Tyagi

Tyagi is a Brahmin community and surname from the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Tyagis are Hindus as well as Tyagi (Muslim). The word 'Tyaagi' is derived from the Sanskrit 'tyaag', meaning "to sacrifice" or to relinquish, Taga and Tagha are alternative names that are sometimes used. For ages most of the Tyagis are landlords and having significant farming land and they have discarded the tradition of "Bhiksha" & "Dakshina" completely. Sacrifice and ruling as their main trait are vividly reflected in their gotra. Gotra means the name of the ancestral father; Within Tyagi, a number of brahmanGotras co-exist, including Vatsa, Bhardwaj, Vasistha, Gautam, Atreya, Kaushik, Vatsyayana, Kashyap, Shandilya, Dixit and Parashara,(Pulastya,Garg,Kaushish) depending upon their place or village of origin mainly from Haryana & Rajasthan area.. Tyagis are infamous for involvement in widespread crime in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh

Historical Origins of Tyagis

Tyagis are the descendents of Vedic rishis .They were called as Taga Bhatt(Tagya - Specialist/ Tatva Gyani;Bhatt- Intellectual /Warrior Brahman).They were the oldest settlers in this land of Haryana,Rajasthan & West Uttar Pradesh.They belong to original Brahman sect-Aadi Gaur..Taga Bhatt were involved in administration,teaching,writing & military activities leading to their current professions.They were highly status conscious and organised on Khaap(Brahman Clan,based on the descendence from one father) basis with Khaap head being a very respected person. Bhat records hold that the origins of the surname were found in a split between the Tyagis and the Brahmin subcaste Bhumihar Brahmin. Bhumihar are said to be direct descendants of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Parashuram requested that the Bhumihar renounce all future bhiksha, and instead impart their knowledge and administration for religious functions without donation, in turn dedicating themselves to the development of knowledge and agriculture in northern India. Those that obeyed Parashuram were given the surname 'Tyagi' to commemorate their sacrifice. Bhumihar Brahmins and Tyagis have an affinity and brotherhood for each other. The Bhumihar Brahmins, of whom many, though not all, belong to the Saryupareen Brahmin division of Kanyakubja Brahmin however many of them moved from west Uttar Pradesh to Eastern U.P. and Bihar during the reign of Harsh Vardhans. Prathihara Empire,according to a legend given in later manuscripts of Prithviraj Raso. Rao,Rathore had the main linkage with Pratihara. Last emperor of Pratihara Empire was Nahar Rao Parihara of Mandore, Marwar (6th-7th century)was succeeded by Rathores of Marwari. Beyond the other scene, a group of Taga Brahmans who were the ministers & Gurus in this kingdom ,was called Taga Rathore. This assertion is not without debate, however. Other sources maintain that the origins of the surname hold a connection with Janmejay, the first Hindu king during the age of kalyug, approximately 3000 BCE. Janmejay was the great-grandson of Arjuna, the protagonist of the Bhagavad Gita According to alternate bhat records, Janmejay organized a Nag Yagna, for a bloody war waged against the Nagas. Yagnas were generally performed as a ritual of purification for sins and bloodshed committed during war. At this ceremony, the most learned and renowned of Brahmins versed in performing the art of sacrifice were invited from across the northern subcontinent to administer the ceremony. According to Vedic literature, the Yajinika of such an elaborate ceremony was required to be a master scholar in scripture, mathematics, and astronomy. At the end of the Yagna, a bhiksha was offered to the Brahmins in exchange for their

services. Janmejay, per tradition, offered the visiting priests wealth in the form of gold, livestock (particularly cows), horse driven chariots, and clothes, among other things, in gratitude for their services. Beyond this, however, Janmejay wished that the scholars and priests remained near his capital regions of Indraprashtha, or modern-day Delhi, as well as in Hastinapura, the older capital of the Kuru dynasty. Per records, Janmejay offered the visiting Brahmins a total of 2444 villages in exchange for retaining them near his capital cities. While Brahmins did not traditionally cultivate land, but the Brahmin priests refused the bhiksha offered at the end of a ceremony but they opted to cultivate the land in spite of accepting the "dakshina" or "bhiksha" and promised to themselves that in future they would not accept any type of charity. But later on they countered that in devoting themselves to agriculture, they would have to renounce their Purohit Karma duties to give Karmkand, or religious rites. Their progeny, in turn, would never accept charity for their livelihood or act as religious functionaries. Hence, they have the same gotras as all Brahmans and still wear the yagnopaveeta (janeu or); they are eligible to perform sandhya-vandana and learn their saka, even though they may not be vaidiki Braahmans as far as occupation is concerned.These Bhumihaars were then given the surname 'Tyagi' to acknowledge their renunciation. They are among the most proud of all Brahmins and backbone of Brahmanical system. They rule on few small states "Kingdoms or Riyasat" in U.P. & DELHI. In the period of RIYASATs, The TYAGI KINGS recruited and joined Goswamis(Giri or Gosai), Gurjar Sardars, Yadavs(Aheer), to their Army.

District Gazetteer
One of the few historical documents to record the evolution of the surname outside of Bht records is the District Gazetteer, a comprehensive catalogue of Indian subcontinent geography and culture created by the British Viceroy during England's imperialist ventures in the early 20th century. While some academicians maintain that the accuracy of District Gazetteers is suspect, most consider them a valuable record of Indian history outside of parochial tradition. According to the Gazetteer, the surname 'Tyagi' is equivalent to an earlier form of the word, 'Taga'. If these records are accurate, the Tagas held about five percent of the total land in the state however in Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh,Tagas were the main land lord community.. The majority of this land has been historically maintained in coparcenary tenure. The records indicate that Tagas also played a considerable part in the resistance to the Islamic Crusades, most notably those of the Muslim general Timur the Lame. According to Gazetteer records, Umra Taga served as Deputy General of the Sarv Khap coalition army and Rampyari Taga served as a Delegate and Deputy on its counsel. The major goal of the resistance was to defend the Holy city of Haridwar from desecration by Timur, as he massacred, pillaged, and raped the indigenous Hindu populace during his army's trek. Timur's ultimate goal, incidentally, was to ultimately invade the city of Delhi during the city's internal battle for ascension Four-hundred years later, Tagas in Uttar Pradesh clashed again with Muslim invaders's and many were forcibly converted to Islam by Aurangzeb, a descendant of Timur and sixth ruler of the Mughal dynasty.[7] Since Tyagis were sufficiently well to do, as compared to the other castes like Gujjars etc., in the region near Delhi and were controlling the politics & economy of this region, they were badly targeted by Mughals, especially Aurangzeb, resulting into some forcibly conversions also. Despite all odds, it is one of the major community who fought bravely for the cause of their country in all freedom struggles along with the other people of the region. Tyagis suffered heavily in British rule as well, 26 Tyagi Villages were auctioned after 1857 revolution

by the Britishers. After independence Tyagis were deprived of their farming land due to various laws of land ceiling put forward by the governments, now apart from agriculture Tyagi's have diversified into Education, Army, Industry and other professions. Professionally they are mostly involved in educational and research related jobs. Perhaps most interesting, however, is that the early 20th century Gazetteer records maintained that they had originally arrived in the district from the region now known as East and West Bengal. It is of note that the British authors who compiled the Gazetteer were uncertain as to the veracity of this claim. The Tyagi Brahmins are found settled in the Yamuna - Gangatic valley of Western Uttar Pradesh (Districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bagpat, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bulandshahar, Bijnor, Moradabad and Amroha), Uttaranchal (Hardwar), Delhi, and Haryana (Districts of Karnal, Sonipat, Panipat, Gurgaon and Faridabad). This is the homeland of Tyagi Brahmins. If they are found anywhere else in the country or abroad, they all have their original homes here in this area only.

Migration of Tyagis
Over time, the Tyagi surname changed according to geographic location, although the majority of Tyagis still reside in western Uttar Pradesh. Other surnames used by Tyagi Brahmins include Rai, Sharma, Kapil, Galav and Sinha. At the same time, not all people of Indian descent with these last names were originally Tyagis- the distinctions have become blurred with time. according to the record of pandas of Haridwar, the Tyagi of village Gobindpuri, Distt. Yamunanagar, Haryana migrated from Village Bhatiari, Distt. Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Teerthwal Tyagis of 24 Villages near Muradnagar (Didoli, Niwari, Khindora and other villages) and 12 Villages (now 8 only) near Gajraula(Tigri near Garh Mukteswar)are Kaushik from Pahrawar Village near Jhajjar(Haryana) which is the main village of Kaushik Brahmans in Haryana. As Teerthwal Tyagis established themselves in Tigri and setup the Teerth Garh Mukteswar, they were called Teerthwal. There is a Kuldevi temple of Teerthwal Tyagis in Garh Mukteswar near Sanskrit Paathshala. ther is village in Gorakhpur that is in east uttar pradesh, a Tyagi family live.

Tyagis in Recent Times

Many Tyagis held high positions during the British Raj as they were considered a martial race by the British Viceroys, and many were active during the ensuing Indian Independence Movement as well. Influential Tyagis in recent history have included Indian Members of Parliament Prakash Vir Shastri, Mahavir Tyagias well as Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi of the Indian Air Force. A good number of Tyagis are also holding scientist post in northern labs of Defence R&D Organization (DRDO).Mr Shanti Tyagi,Member of Parliament(Rajya Sabha) of Kaithwadi Village(Meerut) was the son of Mr Hardwari Lal great freedom fighter. Shanti Ji actively participated in Goa Liberation from Portuguese. English torture caused him asthma and was reason of his death. Late Dr.Shankar Dayal Sharma(Ex-President,India) admired him too much and travelled with him on foreign visits like China. Mr Satya Prakash Tyagi is a great poet & philosopher of Indore belongs to village Baira of Bulandshahr(UP). He has written many books in Hindi. Poet Dushyant Kumar Tyagi was also a famous poet who gave a new shape and glory of Hindi poetry. Major Asha Ram Tyagi, Maha Vir Chakra Reciepent Posthumaously , a great Warrior, who at very tender age of 25 years laid his life for the nation in 1965 Indo- Pak War.Earlier in 1962 Indo - China War he was awarded Veer Chakra. He was the son of Zamindar Ch. Sagava Singh Tyagi,Fatehpur a small Village(originally from village Didoli) on Delhi-Dehradun Highway in Ghaziabad District of Uttar Pradesh.

In Uttar Pradesh, many Tyagis now live in the upper Doab region between the Ganges and Yamuna riversone of the most fertile regions in the world. Others live in the states of Haryana, New Delhi and Uttaranchal. Though in villages, their major occupation continues to be farming but they have strongly diversified in modern professions of education,reserch,defence,trade & industries