Upadhyaya
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).
