Hindu Genealogy Registers At Chintpurni, Himachal Pradesh on:
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Genealogy registers, of families, maintained by Brahmin Pandits locally called as ‘Pandas’, who double up as professional genealogists, at Haridwar, has been a subject of study for many years now.Brahman pandas
''Divine Enterprise: Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement'', by Lise McKean, University of Chicago Press, 1996. . Page 151.Janasakhi
Janamsakhis of ''Miharban'' and ''Mani Singh'', Janamsakhi Tradition, Dr. Kirpal Singh, 2004, Punjabi University, Patiala. . www.globalsikhstudies.net.''page 169''. In several cases, these voluminous records called as ''Vahis'' (Bahi), have also been used in settling legal cases regarding inheritance or property disputes, as these records are held sacrosanct both by the pilgrims and the Pandas themselves, and in many places these records trace family history, for over twenty prior generations, stretching across many centuries. As Haridwar has traditionally been a site, for death rites and also Shraaddha, amongstWho Do You Think You Are?
'' BBC'', " Meera's parents both originate from the farmlands of the Punjab, in north-west India. Her father, Surendra Syal, hails from a small village called Lasara. In India it is difficult to trace your ancestry through documents like birth certificates, in the way that you can in the United Kingdom, but instead Indian family records are kept at shrines in the country's many holy cities. It is in the ancient city of Haridwar, on the riverbanks of the Ganges, that a Hindu priest is responsible for preserving the genealogy of the Syals, in a book called a Bah. It was in this book that Meera found that the Syals have been living in Lasara for the past 250 years."
Some notable places where Shraadhs are performed for the Pitrs are noted below. At these sites, it became customary for the family pandits (priest) to record each visit of the family, along with their
Tracing your Asian roots on the Indian subcontinent
By Abi Husainy, 2011-02-17, BBC
''Divine Enterprise: Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement'', by Lise McKean, University of Chicago Press, 1996. . Page 151.Janasakhi
Janamsakhis of ''Miharban'' and ''Mani Singh'', Janamsakhi Tradition, Dr. Kirpal Singh, 2004, Punjabi University, Patiala. . www.globalsikhstudies.net.''page 169''. In several cases, these voluminous records called as ''Vahis'' (Bahi), have also been used in settling legal cases regarding inheritance or property disputes, as these records are held sacrosanct both by the pilgrims and the Pandas themselves, and in many places these records trace family history, for over twenty prior generations, stretching across many centuries. As Haridwar has traditionally been a site, for death rites and also Shraaddha, amongst
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 ...
s, it soon also became customary for the family pandits to record each visit of the family, along with their gotra
In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra fo ...
, family tree, marriages and members present etc., grouped according to family and home town. And over the centuries, these registers became an important genealogical source for many families, part of splintered families, in tracing their family tree and family history as well, especially after the Partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947, and later amongst the Indian diaspora
A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
.'' BBC'', " Meera's parents both originate from the farmlands of the Punjab, in north-west India. Her father, Surendra Syal, hails from a small village called Lasara. In India it is difficult to trace your ancestry through documents like birth certificates, in the way that you can in the United Kingdom, but instead Indian family records are kept at shrines in the country's many holy cities. It is in the ancient city of Haridwar, on the riverbanks of the Ganges, that a Hindu priest is responsible for preserving the genealogy of the Syals, in a book called a Bah. It was in this book that Meera found that the Syals have been living in Lasara for the past 250 years."
Hindu genealogy registers
Some notable places where Shraadhs are performed for the Pitrs are noted below. At these sites, it became customary for the family pandits (priest) to record each visit of the family, along with their gotra
In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra fo ...
, family tree, marriages and members present etc., grouped according to family and home town. Over the centuries, these registers became an important genealogical source for many families, part of splintered families, in tracing their family tree and family history.
Baniya
*Barot (caste)
Barot is an Indian caste native to Gujarat and Rajasthan. They traditionally worked as historians, genealogists and mythographers.
Origin
The caste is also known as "Vahivancha Barots". The word Vahivancha (IAST: "Vahīvancā) literally mean ...
* Bhats
* Bhat Sikhs
The Bhatra Sikhs (also known as Bhat Sikhs) are a sub-group within the Sikhs who originated from the bards of the time of Guru Nanak. In the 20th century publication A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Pro ...
* Kulavruttanta
References
Further reading
* ''The Hindu world: an encyclopedic survey of Hinduism'', by Benjamin Walker, Published by Praeger, 1968.Tracing your Asian roots on the Indian subcontinent
By Abi Husainy, 2011-02-17, BBC
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hindu Genealogy Registers At Haridwar Indian genealogy Death customs Family registers Haridwar Social history of India Databases in India Genealogy databases