Mahat ( ne, महत) is an Ekthariya (single-clan)

Chhetri Chhetri (Kshetri, Kshettri, Kshetry or Chhettri), ( ne, क्षेत्री ; IAST: ''Kṣetrī'') historically called Kshettriya or Kshetriya or Khas are Nepali speakers of Khas community, some of whom trace their origin to migration from ...

surname among

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

ese, of Khasa heritage. The name may have originated when one of the Jumli Malla kings in medieval times made his younger brother, Dharma Malla, chief of staff in the army. This granted Dharma Malla the title of Mahat (meaning ''The Great One''), and as a result, his descendants started using 'Mahat' as their surnames. Like other Khasa chetris such as

Thapa Thapa ( ne, थापा; pronunciation:) is the surname commonly used by North Indian and Nepali people belonging to the Chhetri (Kshatriya) caste of the Khas group and Magar group, a Sino-Tibetan speaking ethnicity. Etymology Thapa was a '' ...

Basnyat Basnyat/Basnet family or Basnyat/Basnet dynasty ( ne, बस्न्यात वंश/बस्न्यात काजी खलक) was a Khas-Chhetri and a warlord clan family involved in the politics and administration of the Gorkha Ki ...

Basnet Basnet/Basnyat ( ne, बस्‍नेत/बस्न्यात) is a surname of Khasas of Nepal and India. It is found among Jharra Chhetri community. There are five different branches of Basnets in Nepal: *The Shreepali (Sripali) Jumli ...

, Karki,

Khadka Khadka ( ne, खड्का), anciently called as Khaḍga ( sa, खड्गा), is a surname of Khas -Chhetri community. Khadga was an ancient ''Paikelā'' (warrior) rank along with '' Thāpā'', ''Rānā'' and ''Buḍhā''. Kunwar Khadka cla ...

and Rawat, Mahats worship Masta, a local non-

vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

deity of the Karnali region. Among twelve Mastas, Khaapar Masta is their Kuldevata. Khasa Chhetris are referred to by their place of origin, and therefore Mahats are also called as Kalikote Mahat.

Military roles

Mahats have been an integral part of the Nepalese Army during the same period of Shah kings. Many individuals with the Mahat surname still serve the Nepalese Army as well as in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n and US armies in different designations, both as officers and non-officers.

Population and distribution

At the time of the

1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working with Nepal's Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the main towns and villages of each ...

, there were 4,240 Mahats living in 799 dwellings. The most prominent population of Mahat is Mahat Gaun in Jumla. Notable settlements of Mahats have been found in Nuwakot,

Parbat Parbat District ( ne, पर्वत जिल्ला , is a hilly area of Nepal. It is a part of Gandaki Province and one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Kusma as its district headquarters, covers an area of an ...

Tanahu Tanahun District ( ne, :ne:तनहुँ जिल्ला, तनहुँ जिल्ला , or ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Damauli as its district headquarters, covers ...

, Jumla (Mahat Village Development Committee which now falls under Chandan Nath Municipality), Rukum, Parbat, Myagdi, Pokhara (Mahat gauda), Nuwakot (Kabilash and Kholegaun), Tanahun, Kabhre (Panauti), Bhaktapur(Palanse Mahatgaun), Lalitpur (Lele, Satdobato, Thaiba), Makwanpur (Hetauda), Charikot and Ilam (Sangrumba, Hattidhunga, Khammang, Ilam municipality). The Mahats living in Lele of Lalitpur are believed to have settled there from the Valley Malla after the Khasa attack on Kathmandu led by Khas king Jitari Malla. Mahats also live in places like

Jhapa Jhapa ( ne, झापा जिल्ला; ) is a district of Province No. 1 in eastern Nepal named after a Rajbanshi word "Jhapa" meaning "to cover" (verb). The latest official data, the 2021 Nepal Census, puts the total population of the d ...

(Mechinagar/ Kakarbhitta, Sanischare, Damak),

Sunsari , nickname = , native_name_lang = , image_skyline = , image_size = , image_alt = , image_caption = Night view of Dharan, Itahari & Tarahara :: Barahakshetra Temple: BPKIHS, Dharan : Dharan Clock Tower , image_map = Sunsari district ...

(Dharan, Paanmara),

Darchula Khalanga (also called Darchula) is a town and the district headquarters of the Darchula District in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal. It is part of the Mahakali Municipality in the Mahakali Zone. The town is located on the bank of Mahakali ...

(Marma, Duhun),

Baitadi Khalanga or Baitadi Khalanga is a town and seat of Baitadi District in the Sudurpashchim Province of western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau ...

and outside Nepal in West Bengal (Bagrakot) and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

in India.

Notable Mahats

Prem Raja Mahat Prem Raja Mahat ( ne, प्रेमराजा महत) is a Nepalese folk singer. He has sung songs like ''Bajho Khet Ma'', ''Paan Ko Paat'', ''Balla Paryo Nirmaya'', and ''Simsime Panima,'' which are considered timeless Nepali classic ...

, Nepalese folk singer * Gajendra Bahadur Mahat (Jumla), Nepalese politician * Leyla Mahat, Kazakhstani artist *Dr.

Prakash Sharan Mahat Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat is the current spokesperson of Nepali Congress. He is former minister for foreign affairs of Nepal, assumed his office on 26 August 2016. Born in Nuwakot district of Nepal on 5 November 1959, Mahat has an active politic ...

(Nuwakot), Foreign Minister in Nepal Government * Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat (Nuwakot) — Senior Leader of Nepalese Congress, Finance Minister in Nepal Government (Brother of Prakash Sharan Mahat)

References

{{Chhetri communities Surnames of Nepalese origin Khas surnames