Bhat (also spelled as Bhatt or Butt) is a surname in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Ind ...

. Bhat and Bhatt are shortened rendition of Bhatta.

Etymology

The word "Bhat" ( sa, भट, ) means "teacher" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the la ...

. While the original shortened rendition of "Bhatta" was "Bhat" or "Bhatt," many of the migrants to the

Punjab region Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprisin ...

started spelling their surname as "But" or "Butt" which is the spelling of the clan used in the

Pahari language Pahari, or Pahadi ( 'of the hills/mountains'; ) is an ambiguous term that has been used for a variety of languages, dialects and language groups, most of which are found in the lower Himalayas. Most commonly, it refers to: * Pahari-Pothwari, th ...

Geographic distribution

Goa

The surname is in use among some Konkani Christians who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to ...

.''Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians'', Alan Machado Prabhu, I.J.A. Publications, 1999, p. 137

Gujarat

Hindu Bhatts who speak the

Gujarati language Gujarati (; gu, ગુજરાતી, Gujarātī, translit-std=ISO, label= Gujarati script, ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old ...

reside in the Indian state belongs to

Nagar Brahmin The Nagar Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Gujarat. Author T. Sasaki says, Among Brahmins in Gujarat Nagar Brahmins were most prominent subdivision in the political, economic and social activities of this ...

Karnataka

This is a common surname among the Tuluva Brahmins,

Goud Saraswat Brahmin Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) (also Goud or Gawd) are a Hindu Brahmin community of the north. The Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat of Goa and southern India claim to be descendents of these Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of the north that migrated to K ...

s ,

Havyaka Brahmin Havyaka Brahmins are the Hindu Pancha Dravida Vedic Brahmins from the Indian state of Karnataka. Havyakas profess the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankaracharya. Most Havyakas can trace their immediate ancestry to either Sirsi, Utta ...

s and Hoysala Brahmins of Karnataka.

Kashmir

Bhat, also spelled as Bhatt or Butt, is a Kashmiri surname, found among Kashmiri Brahmins of the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian-union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the so ...

, as well as Kashmiri émigrés who migrated to

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, a region divided between India and neighbouring

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-la ...

. Many such Kashmiris migrated to Punjab in the late 19th century due to 1878 Kashmir famine. The surname is shared by both Kashmiri

Hindus 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 ...

and

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

. During Sikandar Shah Miri's rule from 1389 to 1413 CE, his prime minister Suha Bhatt embraced Islam along with his family by Mir Muhammad Hamadani and took the name of Saif-ud-Din, along with earning the title of Malik.

Bengal

Hindu Bhattas who reside in the Bengal region and speak Bengali belong to

Kulin Brahmin 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 brou ...

s and are found in the

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

n states of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to ...

and

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east ...

Nepal

Hindu Bhattas who reside in Nepal and speak

Nepali language Nepali (; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official, and most widely spoken, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a ''lingua franca''. Nepali has official status in the Indian stat ...

and Doteli language are mostly found in the Mahakali zone of

Sudurpashchim Province Sudurpashchim Province ( ne, सुदूरपश्चिम प्रदेश, ''Sudurpashchim Province'') (''Far-West Province'') is one of the seven provinces established by the new constitution of Nepal which was adopted on 20 September ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. Some Nepali Bhattas are also found from the

Gorkha district Gorkha District ( ne, गोरखा जिल्ला ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal, which is the fourth largest district (by area) of Nepal and connected historically with the creation of the modern Nep ...

. However, due to migration of people for opportunities nowadays, Bhattas can be found in different parts of Nepal.

Punjab

Some Muslim Bhats/Butts found in Pakistani Punjab migrated to different cities of (undivided) Punjab from Kashmir and Jammu during the 1878 famine, and are

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 ...

converts to Islam. Many such Muslim Kashmiris migrated to Punjab in the late 19th century due to natural disasters.

Uttarakhand

Bhatt residing in Uttarakhand are mostly Hindu Brahmins. They speak Hindi, Kumauni or Garhwali language and are priests in the local temples.

Himachal Pradesh

Bhatt residing in Himachal Pradesh belong to Brahmins of Gaddi community. They use Bhatt as a canopy term and are further divided into sub-castes like Lappar, Maradu, Dangnu, Langhe, Daenu, Baune, Bagaedu etc. Rayebhatt also belong to this caste. They speak Kangri and Gaddi languages. They belong to Gotras viz; Vashishth, Bhardwaj, Kaundinya, Gautam etc. Bhatt in Himachal Pradesh are distributed in the districts of Kangra and Chamba. In Kangra they are found near Dharamshala and Palampur. In Chamba they are mostly found in Bharmour region.

Notable individuals

Academics

Aryabhatta Aryabhata (ISO: ) or Aryabhata I (476–550 CE) was an Indian mathematician and astronomer of the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. He flourished in the Gupta Era and produced works such as the ''Aryabhatiya'' (which ...

, first of the major mathematician-astronomers from the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. *

Bāṇabhaṭṭa Bāṇabhaṭṭa ( sa, बाणभट्ट) was a 7th-century Sanskrit prose writer and poet of India. He was the ''Asthana Kavi'' in the court of the emperor Harsha, who reigned c. 606–647 CE in north India, first from Sthanvishvara (Than ...

prose writer and poet * B. V. Rajarama Bhat, Indian mathematician * Mayurbhatta, poet of

harsha Harshavardhana ( IAST Harṣa-vardhana; c. 590–647 CE) was a Pushyabhuti emperor who ruled northern India from 606 to 647 CE. He was the son of Prabhakaravardhana who had defeated the Alchon Huna invaders, and the younger brother of Rajy ...

's court * Miriam Butt, Professor of Linguistics and Chair of the Department of Linguistics (Facereich Sprachwissenschaft) at the University of Konstanz * Muhammad Asim Butt, Pakistani Urdu novelist, short story writer * Motiram Bhatta, Nepali

and Khas language poet * P. Gururaja Bhat, Indian archaeologist * Pamposh Bhat, Kashmiri Indian environmentalist * Rasheed Butt, renowned Pakistani artist and recipient of "The Pride of Performance" 1989 * Shyam Bhat, physician *

Suresh Bhat Suresh Bhat ( mr, सुरेश भट; 15 April 1932 – 14 March 2003) was a Marathi poet from the state of Maharashtra, India. Life Suresh Bhat converted to Buddhism with the help of Bhante Surai Sasai. Because of Buddhism was the r ...

, Marathi Indian ghazal writer * U. Narayan Bhat, Indian mathematician * U. R. Bhat, economist * Vasanti N. Bhat-Nayak, Indian mathematician * Vinay Bhat, American chess player

Actors, models, technicians and musicians

* Ahmed Butt, male Pakistani model and actor * Ali Azmat Butt, Pakistani rock artist, and former lead singer of rock band Junoon *

Alia Bhatt Alia Bhatt (; born 15 March 1993) is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. She has received several accolades including four Filmfare Awards. One of India's highest-paid actresses, she has appeared in '' ...

, Bollywood actress * Ambreen Butt, Pakistani model * Anuradha Bhat, Indian playback singer * Asha Bhat, Indian model * Asim Butt, Pakistani painter and sculptor and a member of the Stuckist Art Movement * Biraj Bhatta, Nepalese actor * DJ Butt, Pakistani disc jockey for PTI * Farhan Saeed Butt, Pakistani singer and member of rock band Jal * Imran Imtiaz Butt, Pakistani singer * Ganapati Bhat, Hindustani classical vocalist * Hrishitaa Bhatt, Indian model * Keerthi Bhat, Indian actress *

Mahesh Bhatt Mahesh Bhatt (born 20 September 1948) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter known for his works in Hindi cinema. A stand-out film from his earlier period is '' Saaransh'' (1984), screened at the 14th Moscow International Film F ...

, Indian film producer and director * Muhammad Younis Butt, Pakistani screenwriter *

Neil Bhatt Neil Bhatt is an Indian television actor known for portraying Ranveer Singh Vaghela in ''Roop - Mard Ka Naya Swaroop'' and DCP Virat Chavan in ''Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin''. Personal life Bhatt studied law but acting and dance have always ...

, Indian Television actor, dancer, choreographer * Osman Khalid Butt, Pakistani actor * Pooja Bhatt, Indian actress * Praneet Bhat, Kashmiri Indian actor *

Rabia Butt Rabia Butt (born Rabia Rashid, 26 February 1990), is a Pakistani supermodel, and actress. She has been the face of many leading brands in Pakistan, including Khaadi, Élan and Sapphire. She has won two Lux Style Awards and a BCW award for her ...

, Pakistani model * Rahul Bhat, Kashmiri Indian actor *

Ramesh Bhat Ramesh Bhat is a multiple-award–winning Indian actor. He has worked predominantly in Kannada films and television serials. Early life Ramesh Bhat was born in Kundapur. He completed his primary education at Manki and portrayed national leader ...

, Indian actor * Samina Peerzada Butt, Pakistani actress * Shubhraj Bhat, Indian actor * Tanmay Bhat, Indian actor and Comedian *

Yogaraj Bhat Yogaraj Bhat (born 8 October 1972) is an Indian Kannada film-maker, director, screenwriter, lyricist and producer. He is most known for the 2006 film '' Mungaru Male''. The film recorded the highest box-office collections in the history of Kann ...

, Indian film writer and director. * *

Businesspeople

* Baiju Bhatt (born 1984/1985), American billionaire, co-founder of Robinhood

Military

* Muhammad Zaki Butt, former Air Commodore in the Pakistan Air Force and bodyguard of Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah *

Ziauddin Butt General Khawaja Ziauddin Abbasi ( ur, خواجہ ضیاء الدین عباسى), also known as Ziauddin Butt ( ur, ضیاء الدین بٹ), is a retired four-star rank army generalChaudhry, Aminullah (2009) Hijacking from the Ground: The Bi ...

, former Chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence * Tahir Rafique Butt, 20th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force * Malik Tazi Bhat, 15th century Warlord, from Jammu, who fought Lodhi Dynasty

Politics

* Balaji Vishwanath Bhat,

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later, ...

of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of S ...

Baji Rao I Baji Rao I (18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740), born as Visaji, also known as Bajirao Ballal (Pronunciation: ad͡ʒiɾaːʋ bəlːaːɭ, was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his 20-year tenure as a Peshwa, he defeated Nizam-ul-M ...

of the

* Ghulam Mustafa Bhat, former Mayor of Srinagar * Hassan Butt, former spokesman for the disbanded British Islamist group Al-Muhajiroun * Kalsoom Nawaz Sharif, First Lady of Pakistan, wife of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, of Kashmiri origin * Khemraj Bhatta "Mayalu",

Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress ( ne, नेपाली कांग्रेस ; abbr. NC) is the largest social democratic political party in Nepal. As per the results of recent local election, ''Nepali Congress'' stands as the single largest party of ...

politician * Lekh Raj Bhatta, Nepali

CPN Maoist The Communist Party of Nepal (Revolutionary Maoist) ( ne, नेपाल कम्युनिष्ट पार्टी (क्रान्तिकारी माओवादी)), abbreviated CPN (RM), is a communist party in Nepal. It w ...

politician * Masarat Alam Bhat, Kashmiri separatist *

Maqbool Bhat Maqbool Bhat also spelt Maqbool Butt (18 February 1938 – 11 February 1984) was a Kashmiri separatist leader who migrated to Pakistan-administered Kashmir and founded the militant group National Liberation Front (NLF), which was a precurso ...

, executed Kashmiri separatist * Shakeel Bhat, outspoken Kashmiri separatist activist, labelled as "Islamic Rage Boy" by Western media * S. L. Bhat, Kashmiri Indian serving as the Chairman of the Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission * Sohail Shaukat Butt, Pakistani politician * Trilochan Bhatta, Nepalese politician and current

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terr ...

* Umer Tanveer Butt, a young politician and Member of Punjab Provincial Assembly, businessman and philanthropist

Scientists

Noor Muhammad Butt Noor Muhammad Butt (Urdu: نور محمد بٹ); b. 3 June 1936), , also known as "N. M. Butt", is a Pakistani nuclear physicist and professor of physics at the Preston University who is known for his research publications in understanding the ...

, Pakistani nuclear physicist, research scientist and chairman of Pakistan Science Foundation * Parvez Butt, Pakistani nuclear engineer and former chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission *

Atul Butte Atul J. Butte is a biomedical informatics researcher and biotechnology entrepreneur. He is currently the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Since April 2015, Butte has serves ...

, researcher in biomedical informatics and biotechnology entrepreneur in Silicon Valley

Sports

* Amad Butt, Pakistani cricket player for Islamabad United, of Kashmiri origin * Arif Butt, Pakistani cricket player * Arvind Bhat, Indian badminton player * Abhishek Bhat, Indian cricket player * Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt, wrestler also known popularly as The Great Gama of Kashmiri Brahman origin. * Hussain Butt, Pakistani cricketer * Ijaz Butt, former Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board and cricket player, of Kashmiri origin * Ikram Butt, Rugby player for England, of Pakistani/Kashmiri origin * Muhammad Sharif Butt, Pakistani sprinter * Pramila Bhatt, Indian cricketer * Raghuram Bhat, Indian cricketer * Rehan Butt, Pakistani field hockey player * Samad Bhat, Indian cricket player *

Salman Butt Salman Butt (, born 7 October 1984) is a former Pakistani cricketer and captain who played for Pakistan national cricket team between 2003 and 2010, before getting banned for five years for his involvement in 2010 spot-fixing scandal. He had ...

, Pakistani cricketer * Sadia Butt, Pakistani cricketer * Shujauddin Butt, Pakistani cricketer * Yasir Butt, Pakistani squash player * Yousuf Butt, Pakistani footballer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhat (Kashmir) Brahmin communities Ethnic groups in India Indian castes Indian surnames Social groups of Pakistan Surnames Brahmin communities of Uttarakhand Kashmiri-language surnames Kashmiri tribes