Nagar Brahmin: Difference between revisions

What links here Related changes Page information Get shortened URL
Created by SierraTangoCharlie1
Last edited March 22, 2026
← Older edit
VisualWikitext
->Johnj1995
Undid revision 1054988066 by Yorkshir (talk)
m adjust information after review as per guidelines
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{About|the social caste|the moth family|Brahmaeidae|similarly spelled words|Nagar (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|Gujarati Brahmin subcaste}}
{{refimprove|date=November 2013}}
{{About|the social caste|similarly spelled words|Nagar (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2025}}
{{infobox caste
{{infobox caste
| caste_name            = Nagar Brahmins
| caste_name            = Nagar Brahmins
| image               = Nagar Brahmins (9969683734).jpg
| image                 = Nagar Brahmins (9969683734).jpg
| caption         = Nagar Brahmins in Western India (c. 1855-1862)
| caption               = Nagar Brahmins in Western India (c. 1855-1862)
| veda                  =  
| veda                  =  
| religions              = [[Hinduism]]
| religions              = [[Hinduism]]
| languages              = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi]], English
| languages              = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
| country                = India
| country                = [[India]]
| state                  =
| state                  =  
| populated_states      = [[Gujarat]], [[Rajasthan]]
| populated_states      = [[Gujarat]]
| region                = [[North West India]]
| region                = [[Western India]]
| ethnicity              = [[South Asian ethnic groups|Indian]]
| ethnicity              = [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]]
| India_migration        =  
| India_migration        =  
| population            =  
| population            =  
Line 40: Line 40:
}}
}}


The '''Nagar Brahmin''' are a Hindu Brahmin [[caste system in India|caste]] of India. They are among the most ancient of all Brahmin communities. They are primarily found in [[Gujarat]] but have a history of migration to [[Rajasthan]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Madhya Pradesh]], in the north and central, [[Maharashtra]] and [[Karnataka]] further west and into the south, and as far as [[West Bengal]] in the east. In [[North India]], the [[Bias Brahmin]] community includes Nagar Brahmins and two other Brahmin groups from Gujarat: the [[Audichya Brahmins|Audichya]] Brahmins and the [[Bardai Brahmins|Bardai]] Brahmins. Many modern day Nagar families are settled outside of India in the [[United States]], [[Canada]], the [[United Kingdom|UK]] and [[Australia]].
'''Nagar Brahmin''' is a [[Brahmin]] [[subcaste]] from the [[Indian state]] of [[Gujarat]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Family in India Critical Essays|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U8s0aBdDxEQC|page=136|publisher=Orient Longman|author=A. M. Shah|year=1998| isbn=9788125013068 }}</ref>


Historians claim the origin of Nagars to be purely [[Aryan]], having come to India from [[Southern Europe]] and [[Central Asia]]. They migrated through the [[Hindu Kush]] to the [[Kashmir]] valley and made their way down to Kurukshetra and later to Western India.
Author T. Sasaki writes, amongst [[Brahmin]]s of [[Gujarat]], Nagar Brahmins were the most prominent subdivision in the [[political]], [[economic]] and [[social relation|social]] activities of this region both before and during the [[British Raj]]. They occupied important administrative posts in the courts during the time of the [[Gujarat Sultanate]] and the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Nature and Human Communities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S_HwCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA29|author=T.Sasaki|date=28 June 2011|publisher=Springer|page=29| isbn=9784431539674 }}</ref>


It is also believed that before Nagars first came to [[Gujarat]] in 404 A.D., they lived in [[Sindh]]. Historians assert that Nagar Brahmins originated from [[Greece]], [[North Macedonia|Macedonia]], [[Syria]] or regions surrounding these places. According to Somerset Pain, they are of Turkish-Syrian descent. According to Sir Herber Ridley, Nagar Brahmins are [[Indo-Scythians]]. Another historian claims that they originated from the ancient Nagar community of [[Iran]].
== History ==
The Nagar Brahmins originate in [[Vadnagar]],<ref name = 'DNarain1989'>{{cite book |last=Narain |first=Dhirendra |year=1989 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0yED5k62TsC&dq=nagar+brahmin+origin&pg=PA100 |title=Research in Sociology |page=100 |language=en-IN |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=9788170222354 }}</ref> in northern [[Gujarat]], but are now mostly concentrated in [[Kathiawar]].<ref name = 'DNarain1989' /> The name 'Nagar' is also believed to have come from their geographic origin, Vadnagar.<ref name = 'DNarain1989' />


In Gujarat, the Nagar community laid down its roots in the ancient town of [[Vadnagar]] in the [[Mehsana district|Mehsana]] district of North Gujarat. As time passed, the city of Vadnagar was invaded on more than one occasion. Invasions led to Nagar families seeking refuge in the adjacent areas of [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] and [[Rajasthan]].  
While a few scholars have explored potential connections between Nagar Brahmins and [[Bengali Kayastha]]s, this remains a subject of debate. [[D. R. Bhandarkar]], as cited by Tej Ram Sharma, notes the presence of identical surnames in both communities.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sharma |first=Tej Ram |title=Personal and Geographical Names in the Gupta Inscriptions |year=1978 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |location=New Delhi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WcnnB-Lx2MAC|page=115}}</ref> Separately, Rabindra Nath Chakraborty proposes a theory of common ancestry, suggesting a settlement of Nagar Brahmins in Bengal in the eighth century CE from whom the Kayasthas descended;<ref>{{cite book|first=Rabindra Nath |last=Chakraborty|title=National Integration in Historical Perspective: A Cultural Regeneration in Eastern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PItbvfAvVggC|year=1985|publisher=Mittal Publications|page=124}}</ref> however, this view and its historical basis have not been widely supported by other scholars. Historians such as H. K. Barpujari and R. C. Majumdar have contested a shared origin based on surnames, with Majumdar also questioning the evidence for significant Nagar Brahmin migration into Bengal.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barpujari |first=H. K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-NZHAAAAMAAJ |title=The Comprehensive History of Assam: From the Pre-historic Times to the Twelfth Century A.D. |date=1990 |publisher=Publication Board, Assam |page=104 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Majumdar |first=R. C. |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.13287/mode/1up |title=HISTORY OF ANCIENT BENGAL |date=1971 |publisher=G. BHARADWAJ, CALCUTTA |page=435}}</ref> [[Harald Tambs-Lyche]], in his analysis on [[Kathiawar|Saurashtra]], observes that the majority of Nagars are engaged in non-priestly roles as bureaucrats, ministers, and urban landowners, quite similar to [[Kayastha]]s. He suggests that Bengali Kayasthas represent a "parallel case" in terms of societal function, even without accepting the hypothesis on shared origin.<ref>{{cite book |first=Harald| last=Tambs-Lyche |title=Power, Profit, and Poetry: Traditional Society in Kathiawar, Western India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5ntuAAAAMAAJ |year=1996|publisher=University of Michigan|pages=217, 219|isbn=9788173041761}}</ref>


Nagars predominantly worship Lord Shiva in the form of the deity Shree Hatkeshwar Mahadev. The oldest account of the Nagars is given in the [[Nagara Khanda]], a part of the ''[[Skanda Purana]]'' a [[Hindu]] religious text. They are known to have a strong work ethic and are often leaders, whether politically, intellectually, spiritually or socially. Many Nagar families were chieftains of [[Princely state|princely states]], notably in two in [[Gujarat|Gujarati]] peninsula [[Kathiawar]]'s Sorath prant : [[Kuba State]] and [[Vasavad]]. Many were awarded titles from Rajput and Muslim rulers.
Among Nāgara Brahmins all four Vedas are found: ''[[Rigveda|R̥gveda]]'' (mainly ''Śāṅkhāyana Sūtra''), ''[[Yajurveda|Śukla Yajurveda]]'' ([[Madhyandina Shakha|Mādhyandina]]), ''[[Samaveda|Sāmaveda]]'' (Kauthuma Śākhā), and ''[[Atharvaveda]]'' (Śaunaka Śākhā).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-4xEQAAQBAJ&dq=n%C4%81gara+gujarat+%C5%9B%C4%81kh%C4%81&pg=PT382 |title=Studies in the Atharvaveda: Proceedings of the 3rd Zurich International Conference on Indian Literature and Philosophy |publisher=De Gruyter |year=2025 |isbn=978-3-11-124475-4 |editor-last=Leach |editor-first=Robert |editor-last2=Hellwig |editor-first2=Oliver |editor-last3=Zehnder |editor-first3=Thomas}}</ref>
 
During the rule of the [[Chaulukya dynasty|Caulukya]] and [[Vaghela dynasty|Vāghela]] dynasties, the Nāgars held prestigious positions in royal courts along with [[Jainism|Jains]] and other Brahmins. Their occupations included writing Sanskrit literature, performing Vedic rituals, and conducting royal funerals; they were also famed throughout India as pilgrimage officiants at ''tīrtha'' (holy water) sites.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sathaye |first=Adheesh A. |title=Crossing the Lines of Caste: Viśvāmitra and the Construction of Brahmin Power in Hindu Mythology |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2015 |pages=154–155}}</ref>
[[File:Nagar.jpg|thumb|"A Nagar beauty," a watercolor by [[M. V. Dhurandhar]], 1928]]
The ''Nāgara Khaṇḍa'' is a quasi-caste purana for the Vadnagar Nāgars. It was partly composed before the late 13th century up to circa 17th century and was added to the existing ''[[Skanda Purana|Skanda Purāṇa]]'', as part of a wider trend of adding mainly unrelated khaṇḍas to the text. The text extols the holy sites around [[Vadnagar|Vaḍanagara]] (historically known as Ānarta, Ānandapura, and Camatkārapura).{{Sfn|Sathaye|2015|p=154-155}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mehta |first=R. N. |date=1968 |editor-last=Misra |editor-first=S. C. |title=Nāgarakhaṇḍa - A study |department=Humanities |journal=Journal of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda |publication-place=Baroda |volume=XVII |issue=1 |pages=113}}</ref>
 
The Nāgars are divided into two sections: Gr̥hasthas who had received land grants from kings and did not have to work as priests, and Bhikṣus who earn money through alms from priesthood. In the ''Nāgarakhaṇḍa'' the Nāgars are divided into Nāgars who live in the city, and Bāhyas who had to live outside (often due to excommunication).{{Sfn|Sathaye|2015|p=179}}
 
The ''Vaḍanagara Praśasti'' states that in the time of King [[Kumarapala (Chaulukya dynasty)|Kumārapāla]], a wall was built around the town for the protection of the "viprapura" ("Brāḥmaṇa town").{{Sfn|Sathaye|2015|p=178}}{{Sfn|Majumdar|1956|p=387}}
 
According to the ''Vastupāla Carita'' of Jinaharṣa Gaṇi, the Vāghela king Vīsaladeva formed the branches of the Nāgars at a [[Yajna|yajña]] (sacrifice) at Darbhavatīpura (modern [[Dabhoi]]), the branches being the Vīsalanagara, Ṣaṭpadra, Kr̥ṣṇapura, Citrapura, and Praśnika branches. The subcastes of the Nagars are also known as Visnagarā, Sāṭhodarā, Kr̥ṣṇorā or Krasnora, Citroḍā, Praśnora.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jain |first=Jyotindra |title=Folk Art and Culture of Gujarat: Guide to the Collection of THE SHREYAS FOLK MUSEUM of Gujarat |publisher=Shreyas Prakashan |year=1980 |pages=164}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Asoke Kumar |last=Majumdar |title=Chaulukyas of Gujarat |publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan |year=1956}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=નાગર |url=http://www.bhagavadgomandal.com/index.php?action=dictionary&sitem=%E0%AA%A8%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%97%E0%AA%B0&type=1&key=false&page=0 |website=Bhagwadgomandal |publisher=Gujarati Lexicon}}</ref>
 
In the later periods many Nāgars also became financiers and moneychangers, with Vadnagar as their center.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Yagnik |first1=Achyut |title=The Shaping of Modern Gujarat: Plurality, Hindutva and Beyond |last2=Sheth |first2=Suchitra |publisher=Penguin Books |pages=24}}</ref>
 
During the rule of the [[Gujarat Sultanate]] and [[Mughal Empire]], the Nāgars learned Persian and held important posts in royal courts. Similarly under [[British rule of India|British rule]], the Nāgars learned English and held administrative posts.{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=19-20}}
 
In the late 19th century, many leaders of the [[Gujarat Vernacular Society]] were Nāgars, along with [[Vania (caste)|Vaniyas]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Isaka |first=Riho |title=Nature and Human Communities |publisher=Springer |year=2004 |editor-last=Sasaki |editor-first=Takeshi |edition= |pages=29 |chapter=Language and Education in Colonial and Post-Colonial India}}</ref> By the 19th century, the dialect of Gujarati as spoken by Nagar Brahmins in Ahmedabad had become the prestige dialect of [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sheffield |first=Daniel J. |title=The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2015 |pages=553 |chapter=Primary Sources: Gujarati}}</ref>
 
== Notable people ==
 
* [[Narsinh Mehta]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Shukla-Bhatt |first=Neelima |url=http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199976416.001.0001/acprof-9780199976416 |title=Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat : A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs and Stories |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=9780199976416 |location=New York |pages=105–109, 213, 220 |oclc=872139390 |via=Oxford Scholarship}}</ref>
* [[Padmanābha]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kapadia |first=Aparna |title=In Praise of Kings: Rajputs, Sultans, and Poets in Fifteenth Century Gujarat |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2018 |pages=51}}</ref>
* [[Ranchhodji Diwan|Ranchhodji Amarji Diwan]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=92}}
* [[Dayaram]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=98}}
* [[Gaurishankar Oza]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mehta |first=Makrand |title=Indian Merchants and Entrepreneurs in Historical Perspective. with Special Reference to the Schroffs of Gujarat: 17th to 19th centuries |publisher=Academic Foundation |year=1991 |pages=186}}</ref>
* [[Durgaram Mehta]]<ref name="Raval1986">{{cite journal |last=Raval |first=R. L. |year=1986 |title=Social Environs and Refom Movement in 19th Century Gujarat : The Case of Durgaram Mehtaji |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=47 (VOLUME I) |pages=591–598 |jstor=44141608}}{{Subscription required}}</ref>
* [[Bholanath Divetia]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Isaka |first=Riho |title=Language, Identity, and Power in Modern India: Gujarat, c. 1850-1960 |publisher=Routledge |year=2022 |pages=57}}</ref>{{refn|Bholanath was expelled for eating with Mahipatram Rupram, who had himself been expelled for travelling to a foreign country.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ācārya|first=Navīnacaṁdra Ā.|chapter=Hiṁdu Samāja |title=Gujarātano rājakīya ane sāṁskr̥tika itihāsa |publisher=Śeṭha Bhoḷābhāī Jeśiṁgabhāī Adhyayana-Saṁśodhana Vidyābhavana|location=Amadāvāda|editor-first1=Hariprasāda Gaṅgāśaṁkara|editor-last1=Śāstrī|editor-last2=Parīkha|editor-first2=Pravīṇacaṁdra Cimanalāla|p=237|volume=8, Briṭiśa Kāla (ī. sa. 1914 sudhīno)|series=Saṁśodhana Graṁthamālā-Graṁthāṁka|year=1984}}</ref>|group=note}}
* [[Ranchhodlal Chhotalal]]<ref name="tr">{{cite book |author1=Dwijendra Tripathi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q9LsAAAAMAAJ |title=The Concise Oxford History of Indian Business |author2=Jyoti Jumani |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-19-568429-2 |page=53 |access-date=18 June 2017}}</ref>
* [[Vrajlal Shastri]]{{Sfn|Desai|1978|p=445}}
* [[Mahipatram Rupram Nilkanth]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=83}}{{refn|Mahipatram was expelled when he crossed the seas to travel to England.<ref>{{cite book |title=Women and Missions: Past and Present: Anthropological and Historical Perceptions |editor-first1=Fiona |editor-last1=Bowie |editor-last2=Kirkwood|editor-first2=Deborah|editor-last3=Ardener|editor-first3=Shirley| publisher=Routledge |year=2020|isbn=978-1-000-32322-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gnAdEAAAQBAJ&dq=crossing+the+seas+india+%22excommunicated%22+%22caste%22&pg=PT170}}</ref>|group=note}}
* [[Narmadashankar Dave]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=70}}
* [[Nandshankar Mehta]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=83}}
* [[Navalram Pandya]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=84}}
* [[Bhagwan Lal Indraji|Bhagvanlal Indraji]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Desai |first=Neera |title=Social Change in Gujarat [A Study of Nineteenth Century Gujarati Society] |publisher=Vora & Co. |year=1978 |pages=439}}</ref>
* [[Mansukhram Tripathi]]{{Sfn|Desai|1978|p=446}}
* [[Manibhai Jashbhai]]{{Sfn|Desai|1978|p=442}}
* [[Govardhanram Tripathi]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Joshi|first=Ramanlal|author-link=Ramanlal Joshi|title=Govardhanram|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SOEQAAAAMAAJ|year=1979|series=Makers of Indian Literature|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|pages=5–6|oclc=6950984}}</ref>
* [[Balashankar Kantharia]]{{Sfn|Desai|1978|p=442}}
* [[Harilal Dhruv]]{{Sfn|Desai|1978|p=441}}
* [[Manilal Dwivedi]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=89}}
* [[Narsinhrao Divatia]]{{Sfn|Desai|1978|p=441}}
* [[Keshavlal Dhruv]]{{Sfn|Desai|1978|p=441}}
* [[Chinubhai Madhavlal]]<ref name="ad">{{cite book |last1=Chopra |first1=Preeti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jhTiCnh6RqAC&q=Chinubhai+Baronet%27s+collection.&pg=PA25 |title=A Joint Enterprise: Indian Elites and the Making of British Bombay By Preeti Chopra |year=2011 |isbn=9780816670369 |page=25|publisher=U of Minnesota Press }}</ref>
* [[Kavi Kant]]{{Sfn|Desai|1978|p=439}}
* [[Ramanbhai Neelkanth]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=89}}
* [[Anandshankar Dhruv]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pavate |first=D.C. |title=Memoirs of an Educational Administrator |publisher=Prentice-Hall of India |year=1964 |pages=63}}</ref>
* [[Uttamlal Trivedi]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=ત્રિવેદી, ઉત્તમલાલ
|encyclopedia=[[Gujarati Vishwakosh]] (ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ) |publisher=Gujarati Vishvkosh trust |location=Ahmedabad |last=Jośī |first=Ramaṇalāla|date=2016 |editor-last=Thakar |editor-first=Dhirubhai |editor-link=Dhirubhai Thaker |volume=15 |pages= |language=gu |oclc=}}</ref>
* [[Vidyagauri Nilkanth]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=45}}
* [[Sumant Mehta]]<ref name=":GVK">{{Cite book |last=Shukla |first=Jayeshkumar R. |title=ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ |publisher=Gujarat Vishvakosh Trust |editor-last=Thaker |editor-first=Dhirubhai |editor-link=Dhirubhai Thaker |edition=1st |volume=XV |location=[[Ahmedabad]] |publication-date=January 2002 |pages=539–540 |language=gu |trans-title=Gujarati Encyclopedia |oclc=248968453}}</ref>
* [[Durgashankar Kevalram Shastri]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Śukla|first=Jayakumāra Ra.|title=Śāstrī, Durgāśaṁkara Kevaḷarāma |website=Gujarātī Viśvakośa|date=2006|url=https://gujarativishwakosh.org/%e0%aa%b6%e0%aa%be%e0%aa%b8%e0%ab%8d%e0%aa%a4%e0%ab%8d%e0%aa%b0%e0%ab%80-%e0%aa%a6%e0%ab%81%e0%aa%b0%e0%ab%8d%e0%aa%97%e0%aa%be%e0%aa%b6%e0%aa%82%e0%aa%95%e0%aa%b0-%e0%aa%95%e0%ab%87%e0%aa%b5/}}</ref>
* [[Sharda Mehta|Shardagauri Mehta]]{{Sfn|Isaka|2022|p=45}}
* [[Indulal Yagnik]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Isaka |first=Iho |title=Language, Identity, and Power in Modern India: Gujarat, c.1850-1960 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2021 |pages=37}}</ref>
* [[Hansa Jivraj Mehta|Hansa Mehta]]<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last=Wood |first=John R. |date=November 1984 |title=British versus Princely Legacies and the Political Integration of Gujarat |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=65–99 |doi=10.2307/2056747 |jstor=2056747 |s2cid=154751565}}</ref>{{refn|Hansa Mehta was expelled from the caste for her marriage to [[Jivraj Narayan Mehta]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Adami |first=Rebecca |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnd0DwAAQBAJ&dq=hansa+jivraj+mehta+excommunicated+caste&pg=PT104 |title=Women and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2018|isbn=978-0-429-79552-7 }}</ref>|group=note}}
* [[Bhagwati Charan Vohra]]<ref name="Shukla2002">{{cite encyclopedia |title=ભગવતીચરણ |encyclopedia=[[Gujarati Vishwakosh]] (ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ) |publisher=Gujarati Vishvkosh trust |location=Ahmedabad |last=Śukla |first=Jayakumāra Ra. |date=2001 |editor-last=Thakar |editor-first=Dhirubhai |editor-link=Dhirubhai Thaker |volume=15 |pages= |language=gu |oclc=}}</ref>
* [[Shankarlal Shastri]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=શાસ્ત્રી, શંકરલાલ ગંગાશંકર|encyclopedia=[[Gujarati Vishwakosh]] (ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ) |publisher=Gujarati Vishvkosh trust |location=Ahmedabad |last=Śāstrī |first=Hariprasāda |date=2001 |editor-last=Thakar |editor-first=Dhirubhai |editor-link=Dhirubhai Thaker |volume=15 |pages= |language=gu |oclc=}}</ref>
* [[Nanabhai Bhatt]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-15 |title=On Alia Bhatt's birthday, tracing her Kashmiri, Gujarati, German roots |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/did-you-know-birthday-girl-alia-bhatt-has-kashmiri-gujarati-german-roots-101615730031240.html |access-date=2022-01-09 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Hariprasad Shastri]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=શાસ્ત્રી, હરિપ્રસાદ ગંગાશંકર|encyclopedia=[[Gujarati Vishwakosh]] (ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ) |publisher=Gujarati Vishvkosh trust |location=Ahmedabad |last=Śelata |first=Bhāratī|date=2006 |editor-last=Thakar |editor-first=Dhirubhai |editor-link=Dhirubhai Thaker |volume=15 |pages= |language=gu |oclc=}}</ref>
* [[Makrand Mehta]]<ref name="Shukla2013">{{cite book |last=Shukla |first=Jaykumar R. |title=Arvācīna Itihāsakāro ane Temanuṃ Itihāsalekhana |publisher=Gurjar Grantharatna Karyalay |year=2013 |isbn=9788184809558 |location=Ahmedabad |pages=151–155 |language=gu |script-title=gu:અર્વાચિન ઇતિહાસકારો અને તેમનુ ઇતિહાસલેખન |trans-title=Modern Historians and Their History Writings}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|group=note}}
 
== External links ==
{{commons category|Nagar Brahmins}}
*[http://www.nagar.org/ Nagar.org]


[[Category:Brahmin communities of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities of Haryana]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities of Uttar Pradesh]]

Latest revision as of 03:18, 22 March 2026


This article is about the social caste. For similarly spelled words, see Nagar (disambiguation).

Nagar Brahmins
Nagar Brahmins in Western India (c. 1855-1862)
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesGujarati
CountryIndia
Populated statesGujarat
RegionWestern India
EthnicityGujarati

Nagar Brahmin is a Brahmin subcaste from the Indian state of Gujarat.[1]

Author T. Sasaki writes, amongst Brahmins of Gujarat, Nagar Brahmins were the most prominent subdivision in the political, economic and social activities of this region both before and during the British Raj. They occupied important administrative posts in the courts during the time of the Gujarat Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.[2]

History[edit | edit source]

The Nagar Brahmins originate in Vadnagar,[3] in northern Gujarat, but are now mostly concentrated in Kathiawar.[3] The name 'Nagar' is also believed to have come from their geographic origin, Vadnagar.[3]

While a few scholars have explored potential connections between Nagar Brahmins and Bengali Kayasthas, this remains a subject of debate. D. R. Bhandarkar, as cited by Tej Ram Sharma, notes the presence of identical surnames in both communities.[4] Separately, Rabindra Nath Chakraborty proposes a theory of common ancestry, suggesting a settlement of Nagar Brahmins in Bengal in the eighth century CE from whom the Kayasthas descended;[5] however, this view and its historical basis have not been widely supported by other scholars. Historians such as H. K. Barpujari and R. C. Majumdar have contested a shared origin based on surnames, with Majumdar also questioning the evidence for significant Nagar Brahmin migration into Bengal.[6][7] Harald Tambs-Lyche, in his analysis on Saurashtra, observes that the majority of Nagars are engaged in non-priestly roles as bureaucrats, ministers, and urban landowners, quite similar to Kayasthas. He suggests that Bengali Kayasthas represent a "parallel case" in terms of societal function, even without accepting the hypothesis on shared origin.[8]

Among Nāgara Brahmins all four Vedas are found: R̥gveda (mainly Śāṅkhāyana Sūtra), Śukla Yajurveda (Mādhyandina), Sāmaveda (Kauthuma Śākhā), and Atharvaveda (Śaunaka Śākhā).[9]

During the rule of the Caulukya and Vāghela dynasties, the Nāgars held prestigious positions in royal courts along with Jains and other Brahmins. Their occupations included writing Sanskrit literature, performing Vedic rituals, and conducting royal funerals; they were also famed throughout India as pilgrimage officiants at tīrtha (holy water) sites.[10]

"A Nagar beauty," a watercolor by M. V. Dhurandhar, 1928

The Nāgara Khaṇḍa is a quasi-caste purana for the Vadnagar Nāgars. It was partly composed before the late 13th century up to circa 17th century and was added to the existing Skanda Purāṇa, as part of a wider trend of adding mainly unrelated khaṇḍas to the text. The text extols the holy sites around Vaḍanagara (historically known as Ānarta, Ānandapura, and Camatkārapura).[11][12]

The Nāgars are divided into two sections: Gr̥hasthas who had received land grants from kings and did not have to work as priests, and Bhikṣus who earn money through alms from priesthood. In the Nāgarakhaṇḍa the Nāgars are divided into Nāgars who live in the city, and Bāhyas who had to live outside (often due to excommunication).[13]

The Vaḍanagara Praśasti states that in the time of King Kumārapāla, a wall was built around the town for the protection of the "viprapura" ("Brāḥmaṇa town").[14][15]

According to the Vastupāla Carita of Jinaharṣa Gaṇi, the Vāghela king Vīsaladeva formed the branches of the Nāgars at a yajña (sacrifice) at Darbhavatīpura (modern Dabhoi), the branches being the Vīsalanagara, Ṣaṭpadra, Kr̥ṣṇapura, Citrapura, and Praśnika branches. The subcastes of the Nagars are also known as Visnagarā, Sāṭhodarā, Kr̥ṣṇorā or Krasnora, Citroḍā, Praśnora.[16][17][18]

In the later periods many Nāgars also became financiers and moneychangers, with Vadnagar as their center.[19]

During the rule of the Gujarat Sultanate and Mughal Empire, the Nāgars learned Persian and held important posts in royal courts. Similarly under British rule, the Nāgars learned English and held administrative posts.[20]

In the late 19th century, many leaders of the Gujarat Vernacular Society were Nāgars, along with Vaniyas.[21] By the 19th century, the dialect of Gujarati as spoken by Nagar Brahmins in Ahmedabad had become the prestige dialect of Gujarati.[22]

Notable people[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Bholanath was expelled for eating with Mahipatram Rupram, who had himself been expelled for travelling to a foreign country.[30]
  2. ↑ Mahipatram was expelled when he crossed the seas to travel to England.[34]
  3. ↑ Hansa Mehta was expelled from the caste for her marriage to Jivraj Narayan Mehta.[52]
  1. ↑ A. M. Shah (1998). The Family in India Critical Essays. Orient Longman. p. 136. ISBN 9788125013068.
  2. ↑ T.Sasaki (28 June 2011). Nature and Human Communities. Springer. p. 29. ISBN 9784431539674.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Narain, Dhirendra (1989). Research in Sociology. Concept Publishing Company. p. 100. ISBN 9788170222354.
  4. ↑ Sharma, Tej Ram (1978). Personal and Geographical Names in the Gupta Inscriptions. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. p. 115.
  5. ↑ Chakraborty, Rabindra Nath (1985). National Integration in Historical Perspective: A Cultural Regeneration in Eastern India. Mittal Publications. p. 124.
  6. ↑ Barpujari, H. K. (1990). The Comprehensive History of Assam: From the Pre-historic Times to the Twelfth Century A.D. Publication Board, Assam. p. 104.
  7. ↑ Majumdar, R. C. (1971). HISTORY OF ANCIENT BENGAL. G. BHARADWAJ, CALCUTTA. p. 435.
  8. ↑ Tambs-Lyche, Harald (1996). Power, Profit, and Poetry: Traditional Society in Kathiawar, Western India. University of Michigan. pp. 217, 219. ISBN 9788173041761.
  9. ↑ Leach, Robert; Hellwig, Oliver; Zehnder, Thomas, eds. (2025). Studies in the Atharvaveda: Proceedings of the 3rd Zurich International Conference on Indian Literature and Philosophy. De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-124475-4.
  10. ↑ Sathaye, Adheesh A. (2015). Crossing the Lines of Caste: Viśvāmitra and the Construction of Brahmin Power in Hindu Mythology. Oxford University Press. pp. 154–155.
  11. ↑ Sathaye 2015, p. 154-155.
  12. ↑ Mehta, R. N. (1968). Misra, S. C. (ed.). "Nāgarakhaṇḍa - A study". Humanities. Journal of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. XVII (1). Baroda: 113.
  13. ↑ Sathaye 2015, p. 179.
  14. ↑ Sathaye 2015, p. 178.
  15. ↑ Majumdar 1956, p. 387.
  16. ↑ Jain, Jyotindra (1980). Folk Art and Culture of Gujarat: Guide to the Collection of THE SHREYAS FOLK MUSEUM of Gujarat. Shreyas Prakashan. p. 164.
  17. ↑ Majumdar, Asoke Kumar (1956). Chaulukyas of Gujarat. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
  18. ↑ "નાગર". Bhagwadgomandal. Gujarati Lexicon.
  19. ↑ Yagnik, Achyut; Sheth, Suchitra. The Shaping of Modern Gujarat: Plurality, Hindutva and Beyond. Penguin Books. p. 24.
  20. ↑ Isaka 2022, p. 19-20.
  21. ↑ Isaka, Riho (2004). "Language and Education in Colonial and Post-Colonial India". In Sasaki, Takeshi (ed.). Nature and Human Communities. Springer. p. 29.
  22. ↑ Sheffield, Daniel J. (2015). "Primary Sources: Gujarati". The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 553.
  23. ↑ Shukla-Bhatt, Neelima (2014). Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat : A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs and Stories. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 105–109, 213, 220. ISBN 9780199976416. OCLC 872139390 – via Oxford Scholarship.
  24. ↑ Kapadia, Aparna (2018). In Praise of Kings: Rajputs, Sultans, and Poets in Fifteenth Century Gujarat. Oxford University Press. p. 51.
  25. ↑ Isaka 2022, p. 92.
  26. ↑ Isaka 2022, p. 98.
  27. ↑ Mehta, Makrand (1991). Indian Merchants and Entrepreneurs in Historical Perspective. with Special Reference to the Schroffs of Gujarat: 17th to 19th centuries. Academic Foundation. p. 186.
  28. ↑ Raval, R. L. (1986). "Social Environs and Refom Movement in 19th Century Gujarat : The Case of Durgaram Mehtaji". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 47 (VOLUME I): 591–598. JSTOR 44141608.(subscription required)
  29. ↑ Isaka, Riho (2022). Language, Identity, and Power in Modern India: Gujarat, c. 1850-1960. Routledge. p. 57.
  30. ↑ Ācārya, Navīnacaṁdra Ā. (1984). "Hiṁdu Samāja". In Śāstrī, Hariprasāda Gaṅgāśaṁkara; Parīkha, Pravīṇacaṁdra Cimanalāla (eds.). Gujarātano rājakīya ane sāṁskr̥tika itihāsa. Saṁśodhana Graṁthamālā-Graṁthāṁka. Vol. 8, Briṭiśa Kāla (ī. sa. 1914 sudhīno). Amadāvāda: Śeṭha Bhoḷābhāī Jeśiṁgabhāī Adhyayana-Saṁśodhana Vidyābhavana. p. 237.
  31. ↑ Dwijendra Tripathi; Jyoti Jumani (2007). The Concise Oxford History of Indian Business. Oxford University Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-19-568429-2. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  32. ↑ Desai 1978, p. 445.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Isaka 2022, p. 83.
  34. ↑ Bowie, Fiona; Kirkwood, Deborah; Ardener, Shirley, eds. (2020). Women and Missions: Past and Present: Anthropological and Historical Perceptions. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-32322-1.
  35. ↑ Isaka 2022, p. 70.
  36. ↑ Isaka 2022, p. 84.
  37. ↑ Desai, Neera (1978). Social Change in Gujarat [A Study of Nineteenth Century Gujarati Society]. Vora & Co. p. 439.
  38. ↑ Desai 1978, p. 446.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Desai 1978, p. 442.
  40. ↑ Joshi, Ramanlal (1979). Govardhanram. Makers of Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 5–6. OCLC 6950984.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Desai 1978, p. 441.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Isaka 2022, p. 89.
  43. ↑ Chopra, Preeti (2011). A Joint Enterprise: Indian Elites and the Making of British Bombay By Preeti Chopra. U of Minnesota Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780816670369.
  44. ↑ Desai 1978, p. 439.
  45. ↑ Pavate, D.C. (1964). Memoirs of an Educational Administrator. Prentice-Hall of India. p. 63.
  46. ↑ Jośī, Ramaṇalāla (2016). "ત્રિવેદી, ઉત્તમલાલ". In Thakar, Dhirubhai (ed.). Gujarati Vishwakosh (ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ) (in ગુજરાતી). Vol. 15. Ahmedabad: Gujarati Vishvkosh trust.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Isaka 2022, p. 45.
  48. ↑ Shukla, Jayeshkumar R. (January 2002). Thaker, Dhirubhai (ed.). ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ [Gujarati Encyclopedia] (in ગુજરાતી). Vol. XV (1st ed.). Ahmedabad: Gujarat Vishvakosh Trust. pp. 539–540. OCLC 248968453.
  49. ↑ Śukla, Jayakumāra Ra. (2006). "Śāstrī, Durgāśaṁkara Kevaḷarāma". Gujarātī Viśvakośa.
  50. ↑ Isaka, Iho (2021). Language, Identity, and Power in Modern India: Gujarat, c.1850-1960. Taylor & Francis. p. 37.
  51. ↑ Wood, John R. (November 1984). "British versus Princely Legacies and the Political Integration of Gujarat". The Journal of Asian Studies. 44 (1): 65–99. doi:10.2307/2056747. JSTOR 2056747. S2CID 154751565.
  52. ↑ Adami, Rebecca (2018). Women and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-79552-7.
  53. ↑ Śukla, Jayakumāra Ra. (2001). "ભગવતીચરણ". In Thakar, Dhirubhai (ed.). Gujarati Vishwakosh (ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ) (in ગુજરાતી). Vol. 15. Ahmedabad: Gujarati Vishvkosh trust.
  54. ↑ Śāstrī, Hariprasāda (2001). "શાસ્ત્રી, શંકરલાલ ગંગાશંકર". In Thakar, Dhirubhai (ed.). Gujarati Vishwakosh (ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ) (in ગુજરાતી). Vol. 15. Ahmedabad: Gujarati Vishvkosh trust.
  55. ↑ "On Alia Bhatt's birthday, tracing her Kashmiri, Gujarati, German roots". Hindustan Times. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  56. ↑ Śelata, Bhāratī (2006). "શાસ્ત્રી, હરિપ્રસાદ ગંગાશંકર". In Thakar, Dhirubhai (ed.). Gujarati Vishwakosh (ગુજરાતી વિશ્વકોશ) (in ગુજરાતી). Vol. 15. Ahmedabad: Gujarati Vishvkosh trust.
  57. ↑ Shukla, Jaykumar R. (2013). Arvācīna Itihāsakāro ane Temanuṃ Itihāsalekhana અર્વાચિન ઇતિહાસકારો અને તેમનુ ઇતિહાસલેખન [Modern Historians and Their History Writings] (in ગુજરાતી). Ahmedabad: Gurjar Grantharatna Karyalay. pp. 151–155. ISBN 9788184809558.
Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nagar_Brahmin&oldid=452505"
Discover more