Rathi

Rathi, Rathee or Rath is a gotra of mainly Gurjars, Rajputs, Jats and Yaduvanshi Ahirs found in Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh, India and in Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujarat, Kasur, Shakargarh, Narowal, in Pakistan. In earlier times Rathis were found in Kashmir too. Rathi is also used as a title in the Maheshwari community of Rajasthan. Rathis are now a trading and business community in Rajasthan State. The Rathi gotra originated from Rajasthan.

Rathi people fought wars with the rath (chariot) hence they are known as Rathi. They are considered to be descendants of a Nagavanshi ancestor named Ratharvi.

In the Hathigumpha inscription, King Kharavela of Odisha is stated to have defeated the Rathikas and Bhojakas, i.e. Rathis and Bhojas, in the fourth year of his reign. Their royal insignia was an umbrella. They were at that time in Central India (East Malwa). The inscription of Kharavela says that Rathis and Bhojas, "were abandoned by good Brahmans", obviously because they were conquerors and they had not accepted the orthodox ideas of those priests. They had their own priests called Magas or Bhojas, after they settled in Bhoja County.