Utkala Brahmin

Traditional dress of an utkala Brahmin Priest in Puri, Orissa in 1928

The Utkala Brahmin community is divided into various class, social, and religious strata. Though these divisions were very important in the previous eras, especially during medieval age in regards to temple authorities or social respect among other communities; today, these divisions have become generally blurred. Generally, the community is split into two major subcastes, Strotiya, and Asrotiya (Sevaka) Brahmins, along with their various subcaste within these two main divisions.[3]

The Utkala Brahmins generally have the following surnames: Singhababu,Acharya, Ankalla, Bishi, Dash, Dash Sharma, Gantayat, Kar,khadiratna, Mishra, Nath,Nahak,Nayak, Choudhury, Sahoo/ Sahu, Panigrahy/Panigrahi, Bhatta, Guru, Rajguru, Rayguru, Pani, Dikhit/ Dikshit, Mahapatra/ Mohapatra, Patra, Pain, Panda, Ratha/Rath, Rath Sharma, Khamari, Purohit Satpathi, Senapati, Pani,pati, Padhi, Vedi, Dwivedi, Sadangi( some time Sarangi), Pattajoshi, Swain, Joshi, Panda, Bada Panda, Puja Panda,Mohanty, Nanda, Purohit, Pujari, Pathi, Nepak, Devasharma, Tripathy, Praharaj, Padhi, Udgata, Hota, Otta, Sabata.[5]

Few surnames like Behera,Khamari,Bishi,Sahoo, Mohapatra, Senapati, Nayak,Nahak are the Brahmin surnames of western and eastern Odisha but people from other castes with these surnames are also found in most parts of Odisha.

• Brahmin communities