Adaptation of Buty surname

Our original surname was Gharjale. Buty itself is a title given by the British, which was later adopted as the family name. The title might refer to a combination of 1) booty meaning, treasure or immense money & 2) butli meaning, a brass pot that they initially used to collect money in from their debtors. But the real meaning remains unknown.

We are one of the oldest families of Nagpur. Originally zamindari & banking family by business and brahmans by caste.

Most of our ancestors were Magistrates and all of them were bankers. It is believed that Rai Bahadur Mukund Buty had an income of about 1 lakh rupees per year in the late 1800s.

In English, Buty is also written as Buti or Bootee or Booty due to the early misinterpreted translations.

Rai & Rao Bahadur Titles

Many of our ancestors received the "Rai" & "Rao" titles in the colonial times, which were honoured by the King/ Queen of the United Kingdom.

As mentioned in the Golden Book of India & The Bombay Gazette respectively.

Lincoln's Inn

Our family's connection to the legal profession is deeply rooted, with two of our ancestors, Ganpat Gopalrao Buty and Gopalrao Mukund Buty, having been members of the esteemed Lincoln's Inn. This prestigious institution, one of the four Inns of Court in London, holds a unique and vital position in the legal world.

*Sourced from the official registers of Lincoln's Inn, London.

Lincoln's Inn's significance extends far beyond simply being a place where barristers are trained. For centuries, it has served as a crucible of legal education, shaping the minds and careers of countless legal professionals.

Reverend Tilak

Narayan Vaman Tilak, a relative and friend of Lokmanya Tilak, faced strong opposition to his potential conversion to Christianity. Shrimant Mukundrao Buty, a mutual friend, attempted to dissuade him by offering a lucrative position as his son, Gopalrao Buty's tutor. This included a generous salary of Rs. 40 (a substantial sum in 1887), minimal teaching hours, and a rent-free bungalow in Sadar (the present-day Buty Cineplex area). Tilak spent his free time immersed in Buty's extensive library.

From Nashik to Bilaspur - Buty Layout, Butibori, NEERI

Our family's land holdings once extended from Nashik to Bilaspur. However, over time, much of this land was either acquired by the government due to land ceiling act or generously donated for public projects such as highways, Bhoodan movement initiated by Vinoba Bhave, schools, and hospitals, as detailed on this website.

Commonly, villages are named after the landowners, such is the case with Buti Tola a small village in Kuhi tehsil near Umred & Butibori which is now developed as 5 Star Industrial district by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). Butibori's total acquired area is around 23 sq. kms. Majority of this land was acquired by the government in the land ceiling act, though the family still owns some farmland in Butibori and all around Nagpur.

The Buty family's grand bungalows once stood tall in all their estates (Buty Layouts) in Nagpur. These majestic structures, now lost to time, are only remembered in the stories passed down through generations. The only remnants of their grandeur are the layouts themselves, which hint at the vastness of the family's former estates and the structures referred in the Personal Buildings section.

One such story is of the Buty Layout at Takli, where Shrimant Gopalrao Buty had constructed a Bungalow just for throwing parties complete with a wooden dance floor and a piano, since his guests would often be the British Governers & other top officials. He couldn't host these parties in the Butiwada of Nagpur his main home as Non-Veg & alcohol was prohibited there, the bungalow also featured a beautiful rose garden.

The NEERI Nagpur campus, which occupies roughly 40 acres, was formed from land acquired by the government for highway development. This land was initially part of the area surrounding the Ajni Hanuman temple (Ref. Spiritual Connection).

The name 'Buty Marg,' where the key Sitabuldi Metro Interchange is located, reflects the family's significant property holdings in the area, which include Glocal Mall and Fortune Mall. The road connects Jhansi Rani Square, Bank of Maharashtra Square, and Variety Square.