Varmā (Hindi: वर्मा, Malayalam: വര്മ,Telugu: వర్మ), Verma (Hindi: वर्मा), Varman, Burman or Barman (Bengali: বর্মন) are names traditionally associated with the Kshatriya[1][2] varna of Hindu religion as honorific titles in India and South East Asia.It was also used as a title by Mauryas. Chandragupta Maurya was also known as Ranti Varman in Mudrarakshas.The 7th Mauryan emperor by name DevaVarman Maurya is also known. The last Maurya king who ruled Konkan was Suketu Varman. His kingdom was destroyed by Chalukyas.In modern times, these surnames have been adopted by several other communities.
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Varma and its variants, meaning “shield”, was originally used by warriors.[3] It is referred to in the Parashar Grahe Sutra as an old title of Aryans Royal Medes Kshatriyas, and which then spread beyond India to other regions.
The traditional usage is exemplified by Kritavarma, a Yadava warrior and chieftain who is referred to in old Sanskrit texts such as the Mahābhārata, the Vishnu Purana, the Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsa. It was used as a secondary title by many rulers in the princely states of India and in South East Asia, including the Vishnukundinas, Chalukyas, Mauryas, Gahlots and Pallavas, as well as by the Varman dynasty of Bengal and Assam and the Rajas of Tripura.
Outside India, Varman was the official title of the Khmer kings of Cambodia, an example being Jayavarman, the king who built Angkor Wat.
Although primarily a Kshatriya title, Brahmins in parts of Orissa also used it despite being, by definition, not of the Kshatriya varna.[4]
Its modern usage as a surname without political meaning can be found among Indian Hindu Kshatriya communities such as those of Bengal, Assam and Tripura, as well as by the Rajus, Bunts, Mairs, the various Suryavanshi and Agnivanshi Kshatriyas of Tamil Nadu, the Samanta Kshatriyas, and the Kushwaha. Some Kayasthas also use the nomenclature in this form.
Notable people with surname "Varma" or its variants include: