Ghaisas
Encyclopedia
Ghaisas as a surname is prevalent only in Chitpavan
brahmans
of the Bharadwaj gotra
who hail from the Konkan
region of western Maharashtra
.
, the Third king of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty
where it was being referred to as "Gahiyasahas". The word however has meaning and refers to the intellectual abilities of a person who can explore into complex subjects.
Historically, Ghaisas had proficiency in astrology
. This profession led them to be experts in matchmaking
and also in the calculation of the precise time called "muhurta
" for solemnising marriages and other religious ceremonies. Time was measured by placing a brass bowl having a minute hole in its bottom into a big urn filled with water. To arrive at the muhurta, needed skills and complex calculation of weight and area as an empty bowl was required to be filled in exactly 1 Ghatika (equivalent to 24 minutes), a measure of time in those days.
Forecasts based on Astrology as well as calculation of time was called ‘Ghatit’, the word was derived from ‘Ghatika-paatra’ i.e bowl. The method of exploring these probables was an exercise of intellect, which very few people could achieve, and was therefore called Gahiyasahas. The person doing this was called ‘Gahiyasahasik’.
There is another attribute to the word 'Gahiyasahas', meaning the administrator of justice and of religious offences. Ghaisas were also holding the posts of ‘Dharmadhikari’, a person who used to take decisions of ‘Garhya’ i.e. despisable misdeeds relating to religion.The exercise needed utmost caution and deep knowledge of religious matters. These persons were called ‘Dharmik Garhyasahasik’.
The third attribute to the word ‘Gahiyasahasik’ can be found in the history of Karnataka.
There were several ‘Ghatika’s meaning religious centers in ancient times, which used to impart advanced learning in various fields of knowledge. Since admission to these Ghatikasthana’s were given only to merited students who excelled in learning, it was known as ‘Ghatikasahas’. In colloquial language, the word got converted into the present surname.
References to the surname are found on a Bronze plaque i.e. Tamra-pat, which dates back to eleventh century. There is an akin surname called ‘Ghalasasi’, however it belongs to persons of Vatsa
Gotra.
Thus it is evident that the surname has been derived from their profession. In a brass scroll of Bagewadi of 12th century, Ghaisas have been attributed with several surnames which means it belonged to various families and professions. The surname at that time was used in respect for extra-ordinary proficiency in Vedanta
, Nyaya (Judicial matters), Tarka (Logic
), Astrology, Literature
(Grammar),etc.
Ghaisas were also good at writing manuscript
s and reports, including those on stones (shila-lekhs). This job ran through the generations in Ghaisas and a reference to that effect can be seen on a tamra-pat (bronze plaque) of the Year 1060, belonging to the King Mamruni of Shilahara
Kingdom found at Diveagar
in Konkan. This plaque is first of it’s kind and is written in Prakrut
Marathi
.
Brahman
’s of Bharadwaj Gotra
, originating from Kelshi, a small village in the Konkan region of western Maharashtra. Over a period of time these Ghaisas migrated to different places like Pune
, Mumbai
, Trimbak
eshwar and in the states of Karnataka
and Gujarat for livelihood. Today, they have dispersed to even far off places like U.S.A., Australia
, etc. Many of them have earned name and prosperity, by their hardwork and intellect. Ghaisas have had a great tradition of excellence in the fields education
, law
, astrology
and Vedic rituals
and knowledge. Today’s generations have embraced the newer fields of technology and software equally well.
Chitpavan
The Chitpavan or Chitpawan, also known as Konkanastha Brahmins , are a Smarta Brahmin community of Konkan, the coastal region of western Maharashtra in India....
brahmans
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
of the Bharadwaj gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
who hail from the Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
region of western Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
.
About Ghaisas Surname
This surname is quite unusual in the sense that it is neither a title, nor does it relate to a place. It is therefore interesting to know the history of its origin which can be traced back to an Eighth century stone engraving (shila lekh) from the period of Govinda IIGovinda II
Govinda II was an emperor of the Rashtrakuta Empire after Krishna I.The eldest son of Krishna I, Govinda II left the administration to his younger brother Dhruva Dharavarsha, also known as Nirupama...
, the Third king of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty
Rashtrakuta Dynasty
The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...
where it was being referred to as "Gahiyasahas". The word however has meaning and refers to the intellectual abilities of a person who can explore into complex subjects.
Historically, Ghaisas had proficiency in astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
. This profession led them to be experts in matchmaking
Matchmaking
Matchmaking is any process of matching two people for the purpose of marriage or a sporting contest.-Practice:In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized...
and also in the calculation of the precise time called "muhurta
Muhurta
Muhurta is a Hindu unit of measurement for time in the Hindu calendar . A Muhurta equals 2 Ghadiyas or approximately 48 minutes. It is stated in Manu Samhita that eighteen nimeshas , thirty kashthas one kala, thirty kalas one muhurta, and as many one day and night.- Muhurtas :The following...
" for solemnising marriages and other religious ceremonies. Time was measured by placing a brass bowl having a minute hole in its bottom into a big urn filled with water. To arrive at the muhurta, needed skills and complex calculation of weight and area as an empty bowl was required to be filled in exactly 1 Ghatika (equivalent to 24 minutes), a measure of time in those days.
Forecasts based on Astrology as well as calculation of time was called ‘Ghatit’, the word was derived from ‘Ghatika-paatra’ i.e bowl. The method of exploring these probables was an exercise of intellect, which very few people could achieve, and was therefore called Gahiyasahas. The person doing this was called ‘Gahiyasahasik’.
There is another attribute to the word 'Gahiyasahas', meaning the administrator of justice and of religious offences. Ghaisas were also holding the posts of ‘Dharmadhikari’, a person who used to take decisions of ‘Garhya’ i.e. despisable misdeeds relating to religion.The exercise needed utmost caution and deep knowledge of religious matters. These persons were called ‘Dharmik Garhyasahasik’.
The third attribute to the word ‘Gahiyasahasik’ can be found in the history of Karnataka.
There were several ‘Ghatika’s meaning religious centers in ancient times, which used to impart advanced learning in various fields of knowledge. Since admission to these Ghatikasthana’s were given only to merited students who excelled in learning, it was known as ‘Ghatikasahas’. In colloquial language, the word got converted into the present surname.
References to the surname are found on a Bronze plaque i.e. Tamra-pat, which dates back to eleventh century. There is an akin surname called ‘Ghalasasi’, however it belongs to persons of Vatsa
Vatsa
Vatsa was one of the solasa Mahajanapadas of Uttarapatha of ancient India mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya....
Gotra.
Thus it is evident that the surname has been derived from their profession. In a brass scroll of Bagewadi of 12th century, Ghaisas have been attributed with several surnames which means it belonged to various families and professions. The surname at that time was used in respect for extra-ordinary proficiency in Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
, Nyaya (Judicial matters), Tarka (Logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
), Astrology, Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
(Grammar),etc.
Ghaisas were also good at writing manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s and reports, including those on stones (shila-lekhs). This job ran through the generations in Ghaisas and a reference to that effect can be seen on a tamra-pat (bronze plaque) of the Year 1060, belonging to the King Mamruni of Shilahara
Shilahara
The Shilahara Dynasty was a feudal clan that established itself in northern and southern Konkan and southern Maharashtra during the Rashtrakuta period...
Kingdom found at Diveagar
Diveagar Beach
Diveagar is one of the best beachside villages along the Konkan coast in Raigad district of the state of Maharashtra, India….Diveagar Beach is located approximately 170 kilometers south of Mumbai. The beach is accessible from the Mumbai-Goa highway .Diveagar beach is or approximately six...
in Konkan. This plaque is first of it’s kind and is written in Prakrut
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
.
Current Status
All Ghaisas are believed to be ChitpavanChitpavan
The Chitpavan or Chitpawan, also known as Konkanastha Brahmins , are a Smarta Brahmin community of Konkan, the coastal region of western Maharashtra in India....
Brahman
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
’s of Bharadwaj Gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
, originating from Kelshi, a small village in the Konkan region of western Maharashtra. Over a period of time these Ghaisas migrated to different places like Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Trimbak
Trimbak
Trimbak is a city and a municipal council in Nashik District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple is located here. The origin of the sacred Godavari river is near Trimbak.-Geography:...
eshwar and in the states of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and Gujarat for livelihood. Today, they have dispersed to even far off places like U.S.A., Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, etc. Many of them have earned name and prosperity, by their hardwork and intellect. Ghaisas have had a great tradition of excellence in the fields education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
and Vedic rituals
Historical Vedic religion
The religion of the Vedic period is a historical predecessor of Hinduism. Its liturgy is reflected in the mantra portion of the four Vedas, which are compiled in Sanskrit. The religious practices centered on a clergy administering rites...
and knowledge. Today’s generations have embraced the newer fields of technology and software equally well.
Notable Ghaisas
- Deepak GhaisasDeepak GhaisasDeepak Ghaisas is the chairman of Gencoval Strategic Services Pvt Ltd. Previously he was the CEO - India Operations and CFO of I-flex Solutions Ltd., India. He has worked in the software industry since 1987....
, entrepreneur in fields of information technology and biotechnology. - Diwakar Ghaisas, a noted author on HinduHinduHindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
religion and Hindu philosophyHindu philosophyHindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...
, authored more than 150 books in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and MarathiMarathi languageMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most... - Moreshwarshastri Ghaisas
- Dr. Suresh Govind Ghaisas - ENTOtolaryngologyOtolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
Specialist - Dr. Nitin Ghaisas - Heart Specialist
- Dr. Dilip Ghaisas - Gynaecologist
- Dr. Virendra Suresh Ghaisas - ENT Specialist
- Anand Ghaisas - Senior Scientific Officer, TIFRTata Institute of Fundamental ResearchThe Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is a research institution in India dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India. It is located at Navy Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai...
- Vikrant Ghaisas, a national level sports pistol and rapid fire shooter from Pune