Gaua brahmins

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The Gaua brahmins comprise one of the five sub-divisions of Panch-Gauda (pacagaua, paca-gaua-
brhmaa-jti, i.e., "fivefold Jti of Gauda Brahmins").
Contents
1 History
2 Sub-divisions of Gauda brahmins
3 Traditional Areas of Gauda brahmins
4 Surnames
5 Customs and Practices
6 Criticism
7 Notes
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
History
Pt ori Ll arm writes that the region from Bengal to Kashmir was Gaua country.
[1]
That is why five
major sub-divisions of north Indian brahmins are named Panch-Gauda, after the name Gaua. The Sanskrit
text di-Gaua-dpik mentions that the region west of river Gaaki bounded by Sarayu in west and south
and by Himalayas in the north is the core of Gaua country and brahmins living here from the beginning
(=di) of Creation were known as di-Gaua.
[2]
Another story relates di-Gaua brahmins of this region
to those brahmins who were invited by King Janamejaya in his yaja and settled in the di-Gaua region.
Sub-divisions of Gauda brahmins
At present the chief branches of Gaua brahmins are:
[3][4]
di-Gaua (in di-Gaua region mentioned above).
De Wli Gaua (in Madhyade).
Pachde Gaua (western Gaua brahmins).
ri Gaua (originally from Kashmir, now in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Malwa).
Other minor branches of Gaua are :
Prik (from Parara).
Dyam/dadheech brahmins (from Dadhca).
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Be Prabhva Wle (from Gautama).
Khaelwla (from Khrika).
Srsvata (from Sra, distinct from the Srasvata brahmins).
Sukuwl (from Sukumrga).
aadi gaur vashistha madhyandini sakha dholpuriya [Bangal----hastinaur{U
P}-----dholpur{Raj}-----jevar tappal{U P}----sikri kalan brahmin ghaziabad]
Traditional Areas of Gauda brahmins
A cursory look at some identifiable sanas of Dewli and Pachde Gaudas reveals the traditional areas :
Baro, Sindhutata, Sindhu, Khdar 1.
Ajmer, Ajmeerh, Jaipur, Kota, Marusthal, Jodhpur, Skar, Pli, Pukar, Jalor 2.
Ujjain, Indore, Sgar, Dhar, Ratlam 3.
Hissr, Karl, Kuruketra, Thnesar, Sirs, Indraprastha, Haryn, Pnipat, Faridbd, Bhiwni 4.
Bghpat, Nandagrm, Merath, Rmgarh, Pacla, Hpur, Tilpat,Najibabad,Khari,Gandhaur (Bijnor),
Sahranpur, Khurj, Mathur, Rmpur, Sambhal
5.
Garhwl, Pahri, Kalt 6.
Knpur, Gomati, Prayg, Ki, Nimiketra, Gorakhpur 7.
Bhojpur, Gay, Janakpur, Janaksthala 8.
Gaua, Vanga 9.
Following is the traditional area for all Gaua: "Hariyn and Jangalde in the Madhyade, Delhi, regions
around Yamun, Mrwr, ekhwati, Pukar, Matsya and Vira (in Rajasthan), Bhiwni, etc" are traditional
areas of Gaua brahmins according to the author of A History of Brahmin Clans.
[1]
Brhmaotpatti-
mrtaa says that regions north of Sarayu and Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, around Saravasti near modern
Goda, are (also) traditional areas of Gaua brahmins.
[5]
This latter view is supported by Matsya Pura
which linked "best brahmins" to the Gaudadesh of rvasti near modern God district.
[6]
Surnames
Chaub, Mishra, Lata, Tiwri, Dube, Gautam, Puthi, Jani, Chaumoharia,Vashisth etc. are chief surnames
among De Wli Gaua brahmins. ukla is also a surname among Gaua brahmins, among di Gaua ukla,
Mehrishi (Suryadhwaja Gauda) and Soral are the surnames of a majority, followed by Mira and Parota.
[7]
Surname in di Gaua is known as Nkha
[8]
Customs and Practices
Gaua brahmins are mostly Yajurvedi and some are Smvedi too. Generally, upanayana accompanies
marriage, and early marriage is preferred.
[7]
With increasing modernisation, such trends are expected to
decline. The surnames of the aadi gaur/gaud brahmin in western U P, Haryana,Delhi and some parts of
Rajasthan are Sharma, Gaur and name of the gotra mostly.
Criticism
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Pt ori Ll Sarm writes that the ssanas had originated due to settling of many gotras in a single village, as
disciples settled in the village of their guru to acquire Vedic and related knowledge.
[9]
Moreover, a new gotra
was started by the name of a person who attained the status of a rishi by dint of spiritual accomplishments. It
shows that the organisational mechanism was dynamic and depended upon the principal objective of a
brahmin's life : acquisition of scriptural knowledge and spiritual purity. But during the medieval age,
brahmins received grants like agrahras (land grants) and stuck to landed properties, and the organisational
system gradually ossified. Pt ori Ll Sarm narrates many stories in his book which reveal that accepting
grants from mundane powers was regarded a vice by rishis and a major cause of multiple divisions within the
once monolothic brahmin community was ostracism of those who grabbed such land grants. This primordial
monolithic character of brahmin community is mentioned in a Sanskrit text Brhmaotpatti-mrtaa:
[10]
Notes
^
a

b
cf.A History of Brahmin Clans, p.100 1.
^ A History of Brahmin Clans, p.100 2.
^ Jti-Bhkara. 3.
^ A History of Brahmin Clans , p. 101. 4.
^ Quoted in A History of Brahmin Clans, p.100 5.
^ Matsya Pura chapter-12, loka-30, cited in A History of Brahmin Clans, p.100 6.
^
a

b
cf. History of Brahmin Clans, p.101. 7.
^ cf. History of Brahmin Clans, p.117. 8.
^ cf. History of Brahmin Clans, p.102. 9.
^ cf. Harika stri, chapter-1, sloka 8 10.
See also
Brahmin
Hinduism
Forward Castes
References
A History of Brahmin Clans (Brhmaa Vash k Itihsa) in Hindi, by Dorill arm,published by
Rtriya Brhamana Mahsabh, Vimal Building, Jamirbd, Mitranagar, Masdbd,Aligarh-1, 2nd
ed-1998. (This Hindi book contains the most exhaustive list of Brahmana gotras and pravaras together
their real and mythological histories).
External links
The complete reference to Brahmins (http://www.vedah.net/manasanskriti/Brahmins.html): No
material from this site has been borrowed for this article.
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