Kayastha From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards . Please improve this section if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (May 2010) Kayastha Maharaj Chitragupt : Progenitor of the Kayasthas left: Devi Sudakhina and four sons right: Devi Iravati and eight sons Languages Hindi , Assamese , Maithili , Urdu , Bengali ,Marathi , and Oriya Religion Hinduism Kāyastha or Kayasth (Hindi : कककककक) is a caste /ethnic-group of India. They are the only sect who are referred to as direct descendants of a Vedic God in the religious texts and the only ancestor worshipping sect of Hinduism also called Chitranshi/Devputra [1] . They are said, in the Vedas and Puranas , to have a dual- caste status i.e. Brahmin and Kshatriya . They are mainly spread across North India and are a sub-sect of Brahmins whose ancient profession was writing. [2] [3] [4] [5]
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KayasthaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (May 2010)
Kayastha
Maharaj Chitragupt: Progenitor of the Kayasthas
left: Devi Sudakhina and four sons
right: Devi Iravati and eight sons
Languages
Hindi, Assamese, Maithili, Urdu, Bengali,Marathi, and Oriya
Religion
Hinduism
Kāyastha or Kayasth (Hindi: का�यस्थ) is a caste/ethnic-group of India. They are the only sect who are referred to
as direct descendants of a Vedic God in the religious texts and the only ancestor worshipping sect of Hinduism
also called Chitranshi/Devputra[1]. They are said, in the Vedas and Puranas, to have a dual-caste status
i.e. Brahmin and Kshatriya. They are mainly spread across North India and are a sub-sect of Brahmins whose
ancient profession was writing.[2][3][4][5]
The Sanskrit dictionary at Hindunet.org defines Kayastha as follows:
ka_yastha, ka_yata a man belonging to the writer-caste; a tribe of
bra_hman.as whose employment is writing (Ka.)(Ka.lex.)[4]
Chitracharu to establish a Kingdom in the Mahakoshal
and the Nigam region (on the bank of river Saryu). His
progeny were very proficient in the rules laid in Vedas
and the Shastras, hence Nigam. Today they live in
Kanpur, Fatehpur, Hamirpur, Banda, Jalon, Mahoba.
They are divided into 43 main Als.
Aruncharu (Karna): His Rashi name was Damodar,
was married to Devi Kamakala and worshipped Devi
Laxmi. They were Vaishnavites. Maharaj Chitraguptji
sent Shree Aruncharu to establish a Kingdom in the
Karna region (modern day Karnataka). His progeny
slowly migrated to the Northern Kingdoms and now live
abundantly in the present day Nepal, Orissa and Bihar.
The Bihar branch is further divided into two; namely the
‘Gayaval Karna’ who settled in Gaya and the ‘Maithil-
Karna’ who settled in the Mithila region.Later they
adopted Buddhism. They are divided into an
astounding 360 Als; this huge figure is attributed to the
families who migrated in different phases from South.
The clan has nothing to do with Karna of Mahabharata.
Jitendra (Kulshreshtha): His Rashi name is
Sadananda, was married to Devi Manjubhashini and
worsipped Devi Laxmi. Maharaj Chitraguptji sent Shree
Atiyendriya(also known as Jitendra) to establish a
Kingdom in the Kannauj region. Shree Atiyendriya was
one of the most religious and pious ascetic of the
twelve Sons. He was known as ‘Dharmatama’ and
‘Pundit’ and was a master of passions; His progeny
came to be known as Kulshrestha. Today the
Kulshreshthas live abundantly in Mathura, Agra,
Fawrookhabad, Etah, Etahwa and Mainpuri.A few are
in Nandigaon ,Benga. Like Shree Shekhar
kulsreshtha[15] and Sugam Kulshreshtha as in Jalesar
( Etah ) Both of them were renowed writer.
Sons of Devi Nandani/Sudakhina
Shribhanu(Srivastava): His Rashi name was
Dharamdwaj. Maharaj Chitraguptji sent Shree
Shribhanu to establish a Kingdom in the
Shrivaas(Srinagar)region in Kashmir and Kandhar. He
was married to Nagaraj Vaasuki’s daughter Devi
Padmini and two divine sons named Shree Devdatta
and Shree Ghanshyam were born. Shree Devdatta got
the rulership over Kashmir and Shree Ganshyam got
the rulership over the banks of Sindhu river. They were
called Srivastava ‘Khare’ born from second wife
Kheri.Two divine sons named Shree Dhanvantari and
Shree Sarvagya were born. They were called
Srivastava ‘Doosre’.The Srivastavas are divided into 65
main Als.
Vibhanu (Suryadhwaj): His Rashi name was
Shyamsunder, was married to Devi Malti. Maharaj
Chitraguptji sent Shree Vibhanu to establish the
Kingdom in northern parts of the Kashmir region. Since
Mother Dakshina was the daughter of Suryadev, the
progeny of Shree Vibhanu carried the emblem of the
Sun God on their flags and were called Suryadhwaj.
Jarasandha of Mahabharat and Jamnaya of Taxila
were well known. Later they settled at Magadh.
Vishwabhanu (Valmiki): His Rashi name was
Deendayal and worshipped Devi Shakumbhari.
Maharaj Chitraguptji sent Shree Vishwabhanu to
establish a Kingdom in Valmiki region near Chirakoot
and Narmada. Shree Vishwabhanu was married to
Nagakanya Devi Bimbvati. He is known to have spent a
great part of his life practicing intense meditation
(Tapasya) on the banks of river Narmada, when
covered with the leaves of creeper Valmiki. His progeny
were known as Valmiki. They became Vallabhpanthi.
His son Shree Chandrakant settled in Gujarat while the
other sons migrated with their families to the North,
near river Ganga and the Himalayas. Today they live in
Gujarat and Maharashtra. They are also known as
‘Vallabhi Kayastha’ in Gujarat.
Viryabhanu (Asthana): His Rashi name Madhavrao,
was married to Devi Singhdwani. Maharaj Chitraguptji
sent Shree Viryabhanu to establish a kingdom in
Adhisthana. His progeny came to be known as Asthana
as Ramnagar-Varanasi's king bestowed them with
eight jewels.Some say that they had no fixed sthan,
hence the name. Today the Asthanas live abundantly in
various districts of U.P. In Bihar they live in Saran,
Sivaan, Champaran, Mujjafarpur, Sitamadhi,
Darbhanga, Bhagalpur regions. Their population is also
notable in U.P.’s neighboring state M.P. They are
divided into 5 main Als.
ALs
These twelve sub-castes are further divided into ALs.
A Vansh originates from a King, a Rishi or a Deity and as it
grows it divides itself in to several branches. The
descendents start to build their own sub-Vansh depending
upon the places and situations met, at the same time
acknowledging their submission to the Mool(main) Vansh.
These sub-Vansh add specific nouns to their names which
in case of the Chirtagupta Vansha(Chitranshi) are called
the Als (Note: the 12 main sub-castes are acknowledged
divisions based on the family of the 12 Sons, they are not
called Als, their further divisions are what Als are).
Al must not be confused with Gotra. Gotra goes after the
name of a Vedic Rishi, who was either a Guru, RajGuru or
Progenitor of that Vansh. The gotra for a vansh is always
the same. It is Kashayapfor the Kayasthas. Thus, a Vanshaj
can be known from his Gotra and Al (The term Kul is often
used for Al, though the former has a much broader
meaning).The Als can be thousands in number and must be
added to the name in conjunction with one of the 12 main
sub-castes. Lack of awareness of this law is the reason why
so many can not find their surnames mentioned amongst
the 12 main sub-castes.
Cultural Aspects
This section does not cite any references or sources.Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)
Marriage Practices
Kayasthas practice family exogamy and
caste endogamy preferring to marry within specific sub-
castes. The individuals of same AL (see a definition of AL
above) cannot intermarry, while those of same caste and
different ALs can. To illustrate, individuals from
the Srivastava sub-caste and the Pandey AL do not marry
another Pandey of the Srivastava sub-caste, but may marry
individuals belonging to another AL of the Srivastava sub-
caste.
Distinctive Worship
Kayasthas are unique from other Hindu castes in their
worship of an ancestor, Shree Chitraguptaji and the
practice of Kalam-Dawaat Pooja, a ritual in which pens,
papers and books are worshiped. Both these rituals are
performed on the Yama Dwitiya, this is the day when Shree
Chitraguptji was created by Lord Bramha and Yamaraj got
relieved of His duties and used this leave to visit His sister
Devi Yamuna; hence the whole world celebrates Bhaiya
dooj on this day and the Kayastha celebrate
ShreeChitraguptajayanti, i.e. the 'Birthday' of their
progenitor. Kayasthas have the singular distinction of being
the only "Ancestor-worshipping" sect of Hinduism.
Social
Of all the other castes in India, Kayasthas are the easiest to
mingle with other castes. They did this when the Muslims
came to India, and modern examples of this are Kayasthas
outside India where they mingle with other castes more
than they mingle among themselves. This cosmopolitan
outlook distinguishes members of this caste, and along with
the great emphasis on education, is to a large extent
responsible for their success in changing times.[citation needed]
Sense of humour
Kayastha are known for their sense of humour and wit.
Whatever be the reason the Kayastha just can’t live without
a good laugh. Many funny men and class clowns often turn
out to be Kayasthas on closer examination. Others take
their revenge, Kayastha are the subject of a series of jokes
known as ‘Lalaji jokes’ in UP and Bihar. Unlike Punjab and
NCR, the word "Lalaji" is exclusively used for the Kayasthas
in UP and Bihar. The Lalaji is characterized with a sharp
wit, ever hungry desire to grab and total abstinence from
violence. The jokes usually feature other characters like
gupta, pande, gajodhar. Often the crow, for whatever
reasons, is also involved in such jokes.
Example: Lalaji falls in a ditch. Gupta was passing by and
saw lalaji, said "Lalaji hath dijiye"(Give me your hand).
Lalaji stood still. Then came Pande, said "Areey gupta, hath
dijiye nahi hath lijiye bolo"(Don't tell him to give his hand,
ask him to take yours).
Another: A Kayastha caught a crow and was about to bite
its neck. The crow asked him 'whats your caste' thinking all
the while that the Kayastha would have to open his mouth
to say "Kaa_yasth". The Kayastha said 'lala'.
History
Ancient India
Kayastha ministers find mention in Hindu mythology. Prior
to the Raghuvanshis, Ayodhya was ruled by Mathur Rulers,
progeny of Chitragupta.
The Kayastha who are represented by the "Kayath" or the
hereditary caste of the scribes of the present day, formed
originally a sub-military class.[13] The Anthropological
Survey of India conducted a survey during the British Raj
which concluded that the Kayastha community were also
influential during the Mauryan period as administrators.
Also, many proof have been found that the Hindu Kings
used to grant lands to the Kayasthas, a practise enjoyed
only by a particular caste. Also, it is but logical to consider
the status of the Kayasthas when Sanskrit was the state
language under the Hindu Kings.
The Kayastha were one of the most influential Caste in
Kashmiri politics around 7th century [16] (ref.
Rajatarangini).In these and contemporary Sanskrit literature
we come across the Kayasthas being described as kings,
financiers and advisers. King Lalitaditya Muktpida was one
glorious King of a Kayastha dynasty of Kashmir.
The various scripts used by the Kayastha during most of
the Ancient period can only be conjectured,
but Brahmi certainly was extensively used and often
praised as the scrit of the Vedas given by Bhagvaan
Chitragupt himself.
Islamic and Pre-independence India
The Kayastha caste's affinity for learning and socio-
economic status, both enabled and dictated that the
community develop expertise in the changing administrative
policies and official languages, as different empires were
established in India. The community learned and adapted
terminology to Persian, Turkish, Arabic and
later Urdu in Islamic India. Importantly, the community
created, maintained and developed empire-wide
administrative practices in monetary policy, jurisprudence
and taxation.
The script used during this period was majorly Perso-Arabic
script.
Notable example include Raja Todar Mal [17] who translated
the ‘Bhagwat Purana’ into Persian [18]. Raja Todarmal was
one of the `Nav Ratans' of Emperor Akbar who founded
and gave proper shape to `Revenue System' during Mughal
Empire[19].
These roles continued into the colonial era, where many
Kayasthas were the first to learn English and become civil
Maithili Karna Kayasthak Panjik Sarvekshan by Binod
Bihari Verma, A Survey of Panjis of Maithil Karna
Kayasthas.
"The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of
India: Volume III ", by R V Russel (Superintendent of
Ethnography) and Rai Bahadur Hiralal, Publisher:
Macmillan and Co. Limited, London, pages 404-422,
1916 [4].
"The Tribes And Castes Of West Bengal", by A. Mitra
(Indian Civil Service, Superintendent of Census
Operations), Publisher: West Bengal Government
Press, 1954 [5].
Colonial Perceptions of Indian Society and the
Emergence of Caste(s) Associations Lucy Carroll, The
Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Feb., 1978),
pp. 233–250.
External links
This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive and inappropriate external links. (May 2010)
A hangout place for all kayasthas
Most comprehensive website on Kayastha community
Brides and Grooms
Portal for Kayastha community for free matrimonial
services
Most comprehensive website on Kayastha Community
Most comprehensive website on Kayastha Community
Matrimonial
Chitragupt Samaj, United Kingdom
KayasthaIndia.com
Vedah.net
Kamat.com
Sanskrit Dictionary at Hindunet.org
Kayastha.in
Kayastha Marriage Profile from all over the world
09350546867(Delhi, India)
Kayastha Matrimonials and Marriage
Categories: Indian castes | Telugu
society | Kayastha | Social groups of Uttar Pradesh | Social
groups of Bihar
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