Parashar's

Bhumihars are known as Babhan. They are acommunity of Brahmins who have taken up Land and given up (TYAGI) priest craft(begging and doing Karmakand) even though there are few karmakandi Bhumiharbrahmins in Hazaribagh Gaya, Patna & Benaras. They are spread fromAfghanistan, Punjab, Maharastra, Gujrat, Kerala to Bihar. In Punjab they wereknown as Mohiyals, Chitapavan,Anavil, Havyak, Niyogi, Barendro but they claim descent from Lord Parshuram.

Actually Lord Parshuram was thefirst Brahmin in History to wear arms and to teach lessons to the Kings andbring them to justice. He also seized their land and handed over to Brahmins.The same brahmins are known as Bhumihar brahmins.

Bhujbalbhumi bhup binu kinhi,

bipul bar maheedevan dinhee.

(Ram-Charit-Manas)

The word Bhumihar derives its name fromsanskrit word “Bhumi" meaning land and Hara meaning maker. Earlierethnographic accounts [Risley, Crooke1896] contain a large number of legends,which trace their Brahmin origin and the Brahmins who abandoned their priestlyprofession and took to landowning. “Babhan" is a corruptform of the word Brahmins. Some scholars, Pandit Hazariprashad Dwivedy and SreeKameshwar Ojha believes; Bhumihar is a short form of Bhumi-AgraharBhojee Brahmin. Brahmins, who were responsible for Agrahar collection.King Harsha of Kannauj appointed them for this purpose.

According to the different standarddictionaries Bhumihar means a community of brahmins of UP&Bihar ( StandardHindi to Hindi dictionary – Manak hindi shabdkosh; Hindi Sahitya Sammelan,Prayag ). Almost all Hindi dictionaries says Bhumihar or Babhan meansBrahmin. According to Sammanantra Kosh Bhumihar brahmins means- Babhan, Tyagi.

As per Kanyakubja Vansawalee,Bhumihars are one of of the divisions of Kanyakubja brahmins. There are fivedivisons of Kanyakubja Brahmins namely Sarvariya, Sanadhaya, Jujhotiya,Bhumihar and Prakrit Kanaujiya, This view was supported by the great historianSir H. Eliot in his book supplemental glossary and also seen in the populationreport, It is also mentioned that all the above said division have commoncustom and traditions.

Suryanarayan Pandey in hisbook Sainik Brahmin has noted that only in twosituation they were seprated from Kanyakubja brahmin the first was, when they werehonoured and given land as AGRAHARAM by the kings of different states andsecond when they were attacked by muslim ruler. They wanted to preserve Hinducultural heritage so they came to Eastern Kashi.

Lot of other Brahmins also havemixed and mingled with Bhumihar Brahmins such as Prachin Brahmins of Biharknown as SOBARNIYA has Savarna Gotra, Jujhotiya from Bundelkhand Sarvariya andSanadhya from Kanyakubja Tatiha, Nokhuliya of Nonhtar of Bithur, Kinvar ofAakin(Kanpur), Baruar of Bafra, Sankarvar of Fatehpur, Pahitipuri Pandey ofPahitiya, Hirapuri Pandey of Haripur Unnav, Eksariya of Hastinapur(Mohiyal-Bali).

Sources:

1. Manak Hindi Sabdkosh- Hindi SahityaSammelan, Prayag,(Ramchandra verma and group)

2. Sammanatra Sabdakosh-National Book Trust (Sri Arbinda kumar and Kusum Kumar)

3. 543 faces of India by H.D.Singh,Newsmen publisher.New Delhi

4. Vikash Ki Ek Dhara – Kuldeep narayan Jhadap

5. KANYAKUBJA VANSAVALEE-MUKUNDRAM

6. Brahamarshi Vansha Vistar – Swami Sahjananda

7. Sainik brahmin – Pandey Suryanarayan sharma.

8. Jujhotiya brahmin ke itihas kee ruprekha – Pt.Gorelal tewari

9. Mohiyal History-Chunilal Dutta

10. Brahmnotpatee Bhaskar (Pt Batuk Prasad Mishra )

11. Shree Saryuparee vansawali – Acharya Rajnarayan Shukla

12. Sarvariya brahamnotpati Deep – Ram Lagan Tripathy

13. History of Kanyakubja-Pt.Raghunandan Mishra

14. Shree Shree Swami 1008 RANGARAMANUJACHARYA-HULASGANJ GAYA

15. Shree Swami RAMPRAPANNACHARYA-KATRASIN Jehanabad,Gaya