Karan (caste)

The Karan or Karana is a community found in the state of Odisha in India. The post of Karana used to be a professional designation that was occupied by literate peoples. They held Karanam posts in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, where they speak Odia and played a similar role in Odisha to that of the Kayasthas of West Bengal and Bihar. In the social hierarchy of Odisha they rank next to Brahmins. They exclusively served the ruling powers as their ministers, advisors, governors, military commanders, record keepers and dewans. They owned most Zamindaris in Odisha. They have the highest literacy caste-wise and are highly prosperous. Today they are a politically dominant community and have reigned over the politics of Odisha for 50 years.

Origin

Divisions

Karanas in Odisha are divided into various divisions, out of these divisions Kshatriya Karanas are considered superior to other divisions of Karanas. They are classified as Vratyas. Karanas used to observe rituals like Sati and Upanayana in their community.

Medieval Period

The frequent admission of land grants to princes, Brahmins and various officials gave rise to a new new class of writers. However the Karanas crystallized into a distinct caste only in the 10th or 11th century AD owning to social mobility. Any mention of the term prior to that period simply denotes its functional aspect rather than a caste affiliation.

Social status

Medieval Period

Karanas along with Brahmins feature in the 10th century inscriptions of Odisha and are represented as heads of the local population. Such depiction denotes their high social rank. Karanas enjoyed high status in medieval period and married within the royal households. An example of this can be found in the Arasavali copper plate of the Eastern Ganga monarch Vajrahasta III. They occupied high positions under the feudatory kings of Odisha, most of them were appointed as Dewans in the princely states of Odisha. Karanas find mention in Bhauma-Kara records and are represented as Sadhyadhikarana or Chief Judicial Officer of a district. Similarly Srikarana featured in the temple inscription is said to have been the accountant general of Anangabhima Deva III of Eastern Ganga dynasty. A Kosthakarana was a top administrative officer of Narsimha Deva 4 of Eastern Ganga Dynasty. Terms like Deula Karana represented the rank of Temple administrator. Samanta Karanas were the aristrocratic families of Karanas from Odisha, the word Samanta was also used by the kings of Odisha, thus it can be said Karanas were associated with the royal families of Odisha. The head of a Karana family was known as Samanta while his wife was known as Samantani. Some Karanas also received land grants and held feudatory status in medieval Odisha. They appear to be an important community in Eastern Ganga dynasty as they held high positions in the government such as the post of army general, prime minister and accountant. Karanas were associated with the administration of the ruling dynasties of Odisha, a general named Srikarana Mahananda Senapati of the Karan caste was the army general and governor of Anangabhima 3 of Eastern Ganga dynasty. Srikarana Mahananda Senapati was the Senadhyakshawara of the Kingdom or Commander in chief. Another official named Srikarana Pattanaik Viswanatha Mahasenapati was the army general and governor of Narsimha Deva 4 of Eastern Ganga Dynasty, he governed four Dandapatas or Rajyas of Eastern Ganga Dynasty, he was also the Puro Srikarana of the Kingdom or Prime Minister. Another general named Srikarana Suru Senapati under the reign of Anangabhima Dev 2 is said to have donated lands to the Jagannath Temple of Puri as evidenced from inscriptions. Ramananda Ray was the governor of the southern territories in Gajapati Empire, he was also a minister of Gajapati Prataparudra Deva, Ramananda Raya belonged to Karan community. The founder of Athgarh State was Raja SriKaran Niladri Bhagirath Barman Patnaik. He was the minister of the Raja of Puri, who conferred on him the title of Raja and gave him Athgarh for his service.

Modern Period

In British colonial era, Karanas owned most Zamindaris in Odisha and were extremely rich. They also received large amounts of land grants in Khurda administration of Khurda Kingdom.

In recent post-Independence era India, they have also played a dominant role in politics. Such is their prominence in politics that many members from the Karan community have been elected as the Chief Ministers of Odisha, hence they are also dubbed as the political caste of Odisha.

Society and culture

Role in temple administration

Deula Karana and Tadhau Karana sub divisions of Karanas are the key servitors in the Jagannath Temple of Puri. They along with other key servitors manage the administration of temple. Deula Karana and Tadhau Karana servitors are also the representatives of the Raja of Puri and assist him in performing the temple rituals associated with Lord Jagannath.

Notable people

Chief Ministers

* Nabakrushna Choudhury; former Chief Minister of Odisha and freedom fighter.
* Biren Mitra; former Chief Minister of Odisha.
* Biju Patnaik; former Chief Minister of Odisha, freedom fighter, industrialist and pilot.
* Janaki Ballabh Patnaik; former Chief Minister of Odisha and former Governor of Assam.
* Naveen Patnaik; former Chief Minister of Odisha and second longest serving Chief Minister of any Indian state.

Freedom Fighters & Social Reformers

* Utkala Gouraba Madhusudan Das; Indian Lawyer, industrialist, social reformer, founder of Utkal Sammilani and prominent figure for creation of Orissa Province (present-day Odisha, India).
* Gopabandhu Choudhury; deputy magistrate in British Government, Indian activist, social worker and freedom fighter.
* Ramadevi Choudhury; freedom fighter, social reformer and Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award winner.
* Annapurna Choudhury; women's rights activist and freedom fighter.
* Braja Sundar Das; Zamindar of Tisania estate, freedom fighter, politician, poet and social reformer.
* Sarala Devi; Independence activist, feminist, social activist, writer and first Odia woman to join the Non-cooperation movement also the first woman to be elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
* Gopala Ballabha Das; writer, social reformer, deputy magistrate in British Government, assistant of Odisha commissioner during British rule and superintendent of all Princely state of Odisha.
* Jagabandhu Patnaik; Dewan of Porahat and the first martyr from Odisha in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
* Bhagirathi Mahapatra; Indian lawyer, politician, founding member and first secretary of Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee.
* Nityanand Kanungo; social activist, former Governor of Bihar and Gujarat, former union minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet .
* Binod Kanungo; freedom fighter, Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award winner and educator.
* Biswanath Pattnaik; social reformer and Bhoodan movement leader.
* Sarangadhar Das; Indian nationalist revolutionary, member of Constituent Assembly of India for framing newly independent India's constitution.

Vaishnav Saints

* Achyutananda Dasa; 16th-century poet seer and Vaishnava saint.
* Ananta Dasa; Odia poet, mystic and one of the chief saint of Utkaliya Vaishnavism.
* Balarama Dasa; 15th-century poet seer, litterateur, writer of Jagamohana Ramayana and Lakshmi Purana.

Historical Figures

* Bisara Mohanty; historical figure of Jagannath culture who rescued Daru Brahma (soul stuff) of Lord Jagannath from the river Ganga.
* Ramananda Ray; author of Jagannath Vallabha Natakam and the Governor of Gajapati Empire.
* Madhavi Pattanayak; 16th-century poet and disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Art & Literature

* Brajanath Badajena; Odia poet and descendant of 16th-century poet Raghu Arakhita.
* Banamali Dasa; Odia bhakti-poet and composer of Odissi music .
* Jatiya Kabi Birakishore Das; National poet, social activist, politician and the editor of "Mo Desha" .
* Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka; Odia poet and composer of Odissi music.
* Radhanath Ray; poet, novelist, essayist, educationist, cultural relativist, orator and song writer.
* Gourishankar Ray; writer and a prominent figure amongst the makers of Modern Odisha.
* Artaballabha Mohanty; writer, literary critique and the publisher of only available print record of Madala Panji.
* Kalicharan Pattnaik; eminent literary and artistic figure of Odisha.
* Annada Shankar Ray; Indian poet and essayist.
* Gopinath Mohanty; novelist, winner of Jnanpith Award and Sahitya Akademi Award.
* Surendra Mohanty; author, politician and Padma Shri award winner.

Education & Research

* Prana Krushna Parija; Indian botanist, scientist, politician, winner of Padma Bhushan and Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
* Bidhu Bhusan Das; educator, public intellectual and ex-principal of Ranchi University (now Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University), vice Chancellor of Utkal University, an advisor to King Mahendra of Nepal and played a key role in establishing Kathmandu's Tribhuvan University also helped to setup Nagaland University.
* Prabhat Nalini Das; public intellectual, first dean/director of Humanities division at IIT Kanpur, vice chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University also served as a professor of English and head of the English department at several prestigious institutions including Delhi University, Ranchi University, Lady Shri Ram College and Utkal University.
* Madhu Sudan Kanungo; renowned Indian scientist in the fields of neuroscience and gerontology. He is best known for his Gene Expression Theory of Aging, also founder-director of Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, chancellor of Nagaland University and Padma Shri award winner.
* Jitendra Nath Mohanty; Indian philosopher, served as an Emeritus professor of Philosophy in Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
* Nikhil Mohan Pattnaik; Indian scholar, scientist and founder of Srujanika, a science education and research non profit organization situated in Bhubaneswar''.''

Jurists

* Ananga Kumar Patnaik; former justice of Supreme Court of India, former chief justice of Chhattisgarh High Court and Madhya Pradesh High Court.
* Gopal Ballav Pattanaik; 32nd Chief Justice of India and former Chief Justice of Patna High Court.
* Bira Kishore Ray; first Chief Justice of Orissa High Court and first Advocate general of Odisha.
* Sukanta Kishore Ray; former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court and former Governor of Odisha.
* Jugal Kishore Mohanty; former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court.
* Pradip Kumar Mohanty; former Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court and former Chairperson of Lokpal of India.

Others

* Chandi Prasad Mohanty; retired Lieutenant General of the Indian Army, 42nd Vice Chief of the Army Staff, former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command.
* Kishen Pattnaik; Indian politician, social activist, author, founder & editor of hindi monthly periodical called ''Samayik Varta.''
* Jayanti Patnaik