Patel

Patel (Gujarati: પટેલ, paṭel, pronounced [pəʈel]) is a surname of Indian origin, originally meaning "village chief."^[1]. The name Patel derives from "Patlikh", the record keeper named by princely rulers in Gujarat to keep track of the crops, "pat" being a parcel of land. It is found primarily in the Indian states of Gujarat^[2], Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, and also metropolitan cities like Bombay, Ahmedabad, Surat, and Delhi. In addition to Gujarat and other parts of India, the Patel Diaspora has migrated worldwide, and they have settled successfully in places like the USA, Canada, UK, East and South Africa, Fiji Islands, Australia, New Zealand, and the Far East.

Within the United Kingdom, it is the twenty-fourth most common surname nationally,^[3] and the third most common in the Greater London region.^[4]

In the US, the surname "Patel" ranks 174 among the top 500 list of most common last names.^[5]

A majority of the Patels are entrepreneurial types, with high representation in the US lodging industry, along with a sizeable presence in the convenience store, gas station, and fast food franchise industries. Additionally, a large number of Patels are professionals in such well-respected fields as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, finance, and law.

It should be noted that a small number of Parsis and Muslims also carry the surname "Patel," along with a sizeable number of Kolis. However, this article primarily focuses on the Patels that historically belonged to various Hindu PATIDAR sub-castes.^[6]

Ethnicity

There are two main groups of Patels in Gujarat that make up the Patidar community: 1. Leuva Patel / Patidar 2. Kadava Patel/Patidar.^[7]. The Kadava Patidar sub-caste is found mostly in districts of the Saurashtra region like Rajkot, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, and also Mahesana. The Leuva Patidar sub-caste is primarily concentrated in the Charotar Region (which are also known as Charotar Leuva Patidars), Kheda, Anand, Kanam, Vadodara, Bharuch, Panchmahal, Surat, Valsad, and the general Saurashtra Region.

It should be noted that other Gujaratis who migrated out of what is now the state of Gujarat during the British Raj to British East Africa (Kenya and Uganda) sometimes adopted the surname 'Patel,' and this surname was then subsequently passed onto their descendants (who now mainly reside outside Kenya and Uganda). Also, during the British Raj, some 'Patels' who migrated to British East Africa and the Union of South Africa (South Africa) adopted different surnames, usually the name of their village, their trade (e.g. 'Contractor'), or even their grandfather's name. Subsequently, these surnames have been passed down to their descendants.

Origins

Circa AD 1000, the ruler of Afghanistan, Mahmud of Ghazni attacked and conquered the Punjab Region. His armies committed great atrocities on the people of Punjab. The Hindus were forcibly converted to the Islamic religion. Many women were kidnapped or raped, which forced some to commit suicide. Some muslim soldiers married Hindu women in their traditional rites. To escape the atrocities of the Afghani Badshah and his soldiers, the Patidars left Punjab. These Patidars were the KANBIS (Kshatriyas also known as Kurmi or Kunbi) from LEAVA and KARAD villages of the GUJARANWALA district of Punjab (presently in Pakistan).

The KANBI people traveled south to MARVAD (or Marwar) with their belongings, using carts pulled with bullocks. At that time, Marvad was ruled by the Parmara Kings, and the fame of Raja Bhoja was widely known. Marvad, at that time, was very densely populated and it was not possible to acquire enough land. So, after a brief period in Marvad, the Patidars left for the Kheda District of Khambhat, upon learning of the availability of uncultivated land, finally bringing them to Gujarat. At this time, the Solanki Kings were ruling GUJARAT. With a formal request to the SOLANKI king, the uncultivated land in the Taluka of Petlad was granted to the Patidar forefathers. Land equivalent to about one GAM (village) was given to each family, and the Kanbi people settled on this land. The Kanbis managed to cultivate the land with great benefits. Later, it was decided that a twelfth portion of the crop would be given to the King in return for the land. But, the cost of collecting this twelfth part from each farmer was very high, so the king drew up an agreement and appointed a headman for each village. These headmen controlled the farmers and collected crops from them for the king. The land agreement was kept in the custody of the elders in the family of the headman. The records of the kingdom, and of the crops from each PAT (parcel of land) were maintained in a record or log book, and the person who entered and kept these records was known as "PATLIKH." Eventually, Patlikh was shortened to PATAL, which later became PATEL.

The people that came from the village Leava became known as LEAVA (LEVA) KANBI, and those that came from the village KARAD became the KARADVA KANBI. Karadva was later shortened to KADVA KANBI. Originally, the Kadva Kanbi settled in the Northern part of Gujarat, and the Leava Kanbi settled around the Bay of Khambhat. The KANBIS who settled in Gujarat were industrious and intelligent, and they quickly became successful agriculturalists. Indeed, within a short period of time, Gujarat prospered with the industry of the Patidars.

As time passed, the Kings and the Kingdoms of Gujarat changed, as did the portions of the crops given to the Kings by the PATIDARS. Agriculture was the main source of income of the Kingdoms, and the Kings were sustained by the income from the farms. So, subsequent tax payments were increased to one-sixth part of all crops cultivated. Later, the Khambhat Region became the Kingdom of the Mauryavansi, and the crop collected from the farmers varied each year. It was high at times, and low at the other times, as per the need of the Kingdom. Hence, this part of the Kingdom became known as CHAROTAR (from "Chad" climb up and "Utar" - climb down.) Today, CHAROTAR is home to many Leuva Kanbis, and in general, all Charotar Patidar Patels have their original roots from this very prosperous agricultural region of Gujarat.

See also

• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• Karsanbhai Patel

References

http://www.patelunion.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=216 Dr Mahendra Singh Arya, Dharmpal Singh Dudee, Kishan Singh Faujdar & Vijendra Singh Narwar: Ādhunik Jat Itihasa (The modern history of Jats), Agra 1998, p. 263 http:Mahaveer Singh Verma: Jat Veer Smarika 1992 – “Jat Samaj Ahmedabad”