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'Samraat' (Sanskrit ''samrãṭ'') is an Ancient Indian title sometimes translated into modern English as "Emperor". The title of empress is "Samragyi" (in Sanskrit, ''samrãjñī''). This word has been used as an epithet of various Vedic deities, like Varuna, and has been attested in the Holy Rig Veda.
Typically, in the later Vedic age, a Hindu king (Maharajah) was only called ''Samrāṭ'' after performing the Vedic ''Rajasuya'' sacrifice, enabling him by religious tradition to claim superiority over the other kings and princes. Another word for emperor is ''sārvabhaumā''. The title of Samrāṭ has been used by many rulers of the Indian subcontinent as claimed by the Hindu mythologies. In proper history, most historians call Chandragupta Maurya the first ''samrāṭ'' of the Indian subcontinent, because of the huge empire he ruled.
In Kerala the highest authority on the Namboodiri Brahmins is known as the Azhavanchery Samrat.