Bisht

Bisht refers to the title of Rajputs in Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand. Bisht was a title given by Kumaon and Garhwal Kings to nobles. It has come from the word "Visishist" ,a Sanskrit word that means distinguished. Bishts are also in Himachal Pradesh.

Bisht in Uttarakhand are -Rawal,Parihaar,Panwar etc. Usually the families know their ancestory and they mention from which larger family they come from like Parihaar Bisht or Rawal Bisht etc is mentioned.

Bisht title became synonymous with nobility and elitism and this led to its use by non Rajputs.

Some of the Bisht's known in Uttrakhand are Brahmins as well. A variation of "Bisht" last name is "Bist". These are mostly kumaoni rajputs.

Bisht is also a title used by Kshatriyas in the western parts of Nepal and is commonly spelt as “Bista” there. Historically, it was common practice in Nepal for the more privileged section of society to be addressed as Bisht by the lesser privileged section. It is because of this that there are Brahmins and Mongoloid Nobles with Bisht as their sir name. During the time of princely states in Nepal, the Bisht royal families of Ajayameer and Doti in Nepal were Kshatreas and therefore Hindus. The Bisht royal family of Mustang in the north western part of Nepal, which is still officially recognized till date, are Buddhist.

Bisht is also a form of Arab clothing; see bisht (clothing).