isKayastha Community
The word Kayastha is made up of two Sanskrit words Kaya and Asth. Kaya means- the body and Asth means- from inside. Kayastha community has contributed significantly to education and administration. Indian society cannot be imagined without them. Today we will learn about the interesting history of the Kayastha Community and about the unique origin of the Kayastha Community in Epic Khoj. According to Puranas, legends, and writings.
Kayastha Community originated in the medieval period. And it is believed that they are the descendants of Chandragupta. On the request of Yamraj to keep an account of the deaths in the world. Brahmaji gave life to Chitragupta. Chitragupta married twice. His first wife was Iravati and the second was Nandini. Iravati had eight sons and Nandini had four sons. Whose names were Shrivastav, Surajdwaj, Valmik, Asthana, Mathur, Gaud, Bhatnagar, Saxena, Ambasht, Nigam, Karan, and Kulshreshth.
And their descendants were called Kayastha. For the first time in history, The word Kayastha was used in Kushan Empire in 375 AD. In Kushan Empire, to keep accounts of land grant practices and complicated taxation systems the Kayastha community was appointed. Later in the 4th Century, In Gupta Empire, to look after the Internal and external matters Kayastha was appointed. After the 7th century, the Kayastha community worked for various empires in various positions. During that time, for prominent roles like Home ministry advisors, officials of the Revenue ministry and Taxation department.
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Kayasthas were appointed. In the 11th and 12th Centuries, three distinct sections of the Kayastha community were there. The first section was north Indian Chitragupt Vanshi Kayasthawho used to look after the accounts of the state. The second one belonged to Maharashtra’s Chandra Seniya Prabhu Kayastha, who were allotted to study and research the Vedas. The third was the Bengali Kayastha who were mostly warriors. They were appointed for the governance and administration of the state. After the Mughal invasion of India, Persian became the official language of Mughals.
People from the Kayastha community had a progressive mindset. They learned Persian, Urdu, and Arabic languages as per the changing times and became part of the system. According to the famous author, Abul almost all of the Hindu landlords in Bengal belonged to the Kayastha community. The people from the Kayastha community did not limit themselves to a few places rather they settled in different parts of the country.
Like Kayasthas in Nizam court worked as ‘Mansabdar’ meaning as an Officer. During British rule in India, Kayastha not only worked in public administration but also got into the executive and judicial systems. Kayastha people were skilled in business as well. Until 1911, almost 40% of mills and factories in Bengal and other parts of the country were owned by people from the Kayastha community. According to American scholar, Christian Novetzake.
During the medieval period between 6th to 13th AD, In a few states of IndiaKayasthas were considered Brahmins. And they were also considered ‘Kshatriya’ (warriors) in different states. The community progressed with time and they did not limit themselves to record-keeping tasks only but they gained honour and recognition in other jobs as well. This community has contributed to almost every field. The country will always remember its achievements.
In the next article, we will discover why Marwaris are called a business-minded community? Why is this community so prosperous? And what was their journey? We’ll learn it all in the next episode.
