Kanyakubja Brahmin
Brahmin community
Ethnic group
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh • Madhya Pradesh • West Bengal • Chhattisgarh • Jharkhand • Bihar • Assam • Tripura | |
| Languages | |
| Hindi • Kannauji • Awadhi • Bhojpuri • Bengali[1] • other Indo-Aryan languages | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Saraswat Brahmins • Gauda Brahmins • Maithil Brahmins • Bengali Brahmins • Utkala Brahmins |
Kanyakubja Brahmins are an endogamous[2] Brahmin community mainly found in northern India. They are classified as one of the Pancha Gauda Brahmin communities native to the north of the Vindhyas.[3][need quotation to verify]
Origins
The majority of the interviewees assert that the designation of the caste originates from the city of Kannauj, emphasizing that this name signifies a geographical association. The etymology of this caste is solely preserved through genealogies, oral traditions, mythical narratives, and proverbial accounts.[4]
Occupation
Some of the Kanyakubja Brahmins were Priests, Astronomers, Astrologers, teachers while others chose the career of soldier. They formed the best fighting element in Awadh next only to Rajputs.[5]
Social status
In Uttar Pradesh, they are considered the highest class of Brahmins.[6]
Notable people
- Ravishankar Shukla, first chief minister of Madhya Pradesh[7]
- Shyama Charan Shukla, former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh[7]
- Suryakant Tripathi, Indian poet and novelist.[8]
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India[9]
References
- ^ Sengupta, Nitish K. (2001). History of the Bengali-Speaking People. UBS Publishers' Distributors. p. 25. ISBN 81-7476-355-4.
- ^ Suhasini Bhatnagar and Suraksha Agrawal (2016). "Surname Endogamy among the Brahmin of India". Current Sociology. 50 (6): 853–861. doi:10.1177/0011392102050006005. S2CID 145181320.
- ^ Upinder Singh (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India. Pearson Education India. p. 575. ISBN 9788131711200.
- ^ Khare, R. S. (1960). "The Kānya-Kubja Brahmins and Their Caste Organization". Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. 16 (3): 348–367. ISSN 0038-4801.
- ^ Singh, Surya Narayan (2003). The Kingdom of Awadh. Mittal Publications. p. 9.
- ^ Angela S. Burger (2022). Uttar Pradesh : General Background Opposition in a Dominant Party System A Study of the Jan Sangh, the Praja Socialist Party, and the Socialist Party in Uttar Pradesh, India. University of California Press. p. 27. ISBN 9780520365568.
- ^ a b Journal of the Society for Study of State Governments. 1972. p. 131.
- ^ Mehrotra, Arvind Krishna (12 December 2006). Last Bungalow: Writings on Allahabad. Penguin Books Limited. p. 197. ISBN 978-93-5214-094-7.
- ^ Singh, N. K (31 May 1996). "Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A private person with strong dislikes and few close friends". India Today. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
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