Patel Samaj
History
Patel is a surname representing a caste of village leaders. The 'Patel' of a village in the mid-1500-1900 state of Gujarat, would be a member of the village committee who would help represent the whole village's views to the local council and take the lead in resolving problems and implementing ideas.
They would do this by working closely alongside the village pandit and other members of the 'Brahmin' Community mainly found in Gujarat, India but also across all parts of India such as in Telangana. It is currently also used as a surname like Patidar or Bhakta, or replaced by an ancestorial name.
The term patel derives from the word Patidar, "Pat," which refers to a piece of land. Consequently, the name "Patel" referred to one who was tasked with taking care of or farming that piece of land or normally called for headman of community.
The name Patel is found primarily in the Indian state of Gujarat, as well as the states of Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and in some eastern part of Madhya Pradesh; and metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Kanpur, Banda and Delhi.
The surname is also prevalent in some English-speaking countries due to migration from India. Within the United Kingdom, it is the twenty-fourth most common surname nationally, and the third most common in the Greater London region. In the US, the surname "Patel" ranks 174 among the top 500 list of most common last names, as of the 2000 US Census. In the Canadian city of Toronto, "Patel" is the sixth most common surname.
Gujarati Patels were historically agriculturalists. Patels comprise one of the wealthiest communities across the globe due to the abundance of fertile land in Gujarat, and particularly tobacco production. Patels have migrated to various countries and enhanced their wealth. The Patidar community benefited from British Reforms during the 19th century and their wealth increased accordingly. The Patel community varies by religion and ideology, with disparate groups having their own samaj (social gatherings) and mandirs. Most of them follow vegetarianism, due to the influence of Hinduism and Jainism. The modern Patel communities have branched out of agriculture to a variety of business trades, especially in hotels. Patels dominate the pharmaceutical, chemical, medical, plastic, building construction, ceramic and diamond industries in Gujarat.
Resource : Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patel
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