Rajopadhyaya
Rajopadhyaya (Nepali: राजोपाध्याय) is one of the five groups of Bramhans in Nepal. Witzel (1986) identifies the following five groups of Bramhans in Nepal- In Sanskrit, Rājopādhyāya or Rāj-Upādhyāya literally means 'royal teacher' or 'guru' (Sanskrit: राज = royal + उपाध्याय = guru). Rajopadhyayas, also colloquially called Deva Brāhman (God-Brahmin) or Dyabājyā (God-Grandfather) or Barmu (Brahmin) were the royal gurus and purohits of the Malla kings and their Hindu aristocracy (present day Chatharīyās). Today, the Rajopadhyaya Brahmans are the domestic priests of the high-caste Hindu Newars, principally the Chatharīyas and Śreşțhas, and also certain segments  of clean-caste Hindu Newar groups (most notably Bhaktapur Jyapus) of the Kathmandu Valley. In theory, the Chatharīyas of the Kathmandu Valley do not call on other Brahmin group, as Rajopadhyayas alone serve as their historical purohits and perform all their life-cycle Sanskara rituals, including attaining their Gayatri Mantra verse and the sacred thread ('janai') in the Upanayana ceremony. This is opposed to all other clean-caste Newar groups who call upon a Buddhist Vajrāchārya as their family priest to conduct all life-cycle ceremonies. Rajopadhyayas are an endogamous Brahman group who are the descendants of Kānyakubja Brahmins of  Kannauj who immigrated to Kathmandu Valley as late as the 16th century CE. They are divided among the three cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur into strictly exogamous clans, having three gotras: Gārgya of Lalitpur, Bharadwaja of Bhaktapur, and Kaushik of Kathmandu, all belonging to the Mādhyamdina school of the Shukla Yajurveda, their holy language being Sanskrit, but all well-versed in Newar. As the chief Brahmin group among Newars and as the chief preceptor of the Vedic as well as Tantric knowledge, Rajopadhyayas were placed at top in Nepalese Caste System, and they possess immense social prestige and power , especially among the Hindu Newars. Priesthood. Rajopadhyayas also serve as the Vedic and Tantric temple priests of some of the most important temples of the Vaishnav and Shaivite sect, including Krishna Mandir and the four cardinal Vishnu temples of Kathmandu Valley; Changu Narayan, Sesh Narayan/Budhanilkantha, Bishankhu Narayan, and Ichanghu Narayana, as well as the Kumbheshwar Temple. In most other major temples with explicit Shakta and Tantra functions which require blood sacrifice and the use of alcohol, Rajopadhyayas are absent, and the priestly functions are performed by the Chatharīyā/Kşatrīya-status Karmāchāryas. Most of the other Shakta or Ganesh shrines  are maintained by the farmer Jyapus or by unclean-castes like the Jogi/Kapali or the untouchable Chyāmaha/Déula. The lone exception to the rule of Rajopadhayayas not being part of the Shakta cult is Bhaktapur's Taleju Bhawani temple, the "ista-devi" of Malla kings, where they serve as the chief priests. In addition to their duties as "purohits" to Chatharīyās and Śresțhas, Rajopadhyayas also serve as hereditary "pujāris" of the following temples: Maithil Brahmins. There also exist a group of separate Brahmin among the Newar community who are called Maithil Brahmins with Jha and Mishra surnames. Unlike the  Rajopadhyayas, the Maithil Brahmins are not considered as Newars or part of the Newar society by themselves as well as by others. Maithil Brahmins are most prominently the temple priests of the Mahalaxmi Temple, Char Narayan Temple, Jaisidega Temple, Batuk Bhairav, among others. Rajopadhayayas, demonstrating their Kanyakubja heritage, avoid matrimonial ties with the Maithil Brahmins and maintain their 'superior' status over the Maithil Brahmins. Popular Rajopadhyaya Names. Rajopadhyayas popularly use the following surnames: Rajopadhyaya, Sharma, Upadhyaya, Acharya, among others. Some popular Rajopadhyaya names from history and popular culture include: