Wikipedia
Rajbhandari is a Newar surname of people originating from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It is said that the Malla king, Jayasthiti Malla, appointed treasurers to look after the wealth. The king honored them with the title of “Bhandari”. As time passed, the Bhandari were replaced by the Raj-bhandari. Rajbhandaris continue to perform their traditional profession as assistant priests and treasurers of Pashupatinath Temple of Kathmandu. Presently, 108 Rajbhandaris perform rituals as assistant priests to the various temples in the Pashupati area. Rajbhandari belong to the high-caste "Chathariya" sub-group of Shrestha caste who among other surnames such as Malla , Māskay , Joshi , Pradhānanga , Pradhān , Acharya/Karmāchārya , Amātya , Vaidhya , etc. They are considered as “Brahmaputra Kshatri ” who are required to wear “ Janai” (the sacred thread) around their neck. In modern times, the tradition became less strict. Surnames "Bhani ", Talchabhari ", "Bhandel/Bhadel " are all local variants of "Rajbhandari".
Originally, three types of Rajbhandari lived in Nepal according to their “ Gotra” (lineage) and the social status
- Rajbhandari of Bhadgaon ( Bhaktapur): Bhāradwaja
- Rajbhandari of Kantipur ( Kathmandu): Kāsyapa
- Rajbhandari of Lalitpattan ( Lalitpur): Kashib