Kaul (also spelled Koul; ks, कौल (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

)) is a surname used by the

Kashmiri Pandit The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountainous region l ...

community in India., ''...looms rose to 24,000 by 1813. Despite the religious oppression that many hindus were subjected , they were however, useful to the Afghans because of their administrative experience. Kashmiri Pandits were not prevented into entering into government service & there were some families whose names consistently appear in public service - the Dhars, Kauls, Tikkus & Saprus.'' The word ''Koul'', meaning ''well born'', is derived from ''Kula'', the

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 ...

term for family or clan.

Origins

There are several theories regarding the origins of Kaul as a surname.

Koul from Mahakoul

One says that it is associated with the word ''Mahakoul'', an epithet for

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. ''Shiva'' followers were thus called ''

Kaula Kaula may refer to: People * Prithvi Nath Kaula (1924–2009), Indian librarian * William J. Kaula (1871–1953), American watercolor painter * William M. Kaula (1926–2000), Australian-born American geophysicist Other uses * USS ''Kaula'' (AG-3 ...

''. Koul therefore means a devotee of Shiva.

Koul/Kaul from Shakta worship

Another states that since the Saraswat Brahmins of Kas'mira were believers in Shaivism and Shakta, the peak of Shaivism in Kashmir around the 9th–12th century gave rise to use of the name. This has led many scholars to believe that almost all Kashmiri Pandits were Kauls/Koul and they were later subdivided into different nicknames, then with the passage of time these nicknames became surnames. In recent years the use of the nicknames is being progressively discarded and the surname Kaul/Koul is being adopted by almost all such people. The word Kaul/Koul is associated with being an ''aghoreshwara'' or enlightened. The practitioners ''(sadhaks)'' of the ''Tantra'', associated with Shakti worship, are believed to reach the top of the spiritual ladder, and thus become a ''Kaul/Koul''.

Notable people with Kaul surname

* Anita Kaul (1954–2016), Indian Administrative Service officer *

Bansi Kaul Bansi Kaul (23 August 1949 – 6 February 2021) was an Indian theatre director and the founder of Rang Vidushak, a theatre group in Bhopal. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor, in 2014, and the Sangeet Nat ...

(born 1949), Indian writer and theatre director *

Bharat Kaul Bharat Kaul is an Indian actor mainly known for villainous and antagonistic roles in Bengali films. He has also appeared in Hindi films. Filmography Television References External links * 21st-century Indian male actors 20th-centu ...

, Bengali Actor * Brij Mohan Kaul, commanded the Indian forces in the Sino-Indian War *

Ekta Kaul Ekta Kaul (born 16 May 1987) is an Indian actress who mainly works in Hindi television. She is best known for her portrayal of Sahiba Agarwal in '' Rab Se Sohna Isshq'', Dr. Suhani Malhotra in ''Bade Acche Lagte Hain'' and Riya Mathur in ''Mere ...

(born 1987), Indian television actress * Hari Kishan Kaul (1869–1942), Kashmiri politician and author *

Josh Kaul Joshua Lautenschlager Kaul (born February 2, 1981) is an American lawyer, politician and member of the Democratic Party who has served as the 45th Attorney General of Wisconsin since January 2019. Early life and education Kaul is the son of Pe ...

(b. 1980), 45th Attorney General of Wisconsin * Kailas Nath Kaul (1905–1983), Indian botanist and agricultural scientist, brother of Kamala * Kamala Kaul Nehru (1899–1936), Indian freedom fighter and wife of first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru *

Kanchi Kaul Kanchi Kaul (born 24 May 1982) is an Indian actress who predominantly appeared in Telugu films and Hindi television shows. She is best known for playing Ananya Sachdev-Samarth in the show ''Ek Ladki Anjaani Si ''opposite Shakti Anand and Shra ...

, Indian TV actress and model * Krishna Kaul , Indian rapper, known as KR$NA, and formerly as Prozpekt *

Mahendra Kaul Mahendra Nath Kaul (28 July 1922 – 11 July 2018) was a British television presenter for the BBC Asian Unit. Kaul was born in Srinagar, Kashmir in northern India, and was a Kashmiri Pandit. He was a presenter for Radio Kashmir from 194 ...

(1922–2018), British BBC broadcaster and television presenter *

Manav Kaul Manav Kaul (born 19 December 1976) is an Indian theatre director, playwright, author, actor and filmmaker. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the films '' Tumhari Sulu'' (2017) and '' Saina'' (2021 ...

, Indian theatre director, playwright, actor and film-maker *

Mani Kaul Mani Kaul (25 December 1944 – 6 July 2011) was an Indian director of Hindi films and a reputed figure in Indian parallel cinema. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) where he was a student of Ritwik Ghatak and ...

(1944–2011), Indian film director * Manohar Kaul (1925–1999), Indian painter * Matthias Kaul (1949–2020), German musician *

P. K. Kaul Pratap Kishen Kaul (3 July 1929 – 2 March 2007) was an Indian Civil Servant and held several important and sensitive posts in the Government of India. He was from the 1951 batch of the Indian Administrative Service and served as the Cabinet ...

(1929-2007), ambassador of India to the United States (1986–1989) * Raj Kaul, Nehru family patriarch * Robert H. Kaul (1911–2000), Associate Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court *

Siddarth Kaul Siddarth Kaul (born 19 May 1990), also spelled Siddharth Kaul, is an Indian professional cricketer. A fast bowler who bowls at about 130 km/h, he made his first-class debut for Punjab in 2007. Kaul was a part of the victorious India Unde ...

(born 1990), Indian cricketer, medium pace bowler *

Sheila Kaul Sheila Kaul (7 February 1915 – 13 June 2015) was a social democratic leader of the Indian National Congress, a politician, cabinet minister and governor, and the oldest living former member of parliament in India at the time of her death. S ...

(1915–2015) Indian politician, cabinet minister * S. K. Kaul (born 1934), Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Chief of Air Staff (India) 1993–1995 * Triloki Nath Kaul (1913–2000), Indian diplomat, Indian Foreign Secretary 1967–1972 * V. N. Kaul (born 1943), Indian civil servant, Comptroller and Auditor General 2002–2008 * Sanjay Kaul (born 1962), Indian businessman and founder of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies *

Sanjay Kishan Kaul Sanjay Kishan Kaul is currently the Most senior judge of Supreme Court of India. He is former chief justice of Madras High Court and Punjab and Haryana High Court and former judge of Delhi High Court. He has also served as acting chief justi ...

(b.1958), Judge, Supreme Court of India and former lawyer

Notable people with Koul surname

* Anil Koul (born 1972), Indian pharmacologist * Omkar Nath Koul (1941–2018), Indian linguist *

Scaachi Koul Scaachi Koul (born February 7, 1991) is a Canadian culture writer at BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed Canada. She is the author of the book of essays ''One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter'' and was one of the reporters in BuzzFeed's Netflix ...

(born 1991), Canadian journalist and writer * Shadi Lal Koul (1954–2020), Kashmiri actor

References