The Maratha Clan System (also referred to as Shahannava Kuli Marathas, 96 Kuli Marathas), refers to the 96 Maratha clans similar to the one found in the Rajput communities.The clans together form the Maratha caste of India. These Marathas primarily reside in the Indian state of Maharashtra, with smaller regional populations in other states.
Origin
The 96 clans that the Maratha caste is divided into were originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families who are the descendants of dynasties which early ruled Deccan (eg. Satvahanas, Rashtrakutas, Solankis, Yadavas, Paramars and Kadambas) and peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), pastoral (Gavli), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar castes in Maharashtra. The 96 kul(clans) and genealogies were fabricated after they gained political prominence. These clans were flexible enough that most of the Kunbi population got absorbed into these clans even in the 20th century.
Thus, due to the mainly peasant origin, the claim of the 96 clans to the Kshatriya ritual status in the Hindu Varna hierarchy is considered bogus. Jaffrelot calls such claims as attempts of "Kshatriyatisation", which he considers similar to Sanskritisation.
Kinship, Dieties and Totems
In Maratha society, membership of a Kul or clan is acquired in a patrilineal manner. People belonging to a clan usually have a common surname, a common clan deity, and a common clan totem (Devak). Various lists have been compiled, purporting to list the 96 "true Maratha" clans, but these lists vary greatly and are disputed. The list of ninety-six clans is divided into five ranked tiers, the highest of which contains the five primary Maratha clans.
Within a clan, ranking also depends on whether a man is progeny of proper marriage or a product of hypergamy. High ranking Maratha clans also historically held rights to hereditary estate or Watan.This included land grants, tax collection rights (revenue Patilki or policing (Police Patilki) of a village. Higher ranking clans held rights to larger estates or Jagirs. Clans with watan usually hold written genealogical records stretching back several generations.