Chitraguptavanshi Kayastha
North Indian branch of Kayastha caste / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Chitraguptavanshi Kayastha, also referred to as North-Indian Kayastha, is a subgroup of Hindus of the Kayastha community that are mainly concentrated in the Hindi Belt of North India.
Chitraguptavanshi Kayastha | |
---|---|
Religions | Hinduism |
Languages | Hindi |
Region | Hindi Belt and Nepal |
Subdivisions | Srivastava, Mathur, Saxena, Nigam, Kulshreshtha, Bhatnagar, Ambashtha, Asthana, Suryadhwaj, Gaur, Karna, Valmik |
In Hindu texts and traditions, they are described to have descended from the Hindu god Chitragupta[2][3][4] who is usually depicted carrying "a flowing notebook, a pen and an inkpot" engaged in writing down human deeds.[5] They are further divided into twelve § Subgroups, each of which is claimed to be the progeny of Chitragupta's two consorts.[6][7]
The earliest recorded history of these groups goes to the early medieval period of Indian history,[8] while the word "Kayastha" itself dates to the third-century CE.[9] The North Indian Kayasthas were powerful components of the upper-bureaucracy and made highly influential urban elites under Hindu kings.[10] They are mentioned in several Sanskrit literary, religious and epigraphical texts.[11]
Following Islamic invasions of India, they became some of the first Indian groups to learn Persian regularly[12] and eventually became integrated into an Indo-Muslim governing community[13] gaining hereditary control over the position of Qanungo (transl. "Registrar")[14] but rarely converting to Islam.[15]
Under the colonial rule, many Kayastha families became early beneficiaries of the British power and success in the subcontinent.[16] In 1919, Kayasthas accounted for two-thirds of all Indian Government law members across north India, with most of them in the United Provinces.[17]