Batta
Encyclopedia
Anglo-Indian military use
Batta is an Anglo-IndianAnglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
term, probably derived from the Canarese bhatta (rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
in the husk
Husk
Husk in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. It often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective outer covering of a seed, fruit or vegetable...
), meaning a special allowance of pay made to officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
s, soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s, or other public servants in the field.
The amount and circumstances of batta given were complex and made up a substantial amount of the pay received by soldiers. Arguments over allowances led to instances of near-mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
.
With the incorporation of the East India Companys military forces into the Crown's army, much of their allowance of batta was lost since the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
did not receive it.
As a family name
Batta is a family name used in several regions of the world.Batta is more often used as a family name in Europe, though it is also used in India and less so in middle eastern countries.
Batta means "duck" in Arabic. The name probably originated in Hungary Romania region. It is also found in Britain, mostly in Wales.
In olden times several spellings were used, such as Batte, Battey, Bhatte.
Indian use
In India, the Batta surname is mostly used by Honorable highly educated Punjabi Khatri/Rajput people from North India, where the family group originates. Patiala in Indian Punjab has a large number of population with Batta surname.Some say they are siblings of tenth Sikh Guru.
Their caste is Khatri/Rajput (Kamboj) according to Indian caste system. These are Hindu and Sikh people living in the North part of India called Punjab (India)
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
.
Batta's claim Georgian
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
and Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
origin.
Batta people are said to be the descendants of Battaokvilli tribe of Georgian
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
s.