Thakur (title)

Thakur is a historical feudal title of the Indian subcontinent. It is also used as a surname in the present day. The female variant of the title is Thakurani or Thakurain, and is also used to describe the wife of a Thakur.

There are varying opinions among scholars about its origin. Some scholars suggest that it is not mentioned in the Sanskrit texts preceding 500 BCE, but speculates that it might have been a part of the vocabulary of the dialects spoken in northern India before the Gupta Empire. It is viewed to have been derived from word Thakkura which, according to several scholars, was not an original word of the Sanskrit language but a borrowed word in the Indian lexis from the Tukharistan region of Uzbekistan. Another view-point is that Thakkura is a loan word from the Prakrit language.

Scholars have suggested differing meanings for the word, i.e. "god", "lord", and "master of the estate". Academics have suggested that it was only a title, and in itself, did not grant any authority to its users "to wield some power in the state".

In India, this title is widely used by the people belonging to the Rajput community^[1]^[2] while few people of other communities also use this title include communities such as, Bengali Brahmins,^[3]^[4] Bhumihars,^[5] Charans^[6] and Kolis.^[7]^[8]^[9]

^ Frankel, Francine R.; Rao, M. S. A.; Madhugiri, Shamarao; Rao, Ananthapadmanabha (1989). Dominance and State Power in Modern India. Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-19-562098-6. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023. Thakur and rajput have been used interchangeably to refer to castes of Kshatriya rank.
^ Gupta, Dipankar “Pandit or Baman for Brahmin and Thakur for Rajput. These are common north Indian appellations for the members of these castes.” (8 December 2004). Caste in Question: Identity Or Hierarchy?. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-0-7619-3324-3.
^ Cite error: The named reference SKD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Syed Ashraf Ali (4 May 2013). "From Thakur to Tagore". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
^ KS Singh (1998). India's Communities vol 6. OUP. p. 471. ISBN 978-0-19-563354-2. In Bihar , the Babhan are also known as Bhumihar Brahman . They have titles such as Rai , Singh , Pandey , Tiwari , Chaudhry and Thakur.
^ Saksena, B. S. (1965). "The Phenomenon Of Feudal Loyalty : A Case Study In Sirohi State". The Indian Journal of Political Science. 26 (4): 121–128. ISSN 0019-5510. JSTOR 41854129. Among jagirdars, all were not Rajputs. Jagirs were also granted to Charans and Brahmins. They were also known as thakurs.
^ Mishra, Kuldeep (18 December 2017). "गुजरात और उत्तर प्रदेश की राजनीति कैसे अलग है?". BBC News हिंदी (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
^ Misra, Bankey Bihari (1970). The Administrative History of India, 1834-1947: General Administration. New Delhi, India, Asia: Oxford University Press. pp. 468: Similar to these were certain estates held on payment of rentals settled in the lump with their heads called Koli thakurs. ISBN 978-0-19-560134-3. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
^ Banerjee, Supurna; Ghosh, Nandini (17 September 2018). Caste and Gender in Contemporary India: Power, Privilege and Politics. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-78395-1.

[1] Frankel, Francine R.; Rao, M. S. A.; Madhugiri, Shamarao; Rao, Ananthapadmanabha (1989). Dominance and State Power in Modern India. Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-19-562098-6. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023. Thakur and rajput have been used interchangeably to refer to castes of Kshatriya rank.

[2] Gupta, Dipankar “Pandit or Baman for Brahmin and Thakur for Rajput. These are common north Indian appellations for the members of these castes.” (8 December 2004). Caste in Question: Identity Or Hierarchy?. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-0-7619-3324-3.

[SKD-3] Cite error: The named reference SKD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[4] Syed Ashraf Ali (4 May 2013). "From Thakur to Tagore". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2023.

[5] KS Singh (1998). India's Communities vol 6. OUP. p. 471. ISBN 978-0-19-563354-2. In Bihar , the Babhan are also known as Bhumihar Brahman . They have titles such as Rai , Singh , Pandey , Tiwari , Chaudhry and Thakur.

[6] Saksena, B. S. (1965). "The Phenomenon Of Feudal Loyalty : A Case Study In Sirohi State". The Indian Journal of Political Science. 26 (4): 121–128. ISSN 0019-5510. JSTOR 41854129. Among jagirdars, all were not Rajputs. Jagirs were also granted to Charans and Brahmins. They were also known as thakurs.

[7] Mishra, Kuldeep (18 December 2017). "गुजरात और उत्तर प्रदेश की राजनीति कैसे अलग है?". BBC News हिंदी (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.

[bkb-8] Misra, Bankey Bihari (1970). The Administrative History of India, 1834-1947: General Administration. New Delhi, India, Asia: Oxford University Press. pp. 468: Similar to these were certain estates held on payment of rentals settled in the lump with their heads called Koli thakurs. ISBN 978-0-19-560134-3. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.

[9] Banerjee, Supurna; Ghosh, Nandini (17 September 2018). Caste and Gender in Contemporary India: Power, Privilege and Politics. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-78395-1.

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