Bhat

Bhat (also spelled as Bhatt or Butt) is a surname in the Indian subcontinent. Bhat and Bhatt are shortened renditions of Brahmbhatt or Bhatta.

Etymology

The word "Bhat" (Sanskrit: भट, IAST: Bhaṭa) means "scholar” in Sanskrit.[1][2] While the original shortened rendition of "Bhatta" was "Bhat" or "Bhatt,"[3] many of the Kashmiri Brahmin migrants to the Punjab region started spelling their surname as "Butt", which is the spelling of the clan used in certain dialects of the Punjabi language, such as Pahari.[4][5][6]

Geographic distribution

Goa

The surname is in use among some Konkani Goud Saraswat Brahmins as well as Konkani Christians (who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa).[7]

Kashmir

Bhat, also spelled as Bhatt or Butt, is a Kashmiri Pandit surname found among the Brahmins of the Kashmir Valley, as well as Kashmiri who migrated to Punjab,[4][5][8] a region now divided between India and the neighbouring Pakistan.[4] Many such Kashmiri Muslims migrated to Punjab in the late 19th century/early 20th century due to the 1878 Kashmir drought, escaping discrimination by local rulers and seeking trade opportunities.[9][4][10][11] The surname is now shared by both Kashmiri Hindus and Kashmiri Muslims who mostly retained their last names.[12][13] Some Kashmiri Muslim Butts changed their surname to "Sheikh" after the advent of Islam, as this is the equivalent term for "scholar" used in Muslim society.

Punjab (under British rule)

Some Bhats/Butts found in the Punjab region are descendants of those who migrated to different cities of (undivided) Punjab from Kashmir and Jammu during the 1878 famine,[4][5][10] In Ludhiana, Kashmiris became known for their contribution to the handicraft arena.[14] Not all using the surname Bhat or Butt belong to the caste. "Bhat" or "Butt" in the Punjab Province of colonial India became a collective title given to Kashmiri immigrants as it was the most common name of the immigrants. Even Kashmiris who did not have this surname were erroneously identified as "Butt" in official records in the same way that "Khan" was used for all Pashtun/Afghan immigrants.

Pakistan

The Butt surname in Pakistan simply denotes "Kashmiri Muslim ancestry" and is not a caste name. There is no connection with the European Butt surname and not all of them are related to the "Bhat" caste surname found in Kashmir/India. Although the word "Butt" evolved from the word "Bhat" (meaning "scholar") as used in Kashmir and India, the Butts of Pakistan are not all "Bhats". Butt is a collective term for all Kashmiri migrants from Kashmir Valley to Pakistan (particularly to northern and central Punjab region) and they belong to all Kashmiri Muslim backgrounds (not just Bhat scholars), including native Kashmiris (excluding Mir, Dar, Lone, Sheikh families) and foreigners that had migrated to Kashmir on the silk route during early Muslim rule and later Mughal/Afghan rule - especially Pashtuns (under Afghan rule), Tajiks and Persians (during Mir Hamdani's Sufi missionary period), Swatis (pre-Pashtun period from the Swat Valley during Shah Mir's rule) and Turkestanis (modern day XinXiang during BulBul Shah's Sufi missionary period). Over time the original surnames of these Kashmiri Muslim immigrants was lost and they all mixed among each other, with locals collectively and erroneously tagging them all as "Butt" (because "Bhat" was the most common surname of Kashmiris), in a similar way to Afghan immigrants being tagged as "Khan" in Pakistan. The Butt surname however does not include the Kashmiri Muslims with the names Mir, Dar, Lone and Sheikh - these Kashmiri immigrants to Pakistan somehow preserved their original surnames intact.

South India

The word Bhaṭṭa (Kannada:ಭಟ್ಟ) or Bhaṭṭar (Tamil: பட்டர்) is traditionally used, especially in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka usually to denote a "learned man" or a "scholar" (mostly Brahmins), but also in other southern states.

It was originally used as an honorific like śāstri or paṇḍita, but has become a surname in parts of the country in modern times used as a family name rather than an honorific. In Southern Karnataka naming convention followed is such that, generally, one's father's name is kept as the surname irrespective of caste and many of these honorifics continue to be used as honorifics.[15]

In earlier times a caste name or village name was used by the Tamils as their last name, but due to the influence of the Dravidian movement, Tamils of all castes have mostly given up caste surnames. However, frequently adopt their father's or husband's name and take it for successive generations. But, honorific like Bhaṭṭar are still in use in spoke language rather than as a surname.[16]

This surname is commonly found in Havyaka Brahmins, Kota Brahmins, Shivalli Brahmins, Sthanika Brahmins, Koteshwara Brahmins, Kandavara Brahmins, Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Hoysala Brahmins of Karnataka.[17]

Notable individuals

Academics

Actors, models, technicians and musicians

Businesspeople
  • Baiju Bhatt (born 1984/1985), American billionaire, co-founder of Robinhood

Military
  • Muhammad Zaki Butt (1929–1993), former Air Commodore in the Pakistan Air Force and bodyguard of Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
  • Ziauddin Butt, former Chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence
  • Tahir Rafique Butt (born 1955), 20th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force
  • Malik Tazi Bhat, 15th-century warlord, from Jammu, who fought the Lodhi Dynasty

Politics

Scientists
  • Noor Muhammad Butt (born 1936), Pakistani nuclear physicist, research scientist, and chairman of the Pakistan Science Foundation
  • Parvez Butt (born 1942), Pakistani nuclear engineer and former chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
  • Atul Butte, researcher in biomedical informatics and biotechnology entrepreneur in Silicon Valley

Sports

See also

References
  1. Sahagala, Narendra (1994). Converted Kashmir: Memorial of Mistakes. Utpal Publications. p. 53. ISBN 978-81-85217-06-2. Bhat means a Brahmin, teacher, who imparts knowledge.
  2. Sehgal, Narender (1 January 2013). A State In Turbulence Jammu & Kashmir. Prabhat Prakashan. p. 18. ISBN 978-81-8430-242-4.
  3. Saligram Bhatt (2008). Kashmiri Scholars Contribution to Knowledge and World Peace. APH. ISBN 9788131304020. Retrieved 2 December 2010. Bhat {Bhatt}, surnames are found in Uttaranchal, Northern Belt, Central and Western parts of the country and is a surname of sizeable Brahmins in Konkan, Maharashtra and Gujarat; where they had migrated in sizeable strength. Bhattas who migrated to Gauda {Bengal} were called Acharaya's {Scholars} and thus Bhattacharaya's. In Nepal, they became priests, ardent worshippers of Bhadrakali and spread Kali worship; mostly around Pashupatinath Temple. In Uttaranchal, they became the Purohit {Priestly} class, adopted the surname Purohit, many changed profession but retained the Bhatt surname. In northern plains, few became Bhattas, many Bhatts; in both cases Purohit {Priestly} class. In Central and Western parts, strict requirements of a Bhatta {Purohit} could not be sustained, and to indicate the Brahmin roots they opted for a surname only. Thus Bhatta and Purohit are surnames of the same category. Bhatta has a shortened version, Bhat {Bhatt}; referring to the same class of people. Surname Bhat {Bhatt} in Kas'mira can also be traced to the short form of Bhatta. In Kas'mira, the Bhatta honorific has been associated with many personalities, scholars of the 9th and 10th centuries, scriptures, and specific in many cases in the 14th century and later.
  4. The Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India, Volume 52. The Survey. 2003. Retrieved 2 December 2010. The But/Butt of Punjab were originally Brahmin migrants from Kashmir during 1878 famine.
  5. Kaul, P.K. (2006). Pahāṛi and other tribal dialects of Jammu, Volume 1. Eastern Book Linkers. ISBN 9788178541013. Retrieved 2 December 2010. The But/Butt of Punjab were originally Brahmin migrants from Kashmir during 1878 famine.
  6. "Madras journal of literature and science, Volume 4". Athenæum Press. 1836. Retrieved 2 December 2010. Bhatt (vulgarly Butt) is the distinctive name of a class of Bramins in the north; and in the south the same class bear the distinctive title of Pattar.
  7. Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians, Alan Machado Prabhu, I.J.A. Publications, 1999, p. 137
  8. Explore Kashmiri Pandits. Dharma Publications. ISBN 9780963479860. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  9. Bahl, Arvin (2007). From Jinnah to Jihad: Pakistan's Kashmir Quest and the Limits of Realism. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 76. ISBN 9788126907212.
  10. The quarterly journal of the Mythic Society (Bangalore)., Volume 96. The Society. 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2010. Even today most common family name in Kashmir is Butt, a distortion of Bhatt, a Hindu surname common amongst the Brahmins in India.
  11. Saligram Bhatt (2008). Kashmiri Scholars Contribution to Knowledge and World Peace. APH. ISBN 9788131304020. Retrieved 2 December 2010. Bhat {Bhatt}, surnames are found in Uttaranchal, Northern Belt, Central and Western parts of the country and are a surname of sizeable Brahmins in Konkan, Maharashtra, and Gujarat; where they had migrated in sizeable strength. Bhattas who migrated to Gauda {Bengal} were called Acharaya's {Scholars} and thus Bhattacharaya's. In Nepal, they became priests, ardent worshippers of Bhadrakali and spread Kali worship; mostly around Pashupatinath Temple. In Uttaranchal, they became Purohit {Priestly} class, adopted the surname Purohit, many changed profession but retained the Bhatt surname. In northern plains, few became Bhattas, many Bhatts; in both cases Purohit {Priestly} class. In Central and Western parts, strict requirements of a Bhatta {Purohit} could not be sustained, and to indicate the Brahmin roots they opted for a surname only. Thus Bhatta and Purohit are surnames of the same category. Bhatta has a shortened version, Bhat {Bhatt}; referring to the same class of people. Surname Bhat {Bhatt} in Kas'mira can also be traced to a short form of Bhatta. In Kas'mira, the Bhatta honorific has been associated with many personalities, scholars of the 9th and 10th centuries, scriptures, and specific in many cases in the 14th century and later.
  12. Parvéz Dewân (January 2004). Parvéz Dewân's Jammû, Kashmîr, and Ladâkh: Kashmîr. Manas Publications. ISBN 9788170491798. Retrieved 2 December 2010. This is a surname shared by Hindus and Muslims.
  13. Sharma, Usha (1 January 2001). Political development in Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. Radha Publications. ISBN 9788174870629. Retrieved 11 January 2015. Surnames like 'Bhatt' and 'Pandit' are common to both Hindus and Muslims.
  14. Kashmiris' contribution to Ludhianvi culture. Retrieved 25 March 2007. In fact, the Ludhiana hosiery industry owes its origin to Kashmiris. According to the Ludhiana District Gazetteer, during a devastating famine in the 19th century a number of Kashmiris migrated to Ludhiana. They are known world over for their handicraft skills. They started weaving woollen fabric here. Slowly the trade got popular and Ludhiana started to be identified with hosiery only. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  15. "India Personal Names". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  16. "Indian Culture - Naming". Cultural Atlas. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  17. "Hoysala Karnataka Brahmins", Wikipedia, 15 May 2023, retrieved 30 May 2023
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