[INDOLOGY] Pragvata/Porwad/etc and the suffix -simha

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

There are many queries. Among them the title Simha/Sinha etc are assumed
outside the Sikh community by landlords. It looks like a feudal
inheritance. It may be of Rajput origin
Best
DB

On Sat, Apr 18, 2015 at 2:14 PM, Martin Gansten <martin.gansten at pbhome.se>
wrote:

> I am currently looking at two Sanskrit authors probably from the Saurāṣṭra
> region: Samarasiṃha (possibly 13th century, and in any event prior to ->)
> and Tejaḥsiṃha (fl. 1337 CE). Both emphasize belonging to the Prāgvaṭa
> community, and both claim a family connection as ministers/advisors to
> Caulukya rulers.
>
> I confess an almost complete ignorance of the Prāgvaṭas, although a quick
> web search tells me that they are commonly known today as Porwad or Porwal
> and comprise both Hindus and Jains. Later authors claim Samarasiṃha as a
> Brahmin, and so my first question is whether this is correct for a
> self-proclaimed Prāgvaṭa -- or rather, if it would have been correct in
> 13th-century Saurāṣṭra. Were the Prāgvaṭas/Porwads at that time and place
> Hindus (= non-Jains), and if so, were they considered Brahmins?
>
> I also wonder what the suffix -siṃha might have implied in this historical
> context. Several ancestors of these two authors had names ending in it as
> well: Caṇḍasiṃha, Kumārasiṃha, Vijayasiṃha. Does this tell us anything of
> their origins, status or affiliations?
>
> With many thanks in advance, as always, for any light that list members
> may be able to shed on this,
>
> Martin Gansten
>
>
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