74-690: Patwardhan may refer to the surname used by members of the Chitpavan Brahmin community belonging to the Kaundinya gotra . The Karhade Patwardhans belong to the Kashyapa and Naidhruva Gotra and their history in the Rajapur region of the Konkan dates back to 1191 A.D. Copper plate grants have been recovered from the region, which also points to a Gurjar element in these settlers. Today
148-720: A Chitpavan, Brahmins in Maharashtra, became targets of violence, mostly by members from the Maratha caste. V. M. Sirsikar, a political scientist at the University of Pune , noted that It will be too much to believe that the riots took place because of the intense love of Gandhiji on the part of the Marathas. Godse became a very convenient hate symbol to damn the Brahmins and burn their properties. The violence after
222-677: A clan's history, name etymology, ancestral land holdings, migration maps, religious traditions, genealogical charts, biographies, and records of births, deaths and marriages within the clan. Gaud Saraswat Brahmin#Varna disputes Gaud Saraswat Brahmins ( GSB ) (also Goud or Gawd), also known as Shenvis are a Hindu community of contested caste status and identity. They primarily speak Konkani and its various dialects as their mother tongue. They claim to be Saraswat Brahmins who initially migrated to Konkan from Gaud , per Puranic accounts. Upon moving out of Goa during Portuguese occupation, their claims of Brahminhood were rejected both to
296-514: A document from 1694 AD and another from 1863 AD in which the Brahmins and Shenvis are separately listed. University of Michigan scholar Madhav M. Deshpande cites R.V.Parulekar and states that " British administrative documents from the early nineteenth century Maharashtra always list brahmins and Shenvis as two separate castes". Irawati Karve and G. S. Ghurye consider GSB's as part of larger Saraswat Brahmins and overall Brahmin community. The Hindu scripture Sahayadhri Khanda provided support for
370-607: A part of "established Gaud or Dravid groups". After Parashuram created the Chitpawans from fishermen who had assembled around some funeral pyre in Konkan, their later actions displeased him. As if to rectify his mistake, Parashuram brought ten sages from North India, specifically, Trihotra (Trihut, Bihar) and set them up in Goa for performing ancestral rites, fire sacrifice and dinner offerings. The fourth chapter of Sahyadrikhanda describes
444-728: A prominent researcher on Konkan 's history, also rejects the Brahmin claim of the Shenvi GSB as well as their "gauda-ness". He argues that the Seṇavīs adopted the term Gauḍa-Sārasvata in the latter part of the nineteenth century. According to Bambardekar, the (Shenvi)GSBs have falsified the Kannada word gowḍa meaning 'village chief' as being identical with the Sanskrit word gauḍa and challenges their Brahmin status itself. Bambardekar cites
518-548: A verse from the Skanda Puran to prove his assertion. Alexander Henn says that "modern scholars have questioned the myth of the northern descent". According to modern scholars, arguing that their origins instead come from local priests who, at some point in history, gained Brahmanhood". Gaud Saraswats of Goa during the long Portuguese rule have had their Brahmin claim challenged by the locally smaller brahmin communities of Deshastha , Chitpavan and Karhade as well as by
592-608: Is not necessarily supported by other communities such as the Namboodri Brahmins . The GSB from Goa were considered to be non-Brahmin by the Pune Brahmin Shastris of late 1800s and therefore did not allow, RG Bhandarkar , an eminent orientalist and Sanskrit scholar to participate in a Brahmin only debate in the British era as he was a GSB and not a Brahmin. This caused GSB caste activists to claim
666-622: Is similar to the concept of Sanskritisation in which low caste Hindus try to elavate their social status. Historian Jadunath Sarkar opines that the Chitpavans had a non-Indian origin and bases his views on traditions and inscriptions. Indologist Johannes Bronkhorst writes that there is a belief that Chitpavans are sometimes considered to be people of non-Indian origin who later became Brahmins. Oxford historian O'Hanlon states that there are allegations that Chitpavan are progeny of arab sailors, and their historic practice of taking bride price
740-412: Is still strongly under dispute, particularly in the coastal districts of Karnataka". Gaud Saraswat Brahmins have both Madhvas and Smarthas among them. The Gaud Saraswats following Dvaita Vedanta of Madhvacharya are followers of Kashi Math and Gokarna Math , while the followers of Advaita Vedanta of Adi Shankara are followers of Kavale Math and Chitrapur Math . Among Gaud Saraswat Brahmins
814-556: Is the standard form of language used all over Maharashtra today. This form has many words derived from Sanskrit and retains the Sanskrit pronunciation of many, misconstrued by non-standard speakers as "nasalised pronunciation". Earlier, the Deshastha Brahmins openly disparaged the Chitpavans as parvenus (a relative newcomer to a socio-economic class), and in Kumar's words "barely fit to associate on terms of equality with
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#1732776713558888-556: Is their staple food. A.J.Agarkar describes Bodan as follows and adds that some kind of dancing is also involved: In certain Chitpavan families, it is obligatory to perform bodan, after a birth or a marriage has taken place in the family. Four married women and an unmarried girl are invited to meals. A metal idol of the Goddess Annapurna is placed in a plate containing all the items of the meals in small quantities. All
962-578: The Akshi Shilalekh (Pillar Inscription), dated to 1012 CE (sake 934) by Dr. S. G. Tulpule, and by Dikshit to 1209-1210 CE (Sake 1132). V. V. Mirashi agress with Sake 1132 as the right date. Tulpule reads the content as donation of 9 kuvalis of grain towards Goddess Mahalakshmi for Bodan, whereas Dikshit interprets it as digging a well to honor Mahalaskhmi. The community has published several family history and genealogy almanacs called Kulavruttantas . These books usually document various aspects of
1036-774: The Deshasthas , Chitpavans and Karhades should get united. As early as 1881, he encouraged this by writing comprehensive discussions on the urgent need for these three Maharashtrian Brahmin sub-castes to give up caste exclusiveness by intermarrying and dining together. Starting in the 20th century, the relations between the Deshastha Brahmins and the Chitpavan Brahmins have improved by the large-scale mixing of both communities on social, financial and educational fields, as well as with intermarriages. Traditionally, Chitpavan Brahmins are vegetarian . Rice
1110-528: The Gandhian tradition : Gopal Krishna Gokhale , whom Mahatma Gandhi acknowledged as a preceptor, and Vinoba Bhave, one of his outstanding disciples. Gandhi describes Bhave as the "jewel of his disciples", and recognised Gokhale as his political guru. However, strong opposition to Gandhi came from the Chitpavan community. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar , the founder of the Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva ,
1184-527: The Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (Shenvi) of the western coast of Maharashtra. The Kulavruttanta of the Khare (Chitpavan) family prefers a modified version of the scripture. They state that fourteen dead-bodies were purified by Parshurama. Since "Chiplun pleased Paraśurāma’s heart", the Brahmins of that place received the name cittapāvana . The Chitpavan story of shipwrecked people is similar to
1258-523: The Kokanastha Brahmin is a Hindu Maharashtrian Brahmin community inhabiting Konkan , the coastal region of the state of Maharashtra . Initially working as messengers and spies in the late seventeenth century, the community came into prominence during the 18th century when the heirs of Peshwa from the Bhat family of Balaji Vishwanath became the de facto rulers of the Maratha empire . Until
1332-660: The Malabar Coast , Karnataka , Kerala and Tamil Nadu regions are followers of Madhvacharya . In Goa , the GSB's who follow Madhvacharya and are mainly concentrated in the Bardez and Salcete regions. Gaud Saraswat Brahmins are primarily fish and other seafood eaters but there are also vegetarians among them. Historian Kranti K Farias states that "Their main food is rice – called congi or Pej . Shaktas offer and then consume mutton , fowl and liquor during
1406-779: The Maratha Empire , the city of Pune became the financial metropolis of the empire with 150 big and petty moneylenders. Most of these were Chitpavan or Deshastha Brahmins. D.L.Sheth, the former director of the Center for the Study of Developing Societies in India (CSDS) , lists Indian communities that were traditionally " urban and professional " (following professions like doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, etc.) immediately after Independence in 1947. This list included Chitpavans and CKPs( Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus ) from Maharashtra;
1480-663: The Sadbodhacintāmaṇi published by the community of goldsmiths from Bombay. Madhav Deshpande(2010) rejects these suggestions because it is inconceivable that a Deshastha brahmin would write a "pro-Saraswat" text as there was dislike of the Gaud Saraswats of the west coast of India by the Deshasthas as well as the fact that the Deshastha , Chitpavans and Karhade Brahmin unanimously rejected the Brahmin status claim of
1554-475: The 18th century, the Chitpavans were held in low esteem by the Deshastha , the older established Brahmin community of Karnataka-Maharashtra region. As per Jayant Lele, the influence of the Chitpavans in the Peshwa era as well as the British era has been greatly exaggerated because even during the time of the most prominent Peshwas, their political legitimacy and their intentions were not trusted by all levels of
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#17327767135581628-598: The Brahmanical genealogy of the GSB. However, Sanskrit scholar Madhav Deshpande, Indologist and Sanskrit Scholar Stephan Hillyer Levitt and historian O'Hanlon consider the portion of the Sahyādrikhaṇḍa that describes Saraswats to be corrupted and recently interpolated by Saraswats themselves in order to improve their status. In Kerala , the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin claim to be Brahmins but this view
1702-476: The Brahmin status by using markers such as "gotra", "kuldeva", village, "allegiance to a lineage of spiritual descent" or "guru parampara" of preceptors (swamis). The movement was active from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Gail Omvedt , while describing the non-Brahman movement in western India, says that Shahu, the ruler of Kolhapur, who encouraged non-Brahmins, sponsored hostels for almost all non-Brahmin communities. Omvedt ways that one of these
1776-589: The Citpāvan brahmins” in the Hindu Sanskrit scripture Sahyadrikhanda of the Skanda Purana . According to this chapter, Parashurama , the sixth incarnation of God Vishnu , who could not find any Brahmins in Konkan to perform rituals for him, found sixty fishermen who had gathered near a funeral pyre near the ocean shore. These sixty fishermen families were purified and Sanksritized to Brahminhood. Since
1850-627: The Deshastha Brahmins resulted in intense rivalry between the two communities. 19th century records also mention Gramanyas or village-level debates between the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus and the Chitpavans, Saraswat Brahmins and the Chitpavans, Pathare Prabhus and the Chitpavans and Shukla Yajurvedi Deshastha Brahmins and the Chitpavans. These disputes pertaining to the so-called violation of "Brahmanical ritual code of behavior" were quite common in Maharashtra during that period. Bal Gangadhar Tilak believed that
1924-625: The GSB, when dominating the merchants of Cochin, received exterritorial rights granted by the Dutch. South Kanara is part of the Kanara coast from Goa to Kerala. In the sixteenth century, the increase and export of rice production here was brought about by the GSB, the Bunts and Billava coconut growers. The Gaud Saraswat Brahmin – which Marine Carrin and Lidia Guzy describe as a "Konkani speaking community of traders [who were] already established along
1998-592: The Gaud Saraswats group has migrated from Trihotra in northern India as per the text. There is a reference to Kānyakubja in this verse and Kanoji in the previous although they are the same. Bambardekar, a scholar on Konkan History, does not accept the Gauda or Brahmin claim of the Gauda Saraswats. According to Bambardekar, the Pancha Dravid Brahmins are the original Gauda Brahmins and he cites
2072-615: The Gaud Saraswats supposedly intermarried with women from other castes after their arrival in Goa. After commercial activities in the Indian Ocean increased after the 1400s, Pius Malekandathil states that "many Indians, particularly the banyas, the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins began to move to different parts of this maritime space to conduct trade, where they eventually set up nucleus for Indian diasporas". Harald Tambs-Lyche notes that trading communities such as
2146-577: The Goldsmith, Maratha, and other non-brahmin communities. Sanjay Subrahmanyam says that in the 15th and 16th century Saraswats did business with the Portuguese at the port of Basrur . They claimed Brahminhood sometimes but were more associated with trading activity and referred to as "chatins" from the word chetti by the Portuguese. They were a "caste of open status" according to Subrahmanyam. M.R. Kantak says that in 16th(1500s), Brahmins were
2220-452: The Gotras of these Brahmins and praises them as "best brahmins, honored by the kings, good-looking, with righteous behavior, and expert in all rites". The Gauḍa Sārasvat Brahmins from southern India, whose claim to Brahminhood was often not accepted by the surrounding Dravid Brahmins, could use this text from Sahyadrikhanda to address the conflict. Wagle makes no judgement on the validity of
2294-562: The Karhade Patwardhans are known by other surnames such as Gurjar , Padhye , Bhat , Degwekar , Shouche and Huzurbazar . [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : Dattatraya Balavanta Parasanisa (1917). The Sangli state . Nabu Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-1-177-28949-8 . Chitpavan Brahmin The Chitpavan Brahmin or
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2368-488: The Konkan to Pune where the Peshwa offered all important offices to his fellow caste members. The Chitpavan kin were rewarded with tax relief and grants of land. In 1762-63, Azad Bilgrami wrote: The Marathas in general, but the Deccani Brahmans in particular, have the desire to deprive all people of their means of livelihood and appropriate it for themselves. They do not spare the zamindārs of rājas, nor even
2442-573: The Madhvas are Vaishnavites, while the Smarthas are considered as Shivites and Shaktites. According to author A B de Bragnanca Pereira says, "The main deities worshipped by Shaivite are Mangesh , Shantadurga , and Saptakoteshwar, while the Vaishnavites deities are Nagesh, Ramnath, Mahalakshmi, Mahalasa, Lakshmi , Narasimha , Venkataramana, Kamaksha, Bhagwati and Damodar". Most of the GSB's in
2516-672: The Maratha predominance in the integrated province. The Chitpavans have considered themselves to be both warriors and priests. Their involvement in military affairs began with the rise of the Peshwas and their willingness to enter military and other services earned them high status and power in the Deccan . In their original home of Konkan, their primary occupation was farming, while some earned money by performing rituals among their own caste members. Anthropologist Donald Kurtz writes that
2590-536: The Peshwa or Prime Minister in 1713. He ran a well-organised administration and, by the time of his death in 1720, he had laid the groundwork for the expansion of the Maratha Empire. Since this time until the fall of the Maratha Empire, the seat of the Peshwa would be held by the members of the Bhat family . With the ascension of Balaji Baji Rao and his family to the supreme authority of the Maratha Empire , Chitpavan immigrants began arriving en masse from
2664-413: The Portuguese rule and later, they were again one of the main trading communities. They also served as "village – Kulkarnis , financiers, tax-farmers in the intra-Asian trade, and diplomatic agents". Many sources of government income in Goa, Konkan and elsewhere, including taxes on cloth and tobacco , were controlled by them. Some engaged with Tobacco trade with Brazil in the early eighteenth century. In
2738-670: The Prabhus and the GSBs to support Vishnubawa Brahmachari 's Hindu revival in the 19th century. Historian John Roberts also considers them as coming after the Brahmin community of Maharashtra in the jati hierarchy. According to sociologist Dabir, ritually higher non-Brahmin castes in Maharashtra, the Saraswats and CKP, have tried to follow Brahmin customs in the treatment of women. She calls this process as Brahminisation . Sociologist Ramesh Bairy says that "Saraswat claim to Brahminhood
2812-658: The Sahyadrikhanda is considered corrupted by many modifications and interpolations to the original. As an example, Madhav Deshpande cites the 4th verse from chapter-I which when translated is: The Trihotras, the Āgnivaiśyas, the Kānyakubjas, the Kanojis, and the Maitrāyaṇas, these five are said to be the five Gauḍas. Deshpande considers this as a "sloppy interpolation" to get Trihotra in the list of Brahmin migrations as
2886-487: The Saraswat section of the northern Gaud division, in contrast to their Maharashtra and Karnataka Brahman neighbours of the southern division. Many Saraswats left Goa after the invasion of Malik Kafur to the neighbouring regions and during the period of religious persecution of the Portuguese also Saraswats migrated to Uttar Kannada , Udupi , Dakshina Kannada , Kerala and South Konkan . Historian Farias states that
2960-666: The Saraswats in the Brahmin category. The brahmin status of the Saraswats was affirmed by the Kashi pandits in 1630. Later in the 17th century, Shivaji (1630-1680) had asked Gaga Bhatt , a Benares based Deshastha Brahmin pandit, to resolve the issue regarding the Shenavis' ritual status when they met before his coronation. Fifteen pandits in Benares proclaimed that the Shenavis were Brahmins. This proclamation includes Prashasti (praise) from both Shivaji and his father, Shahaji for
3034-767: The Shenvi Brahmins and Deshastha Brahmins. After Mahadji's death, his widows favoured the Shenvis to the Deshastha. Balloba Pagnis and Lakhwa Dada held high posts - Pagnis was a minister and Dada was a Viceroy. A sample study in the 1970s in Kota , Karnataka found that the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins owned most of the grocery and general merchandise stores. As per Sahyadrikhanda , "Chitpavan and Karhade brahmins are "new creations of base-origins" and not
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3108-543: The Shenvis were a community that claimed to be Brahmins. According to Ghurye, five hundred years ago Saraswats were mainly confined to the area around Goa.In the last three hundred years, they migrated south towards Mangalore and north towards Rajapur in present day Ratnagiri district , Alibag and further north. He identifies seven sub-castes among the Saraswats, namely Bardeshkar, Bhalawalikar, Kudaldeshkar , Lotlikar, Pednekar , Sashtikar and Shenvi -paiki. From early twentieth century there have been many initiatives by
3182-1006: The South Indian Brahmins; the Nagar Brahmins from Gujarat; the Punjabi Khatris , Kashmiri Pandits and Kayasthas from northern India; the Probasi and the Bhadralok Bengalis ; the Parsis and the upper crusts of Muslim and Christian communities. According to P.K.Verma, "Education was a common thread that bound together this pan Indian elite" and almost all male members of these communities could read and write English and were educated beyond school. Chitpavan Brahmins in Maharashtra speak Marathi as their language. The Marathi spoken by Chitpavans in Pune
3256-507: The Vindhyas. References to Saraswat names are found in Shilaharas as well as Kadamba copper plate inscriptions . The inscriptions found in Goa bear testimony to the arrival of Brahmin families in the Konkan region. The Shilahara kings seem to have invited supposedly pure Aryan Brahmins and Kshatriyas from the Indo-Gangetic plain to settle in Konkan . These castes are the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins and Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus (CKP). The GSB ancestors identified themselves as of
3330-426: The administration, not even by Shivaji 's successors. He adds that after the defeat of Peshwas in the Anglo-Maratha wars , Chitpavans were the one of the Hindu communities to flock to western education in the Bombay Province of British India . The Chitpavans are also known as Kokanastha Brahmins. The etymology of their name is given in a legendary myth of the chapter citpāvanabrāhmaṇotpattiḥ i.e. “Origin of
3404-419: The appointment of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat as Peshwa , Kokanastha Brahmin migrants began arriving en masse from the Konkan to Pune, where the Peshwa offered some important offices to the Kokanastha Brahmin caste. The Kokanastha Brahmin kin were rewarded with tax relief and grants of land. Historians point out nepotism and corruption during this time. The rise in prominence of the Chitpavans compared to
3478-418: The assassination affected Chitpavan Patwardhan family ruled princely states such as Sangli , where the Marathas were joined by the Jains and the Lingayats in the attacks against the Brahmins. Here, specifically, the loss was about Rs.16 million. This event led to the hasty integration of the Patwardhan states into the Bombay Province by March 1948 – a move that was opposed by other Brahmins as they feared
3552-432: The census of 1846 carried out by the british colonial authorities in Bombay presidency, the ongoing feud between the Chitpavans and the Shenvis led to the latter being classified separately from the "Brahmans". Madhav Deshpande writes: The Deshastha , Chitpavan and Karhade were united in their rejection of the brahminhood for the Gauḍa Saraswats, and Wagle himself provides evidence of this animosity. Bambardekar,
3626-453: The claim of Northern origin and writes: The claim of the Gauḍa Sārasvata brahmanas (= GSB), whether real or imagined, of a north Indian origin is not an obscure historical problem; it is a relevant problem which has been of constant interest to the GSB. Many GSB leaders in the 1870s and 1880s have referred to this northern origin to indicate the solidarity of the GSB in contrast with other brahmana groups of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala. In
3700-403: The clerks at the time were Chitpavans. Very little is known of the Chitpavans before 1707 CE Balaji Vishwanth Bhat , a Chitpavan arrived from Ratnagiri to the Pune - Satara area. He was brought there on the basis of his reputation of being an efficient administrator. He quickly gained the attention of Chhatrapati Shahu . Balaji's work so pleased the Chhatrapati that he was appointed
3774-431: The coast" now became the major rice exporters. The Bunts controlled the land while the GSB controlled the rice trade in the markets. Thus in South Kanara , the GSB were merchants by occupation and not priests who served in temples. The priestly as well as clerical function was performed by Shivalli Brahmins . This remains the case even in modern times although other castes have entered the trading occupations now. During
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#17327767135583848-495: The contents of the plate along with the idol are mixed together by the invited women and if any of them is in the habit of getting possessed on such occasions, or if anyone gets possessed for the first time, ghee, milk, honey, etc. are added to the mixture according to her instructions. The idol is afterwards removed and the mixture is fed to a cow. Vandana Bhave has published the only dedicated book on Bodan Vidhi (Bodan method) named Merutantrokta Bodan Vidhi. Bodan finds mention in
3922-433: The contributions of castes during Shivaji's rule in the 17th century, says that their education made the Saraswats and Prabhus proficient in account keeping as well as clerical posts in the administration as against the Brahmins who studied Sanskrit for religious literature also. Saraswats and Shenavis were acquainted with Portuguese and English languages, and therefore could act as interpreters during Shivaji's time. During
3996-404: The different sub-castes to form a unified Saraswat caste but according to Frank O'Conlon (writing in 1974) these attempts failed. These initiatives however, did spur foundation of educational and commercial instituitions which have endured. In Kalhana 's Rajatarangini (twelfth century CE), the Saraswats are mentioned as one of the five Pancha Gauda Brahmin communities residing to the north of
4070-418: The fall of the Maratha Empire in 1818. Richard Maxwell Eaton states that this rise of the Chitpavans is a classic example of social rank rising with political fortune. After the fall of the Maratha Empire in 1818, the Chitpavans lost their political dominance to the British. The British would not subsidise the Chitpavans on the same scale that their caste-fellow, the Peshwas, had done in the past. Pay and power
4144-428: The funeral pyre is called Chita and pure as pavana , the community was henceforth known by the name Chitapavan or "purified at the location of a funeral pyre". However, 'Chita' also means 'mind' in Sanskrit and the Chitapavans prefer "pure of mind" instead of "pure from the pyre". One scholar suggests that the author of the current version was a Deshastha Brahmin and there were earlier suggestions of similarity with
4218-469: The last major community to arrive there and consequently the area in which they settled, around Ratnagiri, was the least fertile and had few good ports for trading. In ancient times, the Chitpavans were employed as messengers and spies. Later, with the rise of the Chitpavan Peshwa in the 18th century they began migrating to Pune and found employment as military men, diplomats and clerks in the Peshwa administration. A 1763–64 document shows that at least 67% of
4292-461: The late 19th century the GSB spokesmen wrote books and articles, gave public speeches, cited documentary evidence in the native Indian as well as English court of law to prove that they belonged to the Northern stock of brahmanas. In this, their claim was in line with their efforts to be recognized as brahmanas, a right which was challenged by the Chitpavan , Deshastha and Karhade , among others. In addition, as per some modern scholars like Hewitt,
4366-403: The late 20th century opinions about the culture of the Chitpavans was that they were frugal to the point of appearing cheap, impassive, not trustworthy and also conspiratorial. According to Tilak, a Chitpavan himself, his community was known for cleanliness and being industrious but he suggested they should learn virtues such as benevolence and generosity from the Deshasthas. During the heyday of
4440-430: The legendary arrival of Bene Israel Jews in the Raigad district . According to the historian Roshen Dalal , similarities between the legends may be due to a connection between the Chitpavans and the Bene Israel communities. The Bene Israel, who also settled in Konkan, claim that the Chitpavans are also of Jewish origin. According to their version, these Jews later adopted Hinduism and later were called Chitpavans by
4514-443: The major meeting place for the traders. British and Portuguese interests clashed during this time. In Maharashtra, Saraswats had served as administrators under the Deccan Sultanates such as the Adil Shahi. In the eighteenth century during the Maratha empire era, the Shinde and the Holkar rulers of Ujjain and Indore recruited Saraswats to fill their administrative positions. R.C.Chaurasia says that Mahadji Shinde favoured
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#17327767135584588-408: The mid-nineteenth century, in Portuguese India , the trade in Goa changed focus from luxury items to essential items only. Coconut, salt, areca-nuts , fruits and poultry were exported, while rice and timber were imported. According to Borges, Pereira and Stubbe, of the trading communities, the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins and Gujarati Vania played the major role in this trade and Mormugao city became
4662-429: The name "Gaud" and the information about it is scant. Authors Jose Patrocinio De Souza and Alfred D'Cruz interpreters that the word Gauda or Goud may have been taken from Ghaggar , with Goud and Saraswat having the same meaning, that is an individual residing on the banks of river Saraswati . Scholars write that "Shenvi" and "Gaud Saraswat Brahmin" are synonyms. Historically, Jana Tschurenev states that
4736-399: The noblest of the Dvijas ". The Deshastha Brahmins were also joined by the Karhade Brahmins who also showed disdain for the Chitpawans and both these castes even declined to eat food together with them. Thus, they did not treat them as social equals. Even the Peshwas themselves were not given access to the ghats reserved for Deshastha priests at Nashik on the Godavari river. After
4810-410: The north of Goa, by the Deshastha , Chitpavan and Karhade Brahmins of Maharashtra , and to the south, by the Nambudiri Brahmins of Kerala . The GSBs were traditionally traders and even as early as the 1400s they conducted commerce across the Indian Ocean . In the Maratha empire, they also served as administrators. There are many interpretations on how the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins received
4884-426: The only caste that had access to higher education and learning in Sanskrit. Saraswats and Prabhus, who came next to the Brahmins, also educated their children and home, but only in accounting and vernacular literature. Apart from these three communities (Brahmins, Saraswats and Kayasthas), other communities did not receive much education as during those times only higher castes received education. Kantak does not consider
4958-436: The people in the area. A member of the community, B.J Israel, noted that there might be truth in his community's claim that they and Chitpavans belong to the same stock but there is also a possibility that the Puranic legend of Chitpavan origin had been appropriated by his community to account for their presence on the coast. Yulia Egorova notes that the attempts of Bene-Israel to be associated with high caste Chitpavan Brahmins
5032-674: The strongest resistance to change came from the very same community. The vanguard and the old guard clashed many times. D. K. Karve was ostracised. Even Tilak offered penance for breaking caste or religious rules. One was for taking tea at Poona Christian mission in 1892 and the second was going to England in 1919. When the social reformer Jyotirao Phule was trying to get the backward castes educated, historian Umesh Chattopadhyaya says that "Pune's Chitpavans would not allow any Dalit and backward to join schools". This opposition from them resulted in Phule establishing schools in and around Pune. The Chitpavan community includes two major politicians in
5106-420: The verdict. However, there was a debate in Shivaji's court in 1664, which reached the consensus that they were not "full-fledged Brahmins" but only trikarmi brahmins who do not have the full rights of a Brahmin. A late 20th century study showed that Konkani communities - Shenvis, Sastikars, Bardeshkars, Bhalvalikars, Rajpurkars and Pednekars currently have trikarmi status only. M.R. Kantak, while discussing
5180-445: The zamindāri of small people like headmen and village accountants. Uprooting most cruelly the heirs of ancient lineages, they establish their own possession and desire that the Konkani Brahmans should become the proprietors ( mālik ) of the whole world. On the other hand, Mahars were subjected to degradation during the rule of the Peshwas , who treated them as untouchables. Historians cite nepotism and corruption as causes of
5254-508: Was a Chitpavan Brahmin and several other Chitpavans were among the first to embrace it because they thought it was a logical extension of the legacy of the Peshwas and caste-fellow Tilak. These Chitpavans felt out of place with the Indian social reform movement of Phule and the mass politics of Gandhi. Large numbers of the community looked to Savarkar, the Hindu Mahasabha and finally the RSS , drew their inspiration from fringe groups. After Mahatma Gandhi 's assassination by Nathuram Godse ,
5328-511: Was at odds with the standard practice of Kanyadana , or giving a daughter away. Maureen L. P. Patterson writes that the Konkan region witnessed the immigration of groups, such as the Bene Israel , Parsis , Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmins , Gaud Saraswat Brahmins , and Chitpavan Brahmins. Each of these arrived at different time, they settled in different parts of the region and there was little mingling between them. The Chitpavans were apparently
5402-679: Was now significantly reduced. Poorer Chitpavan students adapted and started learning English because of better opportunities in the British administration. As per the 1901 census, about 5% of the Pune population was Brahmin and about 27% of them were Chitpavans. Some of the prominent figures in the Hindu reform movements of the 19th and 20th centuries came from the Chitpavan Brahmin community. These included Dhondo Keshav Karve , Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade , Vinayak Damodar Savarkar , Gopal Ganesh Agarkar , Vinoba Bhave . Some of
5476-577: Was the Saraswat hostel. Sociologist Sharmila Rege also considers the Saraswats(Shenvis) as different from Brahmins while discussing matriculation from Elphistone after the fall of the Peshwa rule. In mid 19th century Bombay, the Pathare Prabhu and the GSB were both considered lower in ritual status in the varna system as compared to the Brahmins of Maharashtra although they had a high secular status. This ambiguous position caused
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