Brahma Kshatri

The Brahma Kshatri, also known as Brahma-kshatriya, are a Hindu Caste. They are people who have both Brahmin and Kshatriya caste members in their family who have had children who were procreated by one of the Brahmin members and one of the Kshatriya members.

Origin

The word Brahma Kshatri literally means the warriors of the Brahmins. According to their traditions, they are descended from kshatriyas who took shelter with Hinglaj to escape the wrath of Parshuram. The Brahma Kshatri have five endogamous groups based on territorial divisions. They are the Punjabi Brahma Kshatri( Narula ), Sorathia Brahma Kshatri, Ahmedabad Brahma Kshatri and Kutch Brahma Kshatri. The Brahma Kshatri have a further six divisions, the Brahma Kshatri proper, the Chudgor, Dakhani, Dasa, Natravala, and Panch. Only the Brahma Kshatri proper and Dakhani interdine and intermarry.^[1]

The community is said to have its origin in the city of Thatta, in what is now Pakistan. They are said to have left Thatta some five hundred years ago, with some groups settling in Kutch, while others settled in Ahmedabad and Amreli. The community is still found mainly in Kutch, particularly in Mandvi taluka, and speak the Kutchi language. The surnames like Rasputla,Katbamna belongs to this community.

Present Circumstances

The Brahma Kshatri are strictly endogamous, and practice clan exogamy. They originally consisted of nine clans, which over time expanded to over ninety six clans. The original nine clans were the Mehra, Kapoor, Tandon, Soning, Talvai, Chopade, Bohra, Kakkad Bosmia, Padia, Ashara, Jogi, Jagad, Garach,bhojani and Sethia.^[2]

A considerable number of Brahma Kshatri have migrated to East Africa and the Persian Gulf states. The majority of the community are now petty traders.^[3]

See also

• Khukhrain
• Brahmakshatriya

References