Chaudhary

Chaudhary is one variant spelling of Chaudry, Chaudhury, Chaudhuri, Choudhury, Chowdhury (Hindi: चौधरी/ चौधुरी / चौधारी, Bengali: চৌধুরী) an Indian hereditary title of honor, as is considered, later used as a surname by replacing it with the original one or add to the original surname forming a composite surname, like Dutta Chowdhury, Ghosh Chowdhury, Pal Chaudhury, etc. as are found in West Bengal.

The title Chaudhary was bestowed by the Delhi Sultanates, continued by the Bengal Sultanates next off i.e., the origin of the title was from Sultans. Latterly the Mughals and Nawabs conferred the same title in great numbers.

The iqtas or Provinces were divided into smaller units called Shiqs, and again every Shiq jvas divided into still smaller units called Pargana. The important Pargana officials were a Chaudhary (revenue collector), a Amil (revenue collector) and a Karkun (accountant).[1][2] According to Ibn Battuta, the chief of 100 or 84 villages under the subdivision (pargana) was called the century, its chief was a Chaudhary.[3] The head of each pargana was a Chaudhary, while a Muqaddam or a Mukhiya was the head man of the village, under pargana.[4]

Every pargana was further divided into several villages headed by khut, Muqaddam and Patwari. Sometimes a Chaudhary can also be a village-head.[5][6]