Sengupta

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Sengupta is a surname found among Bengalis of West Bengal and Bangladesh. They belong to the Baidya caste.

Template:Infobox Given name

Baidya[1] or Vaidya[2] is a Hindu community of Bengal. A caste/jāti of Ayurvedic physicians, Baidyas have long occupied a place of pre-eminence in society alongside Brahmins and Kayasthas. In the colonial era, the Bhadraloks of Bengal were drawn from these three castes, who continue to maintain a collective hegemony in West Bengal.

Geographical distribution[edit]

As of 2014, 67.8% of all known bearers of the surname Sengupta were residents of India and 22.5% were residents of Bangladesh. In India, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average in the following states and union territories:[3]

Notables[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Bandyopādhyāẏa, Śekhara (2004). Caste, Culture and Hegemony: Social Dominance in Colonial Bengal. SAGE. p. 24,25, 240. ISBN 978-0-76199-849-5. (24) Access to the higher professions or greater opportunities in life were restricted only to the upper stratum of the society, constituted by the three higher castes of Bengal - the Brahman, Kayastha and Baidya(240)The most poweful status group in Bengal, the Bhadralok, initially comprised mainly the three traditional higher castes - the Brahman, Kayastha and Baidya - who had control over landholding, education and professions.
  2. Dutt, Nripendra Kumar (1968). Origin and growth of caste in India, Volume 2. Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay. p. 69.
  3. Sengupta Surname Distribution
  • Bose, Nirmal Kumar (1994). Structure of Hindu Society. Orient BlackSwan. p. 163. ISBN 978-8-12500-855-2.
  • Leslie, Charles M. (1976). Asian Medical Systems: A Comparative Study. University of California Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-52003-511-9.