Rajopadhyaya

Rajopadhyaya also called Newa Brahmin (Nepali: राजोपाध्याय) is the main division of the Newar Brahmins in Nepal. The Rajopadhyayas claim to have originated in Kannauj, or modern day Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, India. Kannauj is a city with a prestigious history from where the Bahun also claim to come. They, along with Bahun, claim to be a sub-division of Kānyakubja Brāhmins.

In Sanskrit, Rājopādhyāya or Rāj-Upādhyāya literally means 'royal teacher' or 'guru' (Sanskrit: राज = royal + उपाध्याय = guru). Rajopadhyayas, also colloquially called Deva Brāhman or Dyabājyā (God-Grandfather) or Barmu (Brahmin), were the royal gurus and purohits of the Malla kings and their Hindu aristocracy (present day Chatharīyās). Today, the Rajopadhyaya Brahmans are the domestic priests of the high-caste Hindu Newars, principally the Chatharīyas and Śreşțhas, and also certain segments of clean-caste Hindu Newar groups (most notably Bhaktapur Jyapus) of the Kathmandu Valley. In theory, the Chatharīyas of the Kathmandu Valley do not call on other Brahmin groups, as Rajopadhyayas alone serve as their historical purohits and perform all their life-cycle Sanskara rituals, including bestowing their Gayatri Mantra verse and the sacred thread ('janai') in the Upanayana ceremony. This is opposed to all other clean-caste Newar groups who call upon a Buddhist Vajrāchārya as their family priest to conduct all life-cycle ceremonies.

Rajopadhyayas are an endogamous Brahmin group descended from Kānyakubja Brahmins of Kannauj who immigrated to Kathmandu Valley from 13th to 16th century CE. They are divided among the three cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur into strictly exogamous clans, having three gotras: Gārgya of Lalitpur, Bharadwaja of Bhaktapur, and Kaushik of Kathmandu, all belonging to the Mādhyamdina school of the Shukla Yajurveda. Their holy language is Sanskrit, and they are all well-versed in Newar. As the chief Brahmin group among Newars and as the chief preceptor of the Vedic as well as Tantric knowledge, Rajopadhyayas were placed at the top of the Nepalese caste system and possess immense social prestige and power, especially among the Hindu Newars.