Pradhan (Devanagari: प्रधान) is generally ministerial title ofSanskrit origin used in theIndian subcontinent.[1][2] TheSanskritpradhāna translates to "major" or "prime";[3] however, the more modern Hindi definitions provided by the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary also include "chief" and "leader".[4] The precise interpretation can differ significantly by region. The style was somewhat abandoned by many Indianprincely states during theMughal era in favor ofPersian styles such asWasir andDiwan. Pradhan is also asurname mainly inNepal,India etc.
Pradhan is elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called thePanchayat (village/gram government) in India. ThePradhan, together with other elected members, have the power of constituencies of the gram panchayat. Thepradhan is the focal point of contact between government officers and the village community. The Pradhan title in such setting is mainly used in eastIndian states ofWest Bengal,Bihar,Jharkhand andOdisha. Similarly, in theDeoghar district ofJharkhand, Pradhan is the head of the village who inherits this hereditary office. In some villages, they are also known asMulraiyat.
In Bangladesh, Pradhan is a title sometimes used as a surname most notably by the Muslim village chiefs.
In India, Pradhan is a title used as a surname most notably by theChandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu ofMaharashtra,Khandayat and Chasa caste of Odisha, among others.
In modernNepal, Pradhan is employed as a high-caste lineage surname by a section of theKshatriya (क्षत्रिय) (locally pronouncedChatharīya) caste ofNewārs who trace their roots to north-Indian dynasties like theKarnat andRaghuvanshiRajputs before being absorbed among theSrēṣṭha in the 14th CE. Their traditional title in theMalla society waspradhān mahāpātra (प्रधान महापात्र), also shortened topa:mahju, which was akin to the prime-minister or the chief of the army. Among Newars, the three traditional lineages among Kathmandu and Patan's Pradhans are the Naradevi (Man),Thamel (Nar Singh), and Patan (Man Singh) Pradhans. They are included in the highest tier "Thakuri" (ठकुरी), also written "Thaku" (ठकू), lineage of the Chatharīya (छथरीय, fromSanskrit:क्षत्रिय)Srēṣṭha caste who are the descendants ofMalla (Nepal) royalty and its immediate nobility.[5] The fallout of theUnification of Nepal also prompted many of Bhaktapur's Malla descendants to change their titles as Pradhan or Pradhānānga (-anga (part) of Pradhan), who have since spread all over Nepal. Other family names of Chatharīya consist of lineages Malla,Joshi,Rājbhandārī, Rājvanshī,Raghuvanshi,Hādā,Amātya,Maskey, Karmāchārya, among others, who intermarry with each other.[6][7] Chatharīyas are distinguished by the use of their clan titles (e.g., Pradhān, Malla, Rājbhandārī) instead of the all-encompassing "Shrestha" surname.Newar caste system stratifies them under Kshatriya varna, and the pan-Nepal1854 Muluki Ain stratification placed the Chatharīya Newars among the twice-born, sacred-thread wearingTagadhari group.[8] Owing to their heterogenous roots, Chathariya Pradhans are generally divided among threegotras-Kashyapa,Mandavya, Manav.[9]
In the Indian states ofSikkim and sections ofWest Bengal,Assam andBhutan, Pradhan is a title assumed by all the Newar descendants who had immigrated fromKathmandu Valley to these places primarily since the mid-18th century due to persecution or for trade.[10] Descendants of the various immigrant upper and lowerNewar castes all adopted the title of 'Pradhān' as their singular caste-denoting name, whereas Pradhan in Nepal is only used by descendants of the noble Chatharīya lineages ofKathmandu andPatan.[11] ThePradhans of Sikkim form an influential ethnic group of a homogenous, non-caste and non-endogamous Newar community, which is in sharp contrast to that of the Newars of Nepal which still retains its highly complex, heterogenous, and caste-based society. Due to this reason ofhypergamous and doubtful origins of their lineage status, the Pradhans of Nepal view the caste-status of these Pradhans from Sikkim and Darjeeling with doubt and avoid matrimonial ties with them.[12] Notable Pradhans of Sikkim include trader Chandravir Pradhan (Kayastha), Literary iconParas Mani Pradhan (Shakya), firstChief Justice of NepalHari Prasad Pradhan,Bollywood cinematographerBinod Pradhan, footballerSanju Pradhan,1974 AD lead singerAdrian Pradhan, actorsMenuka Pradhan, Poojana Pradhan,Uttam Pradhan, etc. In terms of India'sAffirmative action policy, they are aForward caste/General in all of India except in Sikkim where, like the entirety of its native Nepali-origin population, Pradhans/Newars are given protective status;Newars, along withBahun andChhetri of Sikkim, have been categorised asOther Backward Class, while the rest of Nepali-speaking Sikkim populace are categorised underScheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.[13]
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