A History of the Mahrattas v1.c11.10

v1.c11.10

the Gupta period, while other common surnames, such as Chitnāvis or Chitnis, Phadnīs, Potnīs and Sabnīs, are evidence of the official position of the caste in later years. Several of them held the hereditary post of Deshpānde during Muhammadan and Marāthā rule in the Deccan, and Sivājī himself had no more faithful supporters than the Prabhūs Murār Bājī, Bālājī Avjī Chitnis, Khando Ballāl and Prayāgjī Anant. At the present time many Prabhūs have adopted the professions of law, medicine and engineering, while others are owners of landed estates (jāgīrdārs and ināmdārs), and hold office in Native States. (Russell, T. and C.C.P., iv; B.E.S., Monograph 4; B.C.G., vol. i, pp. 241 ff.) For brief details of a long-standing dispute between Prabhūs and Brahmans under Marāthā rule, see Ranade, pp. 264–5.]