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Shetty

Surname list From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Shetty (Kannada: [ʃeʈːi]) is a surname originating in the Indian state of coastal Karnataka. It is borne chiefly by the Bunt community, who claim descent from the medieval Alupa dynasty and identify themselves as part of the Nagavanshi line of Kshatriyas.[1][2][3]

Origins and warrior identity

Scholars note that the Bunts functioned as a landed warrior-aristocracy (feudal ‘‘nadava’’/chieftain class) in Tulu Nadu from at least the early medieval period.[4][5] Proceedings of the Indian History Congress document Bunt dominance as “high-caste Sudra landlords” who nevertheless “played the role of Kshatriya military chiefs” in the coastal polities.[6]

Alupa dynasty connection

Historians P. Gururaja Bhat and B. A. Saletore both record that the Alupa royal house was locally rooted and “possibly of Bunt stock,” with the royal title ‘‘Alupa/Alva’’ persisting among present-day Bunt clans such as Shetty, Rai and Chowta.[2][3] The dynasty’s matrilineal succession custom (Aliyasantana) likewise survives among Bunts.[7]

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Varna/classification debate

Modern caste ethnography often lists Bunts (and thus Shettys,Rai,Hegde,Ballal,) under Sat-Śūdra (‘‘high’’ Śūdra)agrarian landlords,[8][9] although this label is contested by Bunt organisations, who emphasise their Nagavanshi Kshatriya heritage and Alupa-dynasty bloodline to refute a Śūdra status.[10][11]

Surname and nobility

Because ‘‘Shetray/Shetty’’ literally denotes “nobility” or “chieftain”, the surname is widely regarded—both inside and outside the community—as a marker of erstwhile warrior-aristocratic rank.

Etymology

The word Shetty is derived from the Sanskrit word Śreṣṭha (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठ) or Śreṣṭhin (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठीन्) meaning superior, Prakritised as Seṭhī (Devanagari: सेठी), and then Śeṭ (Devanagari: शेट) or Śeṭī (Devanagari: शेटी).[12]

Notable people

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Notable people with the surname Shetty, include:

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References

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