Thakur

Thakur is a historical feudal title of the Indian subcontinent. It is also used as a surname today. The female version of the title is Thakurani or Thakurain. This version is also used for the wife of a Thakur.
Scholars do not agree about its origin. Some say that it is not used in the Sanskrit texts before 500 BCE. These scholars also think that it might have been a part of the vocabulary of the dialects spoken in northern India before the Gupta Empire. It is seen to have come from from word "Thakkura". According to several scholars, this was not an original word of the Sanskrit language. It was a word in the Indian lexis from the Tukhara regions of Inner Asia. Other say that "Thakkura" comes from the Prakrit language.
Scholars have given different meanings for the word. These include "god", "lord" and "master of the estate". Academics have siad that it was only a title. It did not give any authority to its users "to wield some power in the state".
In India, the social groups which use this title includes the Brahmins, Ahirs, Kolis, Jats, and Rajputs.