Kanwar or Kawar are a royal Rajput community from central India, historically associated with Indian kingship and nobility.

According to Trivedi (1971), the term Kanwar appears to be a corruption of the word Kaurava and refers to trusted soldiers of the Haihaiyavanshi chiefs of Ratanpur.

Some totemic septs are Baghwa (tiger), Chita (leopard), Bilwa (wild cat), Bokar (goat), Bichhi (scorpion), Bhainsa (buffalo) and Sua (parrot).

Other septs include Adila, Bhandari, Chandrama (moon), Chanwar (a whisk), Champa (plumeria flower), Chua(well), Daharia, Dhanguru, Dhenki (Pounding-lever), Darpan (a mirror), Fulbandhia, Gobra (dung beetle), Hudra (wolf), Kothi (a store-house), Khumri(A leaf- umbrella), Lodha(a wild dog), Gonga Cochar, Sanwami, Manjhi, Nahna, Samund, Kodia Dudh, Son Pakhar and Sikuta.

During the betrothal ceremony, when the boy’s party go to the girl’s house with a present of bangles, clothes, and fried cakes of rice and Urad carried by a Kaurai Rawat.

And on their return the bridegroom shoots arrows at seven straw images of deer over his wife’s shoulder, and after each shot she puts a little sugar in his mouth.