Raja: Encyclopedia - Raja

Raja

A Raja (sometimes spelled Rajah) is a king, or princely ruler. The female equivalent is Rani (sometimes spelled Ranee). Raja comes from the Sanskrit word rājan, and is cognate to the Latin rex, regnum, regis and the Irish rí.

The title has a long history in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Some rulers would give themselves the title as a means to increase prestige among their subjects. The word maharaja connotes a raja who has conquered other rajas, thus becoming a great ruler. Variants include Rana, Rao, Raol Rawal, and Rawat.

In South India, the title of the Hindu emperor of Vijayanagar, instead of raja, was raya. Raja is used in India to distinguish a Hindu king from a Muslim Nawab or Shah, and still is commonly used in India.

The ruler of the Malaysian state of Perlis is to this day known as the Raja of Perlis while the White Rajahs of Sarawak in Borneo were James Brooke and his dynasty. A number of medieval rulers in Southeast Asia used variants such as Buddharaja, devaraja and lingaraja.

In Pakistan, Raja is used by the Chibhs, Dhunds and Janjua tribes.

See also

• White Rajahs of Sarawak
• Janjua

Categories: Titles in India | Titles

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Raja", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki