After the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in the second battle of Tarain in AD 1192, the rule of the Turks was established in the country. Chandra Pundir, his son, Dhir Singh Pundir, and grandson, Pavas Pundir sacrificed in the struggle with the Turks. Chandra Pundir, the ruler of Haridwar, was a great feudatory of Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan. Pundirs were the most powerful military vassals of the Prithviraj Chauhan Empire of Delhi after the 10th century. Kusha, the first born of Sita and Ram, is said to have been the progenitor of the Pundirs. The Rishi is depicted as a white Nāga, and in the Puranic lore Pundarik is the name of a White Naga. Pundarik is revered as a Rishi and his temple is situated in Katheugi village of the Kullu district in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The Pundir clan has its origins with Raja Pundarik, the fourth king in line after Kusha. Most of the Pundirs are today based mainly around the North Indian states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttrakhand. Their shakha is Koolwal and their Kuldevis are Shakumbhri Devi and Dhadimati Mata in Saharanpur and Rajasthan along with Punyakshini Devi in Garhwal. The Pundir Rajputs hold riyasat in Nahan, Garhwal, Nagaur and Saharanpur where their Kuldevis are situated.
The word itself is derived from the Sanskrit word "Purandara" (पुरन्दर) literally meaning "the destroyer of enemy" or "the destroyer of cities". The Pundir (also spelled Pandeer, Pandir, Pundhir, Pundeer or Poondir) is a Suryavanshi clan of Rajputs based in Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand, one of the thirty six royal Rajput clans. JSTOR ( September 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.