The northern India Kayasths are divided into the following twelve
subcastes, which are mainly of a territorial character:
(a) Srivastab.
(b) Saksena.
(c) Bhatnagar.
(d) Ambastha or Amisht.
(e) Ashthana or Aithana.
(f) Balmik or Valmiki.
(g) Mathur.
(h) Kulsreshtha.
(i) Suryadhwaja.
(k) Karan.
(l) Gaur.
(m) Nigum.
(a) The Srivastab subcaste take their name from the old town of
Sravasti, now Sahet-Mahet, in the north of the United Provinces. They
are by far the most numerous subcaste both there and here. In
these Provinces nearly all the Kayasths are Srivastabs except a few
Saksenas. They are divided into two sections, Khare and Dusre, which
correspond to the Bisa and Dasa groups of the Banias. The Khare are
those of pure descent, and the Dusre the offspring of remarried widows
or other irregular alliances.
(b) The Saksena are named from the old town of Sankisa, in the
Farukhabad District. They also have the Khare and Dusre groups, and a
third section called Kharua, which is said to mean pure, and is perhaps
the most aristocratic. A number of Saksena Kayasths are resident in
Seoni District, where their ancestors were settled by Bakht Buland,
the Gond Raja of Deogarh in Chhindwara. These constituted hitherto
a separate endogamous group, marrying among themselves, but since
the opening of the railway negotiations have been initiated with the
Saksenas of northern India, with the result that intermarriage is to
be resumed between the two sections.
(c) The Bhatnagar take their name from the old town of Bhatner, near
Bikaner. They are divided into the Vaishya or Kadim, of pure descent,
and the Gaur, who are apparently the offspring of intermarriage with
the Gaur subcaste.
(d) Ambastha or Amisht. These are said to have settled on the Girnar
hill, and to take their name from their worship of the goddess Ambaji
or Amba Devi. Mr. Crooke suggests that they may be connected with the
old Ambastha caste who were noted for their skill in medicine. The
practice of surgery is the occupation of some Kayasths. [457] It
is also supposed that the names may come from the Ameth pargana of
Oudh. The Ambastha Kayasths are chiefly found in south Bihar, where
they are numerous and influential. [458]
(e) Ashthana or Aithana. This is an Oudh subcaste. They have two
groups, the Purabi or eastern, who are found in Jaunpur and its
neighbourhood, and the Pachhauri or western, who live in or about
Lucknow.
(f) Balmik or Valmiki. These are a subcaste of western India. Balmik
or Valmik was the traditional author of the Ramayana, but they do
not trace their descent from him. The name may have some territorial
meaning. The Valmiki are divided into three endogamous groups according
as they live in Bombay, Cutch or Surat.
(g) The Mathur subcaste are named after Mathura or Muttra. They are
also split into the local groups Dihlawi of Delhi, Katchi of Cutch
and Lachauli of Jodhpur.
(h) The Kulsreshtha or 'well-born' Kayasths belong chiefly to the
districts of Agra and Etah. They are divided into the Barakhhera,
or those of twelve villages, and the Chha Khera of six villages.
(i) The Suryadhwaja subcaste belong to Ballia, Ghazi-pur and
Bijnor. Their origin is obscure. They profess excessive purity,
and call themselves Sakadwipi or Scythian Brahmans.
(k) The Karan subcaste belong to Bihar, and have two local divisions,
the Gayawale from Gaya, and the Tirhutia from Tirhut.
(l) The Gaur Kayasths, like the Gaur Brahmans and Rajputs, apparently
take their name from Gaur or Lakhnauti, the old kingdom of Bengal. They
have the Khare and Dusre subdivisions, and also three local groups
named after Bengal, Delhi and Budaun.
(m) The Nigum subcaste, whose name is apparently the same as that of
the Nikumbh Rajputs, are divided into two endogamous groups, the Kadim
or old, and the Unaya, or those coming from Unao. Sometimes the Unaya
are considered as a separate thirteenth subcaste of mixed descent.