The Kulshrestha (Kayastha) trace their genealogy from “Adi Purush” Shri Chitraguptaji Maharaj. It is said that after Lord Brahma had created the four Varnas (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras), Yama requested Lord Brahma to help him record the deeds, good and evil, of men, and administer justice.

Lord Brahma went into meditation for 11, 000 years and when he opened his eyes he saw a man holding pen and ink-pot in his hands and a sword girdled to his waist. Lord Brahma spoke: “Though hast been created from my body (Kaya), therefore shall thy progeny be known as the Kulshrestha (Kayastha). Though hast been conceived in my mind (Chitra) and in secrecy (gupta), the name shall also be Chitragupta.” Brahma then enjoined him to dispense justice and punish those who violated the dharma (duties). Thus, the Kulshrestha (Kayastha)s were accorded a dual caste, Brahmin (learned)/Kshatriya (warrior).

In the legends of Shree Chitraguptaji Maharaj, he is referred to as Kshatriya of great prowess and a king, while the rest are rajakas or little kings. In the Garud Puran, Chitragupta is hailed as the first man to give the script.

"Chitragupta namastubhyam vedaksaradatre"
(Obeisance to Chitragupta, the giver of letters)

The Rig Veda mentions an invocation to be made to Chitragupta before offering sacrifice. There is also a special invocation to Chitragupta as Dharmraj (Lord of Justice) to be made at the performance of shradh ot other rituals.

"Om tat purushaya vidmahe Chitragupta dhimahi tena lekha prachodayata."

The primary duty awarded to Shree Chitraguptjee was to create LOG of the lives of all living beings, judge their lives based on good-deeds and misdoing, and decide, upon ones death, whether they will attain NIRVANA [Completion of their LIFE CYCLE & redemption from all worldly troubles] or, receive punishment for their misdoing in another life form, till they attain NIRVANA.
The Kulshrestha Parivar believes in peace, justices, knowledge and literacy,the primary virtues depicted by the form of Shree Chitraguptjee ji bhagwan. The community, world-wide, strives to attain these virtues and promote the same, in line with the teachings of their supreme lord.

Empowered with powerful traits such as self-respect, self-esteem, intelligence, commonsense & presence of mind, aesthetic sense, benevolence, Kulshrestha’s are progressive & adaptive. Over the centuries, the community established excellence in academics, administration, legal justice, science & fine-arts.
The Kulshrestha Community is religiously inclined & very close-knit. They strive to fight social injustice in society. They instill values of religion & culture. Academics have a very important place in the life of a Kulshrestha. Sincerity & Hard Work are always respected and awarded.
Social reform through adoption of economically backward families from within the community, and hence their emancipation, is a known way of KULSHRESTHA service to their community.

Dawat Puja
According to Hinduism, God Brahma is creator of the universe.  He has created plants,animals, sea, mountains and the human being.  Mythology states that humans created from the 'mouth' portion of Brahma were Brahmins, those from arms were 'Kshatriyas', those from the thighs were 'Vaishyas' and those from the feet were 'Shudras'.  He asked 'Surya' to take care and protect the universe and himself went into deep meditation for ten thousand of years.

Thereafter when he opened his eyes he saw an illustrious man with broad shoulders, eyes like a lotus, long neck and carrying a pen and inkpot in the hands.  Brahma asked that man who he was. The man replied that he was born out of Brahma and asked to give him a name and allocate duties.  Brahma told him that as he was born out of his body (kaya) he would be classed as 'Kayastha' and he would be called by the name of 'Chitragupt' on the earth.  He was asked by Brahma to perform his duties of keeping an account of every person good and bad deeds in the offices of Dharma Raj, supposed to be situated in 'Yampuri'.
Chitragupta was also blessed to produce his progency.


He had twelve sons and named as follows:-

Srivastava, Surajdwaj, Nigam, Kulshreshth, Mathur, Karna, Saxena, Gaud, Asthana.  Ambasht, Bhatnagar and Bulmik.

Thus as the story goes 'Chitragupta' was the progenitor of us, the Kayasthas, and it is therefore our duty to worship him and offer our Prayers.

Puja Process

Place of worship is first cleaned. Seep chalk & Swastika is drawn on the ground or on some wooden board.   A satia is drawn and is decorate by drawing lines on all the four sides. On this the god or goddess to be worshipped is placed. Vermilion is applied on the foreheads of god or goddess idols or photograph.

Earthen lamp or any other type of lamp is lit. In the pooja Vermilion paste, rice, aepen & water in small vessel is kept. These preparation are done little ahead of conducting pooja.

For performing pooja the ring finger is used for dipping and sprinkling water, vermilion, aepen. First the pooja is performed with water then aepen and roli (vermilion) then little rice is touched to the eyes and offered to the god or goddess.

The pooja offerings are done three time each (Sprinkle water ,aepen, roli and chawal )three time each.

मध्य प्रदेश में स्थित श्री चित्रगुप्त जी के मंदिरों की सूची-

1.जबलपुर - फूटाताल , चुंगी चौकी (Foota Tal, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. Regular Puja and aarti are performed here.)

2.रीवा- तरहटी

3.सिवनी- गढ़ी मोहल्ला , शुक्रवारी

4.मुरैना- जिला चिकित्सालय के सामने

5.अम्बाह - मुरैना रोड, बडफरा

6.जौरा- अलापुर

7.भिंड - ग्वालियर रोड , बद्री की बगिया

8.मिहोना- तहसील के पास

9.लहार - रामलीला मैदान के पास

10. गोहद - ग्राम कस्बा, तहसील गोहद

11.मौ - मुख्य बाजार

12.ग्वालियर - कटी घाटी

13.डबरा- मुख्य बाजार

14.दतिया- बस स्टैंड

15.भाण्डेर - मुख्य बाजार

16.टीकमगढ -मुख्य बाजार

17.विदिशा- मुख्य बाजार

18.चंदेरी- मुख्य बाजार

19.गुना- मुख्य बाजार

20.खजुराहो - मुख्य बाजार

21.श्योपुर - मुख्य बाजार

22.शिवपुरी - पुरानी शिवपुरी

23. टीकमगढ

24.There are two temples (around 2 to 3 hundred years old) in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

25.Ram Janardan temple and another Shri Chitragptaji temple at the bank of Shipra River at Ram Ghat.

26.राजस्थान में स्थित श्री चित्रगुप्त जी के मंदिरों की सूची-

1.धौलपुर - कायस्थ बाड़ा

2.जयपुर- मुख्य बाजार

3.Bhatnagar Sabha--Udaipur a group of Kayastha devotees in Udaipur, Rajasthan has built a grand temple of Chitragupt

4.उत्तर प्रदेश में स्थित श्री चित्रगुप्त जी के मंदिरों की सूची-

1.इलाहाबाद - के पी इंटर कालेज के पास

2.अयोध्या- मुख्य बाजार | भगवान चित्रगुप्त जी का मंदिर तुलसी उद्यान , अयोध्या के सामने गली से उतर कर बेतिया मंदिर के बगल , मीरापुर, देराबीबी अयोध्या जी में स्थिति है।इसकी आधारशिला 990 इसवी में श्री चित्रगुप्त वंशीय बाबा नरसिंह जी ने  यम द्वीतीय के दिन रखी गयी थी। सन 1902 में इसका पुनुरुधार हुआ। ऐसा कहा जाता है की सरयू स्नान के बाद इनके दर्शन के बाद ही श्री रामचन्द्र जी के दर्शन का फल मिलता है।(dharma-hari- Shri Chitragptaji temple (even worshiped by lord ram, according to legendary belief), ayodhya, Uttar pradesh.)मान्यता है कि विष्णु भगवान द्वारा स्थापित आठ मन्दिरों में से एक है। इसका वर्णन अयोध्या महात्म्य तथा शास्त्रों में भी मिलता है। अयोध्या महात्म्य में वर्णित है कि सरयू स्नान के बाद धर्महरी श्री चित्रगुप्त भगवान् के दर्शन करना आवश्यक है अन्यथा अयोध्या तीर्थ एवं सरयू स्नान का पुण्य नहीं प्राप्त होता है।

3.वाराणसी- मुख्य बाजार

4.ललितपुर -मुख्य बाजार

5.A more than 300-year-old famous temple of SHRI Chitragupt is located in the centre of city in Alwar, where an annual fair is held for darshan and worship of Chitragupt, between Dhantriyodashi to Yam Dwitia in the Hindu month of Kartic (October–November). It is situated between Munshibazar and Delhi Gate, in Alwar. Alwar, Rajasthan.This is probably the oldest temple of lord Chitragupta in north India.

उत्तरांचल में स्थित श्री चित्रगुप्त जी के मंदिरों की सूची-

1.गोरखपुर - मुख्य बाजार

बिहार में स्थित श्री चित्रगुप्त जी के मंदिरों की सूची-

1.पटना- मुख्य बाजार

2.गया

3.Chitragupt ji Maharaj temple on the bank of Gandak river on Chitragupta ghat in Hajipur Bihar.

4.   Chitragupta Ji Maharaj with his 12 sons are established in Sewak Sanjaynath Tantrik Kali Mandir, Raxaul Bihar.

दक्षिण भारत में स्थित श्री चित्रगुप्त जी के मंदिरों की सूची-

1.   The only notable temple in South India dedicated to Chitragupt is located at Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu state, India.            देव श्री चित्रगुप्त मन्दिर , कान्चीपुरम , तमिलनाडू :दछिण भारत के तमिलनाडु प्रान्त के चिन्गलपुर जिले में कान्चीपुरम , शैव व वैष्णव मन्दिरों ,मस्जिदों, चर्चो एवं अन्य सम्प्रदायों के देव स्थानों के लिए विश्व प्रसिद्ध नगर है। इसके दछिण में भाड़ा स्ट्रीट ( नेल्लुका स्ट्रीट ) में रामकृष्ण मठ ,पूर्वी दिशा में प्रसिद्ध देव श्री चित्रगुप्त मन्दिर है। इसका निर्माण ग्रेनाइट पत्थर से चोलवंशी राजा चैन्य चोलन के मंत्री तुलावार मान्ड्वंम कनक राय करणीकर (दछिण भारतीय कायस्थ -वामदेव ऋषि गोत्र ) के समय में हुआ। मन्दिर का जीर्णोधार सन 1911 में चित्रांश सुन्दर मूर्ति पिल्लई व् अन्य करणं ट्रस्टी के सहयोग से हुआ। मन्दिर के सामने पूर्व की ओर विघ्नेश्वर (गणपति ) व् पश्चिम की और वडलूर रामलिंगम स्वामी की संगमरमर की मूर्ती है। मन्दिर के प्रांगड़ में नवग्रह सन्धि केतु स्थिति है जिसके आदि देवता श्री चित्रगुप्त स्वामी है। शास्त्रों की मान्यतानुसार श्री चित्रगुप्त भगवान् की पूजा , अर्चना से " केतु " दोष प्रभावहीन हो जाता है, भक्तो के दुःख , दरिद्रता व् कष्टों का नाश होकर परिवार में सुख शांति व् समृद्धि प्राप्त होती है।कान्चिपुरम के शंकराचार्य के मतानुसार मोक्छ प्राप्ति हेतु भक्तों को श्री चित्रगुप्त भगवान् की आराधना नियमित करनी चाहिए।सभी मतावलम्बियो द्वारा इनकी पूजा की जाती है।