Wikipedia

Chowdhury

Chowdhury (also: Choudhuri, Chaudhuri, Choudhury, Chaudhri, Chaudhary) is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent.[1] It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated with zamindars and social leaders. The common female equivalent was Chowdhurani.[2]

Chowdhury
Pronunciation
  • chow-dhuree
  • chaw-dree
  • chow-dree
Origin
Meaning"Holder of four"; "four-way duties"; "four responsibilities"
Region of originIndian subcontinent
Other names
Variant form(s)Chaudhary, Chaudri, Choudhary, Chaudhry, Chowdary, Chowdhry, Chowdhary, Chaudry, Choudary, Choudhry, Chaudhuri, Chaudhari, Chudhry, Choudhari, Choudhury, Chowdhuri, Chowduri, Chaudhurani, Choudhurani, Chowdhurani, Chowdhrani, Choudhrani, Chaudhrani.

Meaning

"Chowdhury" is a term adapted from the Sanskrit words čatus "four-way, all-round" and dhurīya "undertaking a burden", denoting the head of a community or caste.[1]

Significance

It was a title awarded to persons of eminence, including both Muslims and Hindus, during the Mughal Empire. It was also used as a title by military commanders responsible for four separate forces, including the cavalry, navy, infantry and elephant corps.[1] These people belonged to the zamindar families in British India.[3][verification needed]

Later, the Mughals and the Nawabs conferred the same title in great numbers. Chaudharies were local magnates responsible for land taxes alongside an amil (revenue collector) and a karkun (accountant) in the local-level administrative units known as parganas .[4][5][6]

In modern times, the term is a common South Asian surname for both males and females.

In Odisha "Choudhury" surname holders are mostly Zamindar Karanas[7] and Utkal Brahmins.

Chaudhary is also a common last name among the Tharu community of Nepal.

Regional

In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the titular Rajas of the Bohmong Circle and Mong Circle have the surname Chowdhury.[8][9][10][11]

The Bengali Muslim Mirashdars[note 1] living in the former Kachari Kingdom were given titles by the Kachari Raja, which in modern-day acts as a surname for them.[13]

In Bihar, the Pasi are also known as the Chaudhary, a community traditionally connected with toddy tapping.[14]

In Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chaudhary surname is mainly used by Jat community while some other caste also using it are Gurjars, Ahirs, etc. This surname is popular in North India and it conveys honour and strength.[15][16] It is typically used as a prefix before the given name, often represented by the prefix 'Ch' such as Ch. Charan Singh, 5th prime minister of India and Ch. Devi Lal, 6th deputy prime minister of India.

Deshastha Brahmins and Kammas from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who got this as a title during Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Nizams of Hyderabad also use Chowdhari or Chowdhury as their surnames.[17][18][19]

Alternate spellings

Its alternate spellings include: Chaudhary, Chaudri, Chaudhri, Choudhary, Chaudhry, Chowdary, Chowdhary, Chaudry, Choudary, Choudhry, Chaudhuri, Chaudhari, Chudhry, Choudhari, Choudhury, Chowdhuri and Chowdury.[1] The female equivalent is Chaudhurani and alternate spellings include: Choudhurani, Chowdhurani, Chowdhrani, Choudhrani, Chaudhrani.

Chowdhury by country

Bangladesh

 
Faizunnesa Choudhurani
 
Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali
 
Abdul Hamid Chowdhury
 
Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury
 
Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury
 
Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury
 
Abu Sayeed Chowdhury
 
Husam Uddin Chowdhury Fultali

India

 
Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Assam

 
Moinul Hoque Choudhury

Uttar Pradesh


West Bengal

Nepal

Fiji

Pakistan

 
Choudhry Rahmat Ali

United Kingdom

United States

Chaudhary

Business

  • Binod Chaudhary (1955-), a Nepalese businessman, industrialist, philanthropist, and politician
  • Fawad Chaudhry a Pakistani businessman, landlord, lawyer and politician

Acting, modeling and entertainment

Politics

Sports

Academia, science & scholarship

Journalism

Other occupations

Chaudhari

Chaudhari (Hindi: चौधरी, Punjabi: ਚੌਧਰੀ, Marathi: चौधरी) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Chaudhri

Chaudhurani

Fictional characters


Other

Further disambiguation pages

Organisations

Notes

  1. ^ Mirashdar is a term referring to a landowner who pays taxes directly to the government.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter (17 November 2016). "Chowdhury". The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199677764.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-967776-4.
  2. ^ Karim, Elita (1 August 2008). "A Dedicated Educationist". History. Star Weekend Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  3. ^ The Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India, Volume 51. Anthropology Survey of India. 2002. p. 204.
  4. ^ "Administrative System - Sultani Period" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  5. ^ "University of Calicut, Kerala" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Odisha State Open University - M.A. (History)" (PDF).
  7. ^ "rediff.com: The evil that envelopes Orissa". m.rediff.com. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  8. ^ "InsideStoryEventsMaster - Raj Punyah Ceremony Held Both in Bandarban..." ext.bd.undp.org.
  9. ^ "Saching Prue new Mong King". The Daily Star. 18 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Feature: 'Kingdom' system in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts still in force". people.cn. 15 December 2008. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  11. ^ "UNPO: Chittagong Hill Tracts: Stalemate For Land Commission". unpo.org.
  12. ^ Laskar, Nitish Ranjan (1985). Mahishya Das of Cachar and their Social Background. Proceedings of North East India History Association. North East India History Association. p. 456.
  13. ^ E M Lewis (1868). "Cachar District: Statement No. XVIII: Glossary of Local Terms". Principal Heads of the History and Statistics of the Dacca Division. Calcutta: Calcutta Central Press Company. pp. 406–408.
  14. ^ People of India Bihar Volume XVI Part Two edited by S Gopal & Hetukar Jha pages 759 to 765 Seagull Books
  15. ^ "Surname Choudhary: Meaning Origin Variants". www.igenea.com. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  16. ^ Bhindar, Imran (2018). FROM SIALKOT TO VANCOUVER. Lulu Chaudhary. p. 28. ISBN 9781642547917.
  17. ^ Gaikwad, V. R.; Tripathy, Ram Niranjan (1970). Socio-psychological Factors Influencing Industrial Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas: A Case Study in Tanuku Region of West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh. National Institute of Community Development. p. 33.
  18. ^ Coenraad M. Brand (1973). State and Society: A Reader in Comparative Political Sociology. University of California Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780520024908.
  19. ^ "Revealing the missing links". Hans India. 24 July 2016.
  20. ^ Ahuja, M. L. (2000). Handbook of General Elections and Electoral Reforms in India, 1952-1999. Mittal Publications. pp. 302, 340. ISBN 9788170997665.
  21. ^ Abbasi, Talha. "Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan". Pakistani Leaders Online. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  22. ^ Hossain, Anowar (2003). Muslim women's struggle for freedom in colonial Bengal: (1873-1940). Progressive Publishers. p. 266. ISBN 9788180640308.
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