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The surname Kaul may have originated from the Sanskrit word ''Kaula'' 'Well Born' (from Sanskrit ''Kula'' 'Family'). The surname Kaul may have been derived from ''Mahakaul'' (The Great Kaul), which is an ] of Shiva. This has led many scholars to believe that all ''Shaivas'' of Kashmir could have been Kauls. This view, however, is not supported by too many scholars. Kaul equates to Kula (clan in English) in Sanskrit. Clan is Klane in German. The surname Kaul may have originated from the Sanskrit word ''Kaula'' 'Well Born' (from Sanskrit ''Kula'' 'Family'). The surname Kaul may have been derived from ''Mahakaul'' (The Great Kaul), which is an ] of Shiva. This has led many scholars to believe that all ''Shaivas'' of Kashmir could have been Kauls. This view, however, is not supported by too many scholars. Kaul equates to Kula (clan in English) in Sanskrit. Clan is Klane in German.



==General Physical Appearance==
The Kauls, like most other Kashmiri Pandits, are closer in appearance to the people of Central Asia and Southeastern Europe than to the people of the Gangetic or Indus plains surrounding Kashmir, or for that matter, the general Indian populace or other South Asians. Kauls typically have light skins, long sharp noses, often hooked, non-black eyes, and dark brown hair.


==Social Status== ==Social Status==

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Kaul (Template:Lang-ks) is a surname originating amongst the people of the Kashmir Valley in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. People with the Kaul surname are now found in various parts of India and around the world. Kaul arises from Sanskrit Kula (Clan).The Kaul surname are also found in parts of Europe, particularly in Germany.

Kaul (also spelled as Koul, Kaula) is a well-known surname of Kashmiri Pandits. Kauls belong to the Saraswat Brahmin class (which forms the apex of the Indian caste order) & trace their descent to Lord Dattatreya, the legendary son of the sage Atri & Anusuya.

The surname Kaul may have originated from the Sanskrit word Kaula 'Well Born' (from Sanskrit Kula 'Family'). The surname Kaul may have been derived from Mahakaul (The Great Kaul), which is an epithet of Shiva. This has led many scholars to believe that all Shaivas of Kashmir could have been Kauls. This view, however, is not supported by too many scholars. Kaul equates to Kula (clan in English) in Sanskrit. Clan is Klane in German.


Social Status

The Kashmiri Brahmins are divided into 199 exogamous spiritual groups, the members of which are supposed to have descended from the ancestor-saint whose name the group bears. Among these groups, social status is governed by the spiritual greatness of the ancestor-saint. The Kauls, who trace their descent to the saint Dattatreya, the legendary son of the sages Atri and Anusuya, are considered to be the highest of all spiritual groups.

Kauls in Indian History

The author of Krishnavataracharita, Saheb Ram Kaul was a notable seveteenth century scholar in the court of Aurengzeb.

The first prime minister of free India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, also claimed to be a Kaul. Jawaharlal Nehru writes in his autobiography: We were Kashmiris. Over two hundred years ago, early in the eighteenth century, our ancestor came down from that mountain valley to seek fame and fortune in the rich plains below. Those were the days of the decline of the Moghal Empire after the death of Aurungzeb, and Farrukhsiar was the Emperor. Raj Kaul was the name of that ancestor of ours and he had gained eminence as a Sanskrit and Persian scholar in Kashmir. He attracted the notice of Farrukhsiar during the latter's visit to Kashmir, and, probably at the Emperor's instance, the family migrated to Delhi, the imperial capital, about the year 1716. A jagir with a house situated on the banks of a canal had been granted to Raj Kaul, and, from the fact of this residence, 'Nehru' (from nahar, a canal) came to be attached to his name. Kaul had been the family name; this changed to Kaul-Nehru; and, in later years, Kaul dropped out and we became simply Nehrus.

Eminent Kauls

References

1 http://ikashmir.net/names/gotras.html

Kashmiri tribes
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