Kulin Brahmins
Kulin Brahmins are the Bengali Brahmins belonging to Hindu religion. They trace their ancestry to five families of Kannauj who migrated to Bengal. History In the 11th century AD, after the decline of the Pala dynasty, a Hindu king, Adi Sura brought in five Brahmins and their five attendants from Kanauj, his purpose being to provide education for the Brahmins already in the area whom he thought to be ignorant, and revive traditional orthodox Brahminical Hinduism. These Vedic Brahmins were supposed to have nine ''gunas'' (favoured attributes), among which was insistence on same rank marriages. Multiple accounts of this legend exist, and historians generally consider this to be nothing more than myth or folklore lacking historical authenticity. The tradition continues by saying that these incomers settled and each became the founder of a clan. The five Brahmin clans, which later became known as Mukherjees, Chatterjees, Banerjees, Gangulys and Bhattacharjees, were each designated ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bengali Brahmins
The Bengali Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. The Bengali Brahmins, along with Baidyas and Kayasthas, are regarded among the three traditional higher castes of Bengal. In the colonial era, the Bhadraloks of Bengal were primarily, but not exclusively, drawn from these three castes, who continue to maintain a collective hegemony in West Bengal. History Multiple land-grants to Brahmins, from since the Gupta Era have been observed. The Dhanaidaha copper-plate inscription, dated to 433 CE, is the earliest of them and records a grantee Brahmin named Varahasvamin. The 7th-century Nidhanpur copperplate inscription mentions that a marshy land tract adjacent to an existing settlement was given to more than 208 Vaidika Brahmins (Brahmins versed in the Vedas) belonging to 56 gotras and different Vedic schools. It is traditionally believe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for people living in the Indian subcontinent. The term ''"Hindu"'' traces back to Old Persian which derived these names from the Sanskrit name ''Sindhu'' (सिन्धु ), referring to the river Indus. The Greek cognates of the same terms are "''Indus''" (for the river) and "''India''" (for the land of the river). The term "''Hindu''" also implied a geographic, ethnic or cultural identifier for people living in the Indian subcontinent around or beyond the Sindhu (Indus) River. By the 16th century CE, the term began to refer to residents of the subcontinent who were not Turkic or Muslims. Hindoo is an archaic spelling variant, whose use today is considered derogatory. The historical development of Hindu self-identity within the local In ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kannauj
Kannauj ( Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the classical name ''Kanyakubja''. It was also known as ''Mahodaya'' during the time of Mihira Bhoja Kannauj is an ancient city. It is said that the Kanyakubja Brahmins who included Shandilya (teacher of Rishi Bharadwaja) were held one of the three prominent families originally from Kannauj. In Classical India, it served as the center of imperial Indian dynasties. The earliest of these was the Maukhari dynasty, and later, Emperor Harsha of the Vardhana dynasty.Tripathi, ''History of Kanauj'', p. 192 The city later came under the Gahadavala dynasty, and under the rule of Govindachandra, the city reached "unprecedented glory". Kannauj was also the main place of war in the Tripartite struggle between the Gurjara-Pratihara, the Palas and the Rashtra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predominantly covering present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Geographically, it consists of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta system, the largest river delta in the world and a section of the Himalayas up to Nepal and Bhutan. Dense woodlands, including hilly rainforests, cover Bengal's northern and eastern areas, while an elevated forested plateau covers its central area; the highest point is at Sandakphu. In the littoral southwest are the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. The region has a monsoon climate, which the Bengali calendar divides into six seasons. Bengal, then known as Gangaridai, was a leading power in ancient South Asia, with extensive trade networks forming connections to as far away as Roman Egypt. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pala Empire
The Pāla Empire (r. 750-1161 CE) was an imperial power during the post-classical period in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. It is named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers bore names ending with the suffix ''Pāla'' ("protector" in Prakrit). The empire was founded with the election of Gopāla as the emperor of Gauda in late eighth century AD. The Pala stronghold was located in Bengal and eastern Bihar, which included the major cities of Gauḍa, Vikramapura, Pāṭaliputra, Monghyr, Somapura, Ramavati (Varendra), Tāmralipta and Jaggadala. The Pālas were astute diplomats and military conquerors. Their army was noted for its vast war elephant corps. Their navy performed both mercantile and defensive roles in the Bay of Bengal. At its zenith under emperors Dharmapala and Devapala in the early ninth century, the Pala empire extended their dominance into the northern Indian region, with its territory stretching across the Gangetic pl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kanauj
Kannauj ( Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the classical name ''Kanyakubja''. It was also known as ''Mahodaya'' during the time of Mihira Bhoja Kannauj is an ancient city. It is said that the Kanyakubja Brahmins who included Shandilya (teacher of Rishi Bharadwaja) were held one of the three prominent families originally from Kannauj. In Classical India, it served as the center of imperial Indian dynasties. The earliest of these was the Maukhari dynasty, and later, Emperor Harsha of the Vardhana dynasty.Tripathi, ''History of Kanauj'', p. 192 The city later came under the Gahadavala dynasty, and under the rule of Govindachandra, the city reached "unprecedented glory". Kannauj was also the main place of war in the Tripartite struggle between the Gurjara-Pratihara, the Palas and the Rashtra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mukherjee
Mukherjee, Mukerjee, Mookerjee, Mukerji, Mukherji, Mukhujje or Mookherjee is a Kulin Brahmin surname of the Hindu Religion, common among residents of the Indian state of West Bengal. The traditional Bengali version is ''Mukhopaddhae'', which is sometimes written Mukhopadhyay. Origins All Mukherjees belong to the Bharadwaj Gotra or the clan of Rishi Bharadwaj. The Mukherjees belong to the Kulin Brahmin class and are also classified as Rarhi Brahmins. The origins of most of the Brahmins in Southern Bengal can be traced back to the Gangetic plains of Northern India, from the ancient city of Kanyakubja (Kannauj). It is believed that in the 11th century CE, the ruler of Bengal, Adisara, summoned five Brahmins from Kanyakubja, who were known for their superior rank to the region. These Vedic Brahmins were supposed to have nine gunas (favoured attributes), among which was insistence on same rank marriages. Though the first wave of Brahmin migration to Bengal started during the Maurya ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chatterjee
Chatterjee or Chattopadhyay (চট্টোপাধ্যায়) is a Bengali Hindu family name, used primarily by the Kulin group of Pancha-Gauda Brahmins in India, and associated with the Bengali Brahmin caste. ''Chatterjee'' is an Anglicized variant of the Sanskritized ''Chattopadhyay''. English language spellings include Chatterjee, Chatterjea, Chatarji, Chatterji, Chaterjee, Chattopadhyay, and Chattopadhyaya. Together with Banerjees, Mukherjees, and Gangulys, Chatterjees form the Kulin Brahmins, the highest tier of the Bengali caste system. They belong to Rarhi clan and the Kashyapa gotra. Notable Chatterjees * Abhishek Chatterjee Bengali film and television actor * Abir Chatterjee – actor * Adhar Kumar Chatterji – former Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy (1966–1970) * Amarendranath Chatterjee – freedom fighter * Amitabha Chattopadhyay – biophysicst * Amitava Chattopadhyay – INSEAD professor of marketing and innovation * Angana P. Chatterji ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Banerjee
Banerjee or Bandyopadhyay is a surname of Brahmins originating from the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent and from Bangladesh. Lineage and ancestry Banerjees are from the ancient Shandilya Gotra, which means all Banerjees are descended from Kannauj from the ancient sage Shandilya as per the Puranas. Together with Mukherjees, Chatterjees, Bhattacharjees and Gangulys, Banerjees form the Kulin Brahmins. History Notable people Notable people with the surname Banerjee, Bandopadhyay, or variations, include: *Alapan Bandyopadhyay, IAS Officer *Anjan Bandyopadhyay, journalist * Abhijit Banerjee, Nobel laureate economist * Albion Rajkumar Banerjee * Ambica Banerjee * Audrish Banerjee * Bhanu Banerjee, actor and freedom activist * Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay * Bidisha Bandyopadhyay, writer, broadcaster * Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni * Dibakar Banerjee, film director * Dola Banerjee * Gooroodas Banerjee, High Court judge * Gurudas Bandyopadhyay, Actor * Gopeshwar Banerjee ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ganguly (surname)
Ganguly (also called Ganguli, Ganguly, Gangulee, Gangoly or Gangopadhyay) is an Indian family name of a Bengali Brahmin caste; it is a variant of ''Gangele'' ''Gangopadhyay(a)'' ''Gônggopaddhae''. The historical book 'Jāti-Bhāṣkar' mentions that those who were given grants in the village named Gangul, by Ballāl Sena were called Ganguly (i). Also, called Gangopādhyāy (literally 'the Vedic teachers in the regions around the Ganges') because they selected the profession of teaching (upadhyay). The ancestors of Gangulys are from a hermit or saint called Savarna Muni, belonging to the family of Bhrigu and thus all Gangulys have the same Savarna Gotra, and Aurva-Bhrigu-Chyavana-Aapnuvata-Jaamadagnya Pancha (Five) pravaras which means they are from the same ancestral root. The Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of Kolkata are actually Gangopadhyay. The titles Roy and later Choudhury were bestowed on their ancestor Lakshmikanta Gangopadhyay by the Muslim emperors Akbar and Jahangir. J ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bhattacharjee
Bhattacharya, Bhattacharyya, and Bhattacharjee are three common spellings of a Bengali Brahmin and surname. In Bengal, Bhattacharjees, together with Banerjees, Chatterjees, Gangulys and Mukherjees, form the Kulin Brahmins. Notable persons with this surname * A. Bhattacharya, Indian statistician who worked at the Indian Statistical Institute in the 1930s and early 40s *Abhi Bhattacharya (1921−1993), Indian actor of Hindi and Bengali cinema *Abhijeet Bhattacharya (born 1958), Indian playback singer and composer *Abhinash Bhattacharya, leader in revolutionary movement for Indian independence *Aditya Bhattacharya (born 1965), Indian film director and screenwriter, ''Raakh'' *Amitabha Bhattacharya, Indian professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and an author of digital communication *Amitabh Bhattacharya, Indian lyricist and playback singer who works in Bollywood *Anirban Bhattacharya, Indian actor *Anuradha Bhattacharyya (born 1975), Indian writer * Arindam Bha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kulin Kayastha
Kulin Kayasthas are a sub-caste of the Kayastha caste in West Bengal, India. They are also known as the Kulina Kayasthas. The Kayasthas are regarded in Bengal, along with the Brahmins and Baidyas, as being the "highest Hindu castes". The Bengali Kayasthas are subdivided into numerous clans in that region, of which the ''Kulin'' is a high-ranking example. Origin The social and religious patterns of Bengal had historically been distinctively different from those in the orthodox Hindu heartland of North India and this impacted on how the caste system developed there. Bengal, being located east of the traditional Aryavarta region between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, remained insulated from the full impact of Brahminical orthodoxy for many centuries, and the impact of Buddhism remained strong there. During the reign of the Gupta Empire beginning in the 4th century AD, when systematic and large-scale expansion by Aryan Kayasthas and Brahmins first took place, Kayasthas were broug ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |