 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed .(November 2018) |
Shah is a popular surname in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. [1]
Shah ( /ʃɑː/ ; Persian : شاه, romanized: Šāh, pronounced [ʃɒːh] , "king") is a title given to the emperors, kings, princes and lords of Iran (historically known as Persia in the West). [2] It is different to the shah that is found in Gujarat, India, which is rather derived from Sanskrit.
In the Gujarat and Rajasthan region, the name 'Shah', 'Sha', or 'Sah' may be derived from Gujarati sah meaning "merchant" [3] (from Sanskrit sadhu meaning "honest, good") [3] and Prakrit Sahu[ citation needed ], while the actual spelling "Shah" was popularized by the Persian word for King. As a result, especially in Western culture, use of the spelling "Shah" has become far more pronounced than the other variants. [4] The word Sadhu/Sahu is also separately used to indicate a holy man, such as a Jain monk (see Namokar Mantra). The Indian surnames "Shah" and "Sahu" are variants of one another which have evolved from the word "sah" over time[ citation needed ]. Another variant is Sheth.[ citation needed ]
One early use of the title Sadhu occurs in an inscription on an AD 850 Parshvanth image in the Akota Bronzes. [5]
In numerous 12–13th century inscriptions the shravaka who installed the image is given the title "Sahu". [6]
सं १५१० वर्षे माघ सुदी ८ सोमे गोपाचल दुर्गे तोमर वंशान्वये राजा श्री डूंगरेन्द्र देव राज्य पवित्रमाने श्री काष्ठासंघ माथुरान्वये भट्टारक श्री गुणकीर्ति देवास्तत्पट्टे श्री मलयकीर्ति देवास्ततो भट्टारक गुणभद्रदेव पंडितवर्य रइघू तदाम्नाये अग्रोतवंशे वासिलगोत्रे सकेलहा भार्या निवारी तयोः पुत्र विजयष्ट शाह ... साधु श्री माल्हा पुत्र संघातिपति देउताय पुत्र संघातिपति करमसीह श्री चन्द्रप्रभु जिनबिंब महाकाय प्रतिष्ठापित प्रणमति ..शुभम् भवतु ..
A Gwalior Fort Inscription 1453 [7]
For example:
Here the word Sahu is equivalent to the Sanskrit word "sadhu". Some inscriptions use "sadhu" itself :
madhavannandinugrahitah sadhu-shri sarvadharah .."[ citation needed ]
The word Sadhu here does not mean a monk but a "gentleman". Some inscriptions abbreviate sahu by just "sa" just like the abbreviation in English, "Mr."[ citation needed ] In some business communities, genealogies are recited during marriages, where all ancestors would be respectfully called "sahu". The term "sahukari" means the profession of banking/trading, and is derived from Sahu (Sanskrit "Sadhu") and kar (Sanskrit for doer). [9] In the Bundelkhand Jain community, the father-in-law (or son's/daughter's father-in-law) used to be called "sahaji". Thus the words "Shah" etc. all indicate a respected member of the mercantile community. Today it is used by Gujarati business communities.[ citation needed ]
Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev, was the eighth King of Nepal. Born in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, he ascended to the throne at the age of five, upon the death of his father, Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, and was crowned on 20 February 1913 at the Nasal Chowk, Hanuman Dhoka Palace in Kathmandu, with his mother acting as regent. At the time of his crowning, the position of monarch was largely ceremonial, with the real governing power residing with the Rana family.
Bhat is a Brahmin surname in the Indian subcontinent. Bhat and Bhatt are shortened renditions of Brahmabhatta or Bhatta.
Kathiawar is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about 61,000 km2 (23,500 sq mi) bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat in the east. In the northeast, it is connected to the rest of Gujarat and borders on the low, fertile hinterland of Ahmedabad. It is crossed by two belts of hill country and is drained radially by nine rivers which have little natural flow aside from in monsoon months, thus dams have been built on some of these. Kathiawar ports have been flourishing centres of trade and commerce since at least the 16th century.
Joshi is a surname used by the Brahmin (caste) in India and Nepal. Joshi is also sometimes spelled as Jyoshi. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word Jyotishi meaning "astrologer" or a person who practices jyotisha. Jyotisha refers to Hindu astrology and astronomy and is derived from jyotish.
Sharma is a Hindu Brahmin surname. The Sanskrit stem ṣárman- can mean 'joyfulness', 'comfort', 'happiness'. Sarma and Sarmah are alternative English spellings of the name, commonly used by Assamese Brahmins.
Rajendra is popular Hindu given name. It is derived from the Sanskrit rājendra 'lord of kings', 'supreme sovereign', which is a compound of the words rāja 'king' and indra 'supreme'.
Sagar is a surname and given name of multiple origins.
Kiran is a Nepali or Indian given name. It originates in the Sanskrit word kiraṇa, meaning "ray" or "ray of light" or "beam of light". Other names that sound like Kiran are Kira, Kirwan, Ciaran, Keiran and Kieran. Notable people with the name include:
Rohit, pronounced[ˈroːɦɪt̪]) is a given name, typically male, used among Indian people. It is also used in some parts of Nepal. It is mostly used by Jains, Hindus, and Sikhs.
Bahuriband, near Katni in Madhya Pradesh, is a famous inscription at the feet of a colossal stone image of Jain Tirthankara Shantinath. The colossal statue is 12 ft 2 in (3.71 m) in height.
Sahu is a surname found in India and Pakistan.
Raidhu was an Apabhramsha poet from Gwalior, and an important figure in the Digambara Jain community. He supervised the pratishtha consecration ceremony of many—perhaps most—of the Jain idols carved on the hill side in the Gwalior Fort during the rule of Tomara rulers Dungarasimha and Kirtisimha.
Rana is a given name and surname of multiple origins.
Tripathi or Tripathy is a Hindu Brahmin family name in India and Nepal. Trivedi and Tiwari are variants of the name.
Agrawal Jains are an Indian Jain community who originated from Agroha near Hisar, Haryana. In Sanskrit inscriptions and texts, the community is termed Agrotakanvaya.
Naveen or Navin is an Indian and Pakistani male given name and surname. The word means "new", "young", "bright", "creative". Naveen is chiefly used in Indian languages, and its origin is Sanskrit. It is derived from the element 'Navina' meaning new. The name 'Navina' is the female form of Naveen.
Saha, also known as Shaha is a Bengali surname most commonly found among the Bengali Hindus in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura, and in Bangladesh.
Kishor is a name mostly used in India and Nepal. It is derived from the Sanskrit word kishora meaning "colt" or a "cub". It translates to "young", "youth" or "adolescence" in English.
Indra Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah was the consort and Crown Princess of Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah, then Crown Prince of Nepal. She was the mother of Kings Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, Prince Dhirendra Bir Bikram Shah, and Princesses Shanti Rajya Lakshmi Devi, Sharada Rajya Lakshmi Devi and Shobha Rajya Lakshmi Devi.
