Rajopadhyaya

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Rajopadhyaya (Nepali: राजोपाध्याय) is one of Newar Bramhans in Nepal.

In

Sanskara rituals, including attaining their Gayatri Mantra verse and the sacred thread ('janai') in the Upanayana ceremony. This is opposed to all other clean-caste Newar groups who call upon a Buddhist Vajrāchārya as their family priest to conduct all life-cycle ceremonies.[1]

Rajopadhyayas are an endogamous

Nepalese Caste System, and they possess immense social prestige and power, especially among the Hindu Newars.[2]

Priesthood

Rajopadhyayas also serve as the

Ganesh shrines are maintained by the farmer Jyapus or by unclean-castes like the Jogi/Kapali or the untouchable Chyāmaha/Déula. The lone exception to the rule of Rajopadhayayas not being part of the Shakta cult is Bhaktapur's Taleju Bhawani temple, the ista-devi of Malla kings, where they serve as the chief priests.[3]
In addition to their duties as purohits to Chatharīyās and Śresțhas, Rajopadhyayas also serve as hereditary pujāris of the following temples:

Maithil Brahmins

There also exist a group of separate Brahmin among the Newar community who are called Maithil Brahmins with Jha and Mishra surnames. Unlike the Rajopadhyayas, the Maithil Brahmins are not considered as Newars or part of the Newar society by themselves as well as by others. Maithil Brahmins are most prominently the temple priests of the Mahalaxmi Temple, Char Narayan Temple, Jaisidega Temple, Batuk Bhairav, among others. Rajopadhayayas, demonstrating their Kanyakubja heritage, avoid matrimonial ties with the Maithil Brahmins and maintain their 'superior' status over the Maithil Brahmins.

Popular Rajopadhyaya Names

Rajopadhyayas popularly use the following surnames: Rajopadhyaya, Sharma, Upadhyaya, Acharya, among others. Some popular Rajopadhyaya names from history and popular culture include:

  • Sudarshan Brahman (a mythical
    Changu Narayan
    )
  • Gaya Juju (Gayo Bājé) of Sulimha, Patan [4]
  • Vishvanath Upādhyāya of Valimha, Patan [5]
  • Sahasra Shivānanda of Indrachowk [6]
  • Pundit Vamshi Dharānanda Rajopadhyaya of
    Changu Narayan
  • Newa Priest and scholar Basav Juju Rajopadhyaya from Kathmandu who is working to preserve and promote newa culture, ritual tradition around United States of America.

See also

References

  1. ^ Toffin, Gerard. (1995). 'The Social Organization of Rajopadhyaya Brahmans of Nepal'. In Gellner, David & Quigley, Declan. (eds). Contested Hierarchies: A Collaborative Ethnography of Caste Among the Newars of Kathmandu Valley. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  2. ISBN 9789993343950
    .
  3. ISBN 9789993343950
    .
  4. ^ Śarmā, Nutandhar. (1999). "The Legends of Gayaḥbājyā of Pāṭan in the Kāṭhmāṇḍu Valley". Contributions to Nepalese Studies. Vol. 26, No. 2. (July 1999). Kirtipur: CNAS/TU. pp. 239-256.
  5. ^ Rajopadhyaya, Abhas D. (2017). 'Visvanath Upadhyay: Lalitpur ka Tantrik'. In Rajopadhyaya, Birajkaji. (ed.). Lumanti 1137. Lalitpur: Rajopadhyaya Samaj.
  6. ^ Rājopādhyāya, Dineshananda. Devatāharūko vaṃśāvalī. (Unpublished).


External links

https://english.onlinekhabar.com/basav-juju-rajopadhyay-newa-priest.html

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