Bhuiyan (also Bhuiya, Bhuyan, Bhuya) was a title for landowners in medieval
Bengal and
Assam.[1] It has been adopted as a surname by different communities in
West Bengal,
Assam, and
Bangladesh .
Etymology
Bhuiyan was a title used to refer to a landlord or chieftain. It originates from the
Sanskrit word, Bhumi, meaning 'land'.[2][3]
The origin of this group is shrouded in mystery. This original group is often referred to as the Adi Bhuyan, or the progenitor Bhuiyans. One of the earliest evidence of Bhuyans in
Mlechchha dynasty during the 9th century reign of Balavarman III by using 'parcelization' of power.[2] Historical record of Raut-Kuchi grant (1329 A.D.) shows that western Brahmaputra valley comes from Adi-Bhuiyan group's Purushottam Dasa's grandfather Basudeva, who was a minister of
Kamata king Indranarayan, who commanded a thousand men and war elephants.[2] The grant also stated that, Basudeva obtainted glory of sovereignty with his wealth and valour. In the manuscript Adi-charita (Old- Character), which mentions about the Adi-Bhuyan group. The progenitor Bhuiyans (Adi-Bhuiyans) ensconced in
Chutiya Kingdom when
Sukaphaa established the
Ahom Kingdom in 1208.[3][2] Adi- Bhuiyan group maintained status quo with most faith-based ideologies.[2] Adi-Bhuiyan group's later foundation became known as
Baro-Bhuyan chieftains.[2]
Cachar
The Bengali Mirashdars[note 1] living in the former
Kachari Kingdom were given titles by the Kachari Raja, which in modern-day acts as a surname for them.[5]
Mughal histories, mainly the Akbarnama, the Ain-i-Akbari and the Baharistan-i-Ghaibi refers to the low-lying regions of Bengal as Bhati[2]. This region includes the Bhagirathi to the
Meghna River is Bhati, while others include Hijli,
Jessore, Chandradwip and
Barisal Division in Bhati.[2] Keeping in view the theatre of warfare between the Bara-Bhuiyans and the Mughals, the Baharistan-i-Ghaibi mentions the limits of the area bounded by the
Ichamati River in the west, the
Ganges in the south, the
Tripura to the east; Alapsingh pargana (in present
Mymensingh District) and
Baniachong in the north.[2] The Bara-Bhuiyans rose to power in this region and put up resistance to the Mughals, until
Islam Khan Chisti made them submit in the reign of
Jahangir.[2]
^
abcdefghijNeog, M; in Barpujari, H. K. (ed.) (1992). Origin of the Baro-Bhuiyans: The Comprehensive History of Assam. Guwahati, India: Assam Publication Board. pp. 47–66. {{
cite book}}: |last2= has generic name (
help)
^
abNath, D (1989). History of the Koch Kingdom. Delhi: Mittal Publications. pp. 1475–1615.
This page lists people with the
surnameBhuiyan. If an
internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that
link by adding the person's
given name(s) to the link.