Varshney
Encyclopedia
Varshney, Varshnei, Varshnai, Varshnaya, Varshni, Vrishni
or Vrushni are family names from India
. They are variant spellings of the name Varshneya, first recorded in the Mahābhārata
as used by Arjuna
to address Vasudeva Krishna. This group is collectively known as Barahseni, which also includes some other family names such as Dwadashreni.
The Barahseni are a sub-caste found in Uttar Pradesh
.
Their name is a combination of the words barah meaning twelve and sena meaning army. The Barahseni are found mainly in western Uttar Pradesh
, and in particular in the districts of Aligarh
, Bulandshahr
, Mathura District
, Agra
and Badaun
. They speak both Hindi
and Khariboli
, and have customs somewhat similar to other Bania castes. The Barahseni were the traditional bankers of North India
, while many, especially in Aligarh District
, were substantial landowners.
In religious terms, Varshney consider themselves to be progenies of Sri Akrurji
Maharaj.
Although the Varshney community remains centred in western Uttar Pradesh
, many have migrated around the world. The name traditionally represents the business community and also some landowners and former zamindar
s. A large number have also entered other walks of life including the profession
s and Civil Services. Not all members of the Varshney community use the word Varshney as their surname; many, perhaps half of them, use Gupta
.
The cultural anthropology of Varshneys is closely connected to the city of Mathura.
Vrishni
The Vrishnis were an ancient Indian clan who were believed as the descendants of Vrishni, a descendent of Yadu. It is believed that Vrishni was son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari and Madri. He has a son named Devamidhusha by his wife Madri....
or Vrushni are family names from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are variant spellings of the name Varshneya, first recorded in the Mahābhārata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
as used by Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
to address Vasudeva Krishna. This group is collectively known as Barahseni, which also includes some other family names such as Dwadashreni.
The Barahseni are a sub-caste found in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
.
Their name is a combination of the words barah meaning twelve and sena meaning army. The Barahseni are found mainly in western Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, and in particular in the districts of Aligarh
Aligarh District
Aligarh District is a district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Its district seat is located in the city of Aligarh .The Aligarh District belongs to Aligarh Division...
, Bulandshahr
Bulandshahr District
Bulandshahar District is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. Bulandshahr city is the district headquarters.-Geography:...
, Mathura District
Mathura District
Mathura District is a district of Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. The historic town of Mathura is the district headquarters.The district is bounded on the northeast by Aligarh District, on the southeast by Hathras District, on the south by Agra District, and on the west by Rajasthan and...
, Agra
Agra District
Agra District is one of the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and the historical city of Agra is the district headquarters. Agra district is a part of Agra division.-Geography:...
and Badaun
Badaun District
Budaun district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Budaun town is the district headquarters. Budaun district is a part of Bareilly division. The district covers an area of 5168 km²...
. They speak both Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Khariboli
Khariboli
Khariboli , also Khari Boli, Khadiboli, Khadi Boli or simply Khari, is a Western Hindi dialect spoken mainly in the rural surroundings of Delhi, the northern areas of Western Uttar Pradesh and the southern areas of Uttarakhand in India...
, and have customs somewhat similar to other Bania castes. The Barahseni were the traditional bankers of North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
, while many, especially in Aligarh District
Aligarh District
Aligarh District is a district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Its district seat is located in the city of Aligarh .The Aligarh District belongs to Aligarh Division...
, were substantial landowners.
In religious terms, Varshney consider themselves to be progenies of Sri Akrurji
Sri Akrurji
Akrura was a chief of the Yadavas, an ancient people of India, and a descendant of the Vrishni kula . He is worshipped as Shri Akrurji Maharaj by the present-day Varshney community and is also known as Babrhu....
Maharaj.
Although the Varshney community remains centred in western Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, many have migrated around the world. The name traditionally represents the business community and also some landowners and former zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s. A large number have also entered other walks of life including the profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
s and Civil Services. Not all members of the Varshney community use the word Varshney as their surname; many, perhaps half of them, use Gupta
Gupta
Gupta is a common surname of Indian origin.According to some academicians, the name Gupta is derived from Sanskrit goptri, meaning military governor. A more direct translation of the Sanskrit word gupta is 'secret' or 'hidden'. According to prominent historian R. C...
.
The cultural anthropology of Varshneys is closely connected to the city of Mathura.
Notable people with this name
- Rajeev Kumar VarshneyRajeev Kumar VarshneyRajeev Kumar Varshney is a geneticist currently working as Principal Scientist- Applied Genomics at International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics , Patancheru, India and also Theme Leader - Comparative and Applied Genomics , , hosted at CIMMYT, Mexico.Rajeev Varshney has over 10...
, Principal Scientist at ICRISAT - Ishwar Das VarshneiIshwar Das VarshneiIshwar Das Varshnei was the father of the glass industry in India. He was born in Aligarh and was the son of Lala Jagannath Prasad and grandson of Lala Gabdamal, famous cloth merchants in Sikandra Rao. He received the S. B...
(died 1948), called "father of the glass industry" in India - Y. P. Varshni (born 1932), physicist
External links
- Shri Varshney Samaj Noida - site run by a group of the Varshney community residing in New Okhla Industrial Development Authority in Uttar Pradesh
- Shri Varshney Mandir Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, India