Bhargava

Bhargava, also spelled Bhargav, is a community in India who believe themselves to be descended from the sage Bhrigu. Its members originate from the Dhosi Hill area and were originally known as Dhusars.

History

The Bhargava community were originally known as Dhusars and were a trading caste (bania or vaishya). During the later part of the 19th century they successfully engineered a rise to the status of brahmin using a process sometimes termed sanskritisation. It was at this time that they took the name of Bhargava. The oldest known inscription mentioning the Dhusar community is at the Sakrai Mata temple at Sakrari in Sikar district, Rajasthan. Dineshchandra Sircar dates this to 879 AD, although it is dated by others to 642 A.D. They were merchants or traders at that time.

The Bhargava now believe themselves to be descended from the sage Bhrigu and his son Chyavana.

Present status

The Bhargava have well-established community associations, the Bhargava Sabhas, that operate in various cities under an umbrella organisation, the All-India Bhargava Sabha (AIBS) located at Gurgaon, Haryana. There are around 37 of these Bhargava Sabhas.

Bhargava (gotra)

The gotra Bhargava refers to the descendants of the great sage Bhrigu. A Sanskrit saying states that Bhrigu jaayate iti Bhargava, which means that all those born of Bhrigu are Bhargavas.

There are several groups that trace their lineage to Bhrigu, and hence use Bhargava as their gotra. Among them are some Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins of Udupi in South India. There are other groups in North India that have adopted Bhargava or Bhargav as their surname.