Mahajan

Mahajan is an Indian surname or title, (e.g., Rajat Mahajan) found among several castes and communities. The word "Mahajan" is an amalgam of two Sanskrit words: Maha meaning great, and Jan meaning people or individuals (Respectful people). Over the years, the word Mahajan has become a common generic job title used to describe people involved in money lending and financial services.

Caste

Mahajans originally are believed to be descendants of King Kuru who were Chandravanshi. He was very religious, just, fair and good administrator. Chandravanshi ruled entire Aryavrat Region. They were descendants of Pandavas & Kauravas. Mahajan word is a very respectable word, meaning high in knowledge, religion and actions. According to Vaman Puran - "Mahajano si mahalroshi mahajano yen gataa s pantha." God Vishnu was pleased with King Kuru, and King was shifted to Vaishya. God Vishnu said to King Kuru that he has done great job and he is great person. Therefore, your dynasty will be called MAHAJAN and all rulers will be known as Vaishya, because doing agriculture, you have accepted Vaishya. They migrated from central India to Rajasthan and then to Punjab region several hundred years back. A renowned social reformer Lala Hans Raj Mahajan urged people to replace "Gupt" by 'Mahajan' as their surname in the early 20th century as Mahajan word denotes respectable community. The Mahajan community of North India was based in the undivided Punjab region. They are in money lending activities for centuries within the Punjab and nearby areas such as Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir, the present-day state of Punjab, the Punjab province and the North West Frontier area. Most of these Mahajans speak Punjabi and Dogri, and reside in the regions of the Punjab, Jammu, Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Mahajans are landlords, traders and business men who were highly respected and have a major influence in the society.