Dhar

Dhar or Dar (Nastaleeq: در ,دار or ڈار, Devanagari: दर or डार) is a Kashmiri surname and clan native to the Kashmir Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, India, and common today among Kashmiri Hindus and Kashmiri Muslims. Outside Kashmir, it is used by members of the Kashmiri diaspora, in places like Punjab, Bengal, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, and more commonly in recent times by the global Kashmiri Pandit diaspora following the Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in 1989–1990. Dhar is also used as a surname by Bengali Kayasthas of in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent and has similar spellings. History and origins Dhar/Dar originated as an honorific given to a village head, strongman, or warlord of a jagir. The title was widespread by the 12th century CE and continued until the 14th century CE. The earliest available records of Dhar or Dar used as a surname date back to the 16th century CE.