KC (surname)

Chhetri subcaste of Brahmin descent and the family name used from this subcaste

"Khatri (Nepal)" redirects here. For the Kshatriya caste of Punjab, India of the same name, see Khatri.

"Khatri Chhetri" redirects here. For other uses, see Khatri.

Further information: Khatri (surname)

KC (or K.C, K.C.) is a surname of medieval origin anglicized as an abbreviation of Khatri Chhetri in Nepal.[1][2] The surname Khatri Chhetri was historically legally labelled to the children of Brahmin fathers and Kshatriya (Chhetri) mothers after the introduction of Muluki Ain (the Legal Code of Nepal) in 1854 by Jang Bahadur Rana of Nepal.[1][2][3][4] With its origin in the 12th century CE, the archaic form of the surname "Khatri" was ascribed as a local endonym for the progeny of Brahmins from medieval India and Khas women of the Middle Himalayas in medieval western Nepal.[2]

## History

[edit]

Dislodged by the Ghurid conquest of India and subsequent Delhi Sultanate, Brahmins from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Punjab and North India began emigrating to the hills of western Nepal seeking refuge primarily after the 12th century CE where they encountered another Indo-Aryan tribe called Khasas. The progeny resulting from the unions of Brahmin men and Khas women were called Khatris.[2]

In contrast to the British rule in India and subsequent British Raj, Jang Bahadur Rana promulgated the legal code of Nepal called Muluki Ain in 1854 enforcing rigid social and matrimonial structures within Hinduism where the patriline of a caste and thereby the status of children legally depended upon the marriage choice of the father.[5] As per this, the children born from the marriage of a Brahmin father and a Kshatriya (Chhetri) mother were labelled as "Khatri or Khatri Chhetri", indicating that they were the descendants of a marriage between a Brahmin man with a Khas/Chhetri woman in their ascendant patriline.[5][1]

Khatris have played a vital role in the unification of Kingdom of Nepal and thereafter as administrators, governors, political leaders and military commanders.[6] Large number of Khatri commanders became governors (Kaji) of various regions during the unification of Nepal by King Prithvi Narayan Shah; Kaji Ram Khatri, Kaji Bhim Khatri, Kaji Bir khatri and Kaji Hari Khatri each governed newly consolidated Kingdom of Palpa, regions surrounding Gorkha and Kathmandu valley, central Nepal and hilly regions of eastern Nepal respectively.[7] Between 1768 and 1814, Chandrabhan Khatri, Ranabir Khatri, Shiva Narayan Khatri, Gaja Simha Khatri, Damu Khatri and Vamsha Raj Khatri were appointed as the Chief of administration and military, called Sardars, by king Prithvi Narayan Shah and subsequent Shah kings after the merging of Kingdom of Gorkha into the unified Kingdom of Nepal.[8] During the Rana dynasty rule, Kaji Bishnu Khatri was appointed to govern hill regions of eastern Nepal, Kaji Tribhuvan Khatri governed Terai in a close proximity to British India and Kaji Bhairav Khatri governed hill regions of the western frontier.[7]

In 1850 AD, Khatris were among the first Nepalese to travel to England and France as a part of a royal mission.[9][10] Three Khatri commanders of the Nepalese army namely Lieutenant Karbir Khatri, Lieutenant Lal Singh Khatri and Kaji Karbir Khatri accompanied Nepal's ruler Jung Bahadur Rana's visit to Europe and Lt. Lal Singh Khatri, among them, was also the first Nepalese to study English in the British Residency at the Court of Nepal.[10][11] The over time exposure of Khatris to United Kingdom and British English led to the anglicization of surname into a formally designated abbreviation of KC (or K.C.), from its original Khatri Chhetri. KCs are prominently visible in politics, cinema, army, arts, education, medicine, business, fashion and sports of Nepal, among others.

## Notable KCs

[edit]

* Arjun Narasingha K.C., former five-time minister of Nepal and Senior Nepali Congress Leader
* Kul Bahadur KC, late Nepalese Poet and laureate
* Chitra Bahadur K.C., former deputy prime minister of Nepal and chairman of the Rashtriya Jana Morcha Party
* Dr. Govinda K.C., Nepalese orthopedic surgeon and philanthropic activist
* Nayan Bahadur Khatri, longest serving late Chief Justice of Nepal
* Jyoti KC, first Nepalese-American astronaut and Commander crew of NASA's Sirius mission[12][13]
* Surya Bahadur KC, late industrialist and founder of Machhapuchhre Bank Ltd, Rara Noodle, 'KC Group Nepal', and Parliamentarian of Nepal [14][15]
* Dr. Kedar Narsingh KC, President of Nepal Medical Association and former Director of the National Tuberculosis Center[16]
* Lieutenant Lal Singh Khatri, first Nepalese to study English and an entourage of 1850's Jung Bahadur Rana's visit to Britain and France[11]
* Atithi Gautam K. C, youngest singer in the world to release a professional solo album
* Hira Singh Khatri, first Director of Nepalese Film industry with 1964's movie Aama
* Karishma K.C. (Manandhar), one of the most prominent Nepalese actress[17][18]
* Bhuwan K.C., Nepalese actor, director, producer, singer and filmmaker
* Anmol K.C., actor and producer
* Sugarika KC, former Miss Nepal World and television host[19]
* Ashma KC, Miss Nepal World[20]
* Sumana KC, Miss Nepal Earth [21]
* Roshni Khatri, former Miss Nepal Earth and actress[22]
* Dikshya KC, former Mrs. Nepal World[23]
* Renu KC, late mother of Nepalese movie superstar Rajesh Hamal[24][25]
* Avantika Khatri, Indian Bollywood actress, producer, and director
* Nandita K.C., Nepalese actress
* Bhavna Khatri, Indian Bollywood actress
* Sita KC, Nepalese singer
* Sandhya KC, Nepalese actress[26]
* Kiran KC, Nepalese actor
* Sulakshana Khatri, Indian Bollywood actress
* Sushant KC, Nepalese singer and songwriter[27][28]
* Uma Devi Khatri, late Indian Bollywood actress
* Jenisha KC, Nepalese actress[29]
* Dr. Khadga KC, Rector of Tribhuvan University[30]
* Guru Maharaj Narayan Gautam Khatri aka "Swami Hamsananda", Hindu saint and founder of Swargadwari Temple complex of Nepal in the 20th century[31][32]
* Madan Khatri Chhetri (KC), Royal Nepal army Lieutenant Colonel glorified as "Captain Madan KC" in the Hollywood movie Everest[33][34]
* Rajendra Chhetri (KC), former head of Nepal Army (Nepalese Armed Forces) and son of late colonel Gopal Bahadur Khatri Chhetri, Aide de Camp (ADC) to King Mahendra of Nepal[35][36]
* Pradeep Jung KC, Lieutenant general of Nepal, second highest ranking general of Nepal Army[37]
* Phuspa Ram KC, former Head of Nepal Police[38]
* Dr. Nagendra Bahadur KC, former Major general (Nepal Army) and Director general of Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences [39]
* Gaurav Kumar KC, Major general of Nepal Army[40]
* Kiran K.C, former Major general of Nepal Army[41]
* Kul Prasad KC, Chief Minister of Lumbini Province of Nepal
* Karan KC, Nepalese cricketer at Nepal national cricket team
* Jit Bahadur K.C., first Nepalese athlete to win an international medal in sports (1971)[42]
* Shreedhar Khatri, Nepalese Ambassador to the United States[43]
* Sarala KC, President of Nepal Nursing Council[44]
* Kamal Khatri, Nepalese singer
* Nilam K.C., former Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizens of Nepal
* Sher Bahadur KC, former president of Nepal Bar Association[45]
* Krishna Khatri, Nepalese football player of national women's team
* Jagat Bahadur KC, Vice-Chancellor of Purbanchal University[46]
* Rajendra Kumar KC, former minister of Nepal and leader of Nepali Congress Party [47]
* Dr. Badri KC, President of Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA)[48]
* Padma Bahadur Khatri, late former foreign minister of Nepal and Nepalese Ambassador to the United States
* Neelam KC, president of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF-Nepal) [49]
* Phupu Lhamu Khatri (born 1996), Nepalese Olympic judoka
* Buddhi Bahadur KC, Executive Director of state-owned Radio Nepal[50]
* Hira Chandra KC, State Minister of Health and Population of Nepal
* Bedraj KC, Vice-Chancellor of Pokhara University[51]
* Bal Bahadur K.C., former minister of Nepal
* Sunil KC, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NMB Bank Nepal[52]
* Ramesh Kumar KC, former chairman of Agricultural Development Bank of Nepal.[53]
* Manoj Kumar KC, band member of 1974 AD
* Dr. Fatta Bahadur KC, former chairman of National Insurance Board of Nepal (Rastriya Beema Sansthan)[54]
* Dhruba KC, former coach of Nepal national football team
* Roshan KC, former chairman of Machhapuchhre Bank Ltd[15]
* Bhagawati Khatri, Nepalese sport shooter at the 2000 Olympics
* Anjan KC, national football player of Nepal
* Rupesh KC, national football player of Nepal
* Sushil KC, national football player of Nepal
* Gyanu K.C., former Parliamentarian of Nepal

Fictional characters

* Fenisha Khatri, in the British television series Casualty[55]
* Captain Madan KC, in the Hollywood movie Everest based on real life story of Lieutenant Colonel Madan Khatri Chhetri (KC) of Nepal Army[56]

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Subedi, Madhusudan (2011). "Caste System: Theories and Practices in Nepal". Himalayan Journal of Sociology and Anthropology. 4: 134–159\. doi:10.3126/hjsa.v4i0.4672. ISSN 2382-5073.
2. ^ a b c d "Brahman and Chhetri of Nepal | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
3. ^ Bista, Rachana (2019). Dewali through sociological lens, ancestor worship among the chettri of Gaurada in Nepal. Gangtok, India: Sikkim University. p. 35.
4. ^ "Nepalese caste system". www.linguateca.pt. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
5. ^ a b Doherty, Victor S. "The Organizing Principles of Brahmin-Chetri Kinship". INAS Journal: 28.
6. ^ Kings and Political Leaders of Gorkhali Empire. Regmi Research Series. M.C. Regmi, 1995. Available at https://endconflict.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2014-01-15-mahesh_c_regmi_kings-and-political-leaders-of-the-gorkhali-empire.pdf
7. ^ a b The Regmi Research Series (Year 1-21), Cornell University Library; Available at : https://ecommons.cornell.edu/collections/1284cf5e-b57c-471b-b68b-3058914104b8
8. ^ Kings and Political Leaders of the Gorkhali Empire 1768-1814, Regmi, M.(1995); Orient Longman Limited Press. Available at:https://pahar.in/pahar/Books and Articles/Nepal/1995 Kings and Political Leaders of the Gorkhali Empire 1768-1814 by Regmi s.pdf
9. ^ Waterhouse, David (2004-10-28). The Origins of Himalayan Studies: Brian Houghton Hodgson in Nepal and Darjeeling. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-38364-1.
10. ^ a b "Jang Bahadur in Europe: the first Nepalese mission to the West". dokumen.pub. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
11. ^ a b Adhikari, Krishna (2017-01-01). "The First Nepali in England: Motilal Singh and PM Jang Bahadur Rana". European Bulletin of Himalayan Research.
12. ^ "Space training completed by a Nepali Woman". Nepalnews; Available at https://nepalnews.com/s/nation/space-training-completed-by-a-nepali-women
13. ^ Republica. "Jyoti KC certified as an analogue astronaut". My City. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
14. ^ "Lawmaker Surya Bahadur KC, who founded Rara noodle, no more - OnlineKhabar English News". 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
15. ^ a b "Former Chairman". Machhapuchchhre Bank Limited. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
16. ^ Nepal, Medical Council (2022). "Past executive-tenure years". Nepal Medical Association. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
17. ^ "Biography Page - Film Development Board". nmdb.film.gov.np. Retrieved 2022-05-16.[permanent dead link]
18. ^ A message to young Karishma KC from Karishma Manandhar. On air with Sanjay, Podcast (2022). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5DbQeIWH6Q
19. ^ "Celebrity Read: What is Sugarika KC, Miss Nepal 2005, currently reading?". myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
20. ^ "Ashma Kumari KC crowned Miss Nepal 2024". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
21. ^ "The journeys and aspirations of Miss Nepal 2024 winners". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
22. ^ "Miss Nepal - The Hidden Treasure". missnepal.com.np. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
23. ^ Magazine, New Spolight. "Diksha KC Wins Mrs. Nepal World Tittle". SpotlightNepal. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
24. ^ Biography, The Digital (2021-08-19). "Rajesh Hamal biography, Nepal's Cinematic Legend". Medium. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
25. ^ "Nepal & NepaliValentine Day special – Love story of Rajesh Hamal and his parents". Nepal & Nepali. 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
26. ^ "Sandhya Kc". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
27. ^ "How Sushant KC made a mark on Nepali music". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
28. ^ "Sushant KC – ArtistNepal". artistnepal.com. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
29. ^ "Nepali Movie Database". nmdb.film.gov.np. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
30. ^ "Prof. Dr. Khadga KC Appointed as Rector of Tribhuvan University". Edusanjal. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
31. ^ Yadav, Ram (2020-02-10). "SWARGADWARI, Pyuthan - Nepal Tourism Hub". Retrieved 2024-08-06.
32. ^ INS, स्वतन्त्र समाचार सेवा / (2023-05-18). "धरतीको स्वर्ग अर्थात् स्वर्गद्वारी !". INS. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
33. ^ TranquilKilimanjaro (2024-04-17). "Everest 2015 - The Movie". Tranquil Kilimanjaro. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
34. ^ "Chhetri, Madan Khatri | Gathering of Eagles Foundation". Retrieved 2024-08-25.
35. ^ "Sri Lanka Army - Defender of the Nation". www.army.lk. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
36. ^ "महारथी श्री राजेन्द्र क्षत्री प्रधान सेनापति को संक्षिप्त जीवनी « Naya Bato". 2017-04-11. Archived from the original on 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
37. ^ "COAS Sigdel awards Lieutenant General insignia to KC". english.ratopati.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 2025-06-27.
38. ^ "KC promoted as new IGP of Armed Police Force, insignia presented". रेडियो नेपाल. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
39. ^ "Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences | नेपाली सेना स्वास्थ्य विज्ञान संस्थान". www.naihs.edu.np. Archived from the original on 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
40. ^ "KC promoted to Major General". myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
41. ^ Magazine, New Spolight. "Brigadier General Kiran KC Promoted To Major General Of Nepal Army". SpotlightNepal. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
42. ^ Republica. "Veteran athlete Jit Bahadur KC felicitated". My Republica. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
43. ^ "Shreedhar Khatri is Nepal's new ambassador to the US - OnlineKhabar English News". 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
44. ^ "Nepal Nursing Council > About Us > Executive Members". nnc.org.np. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
45. ^ "Mr. Sher Bahadur KC-Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs". aidiaasia.org. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
46. ^ Singh, Rishi (2005-09-17). "Purbanchal VC flays anomaly in UGC policy". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
47. ^ "Farewell programme of Hon. Minister Rajendra Kumar KC and Hon. State Minister Teju Lal Chaudhary of Ministry of Youth and Sports. | युवा तथा खेलकुद मन्त्रालय". moys.gov.np. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
48. ^ "Introductory meet between NTNC and NRNA". ntnc.org.np. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
49. ^ "PeaceWomen and WILPF-Nepal in Kathmandu". PeaceWomen. 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
50. ^ "Radio Nepal's role imperative during times of need: Executive Director KC (audio report)". Radio Nepal. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
51. ^ "KC appointed as Pokhara University Vice-Chancellor : RajdhaniDaily.com". Ground News. 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
52. ^ "NMB Bank appoints Mr. Sunil KC as new CEO". sharesansar.com. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
53. ^ "Ramesh Kumar K.C. Appointed Chairman of Agricultural Development Bank | Banksnepal | Banking and financial Info". banksnepal.com. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
54. ^ "Prof. Dr. Fatta Bahadur KC – Nirdhanorg". Retrieved 2022-03-22.
55. ^ "New characters announced in BBC Studios' Casualty, as Osi Okerafor and Elinor Lawless join the cast". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
56. ^ TranquilKilimanjaro (2024-04-17). "Everest 2015 - The Movie". Tranquil Kilimanjaro. Retrieved 2024-08-25.

Surname list

This page lists people with the surname KC.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.