In This UP Village, Surnames Reflect The Animal Kingdom – News18
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Many people have animal names as part of their surnames, a tradition passed down through generations.
The village is also home to 11 historical temples.
Naming a child can be a challenging task. While choosing the first letter might be simple, finding a name that suits them as they grow and sounds good can be tricky. However, people belonging to Baghpat, Bamnauli village have unique names and surnames.
People in this village are identified by their mansions. In this village, visitors often ask for directions to someone’s home by referring to the names of family mansions. The village is also home to 11 historical temples, which makes it culturally very rich. Another unique tradition here is that, since ancient times, people have used the names of animals and birds as their surnames.
Many people have animal names as part of their surnames, a tradition passed down through generations. For instance, the full name of Viresh is Viresh Bhedia. According to Viresh, names like Parrot, Bird, Squirrel, Goat, and Monkey are commonly used as part of people’s names. Sompal, for example, is known as Jackal. These nicknames are even written on letters, as Bijendra Singh, the village’s postal worker, shared that villagers are recognized by these nicknames, which appear alongside their names on mail.
Nevertheless, the construction of big havelis in this village started 250 years ago in Bamanauli village, located 28 km from the district headquarters, with a population of about 14,000, and more than 50 havelis were built in the village. This is why this village is called the village of Havelis. More than 24 havelis in the village depict the stories of ancestors. Some people have sold their houses and moved to cities. However, about 30 families are still living in the houses of their ancestors and preserving their history.
The villagers say that their ancestors set up kilns in the village to make bricks for building the grand havelis. Many of these havelis still have bricks from those original kilns, showcasing the 250-year-old history of the village and its architecture. Raghuveer Singh, Chandan Singh, Girvar Singh, Ramprasad Singh, Totaram, Tulsi Ram, Hargyan Singh, Balmukund Baniya, Ramnarayan Singh, Bhopal Singh, Radheshyam, and Jyoti Swaroop were among the first to build havelis here. After them, other villagers followed suit and built more havelis.
The village is also known for its 11 historical temples, all built around its perimeter. Among these temples, the Nageshwar Temple, Baba Surjan Das Temple, Thakur Dwara Temple, Shiva Temple, Hanuman Temple, Baba Kali Singh Temple, Digambar Jain Temple, Shwetambar Sthanak, Guru Ravidas Temple, and Valmiki Temple are especially famous. Devotees from far and wide come to worship at these sites.
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