Pundir

The Pundir (also spelled Pandeer, Pandir, Pundhir, Pundeer or Poondir) is a Suryavanshi branch of Rajputs. The word itself is derived from the Sanskrit word "Purandara" literally meaning "the destroyer of enemy". The Pundir Rajputs hold riyasat in Nahan, Garhwal, Nagaur and Saharanpur where their Kuldevis are situated. Their shakha is Koolwal and their Kuldevis are Shakumbhri Devi in Saharanpur and Rajasthan along with Punyakshini Devi in Garhwal with their gotra being Pulastya and Parashar. Most of the Pundirs are today based mainly around the North Indian states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Elliot writes that in the Haridwar region of Uttar Pradesh, where they are most prominent today, over 1,440 villages are claimed by Pundir Rajputs with high concentrations in the districts of Dehradun, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh Etah and Etawah.