Mohanty

Mohanty or mahant is the name used by Hindu twice-born upper caste people called as karana in the north-east part of odisha as well as by non-twice-born castes as the Kayasthas. When mahants migrated to Utkala Kingdom during the time of King Utkala(son of Solar Dynasty King Sudyumna) some mahants (head of a temple) started doing the job of kayathas in Utkala Kingdom and named mohanty (from Sanskrit mahat "the great"). They were used to be the head of temples during the time of Suryavansha kings. Originated from Indo Aryan kingdom called Kosala (capital Ayodhya)now in Uttar Pradesh, India. The Mohanty are Hindus and are Sun worshipers. Now, Odisha is home to some of the oldest Sun temples in India, including Konark.