Mahat is ekthariya Chhetri surname of Nepal having Khasa root. Historically, one of the Jumli Malla king in medieval time made his younger brother Dharma Malla chief of army staffs entitling him as MAHAT (meaning great). Afterwards, his descendants started writing Mahat as their surnames. Like other Khasa chhetris such as Thapa

Thapa

Thapa is the surname of a large social group of people, both Chhettris and Magars, from Nepal. Over a period of time, this community has spread to other countries of the world, especially India....

, Basnyat

Basnyat

The Basnyat family or Basnet family is considered to be one of the noble courtier families of Nepal which also includes the Thapa, Pandey,Karki,Khadka and Kunwar families. The original Chhetri family comprises Basnyats,Karkis,Khadkas, Bistas, Pandes or Pandeys and Thapas and are also nicknamed...

, Karki

Karki

Karki may refer to: * Karki, Azerbaijan, a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan* Karki , a surname originating from Nepal* Karki, Karnataka, a village in Uttara Kannada district of the Karnataka state in India...

, Khadka

Khadka

In response to the query on whereabouts of the Khadkas, historians around the Indian subcontinent say the Punwar Khadkas ancestors had arrived to Nepal from Dharanagar of Ujjain , where they ruled as the royalty....

, Rawat

Rawat

Rawat may refer to:* Rawat, Murree, a town in Punjab, Pakistan* Rawat Fort, early 16th century fort built by the Gakhars in Punjab, PakistanCommunities* Rawat Rajputs, ethnic group of India* Van Rawats, a native minority group from Uttarakhand, India....

 etc. Mahats are also Masta, local non-vedic deity of Karnali region, worshipers. Among twelve Mastas Khaapar Masta is their kuldevata. Since Khasa Chhetris are referred by the place they originated in the past, Mahats are also called as Kalikote Mahat. Mahats are an integral part of the Nepalese Army from the time of Shah kings. Even today, many Mahats are serving in Nepal Army in different designations, both high officers and non-officer.

At the time of the 1991 Nepal census

1991 Nepal census

The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics.Working with Nepal's Village Development Committees at a district level,...

it had a population of 4240 people living in 799 individual households. Most prominent population of Mahat can be seen in Mahat gaon of Jumla. Notable settlements of Mahats have been found in Jumla [Mahat Village Development Committee (Now falls under Chandan Nath Municipality)]
Rukum, Parbat, Myagdi, Pokhara (Mahat gauda), Nuwakot (Kabilas and Kholagau), Tanahun, Kabhre (Pasthali), Bhaktapur, Lalitpur (Lele, Satdobato), Makwanpur (Hetauda), Charikot, and Ilam (Sangrumba, Ilam municipality, Kholagaun). Mahats living in Lele of Lalitpur are believed to settle there from Valley Malla era, after khasa attack on Kathmandu led by Jumli Khas king Punya Malla. Sporadically, they are also residing in places like Jhapa (Mechinagar, Sanischare, Damak), Sunsari (Dharan, Paanmara), and outside Nepal in West Bengal (Bagrakot) and Assam in India.
NOTABLE MAHATS

Narayan Singh Mahat : Judge (During the regime of King Rajendra Bikram Shah he served as a chief judge in Prince Ranendra poison case against Bhimsen Thapa)

Mahendra Bahadur Mahat (Nuwakot) : Chief Justice, Supreme court

Shailendra Bahadur Mahat (Nuwakot) : Colonel of Nepal Army, WW II veteran in Burma and recipient of the British Military Cross, hero and field commander of anoperation against Khampa insurgents.

Haris Chandra Mahat (Jumla) : Minister

Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat (Nuwakot): Leader of Nepali Congress, ex-Finance Minister-Nepal Government

Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat (Nuwakot): Leader of Nepali Congress, ex-Energy Minister-Nepal Government

Keshav Raj Mahat (Kabhre) : General, Nepal Army

Baldev Raj Mahat (Kabhre) :General, Nepal Army

Prem Raja Mahat (Tanahu): One of the famous folk singer of Nepal

Ramesh Raj Mahat (Kabhre):General, Nepal Army

Narayan Mahat (Kabre) :Deputy Managing Director Nepal Telecom