being the Suryavanshi descended from Surya (the sun) and the Agnivanshi, descended from Agni (fire). According to legend, the Chandravanshis are descended from Chandra, in the Lunar Dynasty or the Hindu Moon God.

Yaduvanshi are the descendants of King Yayati's son Yadu. According to Purans, King Yayati had two wives, Sharmishtha and Devyani. Devyani was the daughter of Asura Guru Shukracharya. Yadu was the son of Yayati and Devyani. Lord Krishna was born in this clan. In fact Raja Bijai Pal who founded the princely state of Karauli in 995 claimed that he was 88th in descent from Lord Krishna.

Hani Dev settled in the Royal Court of Kashmir in Sialkot (Winter Capital) whilst his brother Nirmal Dev continued to live in Jangladesh. Following the death of his father, Raja Mangarpal moved to Kashmir where he ruled the states of Kotli (now a Tesil and District of Azad Kashmir) and Poonch (now divided between Pakistan and India).

Raja Hani Dev was the son of Raja Aori Pal who was the son of Raja Cchatar Pal who was the son of Raja Burj Pal. The ancestral line of the Mangral Rajputs goes back in time through the Yaduvanshi lineage of Chandravanshi rajput. In fact, the Yaduvanshi lineage is the major branch of the Chandravanshi lineage. The Yaduvanshis claim descent from the Hindu God Krishna, who in turn was born into a Chandravanshi dynasty.

The name Dev is derived from the Sanskrit word Deva meaning Divine or 'god-like'. Devas, in Hinduism, are celestial beings that control forces of nature such as fire, air, wind, etc. They are not to be confused with the One and the Supreme God or His personal form.

The adoption of the title "Dev" in the royal family's migration to Kashmir is interesting. The title "Deva" is a royal designation and was attached to the names of kings and queens in the feminine and masculine way. Hence came the Rajput salutation Jaidea! (Jai Deva!) which is accorded only to Rajputs in the hills, and may have been originally the distinctive salutation of the Raja only. The Sanskrit form in full is "Jayatu Deva!" meaning "May the King be Victorious!"^[1]

(In the Brihad-Gautamiya Tantra, Radharani is described as follows: "The transcendental goddess Srimati Radharani is the direct counterpart of Lord Sri Krishna. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all the attractiveness to attract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. She is the primeval internal potency of the Lord.")