Somvansh 2. Suryavansh. Of these, 96 clans came together and formed their own group. It is divided according to these 96 clans.

The Sanskrit form of the word Maratha is Maharashtra, meaning those whose nation is large are Marathas. The terms Marhatta, Maharaththa, Maharath, Maharathi means Maratha aka Rashtrapati were used by the very brave Ranadhurandhar Kshatriya Rajbindya men in ancient times. This is based on the following verse from the 6th canto of Raghuvansha -

One thousand ten thousand warriors Dhanvinam. Shastrashastrapravinashch sa vai procto maharath

Meaning - in Shastrashastra, which means that only a Kshatriya who can become skilled in warfare and fight with ten thousand warriors, is called Ranhaturandhara Marhat Maratha. The Kshatriyas came to the south in the seventh century BC. Katyayana also mentions the country south of the Vindhya Mountains in his memoirs before Panini. This is strong evidence.

Sri Valmiki Ramayana -
In Ayodhya Kanda, canto 51 verse 6, Dasharatha is called as Maharashtra (Maharaththe) Vivardhana. Also, in the 6th century BC, the word Maharashtra is found in a book written by Bhadrabahu called Kritang Sutra of Jain people. The word Maharashtra is found in the Shri Prajnapana Upang Sutra written by another Shamacharya on the basis of this text. In the Western Ghats, there is a carved cave called Bhaje near Kalra. Maharathi Sakosiki Putsa on the water tank there! It is written that Vishnudattasa Deyadhampodi means Kaushikputra Maharathi / Maharathi / Maharatti Vishnudutta built it and the time of this cave etc. C. The former is 300 years old. During the reign of Nanda over the country of Magadha, that is, about 2300 years ago, Vararu became. In his book Prakrit Prakash, the rest is mentioned as Maharashtrivat, from which the antiquity of the word Maharashtra and Maratha is clear.