Upreti (surname)
| Uprety/Uprety उप्रेती | |
|---|---|
| Family name | |
| Pronunciation |
English pronunciation: /əˈpɹɛtiː/ Hindustani pronunciation: [ˈʊpreːt̪iː] |
| Meaning | The word Uprety has its origin in Samskrit, and literally means someone who is born from the dead (Ut= Utpann= birth + Preti= Pret= Ghost) |
| Region of origin | Uttarakhand, India |
Upreti / Uprety (Devanagari: उप्रेती; Upretī), is a surname found in Hindu community of Bahun (Nepali Brahmins) or Kumaoni Saraswat Brahmins primarily living in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state of India, all over Nepal and few in Sikkim.
According to their traditions they are the descendents of the Rishi Bharadwaja. Adherent of the Shaivism sect, they worship Shiva as their prime deity.[1]
History
According to Pandit Badri Datt Pande's book History of Kumaon (Hindi: कुमाऊँ का इतिहास)where he quotes Pt. Rudradutt Pant, pp.572- "During the times of the Katyuri Kings, from the Chauki village of Doti, a Kanyakubja Brahmin Shambhu Sharma came to Preti Vilage in Kali Kumaon, and hence the descendants were called Upretys."
In the same section, Badri Datt Pande mentions about the famous Pt. Ramdutt Jyotirvidji who says that Uprada/Upretyada, the estate of the then royal priests Upretys in Gangolihat was given to the Dravid Vajpayee Brahmin Shivprasad who came to Kumaon during the reign of Mankoti kings.
During the time of the Gorkhas, Pt. Jaikrishna Upreti was a famous General whose descendants continue to live in Almora.
Pandit Badri Datt Pande mentions that within Kumaoni brahmins, the Upretys of Patiya, Jhijhad, and Supakot have a common descent, whereas other Upretis belong to a different group (pp572). He also quotes that Pt. Ganga Dutt Uprety claims that a few Upretis are also the original inhabitants of Maharashtra state of the Western India region who later migrated to the Kumaon region.
Thus those who claim to have Kanyakubja origins would have migrated to the Himalaya during the Islamic invasions of the twelfth century, whereas the one from Maharashtra would have moved northward along with the Marathas in the 17th century. The former seems more plausible as the Chand dynasty who ruled Kumaon from the 10th Century onward, after the reign of the Katyuris, came from Kannauj.
They also migrated to Nepal along with other Brahmins from Almora district under the royal patronage of the Hindu Kingdom when the Kumaon region was under the control of the Gorkhas till the Treaty of Sugauli with British India in 1814 A.D.
Notable people with Upreti surname
- Dalip Kumar Upreti; Indian lichenologist
- Mohan Upreti; Indian playwright and theater personality
- Nikhil Upreti; Nepalese actor
- Nilkantha Upreti; Former Election Commissioner of Nepal
See also
References
- ↑ People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Three edited by A. Hasan & J. C. Das Part Three pages 1545 to 1549 Manohar Publications