Desai

Desai (देसाई) (pronounced [d̪eːsaːi]) is an Indian administrative, princely or honorary title and surname.[1]

Etymology

The word is derived from the Sanskrit deśa (country) and svāmī (lord).[2]

Desai as a title

Desai was a title given to feudal lords, revenue collectors, and others who were granted a village or group of villages, in North Karnataka, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The title Desai should not be associated with a particular religion or caste. The "Desai" title was given by Maratha emperors, Mughal emperors and by the Deccan sultanates.[3]

  • In Maharashtra, the title Desai is conferred to leaders of villages. Most of them are either Deshastha Brahmins,[4] Marathas, and Karhade Brahmins.[5][6]
  • In Gujarat, Desai is honoured to Anavil Brahmin,Vaishnav Vanik, Rabari and Patidars caste people. The title was also given to feudal lords and revenue collectors[7]

Desai, or a loftier compound, was a rare title for rulers of a few princely states, notably:

  • Raja Sar Desai in the Maratha Savantvadi State from 1627 until the adoption of "Raja Bahadur" in 1763.
  • Desai Shri in Patdi (the former Viramgam State), in Eastern Kathiawar, where Desai was also the name of the ruling family, which belongs to the Desai clan of Kadwa Patidar.

Desai as a surname

Desai as a surname is used by Deshastha Brahmin,[8] Karhade Brahmin,[9] Anavil Brahmin,[10] Rabari,[11] Leva Patel,[12] Patidar,[13] and Lingayat communities of Maharashtra, Karnataka[14] and Gujarat.

Individual people

Notable individuals with the surname Desai include:

Public officers
Arts, sciences and business
Culture & Sports

See also

References
  1. Also, "Mahr. deśāī; in W. and S. India a native official in charge of a district, often held hereditarily; a petty chief." Henry Yule, Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, pp. 292, 306.
  2. https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=desai
  3. Raj Kumar (2003). Essays on Modern India. Discovery Publishing House. p. 73.
  4. Syed Siraj ul Hassan (1989). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. p. 111.
  5. Sandhya Gokhale (2008). The Chitpavans: Social Ascendancy of a Creative Minority in Maharashtra, 1818-1918. Shubhi Publications. p. 28. Hereditary rights of Karhades were those of Desai, district officer, or Deshmukh, and Sardesai, senior district officer.
  6. V. D. Divekar (1993). South India in 1857 War of Independence. Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust. p. 148.
  7. Laura Spinney. Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World. Random House. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  8. Kumar Suresh Singh (2004). People of India: Maharashtra, Part 1. Popular Prakashan. p. 478.
  9. The Scheduled Castes, Volume 21. Oxford University Press. 1995. p. 111. The Karhade Brahman have their own clan deities like Khalnath, Jogeshwari, Bhavani. They celebrate various festivals like Diwali, Holi, Gudipadva, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. They have surnames like Desai, Dhupkar, Prabhudesai, Bakhle...
  10. Rashmi H. Desai. Indian immigrants in Britain,. Oxford University Press. p. 11. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
  11. Bela Bhatia (1992). Lush Fields and Parched Throats: The Political Economy of Groundwater in Gujarat. UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER). p. 33. Individuals with the Desai surname ( used both by some Patels as well as by Rabaris ) have been included in this group for want of information on their precise caste affiliation.
  12. Bela Bhatia (1992). Lush Fields and Parched Throats: The Political Economy of Groundwater in Gujarat. UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER). p. 33. Individuals with the Desai surname ( used both by some Patels as well as by Rabaris ) have been included in this group for want of information on their precise caste affiliation.
  13. Donald S. Rothchild (1973). Racial Bargaining in Independent Kenya: A Study of Minorities and Decolonization. Institute of Race Relations London. p. 45. The Patidars, distinguished by such caste surnames as Patel, Amin, and Desai, were originally landholders in Gujarat.
  14. Studies in Indian place names, Volume 4. Geetha Book House. 1984. p. 125. These surnames are reminiscent of the Maratha rule over Karnataka. Thus we have surnames like Desai, Deshmukh, Deshpande, Inamdar, Jagirdar, Kulkarni, Patil, etc. These families held different posts under the Maratha administration.
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