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New Delhi: Nitin Gadkari is currently serving as the Central Road Transport and Highways Minister. He has been in his tenure for over eleven years, making him the longest-serving Minister for Road Transport & Highways. Gadkari is the only person to serve under a single portfolio for three consecutive terms. A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he served as the president of his party from 2009 to 2013.

It is interesting to know that his surname, Gadkari, held significance during the Maratha empire, particularly in the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. People holding the Gadkari position were protectors of the Maratha forts. Today, we will explore the meaning and historical significance of this title.

Gadkari surname: Know its meaning and significance

1. Gadkari, a Brahmin surname, is a combination of two words – Gad and Kari. In Marathi and Sanskrit, Gad means a fort, and Kari means one who protects it. So Gadkari means a person who protects the fort.

2. Gadkari is a surname generally found in the Marathi-speaking communities of Maharashtra.

3. There are three variations of this surname: Gadkari, Gadkary, and Gadakari.

4. Gadkari was a historical title given mostly in Maharashtra to a person who was appointed to protect the fort.

5. Gadkari held a significant position during the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj owing to the location of Maharashtra’s military posts in forts.

6. In history, too, Gadkaris handled logistics and signal systems in the forts. This surname became hereditary over time. Their descendants adopted it as their identity.

7. The Gadkari surname, mainly linked to the Maratha, Kunbi, and other warrior classes, is particularly found in modern-day Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, and Karnataka.

(Disclaimer: This story has been filed based on information available in the public domain.)