Shakya [1] [2] is an Indian surname and is part of the broader Kushwaha community surnames like Maurya, Kachhi, Saini, Koeri [3] etc, who collectively assert descent from Kusha, a son of the avatar of Vishnu, Rama. [4] [5] [6] [7]
In Nepal, Shakyas function as Vajrayana priests and are ranked higher in the caste hierarchy among Newari community since they are believed to be the descendants of Gautam Buddha himself. [8]
Notable people with this surname, who may or may not be associated with the caste/clan are:
Varmā, Verma, Varman, or Burman are surnames found in India and Southeast Asia. These surnames are commonly used by people of different castes and ethnic groups across the region. The surname is used in North India by and some of the groups among cluster of castes called Kayasthas. However, in the same region along with Central India, it can also be found among castes like Rajputs, Prajapats, Kurmis and Koeris.
Gangwar is an Indian surname which is often associated with Kurmi caste of northern India. It is also considered as a sub-caste of the Kurmis. In Uttar Pradesh, they are primarily distributed between Bareilly and Pilibhit district.
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. 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.
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 horticulturists 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.
Dara Singh Chauhan is an Indian politician, currently serving as member of legislative council, and formerly represented the Madhuban in Uttar Pradesh as a member of Bharatiya Janata Party. He was former Cabinet Minister in Yogi Adityanath ministry. He also represented Ghosi in the 15th Lok Sabha, where he was leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In 16th Lok Sabha, he was defeated by Harinarayan Rajbhar who represented Bharatiya Janata Party by more than 140,000 votes.
Mahan Dal is an Indian political party founded by Keshav Dev Maurya based in Uttar Pradesh, India.
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. Kushwaha contested the Lok Sabha election of 2024 from Karakat constituency and finished at a distant third position. However, he was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha in August 2024.
Keshav Prasad Maurya is an Indian politician, currently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Maurya was associated with a right-wing Hindu organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, before entering active politics through BJP. He was also involved in cow protectionism in his early life. Before 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, he was made state president of the BJP, and after the victory of BJP, he was appointed Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in the first Yogi Adityanath Government. Maurya again contested the legislative assembly elections in 2022 from Sirathu Assembly constituency, losing to Pallavi Patel of Samajwadi Party. However, he was given a second term as Deputy CM in the second Yogi Adityanath government.
Swami Prasad Maurya is an Indian politician and was a member of the 17th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh of India. He represented the Padrauna constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He was a member of Samajwadi Party till 2024 to which he resigned. Maurya has been a Member of the legislative assembly for five terms, has been a minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh, Leader of the house, and Leader of the opposition. He was serving as Cabinet Minister for Labour, Employment and Co-ordination in Yogi Adityanath ministry. Until 2021, he was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party which he joined after a long stint with Bahujan Samaj Party.
Patiyali Assembly constituency is one of the 403 constituencies of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, India. It is a part of the Kasganj district. Patiyali Assembly constituency comes under Etah Lok Sabha constituency. First election in this assembly constituency was held in 1969 after the delimitation order was passed in 1967. After the "Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order" was passed in 2008, the constituency was assigned identification number 102.
Alok Kumar Shakya is a member of the 14th, 15th and Sixteenth Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh in India. He represents the Bhongaon constituency of Uttar Pradesh and is a member of the Samajwadi Party political party. In 2022, prior to by-election in Mainpuri Assembly constituency, Shakya was appointed district president of Samajwadi Party for Mainpuri. This was done in a bid to secure the support of Shakya voters, who were the most populous group after Yadavs in this constituency. He has also served as a minister in Government of Uttar Pradesh.
Neeraj Kushwaha Maurya is a leader of Samajwadi Party & Hon'ble Member of Parliament from Aonla Lok Sabha Constituency, Aonla, Uttar Pradesh. He is a former member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Initially, he was associated with Bahujan Samaj Party and has been an MLA from 2007 to 2017, elected twice from Jalalabad constituency in 2007 and 2012. In 2017, he left the BSP to join the Bharatiya Janata Party and played a key role in the Jalalabad Nagar Palika election. But he left the party soon afterwards and finally joined SP in 2022.
Bahoran Lal Maurya is an Indian politician currently serving as MLC and he also served as an MLA in 13th & 17th Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly of Bareilly of Uttar Pradesh State of India. He had represented the Bhojipura constituency of Uttar Pradesh and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Sanghmitra Maurya is an Indian politician senior bjp leader and a member of the 17th Lok Sabha. She was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, in the 2019 Indian general election as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, defeating senior Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav. She earlier contested in Mainpuri in 2014 as a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party but lost to Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Maurya is an Indian surname mainly used by Kushwaha caste in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Kushwaha is a surname used by people of Koeri caste in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Kushwahas are also known as Maurya, Shakya, or 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.
Saini is an Indian surname, used by various communities in North India. In Uttar Pradesh, it is used by people of Kushwaha or the Koeri caste. In Rajasthan and Haryana, it is most often associated with Mali caste. Saini is also a community of Punjab, included in state's list of Other Backward Class from 2016 onwards. In Haryana term Saini is considered synonymous with other terms such as Koeri, Kushwaha, Maurya and Shakya, all included in state's list of Backward Castes.
Ram Autar Shakya was an Indian politician based in Uttar Pradesh. He was elected to Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from the Bhongaon Assembly constituency. Shakya was elected to Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1991, as a candidate of Janata Party. In 1996 mid-term elections, he was elected to 13th Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, but this time, as a candidate of Samajwadi Party. The Bhongaon Assembly constituency was later represented by his son Alok Kumar Shakya, who represented this constituency thrice after death of his father.
Suraj Singh Shakya was an Indian politician and a member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, who was elected to 12th Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly as a candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected to Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Sakit Assembly constituency of Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. He also served as Minister of State for Cooperatives in Government of Uttar Pradesh during 1991–92. Shakya has served as M.L.A for four terms. He was first elected in 1991 and was subsequently re-elected in 1993 elections. After his second term, there was a gap and his third term came in 2002, which was followed by his victory in 2007 Assembly elections as well. Besides Bharatiya Janata Party, he has also represented Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
Devesh Shakya is an Indian politician and a member of Parliament of India, Lok Sabha from Etah Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh. Shakya is a member of Samajwadi Party. He defeated Bharatiya Janata Party's two-term member of parliament from this constituency, Rajveer Singh, son of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and veteran BJP leader Kalyan Singh.
Original Text from Peasants and Monks in British India "Kushvaha-kshatriya identity was espoused by agricultural communities well known throughout the Gangetic north for an expertise in small-scale vegetable and poppy cultivation. Prominent among them were Kachhi and Murao agriculturalists of central Uttar Pradesh, Kachhvahas of western Uttar Pradesh, and Koiris of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh."
Maurya belongs to the biggest caste group among OBCs after Yadavs and Kurmis. Known by the surnames Kachhi, Maurya, Kushwaha, Saini and Shakya, this group is present in most assembly seats from east to west UP.