Kapoor or Kapur and sometimes but rarely Capoor (Punjabi: ਕਪੂਰ, Hindi: कपूर) is the name of a clan of Sikhs and Hindus belonging to the Khatri caste. They are part of the "Dhai Ghar", meaning two and a half houses[citation needed]. Kapurs, Malhotra (also called Mehras or Mehrotras), Khanna and Seth (also called Kakkar) marry their children with each other. Kapoor can not marry a Kapoor but can only marry Malhotra, Khanna or Seth[citation needed]. This leaves three "Ghars" to marry out of which they are not supposed to marry any of their mother's side relatives with mother's paternal last name (it could be Khanna, Malhotra or Seth). Which makes it "Dhai Ghar Marriage that is why the word "Dhai Ghar". The clan hails originally from the Punjab region of the subcontinent of Asia. They are now spread across the world and the surname "Kapoor" or "Kapur" is a privileged one in India. It is believed anciently it was a privilege for a girl to get married in the Kapoor domain like Malhotra, Mehra, etc. Prominent families bearing this name include:
Kapoor Khatris claim Caucasian Avar and Chuvash ancestry.
The erstwhile feudal lords of Burdwan in Bengal belonged to the Kapoor clan, and held the title of Maharaja. The dynasty was founded in 1657 by Sangam Rai Kapoor, originally of Kotli near Lahore in Pakistan. The family continued as rulers of Burdwan until feudal estates were abolished by the government of India in 1955/56. During the three centuries that they held the estate of Burdwan, the Kapoor family extended their patronage to various scholars and artists, including:
Rabindranath Tagore in his "The Hungry Stones And Other Stories" writes: "the Chhota Lord had been heard to say that in all Bengal, the only really respectable families were those of the Maharaja of Burdwan and the Babus of Nayanjore."
Prithviraj Kapoor (1906-1972), a noted pioneer of Indian theater and of the Hindi film industry, belonged to the Kapoor clan. He was born at Samundri near the town of Lyallpur in Pakistani Punjab. He moved to Bombay, india in 1928 and ended up founding a dynasty of movie stars and film-makers. In 1944, he started the Prithvi Theatre, a travelling theatre troupe.
Prithviraj Kapoor's family mansion in Peshawar, Pakistan still stands, now in the possession of some Bangladeshis.
Prominent people bearing the name "Kapoor" include:
Ambar Deepak Kapoor Dtp Operator
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