History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c8.21

v1.c8.21

The second thing to remark about Brahmins is that their names generally ended in particular suffixes only. It appears that in those days particular suffixes or epithets were added to the names of individuals to indicate their caste. These suffixes are mentioned even in Smritis. Sarmā was the principal suffix indicating the Brahmin caste. Besides Sarmā the other suffixes or affixes were Bhatta, Deva and Svāmi.* In the Chammak copperplate grant of Pravarasena II of the Vākātakas of Berars (Corp. Ins. Vol. III p. 235 No. 88) we have many names of Brahmin grantees mentioned and the following are some of them viz. Śatyāyana Gaṇārya, Vātsya Devārya, Bhāradvāja Kumāraśarmārya, Pārāsarya Gāhasarma, Kāsyapa Devārya, Maheśvarārya Bhāradvāja Bappārya, Gautamasagotra Mātriśarmārya etc. The world Ārya is added as a double honorfic or it may indicate that the person came from the southern country where Ārya (modern Ayyā) was added invariably to Brahmin names by the Dravidian people.