Chandrakar

Chandrakar, Chandra or Chandrawanshi ([चंद्राकर/चंद्रा/चंद्रवंशी]) are surnames used by the Chandranahu community, living in the Central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

In Chhattisgarh, Kurmis are divided into 24 sub sects. Of these, Chandranahu are one of most widespread and comparatively developed communities, along with the Manwa Kurmis.

Chandranahu is an old cultivator community, which arrives at Chhattisgarh in the 16th Century (probably during the time of the Mugal Emperor Badshah Aurangjeb). The live mainly in Durg, Rajnandgaon, Raipur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Kawardha, Bilaspur, Janjgir, Raigarh, Korba districts.

The "Chandranahu" residing mainly in Raipur, Durg, Dhamtari and Mahasamund Districts, use Chandrakar as suffix .

The Chandranahu living in Bilaspur, Raigarh, Champa-Janjgir and some part of Raipur Districts mainly use Chandra as a suffix with their name.

The Chandranahu in Kawardha and Rajnandgaon use Chandrawanshi as a suffix with their name.

Prominent past and present figures in the Chandranahu community

• The late Chandu Lal Chandrakar, A famous Indian politician/journalist. Member of the Lok Sabha from the Durg Constituency and the only active imaginator of the Chhattisgarh State. He was the first to interview Richard Nixon following Nixon's election as President.

• Purushottam Lal Kaushik (Chandrakar), Ex MLA Mahasamund, Ex Member of Lok Sabha from the Raipur and Durg Consituencies, Ex Central Minister.

• Late Ram Lal Chandrakar, Indian freedom fighter and ex-MLA/Minister in M.P.

• Late Vasudev Chandrakar, Indian freedom fighter and ex-MLA/minister.

• Late Chelaram Chandrakar, Indian freedom fighter and ex-MLA Patan, ex-Chairperson of SADA Durg-Bhilai and a highly popular leader in his time.

• Dr. Khetram Chandrakar, now settled in the UK.

• Maksudan Lal Chandrakar, ex-MLA, Mahasamund

• Agni Chandrakar, an MLA of Mahasamund.

• Dr. Keshav Chandrakar, a notable educator, passed out on the way back from UK. He greatly influenced the thought of Narayanpur Residential School, run by the Ramkrishna Mission.

• Ajay Chandrakar, Ex Minister, Govt of C.G.

• Smt. Pratima Chandrakar, an MLA.

• Dr. Saroj Chandrakar, Principal/Director, Central College of Engineering, Raipur.

• Dr. B P Chandra, an internationally-renowned Solid State Physics researcher and Ex Vice Chancellor of Pandit Ravishankar University, Raipur.

• P. Chandra, M E (Struct.), a well known Civil Structural Design Engineer and IT Panel Valuer.

• Rang Nath Chandrakar, High Court judge, Bilaspur.

• Ujiyala Prasad Chandrakar, Ex Chief Engineer, C.G. Irrigation, Raipur.

• Dr. Awadh Ram Chandrakar, a well known professor and Vice Chancellor of Pandit Sundarlal Sharma University, Bilaspur.