The Rajputs were a primarily Hindu warrior caste located in the northwestern region of India once known as Rajputana, now Rajasthan. Taking great pride in their ancestry and its emphasis on military virtues, the Rajput grew in power from the 9th century AD until 1616, when all the major clans had no choice but to submit to the might of Akbar and his Mughal Empire.
The Rajput warriors were known for using the unique and deadly pata, a sword-like weapon where the blade and the gauntlet were integrated into a single piece that was held by the wielder. Earlier iterations of the pata were said to have started at 10 inches in length, with later variations reaching a length of nearly 44 inches. This sturdy blade was effective at repelling armored cavalry, but could also be used in assaults against infantrymen, swung and slashed like a traditional sword. Supposedly, Emperor Akbar himself used the pata in battle, most notably during the siege of Gujarat in 1576.
Historian Kim Hyun-jin theorized that the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty regime of northern India had a powerful White Hunnic element, as the White Huns were fused with native Indian elements to rule a vast empire in northern India and produced the warlike Rajputs.
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