Gaidher / Gaidhar also known as Gajdhar is a word of

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

, Kutchi and

Rajasthani language Rajasthani (Devanagari: ) refers to a group of Indo-Aryan languages and dialects spoken primarily in the state of Rajasthan and adjacent areas of Haryana, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh in India. There are also speakers in the Pakistani provinces ...

. The word Gaidher derives its origin from the word ''Gadh'' or ''Garh''. The word ''Gadh'' in north Indian languages like

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Marwari,

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

means a

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, like

Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghol ...

, Sinhgadh, Mehrangadh. The persons who were expert and had skilled knowledge to plan and build a fort were called Gaidher or Gajdhar. Gaidhar means chief architect. Gaidhar literally also means a construction foreman or a Master Mason.''Gaidhar : Master Mason; Construction Foreman'' from Bhuj, Art, Architecture, History by Azhar Tyabji, Environmental Planning Collaborative (Ahmadābād, India)Mapin, 2006 :pp 72, 78, 138, 189, 238. Forts were built at strategic locations, often on a hill-top, to guard the kingdoms. Gaidhar held an important place in king's court and were looked upon with respect. Gaidhar were appointed by kings, upon their skills and also loyalty. Gaidhar were persons of high integrity as they used to make the blue-print of fort and whole forts were erected under his supervision and guidance. The kings used to trust them and they had the power and authority to hire manual laborers and skilled masons for such construction works. For example, members from Mestri and Suthar communities, who were master-builders, were usually appointed as Gaidher in Cutch. In Madhya Pradesh, Gajdhar was a title awarded to the city architects and held an important place in the royal court and were looked upon with respect. Sometimes upon requirement another, two or three Gaidhers were then appointed with his consultation by king and they used to work under head Gaidher as their assistants, Something like Assistant Engineer.

Surname

This is also one of the occupational surnames found in persons of India or Indian origin. In India or persons of Indian origin you can find many people using ''Gaidhar'' or ''Gajdhar'' as a surname. The persons using this surname are usually found in people of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

References

{{Reflist Indian architectural history Surnames Indian words and phrases Indian surnames