Dhar or Dar (Nastaleeq: در ,دار or ڈار, Devanagari: धर or डार) is a Kashmiri surname. It is native to the Kashmir Valley in India, and common today among Kashmiri Hindus and Kashmiri Muslims of Hindu lineage (in context of Kalhana and Saligram). 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 Barendra Kayasthas 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. Furthermore, Kalhana has explained in Rajatarangini, a book considered vital by historians that the term Dhar comes from the word Dharra (Pronounced : Darra) which also happened to have a connection to an ancient mountain ridge called Kakodar. Kakodar in ancient times was known as Karkotadhara. Kalhana has used the word "similar" for both Dar and Dhar in Rajatrangini, giving modern-day historians a hint of changing pronunciation claims to be true. Spelling variations of the surname in context of Kalhana According to some Pandit historians the surname originates from the Sanskrit word Dharra which translates to "Lord" and historically this term was always used as a Suffix for the mountains of Kashmir e.g. Karkotadharra which is now called Kakodar. Thus the two spellings have a common origin. The spelling of the surname in Sanskrit was Dhar at the time when the prevalent writing system was the Sharada script; in spoken Kashmiri, the surname Dhar may have gotten distorted to Dar. With the advent of Islam in Kashmir, new Muslims who had converted from Hinduism retained their surname, but may have modified the spelling to differentiate themselves from the Kashmiri Hindu from which they came. Pandit Historian Kalhana has specifically mentioned Dar/Dhar as a Brahman Family in his book Rajatarangini. Dar also should not be confused with Dangar or Damara. All these surnames have no connection based on historical evidence. History and origins in Context of Muhammad din Fauq A survey of Kashmiri