Rajopadhyaya
Rajopadhyaya also called Newari Brahmin (Nepali: राजोपाध्याय) is the main division of Newar Brahmins in Nepal. The Rajopadhyayas claim to originate in
Kanyakubja Brahmins.[1]
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.[2]
Rajopadhyayas are an endogamous
Nepalese Caste System, and they possess immense social prestige and power, especially among the Hindu Newars.[3]
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.[4]
In addition to their duties as purohits to Chatharīyās and Śresțhas, Rajopadhyayas also serve as hereditary pujāris of the following temples:
- Pasupatinath (another UNESCO World Heritage Site: Rajopadhyayas were the chief priest of the temple in the past in Kathmandu
- Taleju temples in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur
- Dui Maju temple in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur
- Kumbheshwor Mahadev in Lalitpur
- Nyatapola (Siddhilaxmi) Temple in Bhaktapur
- Krishna Temple in Patan Durbar Square
- Sano Pashupati in Kathmandu Durbar Square
- Ichangu Narayan Temple in Halchowk
- Shesh Narayan in Farping
- Hanuman Agam temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square
- Laxmi Narayan temple in Changu Narayancomplex
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 [5]
- Vishvanath Upādhyāya of Valimha, Patan [6]
- Sahasra Shivānanda of Indrachowk [7]
- 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
- Bahun
- Nepalese caste system
- Newar caste system
- Shaivism
- Shakta
- Gotras
References
- ^ Declan Quigley, David Gellner (2017). Contested Hierarchies: A Collaborative Ethnography of Caste Among the Newars of Kathmandu. edited by David Gellner & Declan Quigley. Macmillan and Company limited. p. 188.
- ^ 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.
- ISBN 9789993343950.
- ISBN 9789993343950.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Rajopadhyaya, Abhas D. (2017). 'Visvanath Upadhyay: Lalitpur ka Tantrik'. In Rajopadhyaya, Birajkaji. (ed.). Lumanti 1137. Lalitpur: Rajopadhyaya Samaj.
- ^ Rājopādhyāya, Dineshananda. Devatāharūko vaṃśāvalī. (Unpublished).
External links
- https://english.onlinekhabar.com/basav-juju-rajopadhyay-newa-priest.html
- http://www.rajopadhyaya.info
- http://rajopadhyaya.blogspot.com
- Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. (2000). Kubjikā, Kālī, Tripurā, and Trika. ISBN 9783515077729.
- Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. (2001). The Cult of the Goddess Kubjika: A Preliminary Comparative Textual and Anthropological Survey of a Secret Newar Goddess. ISBN 9783515081061.
https://english.onlinekhabar.com/basav-juju-rajopadhyay-newa-priest.html