The '''Girnara Brahmin''' are a [[Hindu]] [[caste]] found in the state of [[Gujarat]] in [[India]]. They are a sub-group of the [[Brahmin]] community. The sub-group or caste also known as '''Girinarayan Brahmin'''.
The '''Girnara Brahmin''' are a [[Hindu]] [[caste]] found in the state of [[Gujarat]] in [[India]]. They mainly serve as priests at [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnav]] [[Hindu temple|temples]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shah|first=J. J.|title=Botanist Jaykrishnabhai: Life and Contributions|publisher=Charutar Vidyamandal|year=1999|pages=2}}</ref> They are of equal status{{Vague|reason=equal in what respect? what does that equality translate into? Are they treated in a particular way because of this status?|date=September 2025}} with [[Sachora Brahmin|Sachora Brahmins]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jindel|first=Rajendra|title=Culture Of Sacred Town: A Sociological Study Of Nathdwara|publisher=Popular Prakashan|year=1976|pages=179}}</ref>
==History and origin==
The Girnara Brahmin get their name from the town of Girinagar, now [[Junagadh]], where they lived before the arrival of the Audichya Brahmin. Another interpretation of their name is that it was acquired on the fact that they lived on the foothills of the Girnar hills. The community is said to have originated in the [[Himalayas]], and settled in the Girnar hills, which is considered as sacred by both the [[Hindu]]s and [[Jain]]s of [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]]. They are now found mainly in the districts of [[Junagadh]], [[Jamnagar]] and [[Kutch]]. The Girnara are a [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] speaking community.
==Present circumstances==
The Girnara have five sub-groups, the Madhavpura, Chorwadia, Ajakia, Jamnagar, Panai and Bardai. These subgroups are named after the villages where they first settled. For example, Madhavpur and Chorwad are situated near [[Junagadh]] and Ajaka near [[Porbander]]. All these groups are of equal status. The community is further divided into [[gotra]]s, the main ones being the Bharadwaj, Kashyap, Kauchchas, Kaurvas, Maundas, Saudamas, Kaushas, Krishnatri, Sandilya, Vats, Bhaginas, Vashsist and Gargwa. Like other [[Hindu]] communities, they are endogamous and practice clan exogamy.
The Girnara are essentially a community of landowners and cultivators. Prior to the carrying out of land reforms after the independence of [[India]], the Girnara together with the [[Nagar Brahmins]] were the largest landowners in [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] {{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}. Many Girnara are still employed as temple priests. The community have its own caste association, the Samast Brahmin Samaj, which acts as a community welfare association.
