Bengali Brahmins

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Bengali Brahmins are those Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Bangladesh. When the British left India in 1947, carving out a separate nation (see partition) of East Pakistan (which became Bangladesh in 1971), a number of families moved to be within the borders of the newly defined secular Indian Republic, and continued to migrate for several decades thereafter.

Bengali Brahmins are generally well-educated, and a number of prominent figures of India belong to this community. They had leanings toward Shaktism and Tantra . Vārendra, for instance, meant rain-maker magicians[1]. Historically, they have been the standard bearers of Madhyadeshiya (the historic-cultural region of the upper Ganga-Yamuna doab which was the seat of Panch-Gauda brahmins) Indo-Aryan culture in Bengal. Panch-Gauda and Panch-Dravida are two chief divisions of Brahmins, as per the śloka from Rājatarangini of Kalhaṇa / Kalhana:

कर्णाटकाश्च तैलंगा द्राविडा महाराष्ट्रकाः , गुर्जराश्चेति पञ्चैव द्राविडा विन्ध्यदक्षिणे ||

सारस्वताः कान्यकुब्जा गौडा उत्कलमैथिलाः, पञ्चगौडा इति ख्याता विन्ध्स्योत्तरवासिनः ||

Meaning :(The-) Karnātakas, Tailangas, Dravidas, Mahārāshtrakās and Gurjaras; these five(-types who-) live south of Vindhya (- mountains) are (called-) "five Dravidas" (- brahmins); (whereas-) Sārasvatas, Kānyakubjas, Gaudas, Utkalas, and Maithilas, who live north of Vindhya (- mountains) are known as "five Gaudas" (-brahmins)[2].

Dorilāl Śarmā says that the 'Five Gaudas' mentioned above were settled in region around Indus (Sārasvata brahmins), Kannauj and its territories (Kānyakubja brahmins),Mithila (Maithil Brahmins)and Orissa (Utkala Brahmins); the fifth branch Gauda brahmins settleed in the remaining areas north of Vindhya mountains ,in two distinct regions (1)Haryana and adjacent districts of Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh, and (2) northern Kosala around ancient Śrāvasti; he quotes Matsya Purana (chapter-12, śloka 30) in which Śrāvasti is said to be seat of Gauda brahmins [3]. According to this view, South Bihar, Bengal, Assam, etc were not inhabited by any of the brahmins mentioned by Kalhana. Hence, at the time of Kalhana, Bengali brahmins had not emerged as a distinct branch of Panch-Gauda. But all Bengali brahmins are descendants of Panch-Gauda, excepting some Dākṣiṇātyas Vaidikas who came from South India originally but are now part and parcel of Bengali brahmins [4]. Gauda meant the region from western Uttar Pradesh to Rajasthan, but it was also used for Bengal in mediaeval age. Entire North India was also called Gauda country, which is the reason why five north Indian branches have received the common name Panch-Gauda [5].

Contents

[edit] History

A large scale migration of Brahmins from Kanyakubja region occurred during Pala and Sena periods. However historical evidence attests significant presence of Brahmins in Bengal since the Maurya period. The Jain Acharya Bhadrabahu, regarded to be the preceptor of Chandragupta Maurya is said to have been born in Brahmin family of Pundravardhana ( or Puṇḍra , the region north of Ganges and west of Brahmaputra in Bengal, later known as Vārendra). A copper-plate grant from the Gupta period found in the vicinity of Somapura mentions a Brahmin donating land to a Jain vihara at Vatagohali. Such evidences suggest Puṇḍra or Vārendra and regions west of Bhagirathi (called Radha in ancient age) to be seats of brahmins from ancient times; Rādhi and Varendra are still chief branches of Bengali brahmins settled in these regions [6]..

The three main divisions among Bengali brahmins are  :

  • Rādhi from Radh (region south-west of Ganga).
  • Varendra, from Vārendra region (North-East) or Puṇḍra.
  • Vaidika (migrants, originally experts of Vedic knowledge).

[edit] Traditional accounts

The traditional accounts of the origin are given in texts termed Kulagranthas (e.g., Kuladīpīkā), composed around the 17th century. They mention a ruler named Ādiśūra who invited five Brahmins from Kanyakubja [7], so that he could conduct a yajña, because he could not find Vedic experts locally. Traditional texts mention that Ādiśūra was ancestor of Ballāl Sena from maternal side and five brahmins had been invited in AD 1077 [8].

Historians have located a ruler named Ādiśūra ruling in north Bihar, but not in Bengal[citations needed]. But Ballāl Sena and his predecessors ruled over both Bengal and Mithila (i.e., North Bihar). It is unlikely that the brahmins from Kānyakubja may have been invited to Mithila for performing a yajña, because Mithila was a strong base of brahmins since Vedic age [9].

Another account mentions a king Shyamal Varma who invited five Brahmins from Kānyakubja who became the progenitors of the Vaidika Brahmins. A third account refers to five brahmins being the ancestors of Vārendra brahmins as well. From similarity of titles (e.g., upādhyāya), the first account is most probable.

[edit] Divisions among Bengali Brahmins

The three main divisions of Bengali Brahmins are

  • (1) Rādhi from Radh , modern West Bengal south of Ganges.
  • (2) Varendra, from Varendra region (North-East)
  • (3) Vaidika

Other minor divisions are :

  • (4) Saptaśati
  • (5) Pirāli
  • (6) Patita

It is believed that the Brahmins of Bengal adapted kulinism from a similar hierarchical system used by the Brahmins of Mithilā, although Kānyakubja and more especially Saryupāriya were also highly scrupulous. The five original Brahmins belonged to five gotras : Śāndilya, Kāśyapa, Vatsa, Bhārdvāja, Sāvarṇa [10].

Both Brahmins and Kayasthas in Bengal have followed a system that ranks the clans hierarchically. The Kulinas formed the higher ranking clans.

[edit] Rādhi

Rādhi (also Rāṭhi in some old texts) is the major branch of Bengali brahmins . The descendants of these five Pancyājñika brahmins were hierarchically organised into three categories :

(1) Kulin comprised the most noble brahmins among these, who possessed all the nine qualities fixed by Ballāl Sena (nine qualities or "navadhā lula lakṣanam" were :āchāra, vinaya, vidyā, pratiṣṭhā, tirtha, darśana, karma, niṣṭhā, śreṣṭha-vritti, tapa, dāna) [11].

(2)Śrotriya is the second rank among the descendants of these five brahmins because they were deft in Vedic knowledge but were considered to be somewhat inferior to the Kulina brahmins (possessing 8 out of 9 noble qualities).

(3)Vamśaja is the third rank which was a result of kulinas marrying outside kulinas [12].

Major titles adopted by the high Rādhi brahmins :

  • Vandopādhyāya and its adaptation Banerjee
  • Mukhopādhyāya and its adaptation Mukherjee
  • Chattopādhyāya and its adaptation Chatterjee
  • Gangopādhyāya and its adaptation Ganguli / Ganguly

Jāti-Bhāṣkar mentions that those who were given grants along the Ganges by Ballāl Sena were called Gangopādhyāya (literally 'the Vedic teachers in the regions around the Ganges')[13].

Mukhopādhyāya means chief Vedic teacher. Vandopādhyāya is a Sanskritized form of 'Vanodha + upādhyāya' , Vanodha being the ancient name of Raebareli-Unnāva whence their ancestors had come from [14].

Other titles of Rādhi brahmins include Bhattāchārya (or Bhattacharya or Bhattacharjee). Bhattāchārya meant 'expert of Vedic rituals'. This was an honorary title awarded to a Rādhi or Vārendra brahmin who excelled in spiritual and vedic matters.

[edit] Vārendra

These brahmins also claim descent from five original brahmins, although four out of five names are different, and they are also hierarchically organised into three groups :

(1) Śri Kulin comprising of Maitra(Moitra), Lāhiri, Bāgachi, Bhāduri, Sānyal, etc.

(2) Śrotriya have Nanda, Bhato Shāstri, Karanja, Laduli, Navasi, etc.

(3) Kaṣṭa Kulin compride of 85 gains (villages given in grant by Sena kings).

Another intermediate order is called Kāpa(originally Kulin but negligent in duty) which is between first two.

Other famous titles of Vārendra brahmins are Bhattāchārya, Majumdāra, Rāi, Choudhary, Jovādāra,Mishra,Tāluqdār, etc. There were many big landlords among Vārendra brahmins. Literally , Bhattāchārya meant 'experts of Vedic rituals'. Rāi and Choudhary were administrative titles.

[edit] Vaidikas

These are of two types :

  • Dākṣiṇātyas (coming from South India originally but now part and parcel of Bengali brahmins.
  • Pāschātyas, coming from western and northern India originally but now part of Bengali brahmins.

These were experts of Vaidika knowledge who were invited to Bengal in different ages, later than the original five brahmins from which Rādhi brahmins originated.

[edit] Saptaśati

Before the coming of Five Brahmins, there were 700 houses of brahmins in Bengal, but now they are few. They were less learned than the migrants and therefore were deprived of patronage. Some of them mixed with the immigrants, which explains their decline in relative population. Many Saptaśatis became priests of lower castes and were labelled as Agradāni and grahavipra. Main titles are Arath, Bālkhāvi, Jagāye, Pikhoori, Mulkajoori, Bhagāye, Gāi, etc.

[edit] Others

  • Pirāli : literally, boycotted brahmins. Some kulin brahmins mixed with muslims in eating and other activities and were therefore boycotted by the orthodox sections. Prominent among these were Thākurs, anglicised as Tagores. Thākurs literally meant lords and were big landowners.
  • Patita : Some Bengali brahmins were publicly declared to be fallen brahmins.

Chakraborty (Chakravarti) is essentially a kṣatriya title suitable for emperors adopted by some Bengali brahmins.

Another peculiar title is Chir Kori or Chir Koḍi.

[edit] Impact of British occupation

The kulinist system degenerated during the 18-19th century and is no longer popular. The British occupation of Bengal radically transformed the Bengali culture. Bengal has now gone through two century of missionary efforts and a quarter century of a Marxist government. Eastern Bengal became an Muslim majority region in mid-19th century which resulted in the first partition of Bengal in 1905, and then final partition in 1947. Although the interaction with the British resulting in what is termed the Bengal Renaissance, it altered the hold of traditional mainstream Hinduism in the region.

[edit] Naming conventions

Many Bengali Brahmin family names are written in two different ways. For example, Chattopadhyay (compound of village name "Chaṭṭa" and "upādhyāya" denoting "priest, teacher" originally granted with the village named Chaṭṭa) is the Sanskritized form of the local Prakrit word "chaturjye", anglicized to Chatterjee.

Similar analyses may be performed on Mukhurjye/Mukherjee/Mukhopādhyāya and Banurjye/Banerjee/Bandyopādhyāya. Bhattāchārya which is made by two words Bhatta and Achārya which means teacher also called as Bhattāchārjee. Tagore is the anglicized form of Thakur, meaning "lord". Other Bengali Brahmin family names are anglicized in particular ways that have become the standard English spellings over time. Other Bengali Brahmin surnames are Chakraborty, Sanyal, Ghoshal etc.

[edit] Famous Bengali Brahmins

[edit] Pre-1947

[edit] Post-1947

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Vāri+indra, Vāri meant water : cf.A History of Brahmin Clans , page 283.
  2. ^ cf. Kalhana's Rajatarangini in reference for English version.
  3. ^ (A History of Brahmin Clans, p.41-42)
  4. ^ A History of Brahmin Clans, p.288
  5. ^ Ādi Gauda Dipikā quoted in A History of Brahmin Clans, p.100
  6. ^ cf. History of Brahmin Clans,page 281
  7. ^ cf. History of Brahmin Clans,page 281-283
  8. ^ cf. History of Brahmin Clans,page 281 : this book quotes Krishna-Charita by Vidyāsāgar for dating.
  9. ^ cf. D.D. kosambi, p. 123.
  10. ^ cf. History of Brahmin Clans,page 282 : it quotes Kula-dīpīkā, a mediaeval text.
  11. ^ Kuladīpīkā quoted in History of Brahmin Clans,page 283
  12. ^ Kuladīpīkā quoted in History of Brahmin Clans,page 283
  13. ^ Jāti-Bhāṣkar quoted in History of Brahmin Clans,page 285
  14. ^ History of Brahmin Clans,page 287

Sanjay Bandopadhyaya a Civil Servant.

[edit] References

  • Kalhana's Rajatarangini: A Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir; 3 Volumes > M.A.Stein (translator),(Introduction by Mohammad Ishaq Khan),published by Saujanya Books at Srinagar,2007,(First Edition pub. in 1900),ISBN 81-8339-043-9 / 8183390439.
  • A History of Brahmin Clans (Brāhmaṇa Vaṃshõ kā Itihāsa) in Hindi, by Dorilāl Śarmā,published by Rāśtriya Brāhamana Mahāsabhā, Vimal Building, Jamirābād, Mitranagar, Masūdābād,Aligarh-1, 2nd ed-1998. (This Hindi book contains the most exhaustive list of Brahmana gotras and pravaras together their real and mythological histories).
  • Jāti-Bhāṣkara by Pt. Jwālā Prasād Misra, published by Khemaraj Shrikrishnadas,(1914).
  • An Introduction to the Study of Indian History, by Damodar Dharmanand Kosāmbi, Popular Prakasan,35c Tadeo Road, Popular Press Building, Bombay-400034, First Edition: 1956, Revised Second Edition: 1975.
  • NN Vasu, Vanger Jatiya Itihas (Bangla), 2 vols, Calcutta, 1321 BS.
  • Atul Sur, Banglar Samajik Itihas (Bangla), Calcutta, 1976
  • NN Bhattacharyya, Bharatiya Jati Varna Pratha (Bangla), Calcutta, 1987
  • RC Majumdar, Vangiya Kulashastra (Bangla), 2nd ed, Calcutta, 1989.

[edit] See also

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