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Castes of India
Chitpavan / Kokanastha Brahmins
Classification Brahmin
Subdivisions -
Significant populations in Maharashtra,Goa
Languages Marathi, Chitpavani Konkani
Religions Hinduism

The Chitpavan, Chitpawan, or Konkanastha Brahmins (कोकणस्थ ब्राम्हण) are a Brahmin community of Konkan, the coastal belt of western Maharashtra. Caste (Sanskrit Gyati ज्ञाति, Hindi Biradari बिरादरी samaj समाज jati जाति etc, Urdu Zat ज़ात) is an Endogamous group Brahmin ( Brāhmaṇa, sa ब्राह्मणः is the class of educators scholars and preachers in Brahminical Hinduism. Maharashtra ( Marathi: mahārāṣṭra, IPA) is a state located on the western coast of India. Goa ( Konkani: गोंय /ɡɔ̃j/ is India 's smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population. Marathi (mr मराठी Marāṭhī) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of what is considered western India. Konkani ( Devanāgarī: कोंकणी Roman: Konknni Kannada: ಕೊಂಕಣಿ Malayalam: കൊങ്കണി IAST Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Brahmin ( Brāhmaṇa, sa ब्राह्मणः is the class of educators scholars and preachers in Brahminical Hinduism. The Konkan (Marathi कोकण also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali, is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad Maharashtra ( Marathi: mahārāṣṭra, IPA) is a state located on the western coast of India. Sometimes they are affectionately referred to as Kobra (short for KO-nkanastha BRA-hmin). (Since Konkanastha is actually a general geographic label, meaning "Resident of Konkan" in Sanskrit, the name Chitpavan is preferable. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical In this text, however, the names Chitpavan, Konkanastha, and Kobra are used interchangeably.

They constitute up to 1. 5 million population all over the world. The Kobras gained prominence during the reign of Shahu in the 18th century and since have established themselves firmly in the Indian social hierarchy. In 1713, the Chhattrapati Shahu (Chhattrapati Shivaji's grandson)appointed a Chitpavan Brahmin from Kokan, Balaji Vishwanath Bhat, as Peshwa or prime minister. Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1680 – April 2, 1719) better known as Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas After the death of Shahu from 1749 to 1761, the Peshwas enjoyed de facto status till battle of Panipat. The Peshwa ( Marathi:पेशवा plural Peshwe, Marathi:पेशवे were Brahmin Prime Ministers to the Maratha Afterwards, with exception of Madhavrao, all other peshwas remained ceremonial head of the Maratha confederacy like their master Chhattrapati.

The community is now spread far and wide up to Australia, UK & USA and many other Asian, African, European countries.

Contents

Mythology

Shatpathkalplatika

One Sanskrit book “Shatpathkalplatika” mentions that chitpavans belonged to Berber(Egypt based Greeks) race. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions It also mentions (not withstanding the popular Parashurama myth described ahead) that chitapavans do not have any association of Sage Parashurama since chitpavans have arrived near Kokan coast in 656 AD. Parashurama a Brahman ( Sanskrit: परशुराम or Parasurama ( Axe-wielding Rama) the sixth Avatar of Vishnu, [1] and Period of Sage Parshuram is believed to be 900 BC. [1] This “Shatpathkalplatika” book is available even today in Royal Asiatic Society’s library in Mumbai. It was written in 1691 AD.

Chitpavans in Sahyadri Khanda

Most old reference of Chitapvans is in “Sahyadri Khand”, a section of the Skanda Purana, written in Marathi at around 1720 AD. Skanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text is the largest Purana and is devoted mainly to the life and deed of Kartikeya However, in Sanskrit Version of Sahyadri Khanda and in copies of same Khanda found in South India, does not having any reference about Chitpavans or any story about Sage Parshuram. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical There is scant reference to Chitpavans in Indian history prior to the reign of the Peshwas because they did not hold any powerful position in the political structure and were largely content in performing clerical jobs unlike, for instance, the deshastha who performed religious duties and administrative and military jobs. The Peshwa ( Marathi:पेशवा plural Peshwe, Marathi:पेशवे were Brahmin Prime Ministers to the Maratha Deshastha Brahmins (देशस्थ ब्राह्मण are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste belonging to the Indo-Aryan ethnic group The following is a summary of the legend from Sahyadri Khand. Parashurama, the sixth avatara of Vishnu was so defiled by the slaughter of the Kshatriyas that Brahmins refused to perform any ceremonies for him. Parashurama a Brahman ( Sanskrit: परशुराम or Parasurama ( Axe-wielding Rama) the sixth Avatar of Vishnu, Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Kshatriya (क्षत्रिय kṣatriya from क्षत्र kṣatra) is one of the four varnas (social orders in Hinduism At that time the bodies of fourteen persons happened to be cast ashore by the sea which then washed the foot of the Sahyadri hills. The Western Ghats ( Kannada ಸಹ್ಯಾದ್ರಿ Marathi / Konkani - सह्याद्री Sahyadri Malayalam സഹ്യപര്‍വ്വതം These corpses Parashurama purified, by burning them on a funeral pyre or chita, and restored them to life. He taught them the Brahmin rituals, and made them perform ceremonies to free them from guilt. Parashurama wished to give these new Brahmins some land; and since the Deccan had already been given to other Brahmins, he prayed to the God of the sea to spare him some of his domain.

Lord Parshuram along with GSBs commanding Lord Varuna to make the seas recede to make the Konkan .
Lord Parshuram along with GSBs commanding Lord Varuna to make the seas recede to make the Konkan .

Initially the sea god did not agree to recede. Hence, Parashurama decided to throw a Bramhastra (missile) on the sea to render it dry. In Hindu scriptures a Brahmastra ( IAST: Brahmāstra Sanskrit: ब्रह्‍मास्‍त्र is a Weapon created by Brahma Then the scared sea god agreed to recede as far west as the Bramhastra would hit the waters from the crest of the Sahyadris. The arrow was shot and reclaimed a belt of land about thirty miles broad. The banks of the Vashishthi, about forty miles north of Ratnagiri, were set apart for the new Brahmins, and in memory of the process by which they had been purified they were called Chitpavans ('chita - pavan', meaning 'pyre purified' in Sanskrit and their settlement Chitpolan. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Ratnāgiri ( Marathi:रत्नागिरी is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical After establishing this settlement, Parashurama retired to Gokarna in north Kanara. Gokarna may refer to Gokarna India Gokarna Nepal The Kanara or Canara region (called Karavali) that comprises three coastal districts of Karnataka, a southern state of India.

History

Until the rise of Balaji Vishvanath Peshwa, who belonged to Chitpavan Brahmin sub-caste, they held a low position and were known chiefly as clerks in the Deccan. Even after several generations of living in the Deccan, with strict attention to Brahmin rituals and austere life, other classes of Brahmins refused to eat with them. One story is that when Bajirao II, the last of the Chitpavan Brahmin Peshwas (1796-1818), was in Nasik he was not allowed to go down to the Godavari river using the same flight of steps as the priests from the local Trimbakeshwar temple. Baji Rao II, also known as palputta Bajirao (1775 – 1851 was the last Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy, and governed from 1796 to 1818 Trimbakeshwar or Tryambakeshwar or Trambakeshwar is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak, in the Nashik District of Maharashtra

They were relatively unknown outside Konkan until the 16th century. Later the ruler of Maratha kingdom Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj appointed a Chitpavan Brahmin, Balaji Vishwanath Bhat as his Peshwa or Prime Minister in the 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1680 – April 2, 1719) better known as Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas It was the first time a Brahmin of Konkan origin held an important position in Deccani politics in Maharashtra. Eventually, many Chitpavan Brahmins joined the service of Marattha kingdom and in due course called the plateau of Deccan their home.

Out of the 2000 families of Chitpavans from 1713 to 1818, only eight families rose to the ranks of big warriors and ministers namely Bhat, Pethe, Patwardhan, Natu, Mehendale, Phadke, Gokhale, Kanitkar and Raste while majority other families were working as a clerk or priest or farmers in Kokan, Pune, Vasai, Satara and Sangli. Bhat ( Marathi: भट is a common surname in the states of Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka, India. At the core of the multi-billion dollar Pokémon Media franchise of various electronic games, ongoing anime, several manga series, Phadke is a surname and may refer to Sudhir Phadke - Singer Music Direcor Writer Narayan Phadke - Brother of Sudhir Phadke Gokhale is an Indian Surname typically found in the western state of Maharashtra. Though they have not played direct role in administration, they got kinglike status after death of Shahu Maharaj from 1749 to 1761. Shrimant Shahu Sambhaji Raje Bhonsle Chhatrapati Maharaj (1682-1749 was the fourth ruler of the Maratha Empire created by his grandfather Chhatrapati Shivaji, and Some famous surnames of Maharashtra like Kulkarni, Deshpande, Patil, Deshmukh, Mujumdar and Inamdar are rarely found in Chitpavans. Kulkarni (कुलकर्णी/कुळकर्णी/ಕುಲಕರ್ಣಿ is a common Family name in the Karnataka and Maharashtra states of Deshpande (देशपांडे is a common surname in the states of Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka, India. Patil is an Indian last name It is predominantly used in the state of Maharashtra, Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh Deshmukh was the title given to a person who was granted a territory of land in certain regions of India.

Before the Peshwas, the community was predominantly found in the Konkan coastal belt of Maharashtra state of India but afterwards migrated to various parts of India. Today the community is found mainly in the state of Maharashtra particularly the Konkan coastal belt and the Deccan Plateau. They are also scattered in small pockets in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in a tiny percentage. Similar DNA haplogroups are also found among the Kodava (a warrior caste in south India). The Kodava (ಕೊಡವ in Kannada script) are an ethnic group of southern India who trace their origins to the region of Kodagu, in Karnataka Many of this community members have migrated to the Middle East Gulf States -particularly U. A. E. and also to U. K, Australia and U. S. A. Together, they form less than 1% of total Indian population. It is known that the Konkanastha Brahmins are a homogeneous community. It was only after the late 18th century, that they began to form sub DNA groups. Originally the Menfolk may have taken to the natives' women as their wives and neglected their culture.

Origins and genetics

Recent studies (Kivisild et. al. 2003, Gaikwad et. al. 2005) on the genetics of Konkanasta Brahmins have been quite surprising. Unlike previous claims of European origins, it appears that the Chitpavans are a group of people with diverse genetic origins.

The origins on the maternal side (mt-DNA) are equally surprising. Unlike most other Indians whose maternal origins can be almost exclusively traced to the single macro-haplogroup M (mt-DNA), studies (Kivisild et. al. 2003, Gaikwad et. al. 2005) indicate that the Chitpavan gene-pool shows the presence of various other Central Asian and European mt-DNA haplogroups, in particular, the U (mt-DNA), H (mt-DNA), HV (mt-DNA), X (mt-DNA), R* (mt-DNA), and N1 (mt-DNA) haplgroups.

On the paternal side (Y-DNA), R1a (Y-DNA) is the most frequently found haplogroup. Incidentally, this haplogroup is also commonly found amongst North Indians (Sahoo et. al. 2006), Central Asians, and East Europeans. The presence of a deep common ancestry between these regions remains a puzzle to this day. Haplogroup J2 (Y-DNA) is another frequently found haplogroup considered to be of Middle-Eastern origins and found in a lot of higher-caste Indians. There is also a significant presence of Haplogroups R2 (Y-DNA), L (Y-DNA), and H1 (Y-DNA) which are believed to be of Indian origin and dominantly found in Western and South Indians (Sahoo et al. 2006).

Based on the current evidence therefore, it does seem then that the aforementioned racial characteristics can be most likely traced to their maternal side.

World Chitpavan Congregation

The first ever World Chitpavan Congregation was held in Pune on 23rd December 2007. 66 families (having as many Surnames) held their family congregation at 66 different places in Pune City and the remaining held a common congregation in the first half day session. All the families then converged on the main venue to hold a grand afternoon session. This session was totally voluntary in nature and elaborate arrangements including sitting arrangement for 70,000 (Seventy Thousand) people was made, after year long preparations and it is estimated that around 1,32,000 people have visited this global meet.

Eminent Konkanastha Brahmins

History

Military

Army
Navy
Air Force


References - http://www.kokanastha.com/htm/army.htm

Revolutionaries

Literature/Scholars

Politics/Social reform

Business

Sport

Others

Cinema/Theatre

Music

Science

Dr. Suresh Bhat (सुरेश भट April 15, 1932 - March 14, 2003 was a noted Marathi poet from the state of Maharashtra, India Sadhana Sargam ( Marathi: साधना सरगम Tamil: சாதனா சர்கம் Hindi: साधना सर्गम Sudhir Phadke (सुधीर फडके July 25, 1919 - July 29, 2002) was an accomplished Marathi Singer - composer Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar (born October 5, 1969) is a Hindustani classical music Vocalist of the Mewati Gharana. Sandeep Khare (संदीप खरे (born May 13) is a distinguished Marathi poet, Songwriter and Singer best known for Abhyankar, Mathematician, Purdu University. Dr. Paranjape, Physicist, Toronto University. Dr. R. S. Paranjape, Director, National Aids Research Institute, Pune


Typical last names

See also

References

External links

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