Jump to content

Pradhan

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the title. For the name, seePradhan (surname).

Pradhan(Devanagari:प्रधान) is generally ministerial title ofSanskritorigin in cultures ofHindutradition, mainly used in theIndian subcontinent.[1][2]TheSanskritpradhānatranslates to "major" or "prime";[3]however, the more modern Hindi definitions provided by the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary also include "chief" and "leader".[4]The precise interpretation can differ significantly by region. The style was abandoned by many Indianprincely statesduring theMughalera in favor ofPersianstyles such asWasirandDiwan.

Local head[edit]

Pradhan is elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called thePanchayat(village/gramgovernment) in India. ThePradhan,together with other elected members, have the power of constituencies of the gram panchayat. Thepradhanis the focal point of contact between government officers and the village community. The Pradhan title in such setting is mainly used in eastIndianstates ofWest Bengal,Bihar,JharkhandandOdisha.Similarly, in theDeoghardistrict ofJharkhand,Pradhan is the head of the village who inherits this hereditary office. In some villages, they are also known asMulraiyat.

Title and Surname[edit]

In India, Pradhan is a title used as a surname most notably by theChandraseniya Kayastha PrabhuofMaharashtra,theChasa,Khandayat,Gopalof Odisha, among others.

In modernNepal,Pradhan is employed as a high-caste lineage surname by a section of theKshatriya(क्षत्रिय) (locally pronouncedChatharīya) caste ofNewārswho trace their roots to north-Indian dynasties like theKarnatandRaghuvanshiRajputsbefore being absorbed among theSrēṣṭhain the 14th CE. Their traditional title in theMallasociety waspradhān mahāpātra(प्रधान महापात्र), also shortened topa:mahju,which was akin to the prime-minister or the chief of the army. Among Newars, the three traditional lineages among Kathmandu and Patan's Pradhans are the Naradevi (Man), Thamel (Nar Singh), and Patan (Man Singh) Pradhans. They are included in the highest tier "Thakuri" (ठकुरी), also written "Thaku" (ठकू), lineage of the Chatharīya (छथरीय, fromSanskrit:क्षत्रिय)Srēṣṭhacaste who are the descendants ofMalla (Nepal)royalty and its immediate nobility.[5]The fallout of theUnification of Nepalalso prompted many of Bhaktapur's Malla descendants to change their titles as Pradhan or Pradhānānga (-anga(part) of Pradhan), who have since spread all over Nepal. Other family names of Chatharīya consist of lineages Malla,Joshi,Rājbhandārī,Rājvanshī,Raghuvanshi,Hādā,Amātya,Maskey,Karmāchārya, among others, who intermarry with each other.[6][7]Chatharīyas are distinguished by the use of their clan titles (e.g., Pradhān, Malla, Rājbhandārī) instead of the all-encompassing "Shrestha" surname.Newar caste systemstratifies them under Kshatriya varna, and the pan-Nepal1854 Muluki Ainstratification placed the Chatharīya Newars among the twice-born, sacred-thread wearingTagadharigroup.[8]Owing to their heterogenous roots, Chathariya Pradhans are generally divided among threegotras-Kashyapa,Mandavya,Manav.[9]

In the Indian states ofSikkimand sections ofWest Bengal,AssamandBhutan,Pradhan is a title assumed by all the Newar descendants who had immigrated fromKathmandu Valleyto these places primarily since the mid-18th century due to persecution or for trade.[10]Descendants of the various immigrant upper and lower Newar castes all adopted the title of 'Pradhān' as their singular caste-denoting name, whereas Pradhan in Nepal is only used by descendants of the noble Chatharīya lineages ofKathmanduandPatan.[11]ThePradhans of Sikkimform an influential ethnic group of a homogenous, non-caste and non-endogamousNewar community, which is in sharp contrast to that of the Newars of Nepal which still retains its highly complex, heterogenous, and caste-based society. Due to this reason ofhypergamousand doubtful origins of their lineage status, the Pradhans of Nepal view the caste-status of these Pradhans from Sikkim and Darjeeling with doubt and avoid matrimonial ties with them.[12]Notable Pradhans of Sikkim include trader Chandravir Pradhan (Kayastha), literary icon Paras Mani Pradhan (Shakya), first Chief Justice of NepalHari Prasad Pradhan,BollywoodcinematographerBinod Pradhan,footballerSanju Pradhan,1974 ADlead singerAdrian Pradhan,actorsMenuka Pradhan,Poojana Pradhan,Uttam Pradhan,etc. In terms of India'sAffirmative actionpolicy, they are aForward caste/General in all of India except in Sikkim where, like the entirety of its native Nepali-origin population, Pradhans/Newars are given protective status; Newars, along withBahunandChhetriof Sikkim, have been categorised asOther Backward Class,while the rest of Nepali-speaking Sikkim populace are categorised underScheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.[13]

Usages[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^"Ashta Pradhan (Marathi council) -- Encyclopedia Britannica".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-03.
  2. ^"Qamruddin vs District Magistrate And Ors. on 26 August, 2004".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-04-23.
  3. ^Klaus Glashoff."Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit".learnsanskrit.cc (formerly spokensanskrit.org).Retrieved2021-08-16.
  4. ^Stuart, Ronald. The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary. Edited by Ronald Stuart McGregor. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1993.
  5. ^Levy, Robert I. (1990).Mesocosm Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal.Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 79.
  6. ^Sharma, Prayag Raj (2015).Land, Lineage and State: A Study of Newar Society in Mediaeval Nepal.Social Science Baha Books.ISBN978-9937-597-27-2.
  7. ^Shrestha, Bal Gopal."Status of Shrestha".Retrieved2012-11-19.
  8. ^Gellner, David N. (1986)."David Gellner: Language, Caste, Religion and Territory. Newar Identity, Ancient and Modern".European Journal of Sociology.27(1): 102.doi:10.1017/S0003975600004549.S2CID143525730.Retrieved2012-10-16.
  9. ^Michaels, Alex (2008).Siva in Trouble: Festivals and Rituals at the Pasupatinatha Temple of Deopatan.New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-534302-1.
  10. ^Gellner and Quigley (1995).Contested Hierarchies A Collaborative Ethnography of Caste among the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.Clarendon Press: Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology.ISBN978-0-19-827960-0.
  11. ^Shrestha, Bal Gopal."Castes Among Newars Status of Shrestha".Academia.edu.European Bulletin of Himalayan Research.
  12. ^Pickett, Mary (30 Dec 2013).Caste and Kinship in a Modern Hindu Society: The Newar City of Lalitpur, Nepal.Bangkok: Orchid Press.ISBN978-9745241367.
  13. ^zzxxShrestha, Bal Gopal (2015-02-01). "Newars of Sikkim". Vajra Books.{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url=(help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pradhan&oldid=1233917165"