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Upadhyay

Upādhyāya is a surname used by Brahmin native to Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand and Nepal.Upadhyaya is a teacher in the Hindu religions of South Asia.

An upadhyaya is specifically a professional teacher in the technical subjects of Vedanga, i.e. Sanskrit grammar and other basic skills required for the perusal of the Vedas. In this he is distinguished from an Acharya, a spiritual teacher or guide who introduces the student to the religious mysteries of the Vedas.

Both titles have come to be used more widely as a mere title, honorary affix or even as a surname. Traditionally, these Brahmins worked as teachers and priests. Upādhyāya is the surname of some members of the Madhwa Shivalli Brahmins and Havyaka Brahmins of Karnataka and the Audichya Brahmins of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. The Gujarat Brahmins of Shandilya are in Surat.

Upadhayay as part of the surname is used by most of the Bengali Brahmins before their anglicization. e.g. Bandopadhyay (Banerjee), Chattopadhyay (Chatterjee), Gangopadhyay( Ganguly) & Mukhopadhyay (Mukherjee).

There have had many renowned 'Upadhyay' personalities, the most popular being Deen Dayal Upadhyay of India. This surname belongs to the 'Brahmin' Caste (The uppermost caste in India). Today, Upadhyay's are holding key roles in the field of Politics, Sports, Films, Astrology, Science etc in India and the World.

Upadhayay as part of the surname is used by most Bengali Brahmins before their anglicization. e.g. Bandopadhyay (Banerjee), Chattopadhyay (Chatterjee), Gangopadhyay (Ganguly) & Mukhopadhyay (Mukherjee). Bhumihar brahmins use Upadhayay as their surname. .^[1]

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Upadhyay is a surname. Notable people who bear the name include:

• Amar Upadhyay (born 1976), Indian model, film and television actor
• Amod Prasad Upadhyay (born 1936), Nepalese social worker and politician
• Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay (1865–1947), writer of Hindi literature
• Brahmabandhav Upadhyay (1861–1907), Bengali Brahmin, nephew of the Indian freedom-fighter Kalicharan Banerjee
• Chabilal Upadhyaya (1882–1980), Nepali Brahmin(Bahun), First President (Selected) of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee
• Chintan Upadhyay (born 1972), Indian artist, accused of a 2015 murder
• Chandrika Prasad Upadhyay (born 1950), Indian politician
• Deendayal Upadhyaya (1916–1968), Indian politician and thinker, co-founder of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh
• Darshan Upadhyaya (born 1994), Canada-born American esports player
• Harilal Upadhyay (1916–1994), Gujarati author
• Hema Upadhyay (1972–2015), Indian artist who lived and worked in Mumbai, India since 1998
• Kedar Nath Upadhyay, Chief Justice of Nepal at Supreme Court
• Kishore Upadhyaya (born 1958), Indian politician
• Krishnakant Upadhyay (born 1986), cricketer from Uttar Pradesh
• Lalit Upadhyay (born 1993), Indian field hockey player, part of Indian national team
• Moxila A. Upadhyaya, Indian-born U.S. Magistrate Judge
• Munishwar Dutt Upadhyay (1898–1983), Indian politician and statesman, leader in the Indian independence movement
• Ram Kinkar Upadhyay (1924–2002), scholar on Indian scriptures and a recipient of Padma Bhushan
• Samrat Upadhyay (born 1964), Nepalese writer who writes in English
• Satish Upadhyay (born 1962), the President of the Delhi Unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Seema Upadhyay (born 1965), Indian politician, belonging to Bahujan Samaj Party
• Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay (1929–2011), Nepalese diplomat and politician
• Shrikrishna Upadhyay (born 1945), Nepalese economist
• Umesh Upadhyay (born 1960), Indian television journalist and media executive
• Ved Prakash Upaddhay (born 1947), Indian Sanskrit and Hinduism scholar, author, lecturer, professor, educationist
• Vikas Upadhyay (born 1975), Indian politician, general secretary for All India Youth Congress

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