Mehtas of North India
Mehtas in Punjab are a prominent and elite gotra of Khatris and Brahmins whereas in Himachal Pradesh they are Rajput. Mehta were usually chiefs of their respective villages or princely states assigned by the King. In recent years, people have dropped their original surnames and taken up "Mehta" as their surname which was a title given by royalty to the head of their family. Mehta families were heavily present before Partition of India in Punjab and Sindh of Pakistan which after partition either converted or migrated outside Pakistan. The Mehta's of Punjab have no ethnic, cultural or linguistic similarities to the Mehta's of Gujurat as the surname is used in both states in a different context. The predominant religion, however which they both share is Hinduism.
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