Kanhpuriya are a clan of Rajputs found mainly in Amethi, Sultanpur, Raebareli and Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India and Mahottari district of Nepal, especially in Damhi village of Damhi Marai Village Development Committee. Kanhpuriyas are further divided into two sub-clans: Sahas and Rahas.
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Origin
Kanhpuriyas are descendant of Kanh. Kanh was the son of saint Suchh (from the lineage of Rishi Bharadwaj) and the daughter of the great Suryavanshi-Gaharwar Raja Manik Chand. Kanh was supposed to succeed the throne of Raja Manik Chand, as his mother's heir. However, he married a girl of the Bais clan and abandoned Manikpur and established his own estate at the village Kanhpur, between Pratapgarh and Salon, which later became the principal seat of the tribe.
Empire
In the thirteenth century, the sons of Kanh, Sahas and Rahas, completed the conquest of western Pratapgarh district, now comprising the areas from Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Amethi and Raibareilly. In the great battle in Tiloki, now Tiloi, they inflicted a heavy defeat on the Bhars, whose leaders Biloki and Tiloki, were left dead on the battlefield. During the reigns of Mughal emperors, Kanhpuriyas were constantly engaged in warfare against the Sombansis, Bisens, Bais and Mughal Imperial Officials. During the times of Aurangzeb, Kanhpuriya Raja Balbhadra Singh is said to have defeated Raja of Sattara in a fierce battle and brought him back in an iron cage.
Religion
The special divinity of Kanhpuriyas used to be the buffalo-demon, Mahesha Rakshasa. They sacrifice buffaloes at religious festivals and when a birth or wedding takes place in the family. Some of the Kanhpuriyas are also claimed to be vegetarians, relinquishing their meat as a sacrifice to Lord Rama.