Shah (surname)

Shah is an Indian surname. It is often confused with the Persian "Shah" meaning "King" which often used as last part of names in indian subcontinent by Sayyed caste (the descendants of Prophet of Islam). It is also derived from Sanskrit Sadhu (meaning gentleman^[1]).

The surname like many other Indian surnames has been adopted by various people.^[2]^[3] The Shah surname is commonly adopted by the trade communities (The Banias/Vanias) which include the Jains and the Vaishnavas. It is used in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (see Sahu Jain) and was widely used by the Jains even in Delhi/Haryana (see Nattal Sahu), Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, India.

The Hindi word 'Sāhükārä', meaning banker, is derived from Sahu (Sanskrit "Sadhu") and kar (Sanskrit for doer).^[4]

Shah, a different last name, derived from the Persian word "Shah", is a surname found among the Iranian peoples of Central Asia, Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan.^[5]

History

The word 'Shah' is derived from Sanskrit Sadhu (meaning saint^[6]) and Prakrit Sahu, while the actual spelling "Shah" in Western culture was popularized by the title of the former Persian King. As a result, especially in Western culture, use of the spelling "Shah" has become far more pronounced than the other variants.^[7] The word Sadhu/Sahu is also separately used to indicate a Jain monk. See Namokar Mantra. In a sense, it maybe said that the surnames "Shah" and "Sahu" are variants of one another which have evolved from the word "sah" over time.

In the Gujarat and Rajasthan region, the surname Shah derives from the vernacular sah (from Sanskrit Sadhu, "merchant"). The surname appears to have been altered under the influence of the Persian word for "king" (Shah) or its variants.^{[citation needed]}

One early use of the title Sadhu occurs in an inscription on an AD 850 Parshvanth image in the Akota Bronzes.^[8]

In numerous 12-13th century inscriptions the shravaka who installed the image, is given the title "Sahu".^[9]

सं १५१० वर्षे माघ सुदी ८ सोमे गोपाचल दुर्गे तोमर वंशान्वये राजा श्री डूंगरेन्द्र देव राज्य पवित्रमाने श्री काष्ठासंघ माथुरान्वये भट्टारक श्री गुणकीर्ति देवास्तत्पट्टे श्री मलयकीर्ति देवास्ततो भट्टारक गुणभद्रदेव पंडितवर्य रइघू तदाम्नाये अग्रोतवंशे वासिलगोत्रे सकेलहा भार्या निवारी तयोः पुत्र विजयष्ट शाह ... साधु श्री माल्हा पुत्र संघातिपति देउताय पुत्र संघातिपति करमसीह श्री चन्द्रप्रभु जिनबिंब महाकाय प्रतिष्ठापित प्रणमति ..शुभम् भवतु ..

A Gwalior Fort Inscription 1453^[10]

For example:

A 12th century Jain altarpiece in Los Angeles County Museum of Art mentions Grahapati Sadhu Kundha^[11]
Vibudh Shridhar mentions his patron Nattal Sahu, a 12th-century merchant prince in Delhi.
From Gwalior: Here both Sah and Sadhu have been used in the 1510 inscription.
From Ahar, Madhya Pradesh: " Samvat 1210 vaishakha sudi 13 grahpatyanvayae sahu shrisadhu bharya mana tayoh .. ete paNamanti nityam."

Here the word Sahu is equivalent to the Sanskrit word "sadhu". Some inscriptions use "sadhu" itself :

From Bahuriband (Katni, MP): "Svasti shri samvat 1070 phalgunavadi ...

madhavannandinugrahitah sadhu-shri sarvadharah .."^{[citation needed]}

The word Sadhu here does not mean a monk but a "gentleman". Some inscriptions abbreviate sahu by just "sa" just like the abbreviation in English, "Mr."^{[citation needed]}

Shah may also relate to the Chands of Gorakhpur who were sent to Nepal as a punishment after the martyring of Bandhu Singh of tarkulha devi.^{[citation needed]} They were given the Zamindari of 52 villages which they named as Shivraj (now Kapilvastu) they had good relationship with the Taluqdars of Oudh and had held important posts in Nepal's durbar.^{[citation needed]} Shri Gaya Prasad Shah - Former minister Ministry of Food and Supplement Shri Shiv Pratap Shah - Former deputy speaker of the Jan Sabha and Former Minister Ministry of Finance Dr. Rudra Pratap Shah - Royal Advisor Shri Raghavendra Pratap Shah - Former Minister, Ministry of Telecommunications Shri Ajay Pratap Shah - Former Member of Parliament Shri Abhay Pratap Shah - Former Chairman, Krishna nagar VdC, Kapilvastu Shri Abhishek Pratap Shah- Former Member of Constituent Assembly and Member of Parliament

In some business communities, genealogies are recited during marriages, where all ancestors would be respectfully called "sahu". The term "sahukari"means the profession of banking/trading. In the Bundelkhand Jain community, the father-in-law (or son's/daughter's father-in-law) used to be called "sahaji". Thus the words "Shah" etc. all indicate a respected member of the mercantile community. Today it is used by Gujarati business communities.^{[citation needed]}

People with the surname

This list includes people with both the Indian surname Shah and the surname of Persian origin meaning king. Notable people with the surname include:

Amit Shah, BJP President, India
Arvind Victor Shah, (born 1940), Swiss engineer, educator and scientist
Bahadur Shah, Nepalese states unifier and Prince Regent
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah, Nepalese monarch from the house of Shah dynasty
Bulleh Shah alias Syed Abdullah Shah (c. 1680 – c. 1758), Punjabi Sufi poet
Eddy Shah, Manchester-based businessman and writer
Farah Shah, Pakistani actress and host
Fatima Shah, (1914-2002), Pakistani physician and disability activist
Hetul Shah, (born 1999), Indian chess player
Jawahar Shah (born 1955), Indian homeopath
Jigar Shah (born 1974), Indian business tycoon
Kiran Shah (born 1956), Kenyan-born actor and stuntman
Kunal Shah, (born 1978), philanthropist and businessman based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Gyanendra of Nepal, Nepalese monarch from the house of Shah dynasty
Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah, Nepalese nationalist monarch
Neel Shah, American physician
Pooja Shah (born 1979), British Asian actress
Prithivi Narayan Shah, Nepalese unifier monarch from the house of Shah dynasty
Rahil Shah, Indian cricketer
Raj Shah, American politician
Rajendra Keshavlal Shah (1913-2010), lyrical poet who wrote in Gujarati
Rajiv Shah (born 1973), administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
Ravindu Shah (born 1972), Kenyan cricketer
Ray Shah (born 1978), contestant on the fourth series of the British Big Brother
Rishi Shah (born 1985/86), American billionaire, founder of Outcome Health
Roger Shah, German electronic music producer
Safia Shah, author
Saira Shah, English author, reporter and documentary filmmaker
Saleem Shah, Indian-American psychologist
Sanjay Shah, former Kenyan, best known for staging an immigration protest
Satish Beri-Shah, Indian film and television actorq
Alam Shah Bangladesshi, lives in Groningen and business owner of Taj Mahal restaurant

References

^ Shakespear, John. A dictionary, Hindustani and English: with a copious index, fitting the work to serve, also, as a dictionary of English, Nepali and Hindustani. 3rd ed., much enl. London: Printed for the author by J.L. Cox and Son: Sold by Parbury, Allen, & Co., 1834, p.1035
^ Kumar, R. (2006). Costumes and textiles of royal india. ISBN 1851495096
^ Sullivan, Tim (2011-12-22). "India: Caste System Faces Challenges". The World Post. Accosiated Press. Archived from the original on 2015-04-27. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ http://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/search3advanced?dbname=shakespear&query=sahukar&matchtype=exact&display=utf8
^ Qamar, G. A. (2011). The Early Cultural Relations of India and Iran. Dev books. ISBN 978-8192075204
^ Shakespear, John. A dictionary, Hindustani and English: with a copious index, fitting the work to serve, also, as a dictionary of English, Nepali and Hindustani. 3rd ed., much enl. London: Printed for the author by J.L. Cox and Son: Sold by Parbury, Allen, & Co., 1834, p.1035
^ "Shah Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
^ Akota Bronzes, Umakant P.Shah, 1959, p. 52-53
^ Kasturchand Jain Suman, Bharatiya Digambar Jain Abhilekh aur Tirth Parichay, Madhya-Pradesh: 13 vi shati tak, Delhi, 2001
^ Gopachal ke Jinamandir Archived October 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ Indian Sculpture: 700-1800, Volume 2 of Indian Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection, Pratapaditya Pal, University of California Press, 1988, p. 306

This page lists people with the surname Shah.
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[1] Shakespear, John. A dictionary, Hindustani and English: with a copious index, fitting the work to serve, also, as a dictionary of English, Nepali and Hindustani. 3rd ed., much enl. London: Printed for the author by J.L. Cox and Son: Sold by Parbury, Allen, & Co., 1834, p.1035

[2] Kumar, R. (2006). Costumes and textiles of royal india. ISBN 1851495096

[3] Sullivan, Tim (2011-12-22). "India: Caste System Faces Challenges". The World Post. Accosiated Press. Archived from the original on 2015-04-27. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[4] ttp://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/search3advanced?dbname=shakespear&query=sahukar&matchtype=exact&display=utf8

[5] Qamar, G. A. (2011). The Early Cultural Relations of India and Iran. Dev books. ISBN 978-8192075204

[6] Shakespear, John. A dictionary, Hindustani and English: with a copious index, fitting the work to serve, also, as a dictionary of English, Nepali and Hindustani. 3rd ed., much enl. London: Printed for the author by J.L. Cox and Son: Sold by Parbury, Allen, & Co., 1834, p.1035

[7] "Shah Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2010-12-28.

[8] Akota Bronzes, Umakant P.Shah, 1959, p. 52-53

[9] Kasturchand Jain Suman, Bharatiya Digambar Jain Abhilekh aur Tirth Parichay, Madhya-Pradesh: 13 vi shati tak, Delhi, 2001

[10] Gopachal ke Jinamandir Archived October 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

[11] Indian Sculpture: 700-1800, Volume 2 of Indian Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection, Pratapaditya Pal, University of California Press, 1988, p. 306

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History

People with the surname

See also

References