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]] The community has several Family Names . Baidyas of Bengal constitute one of the sub-caste of Bengali Brahmins. Some of the Baidyas consider themselves to be a separate Social Group . HISTORY A large scale migration of Brahmins from Kanyakubja region occurred during Pala and Sena periods. However historical evidence attests significant presence of Brahmins in Bengal since the Maurya period. The Jain Acharya Bhadrabahu , regarded to be the the preceptor of Chandragupta Maurya is said to have been born in Brahmin family of Pundravardhana . A copperplate grant from the Gupta period found in the vicinity of Somapura mentions a Brahmin donating land to a Jain vihara at Vatagohali. The three main divisions are Traditional accounts The traditional accounts of the origin are given in texts termed Kulagranthas, composed around the 17th Century . They mention a ruler named Adishura who invited five Brahmins fron Kanyakubja, so that he could conduct a Yajna . These five Brahmins and their five Kayasth 'servants' formed the Kulin Brahmin and Kayasth clans. Another account mentions a king Shyamal Varma who invited five Brahmins from Kanyakubja who became the progenitors of the Vedika Brahmins. Historians have located a ruler named Adishura, ruling in north Bihar , but not in Bengal. Thus it is likely the Brahmins from Kanyakubja may have first arrived in Mithila , and then moved to Bengal. It is believed that the Brahmins of Bengal adapted kulinism from a similar hierarchical system used by the the Brahmins of Mithila. Kulinism in Bengal Both Brahmins and Kayasthas in Bengal have followed a system that ranks the clans hierarchically. The Kulinas formed the higher ranking clans. The system degenerated during the 18-19th century and is no longer popular. Impact of British occupation The British occupation of Bengal radically transformed the Bengali culture. Bengal has now gone through two century of missionary efforts and a quarter century of a Marxist government. Eastern Bengal became an Muslim majority region in mid-19th century which resulted in the First Partition Of Bengal In 1905 , and then Final Partion In 1947 . Although the interaction with the British resulting in what is termed the Bengal Renaissance , it altered the hold of traditional Brahminical Hinduism in the religion. PROMINENT BENGALI BRAHMINS Many Bengali Brahmin family names are written in two different ways. Thus Chattopadhyay is the Sanskrit word, Anglicized form of the Prakrit word takes the form Chatterjee . Note that "Chatta" was the name of the village where the family served as upadhyaya (i.e. priest). The word upadhyaya is ovajhaya in Prakit which contracts to -jee or -jya. Tagore is anglicised form of Thakur , meaning "lord". Pre-1947
Post-1947
Some promienent religious leaders from Bengal, Vivekananda (a Kayasth ) and Srila Prabhupada (a Suvarna Vanika) are often thought to have been Brahmin although they were not Brahmin. Both were however disciples of Brahmin scholars. LINKS REFERENCES
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