Nayak (Hindu)
The Nayak are a Hindu caste found in the states of Uttarakhand , West Bengal,Madhya pradesh Rajasthan Odisha in India.[1]
In the state of Odisha, Nayaks are belong to forward cast . Nayak Caste mostly found in Odisha .Nayaks are Khandayat .Also There are Nayak caste who belongs to Bramhin Category .They come under General Category. The Nayak name comes from the Sanskrit word nayaka meaning Leader.
The Nayaks are from community of Kshatriya s , But after Independence they have been engaged in many other business like Cultivation,Business & farming , many Nayak are also employed in the Indian Army.
The word nayak means a head of a regiment. This word is derived from the Sanskrit senanayaka, which means head of a regiment. The Nayak trace their origin back to Suryavanshi Rajputs.
History and origin
The word Nayak means a head of a regiment. This word is derived from the Sanskrit senanayaka, which means head of a regiment. The Nayak trace their origin back to Suryavanshi Rajputs. They were highly regarded for their bravery, in due course they became a powerful group and occupied several forts and jagirs. In fear of their growing power the rulers tried to defame them in various ways. Then the Nayak withdrew themselves from the association of the Rajput and came out as a separate community. It is said that when Parashuram the great mythical character was killing the Kshatriyas then the Nayak had to conceal their Kshatriya identity. They have several other legends in which they trace their ancestry back to the mythical characters of lnchhbasu. One of the five sons of Surya to one of the wives of Brihaspati who was impregnated by Chandrama to Sangnya, One of the three wives of Surya. They recall their origin at Jatala village whence they migrated to Jaisalmer and hence to the various other parts. They are distributed in the districts of Sri Ganganagar, Churu, Sikar, Nagaur, Jhunjhunu etc. Their spoken language is Marwari. They are conversant with Hindi, Script used is Devnagari.[2]