Mahat (Nepali: महत) is an Ekthariya chhetri surname among Nepalese, of Khasa heritage.
This granted Dharma Malla the title of Mahat (Kshatriya) (meaning The Great One[1]), and as a result, his descendants started using 'Mahat' as their surnames.
Like other Khasa chetris such as Thapa, Basnyat/Basnet, Karki and Khadka, Mahats worship Masta, a local non-vedic deity of the Karnali region.
Notable settlements of Mahats have been found in Nuwakot, Parbat, Tanahu, Jumla (Mahat Village Development Committee which now falls under Chandan Nath Municipality), Rukum, Parbat, Myagdi, Pokhara (Mahat gauda), Nuwakot (Kabilash and Kholegaun), Tanahun, Kabhre (Panauti), Bhaktapur(Palanse Mahatgaun), Lalitpur (Lele, Satdobato, Thaiba, Bhaisepati), Makwanpur (Hetauda), Charikot and Ilam (Sangrumba, Hattidhunga, Khammang, Ilam municipality).
Mahats also live in places like Jhapa (Mechinagar/ Kakarbhitta, Sanischare,Damak) , Dhading(nalang ,palpa bhanjyang) , Sunsari (Dharan, Paanmara), Darchula (Marma, Duhun), Baitadi and outside Nepal in West Bengal (Bagrakot) and Assam in India.