Mahto

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Mahto or Mahato is a surname used by several castes and communities in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha in India. [1] [2] [3] Mahato is also a popular surname in Nepal. In the zamindari villages, "Mahto" was a title given to the headman of a village ward. The mahto's duties were to maintain peace in his area, and collect revenue for the zamindar (feudal landlord). [4] In Chotanagpur plateau region of Jharkhand, including in the Oraon tribal society, Mahato was historically a title of the village chief. [5] [2] In Bihar, the surname Mahto is primarily used by people belonging to Kushwaha caste. [6] [7] While in Jharkhand, it is a term most often associated with Koeri and Kurmi caste. [8]

The castes and communities that use Mahto, Mehto or Mahato as a surname, clan name or title include:

Notable people

Notable people with the surname Mahto or Mahato include:

Related Research Articles

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Kushwaha is a community of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that has traditionally been involved in agriculture, including beekeeping. The term has been used to represent different sub-castes of the Kachhis, Kachhvahas, Koeris and Muraos. Under the Indian governments system of positive discrimination, the Kushwahas are classified as a "Backward" or Other backward class. The Kushwaha had worshipped Shiva and Shakta, but beginning in the 20th century, they claim descent from the Suryavansh (Solar) dynasty via Kusha, one of the twin sons of Rama and Sita. At present, it is a broad community formed by coming together of several caste groups with similar occupational backgrounds and socio-economic status, who, over the time, started inter-marrying among themselves and created all India caste network for caste solidarity. The communities which merged into this caste cluster includes Kachhi, Kachhwaha, Kushwaha, Mali, Marrar, Saini, Sonkar, Murai, Shakya, Maurya, Koeri and Panara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loknath Mahto</span> Former Member of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly

Loknath Mahato was a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the state of Jharkhand, India, elected from constituency Barkagaon which is in the Hazaribagh district of the state. He was first elected in 1995. Since then he has been re-elected three times, representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), one of the main national parties of India. He was one of the contenders in the 12 December 2019 Jharkhand state assembly elections from Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2014, Mahto had left BJP to join All Jharkhand Students Union, when denied ticket to contest from Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency. He participated in 2014 Lok Sabha elections and finished at third position.

The Koeri, also referred to as Kushwaha and more recently self-described as Maurya in several parts of northern India are an Indian non-elite caste, found largely in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, whose traditional occupation was agriculture. According to Arvind Narayan Das they were horticulturist rather than agriculturists. They are also recorded as performing the work of Mahajan in credit market of rural parts of Bihar and Bengal in 1880s. Koeris have attempted Sanskritisation— as part of social resurgence. During the British rule in India, Koeris were described as "agriculturalists" along with Kurmis and other cultivating castes. They are described as a dominant caste in various opinions.

The Paswan, also known as Dusadh, are a Dalit community from eastern India. They are found mainly in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The Urdu word Paswan means bodyguard or "one who defends". The origin of the word, per the belief of the community, lies in their participation in the battle against Siraj-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Bengal at the behest of British East India Company, after which they were rewarded with the post of Chowkidars and lathi wielding tax collector for the Zamindars. They follow certain rituals such as walking on fire to assert their valour.

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Upendra Kumar Singh, commonly known as Upendra Kushwaha is an Indian politician, and a former Member of Bihar Legislative Council and Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has also served as Minister of State for Human Resources and Development in the Government of India. Kushwaha is a former Member of Parliament (MP) from the Karakat constituency in Rohtas district, Bihar, and a former member of the Rajya Sabha. He was the leader of Rashtriya Samata Party (RSP), his own party, which merged into Janata Dal (United) (JDU) in 2009. Later, he formed Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), which also merged with JD(U) in 2021. On 20 February 2023, Kushwaha resigned from all positions in Janata Dal (United) and formed his own party called Rashtriya Lok Morcha due to his political problems with JD(U) and Nitish Kumar.

The Kudmi Mahato are a tribal community in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha of India. They are primarily agriculturalist.

The criminal Ashok Mahto gang, which was active in the Indian state Bihar, was led by Ashok Mahto and included Pintu Mahto. Ashok Mahto and his gang were responsible for the 2005 killing of Rajo Singh, a sitting Member of Parliament. Ashok Mahto was imprisoned but escaped from Nawada jail in 2002. Pintu Mahto killed three police officers during the prison breakout. The gang's leaders are said to belong to either the Kurmi or Koeri caste, and were supported by the backward castes in the Nawada and Sheikhpura regions. The Mahto gang was waging a war of retribution against the exploitative upper-caste Bhumihars. Mahto and his gang were responsible for the killings of a large number of Forward Caste people in the late 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagdish Mahto</span> Indian communist activist (died 1972)

Jagdish Mahto was an Indian communist activist. He was a naxal leader who led the 1970 Bhojpur uprising in the landlord-dominated Bhojpur region of Bihar. He was a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist), an organisation which was leading the Naxalite insurgency against the Government of India. He also fought against the upper-caste landlords for the cause of lower-caste people. Mahto, also called Master Saheb, was a member of the Bihar State Committee of CPI(M–L) and one of the founding leaders of the party in Bhojpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samrat Choudhary</span> Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar

Samrat Choudhary alias Rakesh Kumar is an Indian politician, who is currently serving as Deputy Chief minister of Bihar under Nitish Kumar. He is a Member of Bihar Legislative Council from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has been the party president of BJP Bihar State unit from March 2023. He has also remained Member of Legislative Assembly and a minister in Government of Bihar in Rashtriya Janata Dal government. Chaudhary has been a former Vice President of BJP for the state of Bihar and currently elected for the second term as MLC in 2020 after his first term ended in 2019. In 2014, Samrat planned a split in Rashtriya Janata Dal by defecting thirteen MLAs as splinter group of the party, later joining the BJP. In 2022, he was selected as the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luv-Kush equation</span> Political term used in Bihar, India

The Luv-Kush equation is a political term used in the context of the politics of Bihar, to denote the alliance of the agricultural Kurmi and the Koeri caste, which was assumed to be approximately 15% of the state's population The alliance of these two caste groups has remained the support base of Nitish Kumar, as against the MY equation of Lalu Prasad Yadav, which constitutes Muslims and the Yadavs. Caste consciousness and the quest for political representation largely drive the politics of Bihar. The political alliance of the Koeri and the Kurmi castes, termed the "Luv-Kush equation" was formed when a massive Kurmi Chetna Rally was organised by members of the Kurmi community in 1994 against the alleged casteist politics of Lalu Yadav, who was blamed by contemporary community leaders for promoting Yadavs in politics and administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aklu Ram Mahto</span> Former finance minister of Bihar, India

Aklu Ram Mahto was an Indian politician from Jharkhand, who served as Minister for Finance and Institution in undivided Bihar. He was a member of Rashtriya Janata Dal, having served as important functionary in several other political parties in past. He was a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly via Bokaro constituency. He won the Bihar Assembly Election in 1995 securing 99,798 votes. Mahto won Vidhan Sabha elections in the year 1980 and 1995. He had contested Lok Sabha elections from Dhanbad on four occasions while from Giridih and Hazaribagh once. Mahto was also associated with the movement, which started on the question of including Manbhum in West Bengal. He was one of the prominent leader to voice support for the rights of displaced people, who needed rehabilitation after the establishment of Bokaro Steel Plant. For four decades, after coming into existence of Bokaro Assembly constituency in 1977, he remained pivotal in its politics.

Kushwaha is a surname used by people of Koeri caste in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Kushwahas are also known as Maurya, Shakya, Saini in various parts of north India. As per one opinion, the Kushwaha surname is also common among members of Kachhi caste, who later merged with the Koeris to become a single homogeneous community. They are a dominant OBC community in the state of Bihar.

Shakya is an Indian surname and is part of the broader Kushwaha community including other surnames like Maurya, Kachhi, Saini, Koeri etc, who collectively assert descent from Kusha, a son of the avatar of Vishnu, Rama. This caste group is considered as one of the most numerous OBC castes in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It is estimated that they are distributed across the states, in almost all assembly constituencies. In Uttar Pradesh, they have preponderance in Etah Lok Sabha constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dev Dyal Kushwaha</span> First agriculture minister of the state of Jharkhand

Dev Dyal Kushwaha was an Indian politician, who served as first agriculture minister for the state of Jharkhand, after its formation. He was appointed as Minister for Agriculture in first Jharkhand government, which was led by Babu Lal Marandi. Kushwaha was a leader of Bhartiya Janata Party, who represented Hazaribagh Sadar Assembly constituency as Member of Legislative Assembly for three times. Before joining active politics he was associated with pedagogy. Kushwaha won the assembly elections of 1990, 1995 and 2000 from Hazaribagh Assembly constituency. Besides, Babu Lal Marandi's cabinet, he also served as a minister in Arjun Munda's cabinet. In 2005 Jharkhand Assembly elections, he was defeated by Saurabh Narain Singh— the grandson of Kamakhya Narain Singh.

Ramdeo Mahto was an Indian politician, who served as Member of Bihar Legislative Assembly in undivided Bihar. Mahto was elected as a candidate of Bhartiya Jana Sangh to Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1969 Assembly elections from Patna East Assembly constituency. He was also elected for his second term in Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1977 Bihar Assembly elections, this time, as a candidate of Janata Party. Mahto was considered one of the pillars of Bhartiya Jana Sangh in 1960s and he went on to become a minister from Jana Sangh quota in Mahamaya Prasad Sinha's government in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sahdeo Mahato</span> Indian politician (1922-74)

Sahdeo Mahato was an Indian independence activist and politician from Bihar, who served as member of Bihar Legislative Assembly for five terms. He was a prominent leader of Indian National Congress in the Samastipur district. Mahato also served in several ministerial offices in his long political career of three decades.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Papiya Ghosh (2008). Civil disobdience movement in Bihar, 1930–1934. Manak. p. 94. ISBN   978-81-7827-000-5. ... the surname 'Mahto' was used by Dhanuks, Dusadhs, Goalas, Koeris, Sunris, Tharus, Dhobis, etc, and 'Raut' was used by Amats, Chamars, Dusadhs, Dhanuks, Goalas etc.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sachchidananda (1988). Social Change in Village India. Concept Publishing Company. p. 12. ISBN   978-81-7022-206-4.
  3. Debi Chatterjee; Sucheta Ghosh; Sumita Sen, eds. (2002). Human Rights: Theory and Practice. South Asian Publishers. p. 128. ISBN   9788170032472. Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2020-09-20. But a person having 'Mahato' surname may belong to any caste which is included in the prescribed...
  4. J. P. Singh Rana (1998). Marriage and Customs of Tribes of India. M.D. Publications. p. 215. ISBN   9788175330870. Archived from the original on 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  5. Manish Ranjan (2022). JHARKHAND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE 2021. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN   9789354883002. Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  6. "बनिया से मन भरा तो महतो को बनाया, सम्राट चौधरी को बीजेपी प्रदेश अध्यक्ष बनाने पर राबड़ी देवी का विवादित". LiveHindustan (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023. Samrat Chaudhary has got the command of state BJP president in Bihar. People have started congratulating Samrat Chaudhary. Meanwhile, Rabri Devi, wife of former state CM and RJD chief Lalu Yadav, while taunting the BJP said that if the mind is filled with the Baniya people, then now the mind has to be filled with the Mahato people. Samrat Chaudhary comes from Kushwaha caste and people of Kushwaha caste also use Mahato surname.
  7. "Part of Nitish's core 'Luv-Kush' votebank & on BJP radar — why Kushwahas are sought after in Bihar politics". the print. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  8. "In Hazaribagh, they still talk of the Mahto meeting". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  9. Makhan Jha (1997). Scheduled Castes Today. M.D. p. 131. ISBN   9788175330603.
  10. K.K.N. Sharma (1998). Genetic Consequent of Child Growth. Northern Book Centre. p. 12. ISBN   9788172110987.
  11. Gautam Kumar Bera (2008). The Unrest Axle: Ethno-social Movements in Eastern India. Mittal. p. 114. ISBN   9788183241458.
  12. Lalan Tiwari (1995). Issues in Indian Politics. Mittal. p. 340. ISBN   9788170996187.
  13. Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi; Binay Kumar Rai, eds. (1977). The Tribal Culture of India. Concept. p. 206.
  14. Sachchidananda (1996). Encyclopaedic Profile of Indian Tribes. Vol. 1. Discovery. ISBN   9788171412983.
  15. K.S.Singh (1992). People of India: The scheduled castes. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 215. ISBN   9788185579092. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-22. Mahato, Bedia, and in a few cases, Majhi, are also used as surnames. The Bedia use Mahato, Majhi, Par gohit, Deshmondel as titles.