According to one Nepali Historian, there was Zero number of people who had 'Shrestha' as their last name. Now there are over Million Nepalis who have their last name 'Shrestha'. It sounds like every Nepali has some kind of connection with this last name.

I m sorry i have to bring this thread to life again. I know the Shrestha people will hate me for doing this. I m actually doing this research for my paper.

Yesterday I was searching on facebook site and I found a few exciting facebook pages about Shrestha. Here are some:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-love-Newari-dressfoodculture/109811961138?v=wall

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Why-so-many-Nepalis-have-their-Last-Name-SHRESTHA-/234385538031?v=wall

hope you will add some comments on the posts :_)

hey MADHESI brother, we all know that you re not a madhesi. And I have nothing to do with Shresthas. All I wanted to know is the truth about them and pass my exam ;)

Sorry to bring back this ancient thread but I am very interested to know about this topic. I know for a fact that a good chunk of those who write Shrestha in places especially outside of Kathmandu are not infact real Shrestha Newars, they might not even be Newars frankly. I don't know why this fascination towards this one surname, but it sure has made many people change their heritage. In Sikkim too where everybody writes Pradhan despite not being actual Pradhans have started writing Shrestha these days. Why? If anbody could care to answer...

Here I would like to say some few words
Pradhan didn't come to Nepal during Rana regime they were there who was centre of politics before Prithivi Narayan Shah. They even had power to change kings in Patan. One of the malls king was blinded by Pradhans you should have heard about 6th Pradhan. Pradhan are mainly Chhetri .the value of Pradhan detonated when most of the people from Darjeeling Sikkim and kalimpong started using it as it last name.
Now let talk about others
If you look at shahi kasai etc there we the rulers during goal dynasty. When Kirat came they were made slave. Even after wards when caste system was introduced by thiti malla all the oppents and people who were doomed as raj dhroh their wife and kids were given to them. So if you see shahi kasai and see their features they have mixed blood for long time and they are the most beautiful people both men and women. Will make another post about Shrestha

^
Thanks for the info! I was scanning through the earlier posts and someone said Pradhan are dhan/rice carrier and they came to Nepal in the Rana era. That person maybe deluded just to come up with a bullshit story just because of the similarity between Pra-DHAN and dhan.

As far as I know (and have read) Newar Pradhans usually are of 4 types/lineages/clans/gotra; Munshi Singh Khalak (of Patan), Thamel's Bir Singh Khalak (who are staunchly Buddhist), Nuchhen khalak (lower Kathmandu), and the Pradhananga (of Bhaktapur) All these 'khalaks' were associated as being 'Mahapatra' which would be akin to today's Prime Minister or Chief of Army. They are not Chhetri as in the Pahade Chhetri but as someone above has rightly pointed out, they fall in Thaku or Chathariya (which is Newari for Thakur or Kshatriya). Pradhanang are of Maithil Karnat origin (just like Mallas), Munshi Singh are of Rajawat Rajput clan, Thamel's Bir Singh are Licchavi-kaalin maha-samantas (pamaju)... they're all from different ethnic-heritage but they all have the same history of being the noble bhardaari clan from whom the Malla kings chose their chief ministers and also their wives just like how the Ranas secured their place among the Shahs through marriage and power. This made them very powerful and was one of the reasons why the Mallas faltered.

I've researched about the Sikkim Darjeeling Pradhans - the three Newar nobles who fled Kathmandu Valley from the Gorkhalis and made Sikkim their homes were Chandravir Maske, Lakshidas Kasaju (Kayastha), and Parasmani Shakya. Today's Pradhans of Darjeeling and Sikkim are believed to be descendants of mainly these 3 folks, so how come/on what circumstance did they adopt Pradhan instead of their original (and still as far as I know very respectable, high-caste) surnames?

गुल्लाडेहरु साझामा बसेर भाडभैलो मच्चाओ | आजको २० - २५ बर्समा भारतीयले सिक्का जमाई सक्नेछन |
एक साता अघिको अनुभब :
7.3 को भुईचालो आए पछि नया बजारमा घर ढलेछ , सवारी साधन सबै बन्द बाटामा एउटा घर छिरी हालु भनि र खालि हात नजाउ भनि मौसम किन्ने बिचारले उएटा पसलेले लाइ सोध्दा किलोको १६० भन्यो र दिने १५० भन्यो | अर्कोमा राम्रो छ कि भनेर गए, सायद मेरो बोलिचालिले थाहा पायो कि के हो मैले तेस्ले १५० मा दिदैछ तेतीमा दिनु हुन्छा भन्दा तेस्को बोलीको TONE सुने पछि मैले दोश्रो शब्द नबोली हिडे |
एक दिन एस्तो दिन आउँ धेरै बर्स बाकि छैन तपाइँ हामीले उनीहरु संग डराउनु पर्ने छ ? साच्चै भन्नु हुन्छा भने म डराएको पनि थिए कि जस्तो लाग्यो ? जुन टोनमा जबाफ दियो : उसको लागि म कोहि हैन , किन्दैन्स भने मेरो पसल अघि पनि न ऊभियु भनेको महसुस गरे | म पनि केहि नभनी खुरु खुरु आफ्नो बाटो लागे |

जाठाहो तिमीहरु पनि त्यो खाते नेताहरुको चरित्र भन्दा कम का छौनौ !

Shrestha is like Smith in the US

Because they think they are better than others that's why they r "shrestha"

If u think u r better than others u can change our family name to "shrestha"

And if u think u r best of all u can change ur family name to "sarba shrestha"

kasto khate discussion ho yaar. lets make our last name Nepali. united we stand divided we fall.

My two cents:
Newars are not a caste, rather they are a linguistic community, a conglomeration of Tibetian, Indo-Aryan and Astroloids/dravidians. Look at diverse physiognomies the Newar people flaunt; most of Shresthas, Pradhans, Mallas etc. resemble Chhetris, with a slight hint of chinky eyes. I read somewhere the surnames like Shrestha, Pradhan, Maskey, Rajbhandari, Joshi, Malla, Amatya etc. are called Chha-thare Newars (transliteration of Chhetri?). Even before annexation to Gorkha, Nepal Khaldo had Khas andThakuris, where did they go? Most probably all became Newars.

jaat bhat ko kura garna chodde dikka lagdo

Some people still fucking live in Stone Age.

Answer:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bruce-jenner-kardashians-get-emotional-796431

o_o how is it racist to know about your history or heritage? Yes I don't agree with Bichitra_Kumar's "sarba-shrestha" bullshit meanings as it makes zero sense in today's world. But is it jati-badi to even bring up the name of your surname or try to question a bit of your social reality and history? These people are probably the same people who still like to cling on correcting everyone they meet that on one hand they are "Brahmins" not Bahuns, despite having no similarity with what the word conveys, and in the other hand they're the ones who say let's not talk about caste and all that bullshit.

Maybe filter out the things and avoid implying or writing anything that suggests 'higher' or 'lower'. But this does not mean completely blank out the story or the history...

यो लिखुरे तोरी ले के खाले टोपीक निकालेको हो कुन्नि !पक्का पनि यो गुले** कुनै च्याखुरे बाहुन** नै हुनुपर्छ भन्ने हाम्लाई लैराहम!! घरि हाम्रे काले पिले मधेसी लिडर सी के रावत लाई घरि भोटे आंग काजी र असोक राई लाई र अब हाम्रो भुस्तिग्रे ज्यापू दाजुभाई माथि पनि अटैक. "यो ट अटी भयो ल- छु ड्याउ छु ड्याउ माम्पका चिम्मयामासी***** लिखुरे गुले**बाहुन***"

DHOTI भैया तिमीले सबै नेवार समुदाय लाई होच्याउने प्रबृतिले "ज्यापु" भन्नु र त्यो sterotypical accent मा बोल्नु ले केबल तिम्रो अज्ञानाता र अशक्षमता लाई मात्र प्रस्ट पार्दछ। जाउ बरु १० कक्षा पास गरी आउ र साथ मा नेवार सभ्यता को बारेमा केहि सिकेर आउ। तिमीलाई के यो थाहा छ कि नेपालको शाशण गर्ने (जो पछी गएर त्यही नेवार समुदाय मा समाबेश भए) सम्पुर्ण राजकुल - गोपाली, लिचवी, वर्धन, मल्ल हरु - मधेसी नै हुन। मधेश कै मिश्र झा ओझा तृपाठी इत्यादी ब्राह्मण लाई उच्च दर्जा दिई अहिलेको नेवार पुरोहित राजोपाध्याय बनाईयो र राजपुत, कायस्थ, चौहान, सिंह, रावत, इत्यादी कुलहरुलाई पनि समाजमा श्रेष्ठतम दर्जा दिईयो। तर अहिले आएर मधेसीहरुकै दाजु-भाई दिदी-बहिनी काठमाडौंका नेवार सन्ततीहरु प्रती देखाईने क्रोध र C.K. Raut जस्ता कुपुत हरुकै संगत र भावले हेर्ने र व्यवहार गर्ने भएकाले नै होला नेवारहरुमा एउटा उखान नै छ - मनु मखु मर्स्या ख:, यानी मान्छे होईन मर्स्या/मधिसे हो। सबै नेवार लाई ज्यापु भन्नु गन्धर्भ, बिश्वकर्मा, छेत्री, ठकुरि, आदी पहाडे-खस समुदाय लाई पनि केबल 'बाहुन' भन्नु हो, वा मधेशकै ब्राह्मण, कायस्थ, राजपुत लाई चन्डाल र डोम कै सँज्ञा दिनु हो। चन्डाल र डोम को सँज्ञा दिनु गलत हो भनेको होईन, तर के यसले समाजिक सत्य तथ्य पेश गर्छ, के यसले उनिहरुको इतिहास को यथार्थ लाई चितृत गर्छ ?

'ज्यापु' शब्द कुनै नराम्रो अर्थ होईन है फेरि, तर ज्यापु समुदाय (महर्जन, डंगोल, सुवाल, सिंह, प्रजापति, इत्यादि) बाहेक बाँकी सम्पुर्ण नेवार समाज र समुदाय लाई पनि निच र होच्याउने प्रबृती मा भनिने बेला चाहिँ 'ज्यापु' भन्नु केवल racist stereotype हो।

*Rajesh BP पनि गुले** परेछ/
अनि हामी मधेसको काले पिले हरु सब लाई धोति भानिलिदा नि ?????वेल! ****म खाते हिस्टोरियेन त हैन / जस्त ले-म्यान "इंडिया र अरब कोनट्री बाट बसाई सरेर आएको च्याखुरे" बाहुन***छेत्री हरु को टर्म मा जेनारलैज़ गरेर भन्दा पहाड भन्दा माथि को सब भोटे**, तराई मा म जस्तो तोर्पे* हरु सब मधिसे धोति** भैहाल्यो काठमाडौँ को सब ज्यापू**!!!
यो ट्रु हैन भने येसो दाया बाया हेरेर गेडा*** कनै देउन त सोल्टा

हैन DHOTI किन हो मधेसी को खोक्रो मास्क लगाएर किन आफ्नै खिल्ली उडाउँछौ?

Anyway going back to the topic, I finally found some good research evidence on this question that actually is similar or legitimizes many things previous posters have written in this thread. I guess this finally answers the question -

Although many belonging to Srēṣṭha or Śeśyah caste began to adopt ‘Shrestha’ as their caste name as early as the 18th century, unlike other Newar castes, the surname "Shrestha" is found in every district of Nepal. One of the reasons behind it is the adoption of Shrestha as one’s surname once a family belonging to any of the Newar caste moves to settle far off places from the Kathmandu Valley. Shrestha surname is equated to all the Newars in the areas outside of Kathmandu Valley. Other castes like Sakya, Vajracharya, Prajapati, Jyapu and Jogi all adopted Shrestha as their caste name. Similarly, cross breed children begot from a Newar and any other caste/ethnicity also adopted Shrestha as their caste name. Many lower castes have also adopted the name Shrestha; the status they then assume tends to be expressed in the traditional idiom i.e., one moves up to a higher hierarchic (ascribed) position like well-to-do Jyapus assuming the name ‘Shrestha’. Similarly, outside Nepal, for instance in Darjeeling and Sikkim, almost all the Newars used ‘Pradhan’, another high-caste Srēṣṭa surname, as their common name. The Newars of Nepal however see the status and purity of these Pradhan from Sikkim and Darjeeling with doubt as they do with the Shrestha of Nepal.

http://www.academia.edu/1434675/CastesAmongNewars_Status_of_Shrestha
Subba, J. R. (2011). History, Culture and Customs of Sikkim

Also, this from Wikipedia but it seems legit-

"Presently, many Panchthariya Shresthas opt to write "Shrestha" instead of their traditional family clan names indicating their specific occupations. Char-thariya Shrestha are even lowered in the social status and consists of those from non-Srestha background who try to emulate or establish the Srestha (Chhathariya and Panchthariya) status by pretending their norms or simply, in many cases, adopting the general caste-denoting surname like 'Shrestha' or in other instances 'Joshi', 'Singh', 'Achaju', or 'Pradhan'. Panchthariya and especially Chathariya reject the claims of such pretensions and prevent caste endogamy and commensality with such groups."

Shrestha is nt a actual surname..it's jst an entitlement given to some newar community because they were very good in trade(that's what Shrestha means in Sanskrit ;best). Actually all the Shresthas have their own surnames..the panchthatiya Shresthas usually write Shrestha instead of actual surnames BT the chathariya Shrestha like amatya,joshi prefer using their own surnames..and those who use shrestha as surname if can't tell their middle surname( which is the actual surname) then believe it they aren't the actual Shrestha