Hostility or Solidarity? The Rājpūts and Jāṭs in the Chāvaḷīs from the region of Śekhāvaṭī

This paper, based on Chāvaḷī poems, aims to demonstrate that regional, peripheral works transmitted orally on the outskirts of the mainstream literature prove to be a good source for reconstructing social reality. This seems to be especially true with regard to inter-caste co-operation in a particular region of India, such as the Śekhāvaṭī region of Rājasthān in the 19th century. It will be argued that Chāvaḷīs propagate inter-caste solidarity, putting particular stress on successful co-operation between Rājpūts and Jāṭs.