''Prabhu'' means master or the Prince 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 late ...

and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God. The term is also used by devotees of the Hindu God Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

as a title and form of address. It is also appended after a devotee's name, for example "Madhava Prabhu". In

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, especially in

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

nese, Javanese, and

Sundanese Sundanese may refer to: * Sundanese people * Sundanese language * Sundanese script Standard Sundanese script (''Aksara Sunda Baku'', ) is a writing system which is used by the Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (' ...

culture, the term "Prabu" is used as a part of royal titles, especially to address Kings such as Prabhu Siliwangi, Prabu Kiansantang (the son of Prabu Siliwangi), etc.

As a surname

A common surname among people across the Konkan Coast in

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 so ...

, from

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

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 the ...

and.

As a title

"Prabhu" is a Sanskrit word, it is predominantly used to refer to a supreme being or god. My Indian languages associate the word for someone they have devotion for especially for Hindu gods like Lord Krishna and Rama. According to historian Anant Ramkrishna Sinai Dhume, Prabhu was a title accorded to the representative of the main village of the ''

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

'' (district) committee. The Prabhus may have also occupied official posts in the central administration, without prejudice to their original posts which were hereditary. Traditionally, a Prabhu was a village chief, Ministers, Zamindars, administrators, landlord and as such a master to the many agricultural labourers that were needed to cultivate his lands. "Prabhu" as a title is mainly found among

Saraswat Brahmin The Saraswat Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins, who are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara (coastal region of Karnataka) and Kerala in South India. The word ''Saraswat'' is deriv ...

s, Karhade Brahmins and Prabhu communities in

and

. In

, ''rajas'' (kings) are given the title "Prabhu", such as Prabhu Siliwangi king of the Sunda Kingdom, Prabu Kiansantang (son of Prabhu Siliwangi), Prabhu Bratasenna king of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

who ruled in the 8th century, and other numerous kings.

Notable people

* Prabhu Dasamuka, Indonesian ( Javanese and

nese) name addressed for

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...

which means "The king with ten heads"

First name

* Prabhu (actor) (born 1956), Indian actor *

Prabhu B. Patil Prabhu B. Patil is an Indian bacterial geneticist and a senior scientist at the Institute of Microbial Technology. Known for his studies on bacterial genetics, genomics and metagenomics, Patil has published his research findings by way of a nu ...

, Indian bacterial geneticist *

Prabhu Chauhan Prabhu Bamala Chauhan (born 6 July 1969) is an Indian politician who is the current Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Department of Karnataka from 20 August 2019 in B.S.Yediyurappa cabinet. Later he has also sworn in as cabinet minister on ...

(born 1969) * Prabhu Chawla (born 1946), Indian journalist * Prabhu Dayal Balmiki (born 1963), Indian politician *

Prabhu Dayal Himatsingka Prabhu Dayal Himatsingka (16 August 1889 – 2 June 1991) was an Indian politician. He was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, from Godda, Bihar as a member of the Indian National Congress The Indian Nat ...

(1889–1991), Indian politicianCongress * Prabhu Dayal Katheria (born 1952), Indian politician and agriculturist * Prabhu Dayal Nigam, Indian interventional cardiologist * Prabhu Deva, Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer, and actor * Prabhu Goel (born 1951), an Indian American researcher, entrepreneur and businessman *

Prabhu Jagadbandhu Prabhu Jagadbandhu was a religious leader of Bengal. He spent much of his life meditating and preaching in the Sri Angan ashram in Faridpur, British India (present day Bangladesh). His teachings inspired the founding of a revival movement wit ...

(1871–1921), Hindu Saint of Bengal *

Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar (8 August 1912 – 5 October 1976), commonly addressed as P. L. Bhatnagar, was an Indian mathematician known for his contribution to the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook operator used in Lattice Boltzmann methods (LBM). Bio ...

(1912–1976), Indian mathematician *

Prabhu Lal Saini Prabhu Lal Saini is a Rajasthani politician. He is a former cabinet minister in the government of Rajasthan led by Vasundhara Raje. He is a senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party. He serves in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Tonk distr ...

(born 1954), Rajasthani politician *

Prabhu Mundkur Prabhu Mundkur is an Indian film actor who hails from Manipal. He started his career with Kannada television soap ''Kulavadhu'' in 2016. His movie debut happened in 2017 through ''Urvi'', a critically acclaimed movie in the Kannada film indus ...

(born 1988), Indian model and actor *

Prabhu Narayan Singh Prabhu Narayan Singh (26 November 1855 – 4 August 1931) was ruler of the Benares State (Royal House of Benares), an Indian princely state, from 1889 to 1931. Prabhu Narayan Singh would reign for 42 years as Maharaja; in 1891, he was knighte ...

(1855–1931), ruler of the Indian Princely State of Benares State from 1889 to 1931 * Prabhu Siliwangi, the king of the Hindu Sunda kingdom of

from 1482 to 1521 * Prabhu Solomon (born 1969), Indian film director

Surname

Ajit Prabhu Ajit Prabhu is an Indian entrepreneur who is the Chairman and CEO of Quest Global which he co-founded with Aravind Melligeri in 1997 at Schenectady, New York. He hails from Dharwad city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Early education ...

, founder and CEO of QuestGlobal *

Bolanthur Krishna Prabhu Bolanthur Krishna Prabhu was a Konkani Dramatist and Poet. His musical "Chandrahas" in 1912, is believed to be the first Konkani stage musical. Early life Krishna Prabhu born on 13 November 1882 at Bolanthur, Bantwal Taluk in to a Konkani spea ...

(1882–?), wrote ''Chandrahas Natak'' *

Gayathri Prabhu Gayathri Prabhu (born 1974) is an Indian novelist who currently lives in Manipal, Karnataka. Her most recent work is the novella ''Love in Seven Easy Steps'' (2021), preceded by ''Vetaal and Vikram: Riddles of the Undead'', published by HarperC ...

(born 1974), Indian novelist * Ghanasyam Prabhu, an Indian cricket umpire *

H. Boniface Prabhu Harry Boniface Prabhu is an Indian quadriplegic wheelchair tennis player, one of the pioneers of the sport in India and a medal winner at the 1998 World Championships. He was awarded the Padma Shree, the fourth highest civilian award, by the ...

(born 1972), Indian qriplegic wheelchair tennis player * (born 1954), Indian sprinter *

Jaideep Prabhu Jaideep Prabhu (born 12 October 1967 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India) is the Jawaharlal Nehru professor of business and enterprise at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, England. The Professorship was established by the Gove ...

(born 1967), professor *

K. N. Prabhu K. Niran Prabhu (1923 – July 30, 2006) was a prominent Indian journalist who specialized in cricket. Most of his best work was done while working for the ''Times of India'' newspaper. He joined the paper in 1948 and was the sports editor from 1 ...

(1923–2006) *

Lakshman Prabhu Lakshman Prabhu was a minister in the court of the Silhara dynasty that ruled the islands that today constitute the Indian city of Mumbai. He belonged to the Prabhu community of Konkan. He is known for overseeing the construction of the famous Wa ...

, a minister in the court of the Silhara dynasty *

Leo Prabhu Leo Prabhu is a dramatist, playwright and novelist from the state of Tamil Nadu. He started his career as an actor at the Boys Company and has worked in the Tamil theater for many years. After founding his own troupe, called Stage Image, he sho ...

(born 1933), veteran dramatist, playwright, and novelist *

M. S. Prabhu M. S. Prabhu is an Indian cinematographer who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. He started his career as an assistant to P. C. Sreeram P. C. Sreeram ISC (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works ...

, on IMDb *

Mamta Prabhu Mamta Prabhu (Marathi:ममता प्रभू, born 1 March 1983) is a table tennis player from Maharashtra, India. She is an integral part of the Indian women Table Tennis team. As of July 2011, she is ranked 356rd in the overall Interna ...

(born 1983), table tennis player * Manik Prabhu (1817–1865), Hindu saint, philosopher, poet, mystic, and guru *

Manjiri Prabhu Manjiri Prabhu (born 30 September 1964) is an Indian author, TV producer and filmmaker. She has been hailed as the 'Desi Agatha Christie' (Indian Agatha Christie) by the media and is acknowledged as being the first woman writer of mystery fictio ...

(born 1964), Indian author, TV producer and filmmaker * Manohar Prabhu Parrikar (1955–2019), Indian politician * Maya Prabhu, medical doctor * Megha Prabhu, co-founder and CFO Yes Bank *

N. U. Prabhu Narahari Umanath Prabhu (25 April 1924 – 14 October 2022) was an Indian-American mathematician, known for his contributions to operation research, in particular queueing theory. He did not seek a Ph.D., however he guided a number of Ph.Ds. Care ...

(1924–2022), Indian-American mathematician *

Neeraj Prabhu Herefordshire County Cricket Club, in its current form, was formed in 1992, and first competed in the Minor Counties Championship in their founding season. They have appeared in fourteen List A matches, making six NatWest Trophy and eight Chelt ...

(born 1976), Indian-born former English cricketer * Neeshan Prabhoo, chutney musician *

Peter Paul Prabhu Peter Paul Prabhu (20 March 1931 − 10 September 2013) was an Indian Roman Catholic archbishop and diplomat. Born in Chennai, India, Prabhu was ordained to the priesthood on 20 December 1954 for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylap ...

(1931–2013) *

R. Prabhu R. Prabhu (born 31 May 1947) was an Indian National Congress member of Parliament in India, representing the Nilgiris (Ooty) constituency of Tamil Nadu, India. He was elected from Nilgiris five times since 1980 and one time Union Minister in Ra ...

(born 1947), Indian National Congress member of Parliament in India *

R.S. Prabhu R. S. Prabhu is an Indian film producer and film director in Malayalam. Personal life He was born to Ramachandra Prabhu and Yasodha on 5 May 1930 in Ernakulam, Kerala, India. He is married to Sarada and he has two children. S. Rajagopal, S. Ra ...

(born 1950), Indian film producer and film director *

Rakesh Prabhu Rakesh Prabhu is an Indian cricketer. He made his Twenty20 debut for Mumbai in the 2016–17 Inter State Twenty-20 Tournament 2016–17 Inter State Twenty-20 Tournament was a Twenty20 cricket tournament in India. This was the first edition of ...

, Indian cricketer *

S. R. Prabhu S. R. Prabhu is an Indian film producer. During his tenure at Studio Green (2010–13), he has produced 10 Tamil films and distributed 16 films in Tamil and Telugu. Later he founded Dream Warrior Pictures, a film production company in which hi ...

, Indian film producer *

Satyajit Prabhu Satyajit Prabhu is an Indian harmonium, synthesizer and keyboard player. He is a music arranger, composer who plays several instruments. He plays piano, accordion, trumpet, etc. on his keyboard for popular Bollywood classics. He is popularly kn ...

, music arranger, composer, and multi-instrumentalist *

Seetharam Prabhu NR Seetharam Prabhu (born 25 August 1964) is an Indian cricket umpire. He has officiated 28 First-class matches and 18 List A matches. He made his debut as an umpire in major domestic cricket on 12 November 1999 in a one-day match between Hary ...

(born 1964), Indian cricket umpire * Shashi Prabhu (born 1944), Indian architect *

Srinivas Prabhu Srinivasa Prabhu is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry and a theatre artist in Karnataka, India. Some of the notable films of Srinivasa Prabhu as an actor include ''Bimba - Those 90 Minutes'' (2018), ''Kanooru Heggadithi'' (1999), Hudugar ...

, actor *

Sunil Prabhu Sunil Prabhu is an Indian politician belonging to the Shiv Sena. He is a member of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He represents the Dindoshi Assembly Constituency. He was the 74th mayor of the city of Mumbai, the capital of the In ...

(born 1969), Indian politician * Suresh Prabhu (born 1953), Indian politician *

Vasant K. Prabhu Dr. Vasant K. Prabhu is a professor in the Electrical Engineering department at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has taught at UTA since 1991. He specializes in teaching and researching digital communication systems. In 1958, Prabhu receive ...

, professor *

Vasant Prabhu Vasant Prabhu (19 January 1924– 13 October 1968) was a music composer from Maharashtra who was a prolific composer of nonfilm Marathi songs known as 'bhaav-geete', and also worked in Marathi film industry. He is known for his collaboration with ...

(died 1968) *

Vasundhara Prabhu Vasundhara (Vas) Prabhu is the Director of Education at the Farnsworth Art Museum located in Rockland, Maine. She has over 42 years of experience in museum education where she has worked to increase diversity within the field and has been national ...

, director of education at the Farnsworth Art Museum *

Venkat Prabhu Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian filmmaker, actor and playback singer in Tamil films. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his first ...

(born 1975), Indian filmmaker, actor, director, and playback singer *

Vikram Prabhu Vikram Prabhu is an Indian actor working in Tamil language films who made his debut in Prabhu Solomon's '' Kumki'' (2012). He also played the protagonist in ''Ivan Veramathiri'' (2013) and ''Vellaikaara Durai'' (2014). He is the son of actor Pr ...

, Indian actor

References