Naithani
Naithani is a Gangari Brahmin toponymic surname from Naithana, a village in the Garhwal Division of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. In around 1200 CE, people of Naithani Clan of Kanyakubj Brahmin caste settled in a village named Naithana in Garhwal.
History
[edit]Naithanis though now part of the vibrant Garhwali Pandit Community, are originally Kanyakubja Brahmins of the traditional Pancha-Gauda Division given by Kalhana, the other division being Pancha Dravida.
The progenitor (मूल पुरुष in Garhwali) of this clan as per historians and in the folklore are said to be two brothers "Pandit Karndev (पंडित कर्णदेव)" and "Pandit Indrapal (पंडित इंद्रपाल)", who supposedly migrated from Kannauj (कन्नौज) in around 1200 AD.
Naithanis are the Manager/Caretaker of "Siddhpeeth Bhuvaneshvari Temple (माँ भुवनेश्वरी सिद्धपीठ)", while Selwals serve as Priests (पुजारी). The temple is also known as Saanguda-Bhagwati (सांगुड़ा भगवती) locally, which literally means "Goddess of Saanguda" (Saanguda being the name of the place where the temple is situated).