Pattu
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Pattu are Brahmins of Indian Kashmir. Pattu are Kashmiri Bhramins now migrated to North Indian Plains mainly in Punjab,Haryana,Delhi, Europe and North Amarica. PATTU are higher caste Brahmins of Kashmir State of India.Mainly settled in North India and Punjab now.Early Origin of these Brahmins are stated to be from Kashmir Vally Pandits. Pattu Pattu's have also migrated to countries like Canada and USA.Pattu and Mattu are common Brhamin caste of Kashmir.
Original Kashmiri Pandit (Hindi: कश्मीरी पण्डित) refers to a person who belongs to a sect of Hindu Pandits who originate from the Kashmir region. They have a recorded history in Kashmir for thousands of years and have also been mentioned in the Mahabharata. Kashmiri Pandits have Aryan features like most Indians. Many experts speculate that the Aryans originated in Kashmir, India.
During the Islamic period of the Kashmir valley, hundreds of temples in Kashmir were destroyed.9 As a result, Kashmiri Pandits gradually migrated to other parts of India to escape persecution, which resulted in Kashmir becoming predominantly Muslim. The devastation wrought by the Turkish general from Turkmenistan Zulju in 1320, during his conquest of many regions of Kashmir Valley was especially unfortunate. This could have a been a reaction to Lalitaditya's earlier conquest of Turkmenistan. Sultan Sikander (1389-1413), the seventh Muslim ruler in Kashmir, is known for his oppression of non-Muslim populations in his drive to establish Shariah-based rule, which caused many Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Kashmir valley4. Historians call him an idol-breaker (or iconoclast) and he is said to have killed several thousand Kashmiri Pandits and forced them to convert to Islam or flee5. Sultan Ali Shah and others followed suit.9 There have been few Muslim rulers who were tolerant towards the Pandits; however they were not able to ultimately alleviate the plight of the Pandits. This can be ascertained from the fact that the Pandits never rose to their pre-Islamic glory and that their population in the valley continued to decrease over time. It must be pointed out that no where in the history of Kashmir is there any mention of link to the caucasians. There is mention of the Dardic people, who lived outside the valley of Kashmir. The Kashmiris are not Dards.
British historians, such as Walter Lawrence, note that persecution of Kashmiri Hindus by zealous Muslim rulers resulted in as little as eleven original Kashmiri Hindu families remaining in Kashmir at one point. Walter Lawrence mentions that:
"Tradition affirms that the persecution of the Hindus was so keen that only eleven families of Hindus remained in the valley. Their descendants are known by the name of Malmas, as distinguished from the fugitives and the Hindus of the Deccan, who came to Kashmir later on and are known as the Banamas. Some historians, however, state the Malmas Hindus to be the descendants of Kashaf, the saviour of the valley, and that the Banamas Brahmans were foreigners, who came from other countries. The Hindus who now live in Kashmir are, with a few exceptions, of the [Banamas] Brahman caste, and though tradition points to the fact that the Levite Brahmans were a powerful and numerous body, exerting great influence over the country and its rulers, there is frequent mention of the fighting class, and it is obvious that a large majority of the old Hindus must have been agricultural Jats. The Tantrins, Rajputras, Damaras were often excellent fighters in ancient Kashmir, though the Brahmins when they took up arms were often excellent fighters. Kashmiri Brahmins are a distinct caste and have been living in the Valley of Kashmir since time immorial. Politically motivated people such as Henny Sender have tried to change the history of Kashmir for political reasons. Most Kashmiri Muslims have descended from the Kashmiri Hindus and some also from Brahmins. "[1]
Kashmiri Pandit Culture Kashmiri Pandits have made significant contributions to Indian thought and science. Abhinavagupta, Kalhana have been stalwarts in the fields of, philosophy and history respectively. Kashmir figures prominently in Sanskrit poet Kalidasa's compositions but it is not known conclusively whether he hailed from that ethnicity or region. The birth place of Charaka one of the founders of ayurveda and Indian medice in general is also considered to be in Kashmir .The Sanskrit language owes it origins to Kashmir[citation needed] and most of its great scholars and poets (i.e. Bilhana, Mahimbhatta, Ksemraja, Vasugupta, Anandvardhana, Ksemendra) were Kashmiris. Women pandits were normally called "Panditain."
[edit] Religion Main article: Kashmir Shaivism
A Kashmiri panditani, photograph by Fred Bremner, circa ~1900Kashmir's association with Hinduism is very old. The very name Kashmir is said to be derived from Kashyapa, one of the seven Saptarishis in Hindu mythology. Most Kashmiri Pandits are devout Shaivites, however many Kashmiri Pandit families who had migrated into other Indian territories have been ardent vaishnavites as well. Kashmir is home to some of the holiest shrines in Hinduism like Amarnath, Kheer bhawani, Shrine of Sharda, Shankaracharya Mandir, Hari Parbat, Zeethyar etc. A lot of these shrines were destroyed during and after the mass exodus of the pandits.
Kashmiri Pandit family names The most common family names among Kashmiri Pandits include: Channa, Handoo, Aga, Atal, Bandhu, Bhan, Bagati, Bahadur, Bhat/Bhatt(Butt), Bambroo, Budki(Burki), Chowdhary, Chakoo (Chaku), Dhar(Dar), Dass(Das), Dassi, Dulloo,Fotedar, Ganju(Ganjoo),Ganhar, Kaw, Gurtu, Hak, Haksar, Hangal, Hangoo, Hoon, Hukku, Jaju, Jalali, Jotshi, Kachru(Kachroo), Kak, Kakapuri, Kar, Kappu, Katju, Kaul (Koul), Kaw, Kemmu, Khar/Kher, Karwani, Kasid, Khandhar/Khandhari, Khazanchi, Khosa, Kitchlu(Kitchlew), Kokru, Kukiloo, Kunzru, Lakhi, Langoo, Malla, Mantoo, Mehrishi, Munshi, Muthoo, Misri, Muttoo,Pattu,Pattoo,Mattu,Mattoo,Mujoo, Nagu, Nath, Natu, Nehru, Ogra, Pandit, Pandita, Panjabi, Parimoo, Pattu,Potins, Qasba, Raina, Rawal, RUGGU ,Rayu, Razdan, Reu, Sadhoo/Sadhu, Sahib, Sapru, Shah, shishoo, Shivpuri, Shrunglu, Shunglu,Sopori Soral, Sukhia, Tufchi, Tangnu,Trisal, Thusoo, Tankha, Tiku/Tickoo/Tikku/Tikoo, Toshkhani/Toshakhani, Turki, Vuthoo, Wakhlu, Walli, Wanchoo/Wanchu, Wantoo/Wantu, Warikoo, Wattal, Wattoo, Yaksh, Zalpuri, Zarabi, Zaroo and Zutshi. Some Kashmiri Pandits use last names which are actually titles conferred upon them by kings such as Bahadur. There are also instances of several Kashmiri Pandit families changing their names to avoid being identified and persecuted.
