Bhattacharya (surname)


Bhattacharya, Bhattacharyya, Bhattacharja and Bhattacharjee are three common spellings of a prominent aristocratic title among the Bengali Brahmins and Assamese Brahmins.

History

The Bhattacharyas are Kanyakubja Brahmins. They originally belonged to the Kanyakubja region of northern India and later migrated to certain eastern parts of the Indian Subcontinent in the mediaeval period.

Etymology

Bhattacharya was a noble title or upādhi conferred upon those Bengali Brahmins who were involved in sacred rituals by Indian kings and emperors in ancient and medieval times. In modern times, however, the Bhattacharyas are found almost in every quarter of the society. Commonly used as a surname, the word is a combination of the Sanskrit titles Bhaṭṭa and Ācārya. Bhaṭṭa is itself a title common in many parts of India. Together with Banerjees, Chatterjees, Gangulys and Mukherjees, Bhattacharjees form the Kulin Brahmins, the highest tier of the Bengali caste system. Almost all Brahmins in Southern Bengal trace their origins from the Kanyakubja region. They are Bandyopadhyay, Chattopadhyay, Mukhopadhyay, Gangopadhyay, Bhattacharya, Ghosal, Bagchi, Sanyal, Bhaduri, Maitra, Lahiri, etc.

Notable people

Notable people with the name include: