TyagiTyagi is a Brahmin community and surname from the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Tyagis are Hindus as well as Tyagi (Muslim). The word 'Tyaagi' is derived from the Sanskrit 'tyaag', meaning "to sacrifice" or to relinquish, Taga and Tagha are alternative names that are sometimes used. For ages most of the Tyagis are landlords and having significant farming land and they have discarded the tradition of "Bhiksha" & "Dakshina" completely. Sacrifice and ruling as their main trait are vividly reflected in their gotra. Gotra means the name of the ancestral father; Within Tyagi, a number of brahmanGotras co-exist, including Vatsa, Bhardwaj, Vasistha, Gautam, Atreya, Kaushik, Vatsyayana, Kashyap, Shandilya, Dixit and Parashara,(Pulastya,Garg,Kaushish) depending upon their place or village of origin mainly from Haryana & Rajasthan area.. Tyagis are infamous for involvement in widespread crime in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Historical Origins of Tyagis Tyagis are the descendents of Vedic rishis .They were called as Taga Bhatt(Tagya - Specialist/ Tatva Gyani;Bhatt- Intellectual /Warrior Brahman).They were the oldest settlers in this land of Haryana,Rajasthan & West Uttar Pradesh.They belong to original Brahman sect-Aadi Gaur..Taga Bhatt were involved in administration,teaching,writing & military activities leading to their current professions.They were highly status conscious and organised on Khaap(Brahman Clan,based on the descendence from one father) basis with Khaap head being a very respected person. Bhat records hold that the origins of the surname were found in a split between the Tyagis and the Brahmin subcaste Bhumihar Brahmin. Bhumihar are said to be direct descendants of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Parashuram requested that the Bhumihar renounce all future bhiksha, and instead impart their knowledge and administration for religious functions without donation, in turn dedicating themselves to the development of knowledge and agriculture in northern India. Those that obeyed Parashuram were given the surname 'Tyagi' to commemorate their sacrifice. Bhumihar Brahmins and Tyagis have an affinity and brotherhood for each other. The Bhumihar Brahmins, of whom many, though not all, belong to the Saryupareen Brahmin division of Kanyakubja Brahmin however many of them moved from west Uttar Pradesh to Eastern U.P. and Bihar during the reign of Harsh Vardhans. Prathihara Empire,according to a legend given in later manuscripts of Prithviraj Raso. Rao,Rathore had the main linkage with Pratihara. Last emperor of Pratihara Empire was Nahar Rao Parihara of Mandore, Marwar (6th-7th century)was succeeded by Rathores of Marwari. Beyond the other scene, a group of Taga Brahmans who were the ministers & Gurus in this kingdom ,was called Taga Rathore. This assertion is not without debate, however. Other sources maintain that the origins of the surname hold a connection with Janmejay, the first Hindu king during the age of kalyug, approximately 3000 BCE. Janmejay was the great-grandson of Arjuna, the protagonist of the Bhagavad Gita According to alternate bhat records, Janmejay organized a Nag Yagna, for a bloody war waged against the Nagas. Yagnas were generally performed as a ritual of purification for sins and bloodshed committed during war. At this ceremony, the most learned and renowned of Brahmins versed in performing the art of sacrifice were invited from across the northern subcontinent to administer the ceremony. According to Vedic literature, the Yajinika of such an elaborate ceremony was required to be a master scholar in scripture, mathematics, and astronomy. At the end of the Yagna, a bhiksha was offered to the Brahmins in exchange for their and clothes. & DELHI. they were badly targeted by Mughals. incidentally. to their Army. resulting into some forcibly conversions also. They rule on few small states "Kingdoms or Riyasat" in U. the older capital of the Kuru dynasty. The TYAGI KINGS recruited and joined Goswamis(Giri or Gosai). a descendant of Timur and sixth ruler of the Mughal dynasty. even though they may not be vaidiki Braahmans as far as occupation is concerned. Umra Taga served as Deputy General of the Sarv Khap coalition army and Rampyari Taga served as a Delegate and Deputy on its counsel. Beyond this.These Bhumihaars were then given the surname 'Tyagi' to acknowledge their renunciation. in the region near Delhi and were controlling the politics & economy of this region. Gurjar Sardars. Hence. Tyagis suffered heavily in British rule as well. they would have to renounce their Purohit Karma duties to give Karmkand. offered the visiting priests wealth in the form of gold. in turn. especially Aurangzeb. most consider them a valuable record of Indian history outside of parochial tradition. According to Gazetteer records. The majority of this land has been historically maintained in coparcenary tenure. District Gazetteer One of the few historical documents to record the evolution of the surname outside of Bht records is the District Gazetteer. the surname 'Tyagi' is equivalent to an earlier form of the word. and raped the indigenous Hindu populace during his army's trek. But later on they countered that in devoting themselves to agriculture.[7] Since Tyagis were sufficiently well to do.Tagas were the main land lord community. pillaged. Despite all odds. as he massacred. In the period of RIYASATs. they have the same gotras as all Brahmans and still wear the yagnopaveeta (janeu or). Timur's ultimate goal.. Per records. but the Brahmin priests refused the bhiksha offered at the end of a ceremony but they opted to cultivate the land in spite of accepting the "dakshina" or "bhiksha" and promised to themselves that in future they would not accept any type of charity. They are among the most proud of all Brahmins and backbone of Brahmanical system. Janmejay offered the visiting Brahmins a total of 2444 villages in exchange for retaining them near his capital cities. as compared to the other castes like Gujjars etc. in gratitude for their services. the Tagas held about five percent of the total land in the state however in Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh.services. Janmejay. among other things. While Brahmins did not traditionally cultivate land. Yadavs(Aheer). most notably those of the Muslim general Timur the Lame. The records indicate that Tagas also played a considerable part in the resistance to the Islamic Crusades. was to ultimately invade the city of Delhi during the city's internal battle for ascension Four-hundred years later. or modern-day Delhi. it is one of the major community who fought bravely for the cause of their country in all freedom struggles along with the other people of the region. 26 Tyagi Villages were auctioned after 1857 revolution . Tagas in Uttar Pradesh clashed again with Muslim invaders's and many were forcibly converted to Islam by Aurangzeb. would never accept charity for their livelihood or act as religious functionaries. Janmejay wished that the scholars and priests remained near his capital regions of Indraprashtha. 'Taga'. livestock (particularly cows). horse driven chariots. While some academicians maintain that the accuracy of District Gazetteers is suspect. per tradition. or religious rites. as well as in Hastinapura. According to the Gazetteer.. Their progeny. however. If these records are accurate. a comprehensive catalogue of Indian subcontinent geography and culture created by the British Viceroy during England's imperialist ventures in the early 20th century.P. The major goal of the resistance was to defend the Holy city of Haridwar from desecration by Timur. they are eligible to perform sandhya-vandana and learn their saka. Niwari. they all have their original homes here in this area only. although the majority of Tyagis still reside in western Uttar Pradesh. Muzaffarnagar. Uttaranchal (Hardwar). Gurgaon and Faridabad). the Tyagi of village Gobindpuri. Sharma. Army. Distt. Industry and other professions.Pak War. Panipat.Gangatic valley of Western Uttar Pradesh (Districts of Saharanpur.by the Britishers.India) admired him too much and travelled with him on foreign visits like China. a Tyagi family live. As Teerthwal Tyagis established themselves in Tigri and setup the Teerth Garh Mukteswar.Fatehpur a small Village(originally from village Didoli) on Delhi-Dehradun Highway in Ghaziabad District of Uttar Pradesh. however. If they are found anywhere else in the country or abroad.Shankar Dayal Sharma(Ex-President. Late Dr.Mr Shanti Tyagi. Meerut. Kapil. Sonipat. He has written many books in Hindi. Moradabad and Amroha). Influential Tyagis in recent history have included Indian Members of Parliament Prakash Vir Shastri. is that the early 20th century Gazetteer records maintained that they had originally arrived in the district from the region now known as East and West Bengal. Ghaziabad.China War he was awarded Veer Chakra. Khindora and other villages) and 12 Villages (now 8 only) near Gajraula(Tigri near Garh Mukteswar)are Kaushik from Pahrawar Village near Jhajjar(Haryana) which is the main village of Kaushik Brahmans in Haryana. Rajasthan. He was the son of Zamindar Ch. a great Warrior. Teerthwal Tyagis of 24 Villages near Muradnagar (Didoli. who at very tender age of 25 years laid his life for the nation in 1965 Indo. Distt. English torture caused him asthma and was reason of his death.Member of Parliament(Rajya Sabha) of Kaithwadi Village(Meerut) was the son of Mr Hardwari Lal great freedom fighter. This is the homeland of Tyagi Brahmins. Jaisalmer. Poet Dushyant Kumar Tyagi was also a famous poet who gave a new shape and glory of Hindi poetry. now apart from agriculture Tyagi's have diversified into Education. Other surnames used by Tyagi Brahmins include Rai. ther is village in Gorakhpur that is in east uttar pradesh. Noida. the Tyagi surname changed according to geographic location. Migration of Tyagis Over time. Yamunanagar. Major Asha Ram Tyagi. There is a Kuldevi temple of Teerthwal Tyagis in Garh Mukteswar near Sanskrit Paathshala. according to the record of pandas of Haridwar. Mr Satya Prakash Tyagi is a great poet & philosopher of Indore belongs to village Baira of Bulandshahr(UP). Shanti Ji actively participated in Goa Liberation from Portuguese. Galav and Sinha. Delhi. Tyagis in Recent Times Many Tyagis held high positions during the British Raj as they were considered a martial race by the British Viceroys. Bagpat. A good number of Tyagis are also holding scientist post in northern labs of Defence R&D Organization (DRDO). Professionally they are mostly involved in educational and research related jobs. After independence Tyagis were deprived of their farming land due to various laws of land ceiling put forward by the governments. not all people of Indian descent with these last names were originally Tyagis. Maha Vir Chakra Reciepent Posthumaously . Bijnor. At the same time. The Tyagi Brahmins are found settled in the Yamuna .the distinctions have become blurred with time. Perhaps most interesting. Sagava Singh Tyagi. and Haryana (Districts of Karnal. Haryana migrated from Village Bhatiari. Mahavir Tyagias well as Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi of the Indian Air Force.Earlier in 1962 Indo . Bulandshahar. It is of note that the British authors who compiled the Gazetteer were uncertain as to the veracity of this claim. they were called Teerthwal. and many were active during the ensuing Indian Independence Movement as well. . Though in villages. Others live in the states of Haryana.trade & industries .In Uttar Pradesh.defence. New Delhi and Uttaranchal. many Tyagis now live in the upper Doab region between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers—one of the most fertile regions in the world.reserch. their major occupation continues to be farming but they have strongly diversified in modern professions of education.