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 the
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu of
Maharashtra,
Khandayat and
Chasa caste of Odisha, among others. In modern
Nepal, Pradhan is employed as a high-caste lineage surname by a section of the
Kshatriya (क्षत्रिय) (locally pronounced
Chatharīya) caste of
Newārs who trace their roots to north-Indian dynasties like the
Karnat and
Raghuvanshi Rajputs before being absorbed among the
Srēṣṭha in the 14th CE. Their traditional title in the
Malla society was
pradhān mahāpātra (प्रधान महापात्र), also shortened to
pa: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, from )
Srēṣṭha caste who are the descendants of
Malla (Nepal) royalty and its immediate nobility. The fallout of the
Unification 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. 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-Nepal
1854 Muluki Ain stratification placed the Chatharīya Newars among the twice-born, sacred-thread wearing
Tagadhari group. Owing to their heterogenous roots, Chathariya Pradhans are generally divided among three
gotras-
Kashyapa,
Mandavya, Manav. In the Indian states of
Sikkim and sections of
West Bengal,
Assam and
Bhutan, Pradhan is a title assumed by all the Newar descendants who had immigrated from
Kathmandu Valley to these places primarily since the mid-18th century due to persecution or for trade. Many of these Newars were granted the title of
Taksars as well as
Thikadar who were given high aristocratic privileges by the
British. In 1867, Laxmimidas Kasaju (Kayastha) was the first Nepali to be given territories in East and South Sikkim by Khangsa Dewan and Phudong Lama by issuing a
Sanad(ordinance). Laxmidas and his brother Chandrabir Kasaju divided the areas into number of estates to be distributed within the members of the family. Another Newar family led by Chandrabir Maskey settled in Sadam, South Sikkim. Within time, descendants of various immigrant upper and lower
Newar 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 of
Kathmandu and
Patan. The
Pradhans 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 of
hypergamous 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. In terms of India's
Affirmative action policy, they are a
Forward 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 with
Bahun and
Chhetri of Sikkim, have been categorised as
Other Backward Class, while the rest of Nepali-speaking Sikkim populace are categorised under
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Notable
Pradhans of Sikkim and surrounding areas include trader Chandravir Pradhan (Kayastha), Literary icon
Paras Mani Pradhan (Shakya), first
Chief Justice of Nepal
Hari Prasad Pradhan,
Bollywood cinematographer
Binod Pradhan, footballer
Sanju Pradhan,
1974 AD lead singer
Adrian Pradhan, actors
Menuka Pradhan, Poojana Pradhan,
Uttam Pradhan, etc. ==Usages==