The North Indian Kayasthas were powerful components of the upper-bureaucracy and made highly influential urban elites under Hindu kings.
[5][6] Srivastavas are one of the twelve sub-clans of the North-Indian Kayasthas that were traditionally involved in record-keeping, administration and military services.
Traditions and occupations associated with them, and their belief in the mythical roles assigned to Chitragupta, their progenitor, partly support this claim.
[7][8][9] Most of the recorded history, after the 10th century AD, of this clan is centred around Varanasi and present day eastern Uttar Pradesh[10] and central India, as being influential during ancient empires and Mughal empire in the Indian subcontinent, earning such titles as Pandit, Thakur and Lala.
[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The title Śrīvāstava is the shortened form of Śrīvāstavya[19][20] and thus derived directly from the Sanskrit root words Sri (श्री) "God" and vas (वस्) "to dwell" by adding the primary suffix tavyat which denotes an agent and causes the lengthening of the radical vowel.