Chitpavan
Encyclopedia
The Chitpavan or Chitpawan, also known as Konkanastha Brahmins (कोकणस्थ ब्राह्मण), are a Smarta Brahmin
community of Konkan
, the coastal region of western Maharashtra
in India
.
The mythological origins of the Chitpavan community are explained in Hindu scriptures by referring to the tale of Parshuram in the Sahyadrikhanda
of the Skanda Purana
. The Satavahanas were great sanskritisers. It is possibly at their time that the new group of Chitpavan Brahmins were formed.
However, the recorded history of the Chitpavans in India and Hinduism begins in the 18th century. Various theories of origin have been suggested, indicating primarily a Jewish, Turkish or Iranian origin. The Chitpavans gained prominence in the Marathi
-speaking region after Chattrapati Shahu appointed a Chitpavan Brahmin Balaji Vishwanath Bhat
as the fifth Peshwa
(prime minister). During the reign of the successive Peshwas, some of whom enjoyed status as de facto head of the Maratha confederacy, the Chitpavans settled in various provinces under the Peshwa rule. The Chitpavans established themselves firmly in the social hierarchy of the Marathi-speaking region, and played a prominent role in the political history of India. The community remains concentrated in Maharashtra but also has populations all over India and the rest of the world including the USA and UK.
s, the Bene Israel
is, the Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmins
, and the Konkani Saraswat Brahmins, and the Chitpavan Brahmins were apparently the last of these immigrant arrivals.
A 2005 study conducted by Sonali Gaikwad and VK Kashyap for National DNA Analysis Center, Central Forensic Science Laboratory
, Kolkata, suggests that the Chitpavans may have roots outside of India, in either Iran or Turkey. The authors state that the Chitpavan were amalgamated and Brahminized at a late date in the Indian society.
Interestingly, in 2004, the genetic analyses of several human bodies from the 9th century mass grave discovered at Roopkund
, a lake at 5054 m (16500 ft) in the Himalayas of Uttaranchal's Garhwal region have shown presence of genetic mutations which are specific to Chitpavan Brahmins. The National Geographic-led investigation also involved scientists from Universities of Heidelberg, Oxford, Delhi, Deccan College, Pune, as well as Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, India. It seems many Chitpavan Brahmins were part of the unfortunate entourage of several hundred people buried in the lake due to hailstorm. Incidentally, the location of Roopkund does not fall on any trade route or pilgrimage. How and why Chitpavans went to the Roopkund area is still a mystery.
Roopkund's skeletons were featured in a National Geographic documentary "Riddles Of The Dead: Skeleton Lake". http://www.miditech.tv/content.aspx?page=skeleton_lake
Sir Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar
has criticized such Etymologies. There is no title of evidence to show that these people were admitted to exclusive Hindu
community and assigned the highest place. The Jews came to India in very early times but they have not been incorporated; taken Hindu Gotras; and become student of Vedas.
of the Skanda Purana
. There are multiple theories about the etymology of the word Chitpavan:
Very little is known of the Chitpavan before 1707 A.D. Sometime around this time, an individual of the Chitpavan community, Balaji Vishwanth Bhat arrived from Ratnagari 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 and his work so pleased the Chhatrapati that he was appointed the Peshwa or Chief Minister in 1713. He ran a well organized 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 Chitpavan family. As Peshwa became ecclesiastical head of the state, this was not consequent upon the Peshwa's social position as a Brahman, for the chitpavan sect, to which the Peshwas belonged, was not accounted of much importance by other Brahmanic sects and by some, indeed, was considered ineligible for inclusion in the Brahmanic category. Starting around this time, Chitpavan migrants began arriving en masse from the Konkan to Pune where the Peshwa offered all important offices to the Chitpavan caste. The Chitpavan kin were rewarded with tax relief and grants of land. Historians cite nepotism and corruption as causes of the fall of the Maratha Empire in 1818. According to the author Anand Teltumbde, the Chitpavan Peshwa rule was infamous for its casteist character under which the oppression of the Dalits reached legendary heights. By late 18th century Chitpavans had established complete political and economic dominance in the region. Richard Maxwell Eaton states that this rise of the Chitpavan is a classic example of social rank rising with political fortune. This usurpation of power by the Chitpvan Brahmins caused conflicts with other communities which manifested itself as late as in 1948 in the form of anti-Brahminism after the killing of Mahatama Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, a Chitpavan.
, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
and Bal Gangadhar Tilak
played an important role in the Indian independence movement
.
Some of the prominent figures in the Hindu reform movements
of the 19th and 20th centuries came from the Chitapavan Brahmin community. These included Dhondo Keshav Karve
, Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade
, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar
and Vinoba Bhave
. These reforms preached against the Hindu caste system. Yet, some of the strongest resistance to change also came from the very same community. Jealously guarding their Brahmin stature, the orthodox among the Chitpavans were not eager to see the Shastras challenged, nor the conduct of the Brahmins becoming indistinguishable from that of the Sudras. The vanguard and the old guard clashed many times. Ranade and other reformers were forced to offer penance for breaking purity rules. D. K. Karve was ostracised. Even Tilak made a visit to Varanasi so that he may not be excommunicated.
The Chitpavan community produced two major politicians in the Gandhian tradition
: Vinoba Bhave and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Gandhi describes Bhave as the Jewel of his disciples, and recognized Gokhale as his political guru. However, strong opposition to Gandhi also came from within the Chitpavan community. V D Savarkar
, the founder of the Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva
, was a Chitpavan Brahmin. Several members of the Chitpavan community were among the first to embrace the Hindutva ideology, which they thought 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 Mahatama Phule and the mass politics of Mahatama Gandhi. Large numbers of the community looked to Savarkar, the Hindu Mahasabha and finally the RSS for inspiration resulting in the likes of Narayan Apte
and Nathuram Godse
, who assassinated Gandhi on January 30, 1948. V D Savarkar's nephew Vikram Savarkar was the ideological guru of Godse, and Narayan Apte endorsed the murder of Gandhi by saying the samaj or community has realized the significance of Nathuram's act. Many members of the Pune's close-knit Chitpavan community supported Gandhi's murder, prompting Rafiq Zakaria
to compare them with the neo-Nazis in Europe.
.
Traditionally, the Chitpavan Brahmins were a community of astrologers and priests who offer religious services to other communities. The 20th century descriptions of the Chitpavans list frugality, hard work, cleanliness and intelligence as their attributes. The population of the Chitpavan is around 1.5 million. Agriculture was the second major occupation in the community, practised by the those who possess arable land. Later, Chitpavans became became prominent in various white collar jobs and business.
Chitpavans are traditionally strict vegetarians. The staple cereal is rice, while pulses include tur dal. The cooking media include groundnut oil and sunflower oil. They consume dairy products; take both tea and coffee, while consumption of betel leaves is prevalent.
Monogamy is practiced by Konkanastha Brahmins. At present adult marriage is practiced, while child marriage was acceptable in the past, requiring the release of children to their marital partners at the coming of age. Marital matches arranged by parents, with the consent of the individuals, is the most widespread mode of acquiring a mate. The symbols of marriage include a spot of vermillion on the forehead, a mangal sutra and toe rings. The bride is often expected to reside at the groom's family home after marriage. Remarriage is allowed for widows, widowers and divorcee. Equigeniture is the rule, as Women also inherit paternal property. The marriage is fixed by consulting the horoscopes of the bride and groom. The marriage takes place at brides place. Haldi (turmeric paste) is applied to both the bride and groom by married women. After kanyadaan, malabadal is done where in the bride and groom put garlands around each other's neck, along with the observance of offering worship at sacred fire(hom). The groom ties the mangal sutra around the neck of the bride.
On child birth, Shastipujan is done on the sixth day. On the 12th day the name giving ceremony is performed. The 'jawal' (head shaving) is performed both for male and female children after attaining the age of one year. At eight years a male child undergoes another shaving of his head for his Upanayana, Munja or sacred thread ceremony. The shaving is done by a barber and the rituals are officiated over by a Brahmin priest. Mundan is not performed for girl child, it is a sanskar that is performed on boy child.
s believed that they were the highest of all Brahmins, and looked down upon the Chitpavans as parvenus (a relative newcomer to a socioeconomic class), barely equal to the noblest of dvija
s. Even the Peshwa was denied the rights to use the ghat
s reserved for Deshasth priests at Nashik on the Godavari. This has been quoted as a proof of the low position Konkanasths hold among Brahmans. But it seems more probable that it was the result of a fend between Bajirao and the Yajurvedis. There is now no difference between the treatment of Konkanstha and other Brahman pilgrims at Nashik.
Most of the administrators in the Maratha kingdom of Shivaji were Deshastha Brahmins and Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu
. However, the Deshastha influence waned during the rule of Nanasaheb Peshwa
, except for the post of “Panditrao” (Minister related to Religious issues) and Chief Justice. Other valuable posts like Phadanvis (Finance Secretary), Kotwal (Home Secretary) and various military rank were dominated by Chitpavans.
Though not superior to Deshasths and Karhadas in rank, they are held in much respect by most Ratnagiri Hindus, who believe that the sacred texts, mantras, repeated by a Chitpavan have special worth. A very frugal, pushing, active, intelligent, well-taught, astute, self-confident, and overbearing class, they follow almost all callings and generally with success.
This usurping of power by Chitpavans from Deshastha Brahmins resulted in intense rivalry between the two brahmin communities in the later days. The 19th century records also mention Gramanyas between the Chitpavans, and two other communities, namely the Daivajnas, and the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus
. This lasted for about ten years. Since Independence the rivalry between the groups has waned, as evident by the inter-community marriages and inter-mixing of them at social, professional and political level.
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
community of Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
, the coastal region of western Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The mythological origins of the Chitpavan community are explained in Hindu scriptures by referring to the tale of Parshuram in the Sahyadrikhanda
Sahyadrikhanda
Sahyādrikhaṇḍa or Sahyadri Khand, written in Sanskrit, is claimed as a part of Skandapurāṇa. From the old records it can be seen that Sahyādrikhaṇḍa is a later inclusion in the original Skandapurāṇa...
of the Skanda Purana
Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
. The Satavahanas were great sanskritisers. It is possibly at their time that the new group of Chitpavan Brahmins were formed.
However, the recorded history of the Chitpavans in India and Hinduism begins in the 18th century. Various theories of origin have been suggested, indicating primarily a Jewish, Turkish or Iranian origin. The Chitpavans gained prominence in the Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
-speaking region after Chattrapati Shahu appointed a Chitpavan Brahmin Balaji Vishwanath Bhat
Balaji Vishwanath
Balaji Vishwanath Bhat , better known as Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Brahmin family who gained effective control of the Maratha Empire during the 18th century...
as the fifth Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
(prime minister). During the reign of the successive Peshwas, some of whom enjoyed status as de facto head of the Maratha confederacy, the Chitpavans settled in various provinces under the Peshwa rule. The Chitpavans established themselves firmly in the social hierarchy of the Marathi-speaking region, and played a prominent role in the political history of India. The community remains concentrated in Maharashtra but also has populations all over India and the rest of the world including the USA and UK.
Origin
Several historical descriptions of the Chitpavans describe their distinct physical features such as fair skin and light-brown or greenish-brown eyes, which set them apart from the other natives of Konkan and Maharashtrian Brahmins. The Konkan region has been inhabited by several immigrant groups including the ParsiParsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
s, the Bene Israel
Bene Israel
The Bene Israel are a group of Jews who migrated in the 19th century from villages in the Konkan area to the nearby Indian cities, primarily Mumbai, but also to Pune, and Ahmedabad. Prior to these waves of emigrations and to this day, the Bene Israel formed the largest sector of the subcontinent's...
is, the Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmins
Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahman
Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmin , is a community hailing from the western coast of India, residing in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, Goa and some parts of coastal and central Karnataka. This community is also known as Kudaldeshkar Aadya Gaud Brahman and sometimes Kudalkar Brahmans...
, and the Konkani Saraswat Brahmins, and the Chitpavan Brahmins were apparently the last of these immigrant arrivals.
DNA analysis
Dr. Jay Dixit investigated the origin of Chitpavans using genetic analyses including that of mitonchodrial DNA, a first for the Chitpavan community, in 2002-03. The genetic samples of more than 20 Chitpavans of different surnames indicate northern European origins for both male and female Chitpavans. They were probably residents of northern Europe about 2000 years ago, that is at the beginning of the Christian Era. The findings of the genetic study have conclusively disproved several ancient beliefs about Chitpavans. Dr. Dixit has presented the findings in his comprehensive book "Chitpavanism", along with extensive details about the history and culture as well as achievements of Chitpavans.A 2005 study conducted by Sonali Gaikwad and VK Kashyap for National DNA Analysis Center, Central Forensic Science Laboratory
Central Forensic Science Laboratory
The Central Forensic Science Laboratory is a wing of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, which fulfills the forensic requirements in the country...
, Kolkata, suggests that the Chitpavans may have roots outside of India, in either Iran or Turkey. The authors state that the Chitpavan were amalgamated and Brahminized at a late date in the Indian society.
Interestingly, in 2004, the genetic analyses of several human bodies from the 9th century mass grave discovered at Roopkund
Roopkund
Roopkund is a glacial lake in Uttarakhand state of India famous due to more than five hundred human skeletons found at the edge of a lake...
, a lake at 5054 m (16500 ft) in the Himalayas of Uttaranchal's Garhwal region have shown presence of genetic mutations which are specific to Chitpavan Brahmins. The National Geographic-led investigation also involved scientists from Universities of Heidelberg, Oxford, Delhi, Deccan College, Pune, as well as Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, India. It seems many Chitpavan Brahmins were part of the unfortunate entourage of several hundred people buried in the lake due to hailstorm. Incidentally, the location of Roopkund does not fall on any trade route or pilgrimage. How and why Chitpavans went to the Roopkund area is still a mystery.
Roopkund's skeletons were featured in a National Geographic documentary "Riddles Of The Dead: Skeleton Lake". http://www.miditech.tv/content.aspx?page=skeleton_lake
Link Between Chitpavan and Bene Israel
A link between the Chitpavan and the Bene Israel has also been suggested. The Parshuram origin of the Chitpavan is identical to the story of origins of the Bene Israel from the Kolaba district. The Bene Israel claim that they share a common origin with the Chitpavan. According to Bene Israeli legend, the Chitpavan and Bene Israel are descendants from a group of 14 people shipwrecked off the Konkan coast. One group converted to Hinduism as Chitpavan Brahmins, the other remained Jewish or Bene Israel.Sir Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar
Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar
Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar was an Indian scholar, orientalist, and social reformer.-Early life:Bhandarkar was born in Malvan in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. After his early schooling in Ratnagiri, he studied at Elphinstone College in Bombay...
has criticized such Etymologies. There is no title of evidence to show that these people were admitted to exclusive Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
community and assigned the highest place. The Jews came to India in very early times but they have not been incorporated; taken Hindu Gotras; and become student of Vedas.
Origin as explained in Hindu mythology
According to historian Irawati Karve, the origin of the Chitpavan is explained by referring to the tale of Parshuram in the SahyadrikhandaSahyadrikhanda
Sahyādrikhaṇḍa or Sahyadri Khand, written in Sanskrit, is claimed as a part of Skandapurāṇa. From the old records it can be seen that Sahyādrikhaṇḍa is a later inclusion in the original Skandapurāṇa...
of the Skanda Purana
Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
. There are multiple theories about the etymology of the word Chitpavan:
- The word means "pure from pyre" and is derived from the Sanskrit words Chita ("pyre") and Pavan ("pure")
- The word means "pure-hearted" and is derived from the Sanskrit words Chitta ("heart") and Pavan ("pure")
- Chit-pavan i.e. "a corpse saved from the funeral pyre", a figurative epithet probably condensing in a word the long history of their almost miraculous survival from the fire of Buddhistic persecution. Also it is claimed that they are far purer Aryan blood than any other Hindu people east of the Gandak and Son, or south of the Krishna.
Rise during the Maratha rule
Role in the Indian politics
After the fall of the Maratha Empire in 1818, the Chitpavan lost their political dominance to the British. The British would not subsidize the Chitpavans on the same scale that their caste-fellow, the Peshwas had done in the past. Pay and power was now significantly reduced. Poorer Chitpavan students adapted and started learning English because of better opportunities in the British administration. The Chitapavan Brahmins such as Vasudev Balwant PhadkeVasudev Balwant Phadke
Vasudeo Balwant Phadke was an Indian revolutionary and is widely regarded as the father of the armed struggle for India's independence. Phadke was moved by the plight of the farmer community during British Raj. Phadke believed that ‘Swaraj’ was the only remedy for their ills...
, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society...
and Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Lokmanya Tilak –, was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer and independence fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities derogatorily called the great leader "Father of the Indian unrest"...
played an important role in the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
.
Some of the prominent figures in the Hindu reform movements
Hindu reform movements
Several contemporary groups, collectively termed Hindu reform movements, strive to introduce regeneration and reform to Hinduism. Although these movements are very individual in their exact philosophies they generally stress the spiritual, secular and logical and scientific aspects of the Vedic...
of the 19th and 20th centuries came from the Chitapavan Brahmin community. These included Dhondo Keshav Karve
Dhondo Keshav Karve
Maharshi Dr. Dhondo Keshav Karve was a social reformer in India in the field of women's welfare. In honour of Karve, Queen's Road in Mumbai was renamed to Maharishi Karve Road...
, Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade
Mahadev Govind Ranade
Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade was a distinguished Indian scholar, social reformer and author. He was a founding member of the Indian National Congress and owned several designations as member of the Bombay legislative council, member of the finance committee at the centre, and the judge of Bombay...
, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
Vināyak Dāmodar Sāvarkar was an Indian freedom fighter, revolutionary and politician. He was the proponent of liberty as the ultimate ideal. Savarkar was a poet, writer and playwright...
, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar
Gopal Ganesh Agarkar
Gopal Ganesh Agarkar was a social reformer from Maharashtra, India during the British Raj.-Early life:Gopal Ganesh Agarkar was born on 14 July 1856 in Tembhu , a village in Satara district now in Sangli district of Maharashtra. Agarkar had his primary education from Karad...
and Vinoba Bhave
Vinoba Bhave
Vinoba Bhave , born Vinayak Narahari Bhave often called Acharya , was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. He is best known for the Bhoodan Andolan...
. These reforms preached against the Hindu caste system. Yet, some of the strongest resistance to change also came from the very same community. Jealously guarding their Brahmin stature, the orthodox among the Chitpavans were not eager to see the Shastras challenged, nor the conduct of the Brahmins becoming indistinguishable from that of the Sudras. The vanguard and the old guard clashed many times. Ranade and other reformers were forced to offer penance for breaking purity rules. D. K. Karve was ostracised. Even Tilak made a visit to Varanasi so that he may not be excommunicated.
The Chitpavan community produced two major politicians in the Gandhian tradition
Gandhism
Gandhism is the collection of inspirations, principles, beliefs and philosophy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , who was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence Movement....
: Vinoba Bhave and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Gandhi describes Bhave as the Jewel of his disciples, and recognized Gokhale as his political guru. However, strong opposition to Gandhi also came from within the Chitpavan community. V D Savarkar
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
Vināyak Dāmodar Sāvarkar was an Indian freedom fighter, revolutionary and politician. He was the proponent of liberty as the ultimate ideal. Savarkar was a poet, writer and playwright...
, the founder of the Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva
Hindutva
Hindutva is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. Members of the movement are called Hindutvavādis.In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions the concept of Hindutva...
, was a Chitpavan Brahmin. Several members of the Chitpavan community were among the first to embrace the Hindutva ideology, which they thought 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 Mahatama Phule and the mass politics of Mahatama Gandhi. Large numbers of the community looked to Savarkar, the Hindu Mahasabha and finally the RSS for inspiration resulting in the likes of Narayan Apte
Narayan Apte
Narayan Dattatraya Apte was a Hindu activist and enterpreneur who was executed for his role in the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi....
and Nathuram Godse
Nathuram Godse
Nathuram Vinayak Godse , from the city of Pune, India was a Hindutva activist and journalist, who was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. Along with his brother Gopal Godse and six other co-conspirators, he executed a plot to assassinate Gandhi.-Early life:Nathuram Godse was born in Baramati, Pune...
, who assassinated Gandhi on January 30, 1948. V D Savarkar's nephew Vikram Savarkar was the ideological guru of Godse, and Narayan Apte endorsed the murder of Gandhi by saying the samaj or community has realized the significance of Nathuram's act. Many members of the Pune's close-knit Chitpavan community supported Gandhi's murder, prompting Rafiq Zakaria
Rafiq Zakaria
Rafiq Zakaria was an Indian politician and Islamic scholar and father of well known Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria and former Merrill Lynch investment banking head Arshad Zakaria...
to compare them with the neo-Nazis in Europe.
Culture
The Chitpavan Brahmins celebrate several festivals according to the Hindu CalendarHindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
.
Traditionally, the Chitpavan Brahmins were a community of astrologers and priests who offer religious services to other communities. The 20th century descriptions of the Chitpavans list frugality, hard work, cleanliness and intelligence as their attributes. The population of the Chitpavan is around 1.5 million. Agriculture was the second major occupation in the community, practised by the those who possess arable land. Later, Chitpavans became became prominent in various white collar jobs and business.
Chitpavans are traditionally strict vegetarians. The staple cereal is rice, while pulses include tur dal. The cooking media include groundnut oil and sunflower oil. They consume dairy products; take both tea and coffee, while consumption of betel leaves is prevalent.
Monogamy is practiced by Konkanastha Brahmins. At present adult marriage is practiced, while child marriage was acceptable in the past, requiring the release of children to their marital partners at the coming of age. Marital matches arranged by parents, with the consent of the individuals, is the most widespread mode of acquiring a mate. The symbols of marriage include a spot of vermillion on the forehead, a mangal sutra and toe rings. The bride is often expected to reside at the groom's family home after marriage. Remarriage is allowed for widows, widowers and divorcee. Equigeniture is the rule, as Women also inherit paternal property. The marriage is fixed by consulting the horoscopes of the bride and groom. The marriage takes place at brides place. Haldi (turmeric paste) is applied to both the bride and groom by married women. After kanyadaan, malabadal is done where in the bride and groom put garlands around each other's neck, along with the observance of offering worship at sacred fire(hom). The groom ties the mangal sutra around the neck of the bride.
On child birth, Shastipujan is done on the sixth day. On the 12th day the name giving ceremony is performed. The 'jawal' (head shaving) is performed both for male and female children after attaining the age of one year. At eight years a male child undergoes another shaving of his head for his Upanayana, Munja or sacred thread ceremony. The shaving is done by a barber and the rituals are officiated over by a Brahmin priest. Mundan is not performed for girl child, it is a sanskar that is performed on boy child.
Language
Most of the Chitpavan Brahmins in Maharashtra have adopted Marathi as their language. Till the 1940s, most of the Chitpavans in Konkan spoke a dialect called Chitpavani Konkani in their homes. Even at that time, reports recorded Chitpavani as a fast disappearing language. There are no inherently nasalized vowels in standard Marathi whereas the Chitpavani dialect of Marathi does have nasalized vowels.Society
The Chitpavan Brahmins have two sub-groups: the Rigvedi Konkanastha and the Yajurvedi Konkanastha. They belong to the Smartha Sect. The community comprises fourteen gotras (clans) which as one of the regulators of marriage the gotras are linked with mythical sains and sages and are not hierarchically arranged. The gotras are Atri, Kapi, Kashyap, Kondinya, Gargya, Kaushik, Jamadagni, Nityundana, Bhargava, Bharadwaj, Vatsya, Vashistha, Vishnuvruddha and Shandilya. All the fourteen gotras are clustered into seven groups which are known as the gana. A gotra belonging to a particular gana cannot be considered for marriage with another gotra of same gana. The gana are as follows:- Atri-Kapi, Gargya-Bhardwaj, Koundiya-Vashistha, Kashyap-Shandilya, Kaushik-Bhargava, Jamadagni-Vatsa, Nityundana-Vishnuvruddha. Besides gotra and gana, konkanastha Brahmins observe the Tri (three) and Panch (Five) Pravara system. Chitpavans also revere deities connected with gotras known as the devakas and each family worships its devaka at the time of marriage, while individuals with the same devaka can marry. There are four hundred and forty surnames amongst Konkanastha Brahmins.Social status
Earlier, the Deshastha BrahminDeshastha Brahmin
Deshastha Brahmins are the original and the oldest Hindu Brahmin sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and some districts of northern Karnataka. The word Deshastha comes from the Sanskrit words Desha and Stha which mean inland or country and resident respectively...
s believed that they were the highest of all Brahmins, and looked down upon the Chitpavans as parvenus (a relative newcomer to a socioeconomic class), barely equal to the noblest of dvija
Dvija
Dvija is one of the members of the first three varnas in Hindu Dharma. Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas are included in Dvija.The first birth is physical. The second occurs when one uptakes fulfilling a role in society...
s. Even the Peshwa was denied the rights to use the ghat
Ghat
Ghat is the capital of the Ghat District in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya.-History:In historical times, Ghat was a major terminal point on the Trans-Saharan trade route and a major administrative center in the Fezzan...
s reserved for Deshasth priests at Nashik on the Godavari. This has been quoted as a proof of the low position Konkanasths hold among Brahmans. But it seems more probable that it was the result of a fend between Bajirao and the Yajurvedis. There is now no difference between the treatment of Konkanstha and other Brahman pilgrims at Nashik.
Most of the administrators in the Maratha kingdom of Shivaji were Deshastha Brahmins and Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu or , abbreviated CKP, is an ethno-religious community which is part of Kayastha. The mother tongue of this community is Marathi...
. However, the Deshastha influence waned during the rule of Nanasaheb Peshwa
Nanasaheb Peshwa
Nanasaheb Peshwa , also known as Balaji Bajirao, was the son of Bajirao from his marriage with Kashibai and one of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. He contributed heavily to the development of the city of Pune, India. He was appointed as Peshwa by Chattrapati Shahu himself...
, except for the post of “Panditrao” (Minister related to Religious issues) and Chief Justice. Other valuable posts like Phadanvis (Finance Secretary), Kotwal (Home Secretary) and various military rank were dominated by Chitpavans.
Though not superior to Deshasths and Karhadas in rank, they are held in much respect by most Ratnagiri Hindus, who believe that the sacred texts, mantras, repeated by a Chitpavan have special worth. A very frugal, pushing, active, intelligent, well-taught, astute, self-confident, and overbearing class, they follow almost all callings and generally with success.
This usurping of power by Chitpavans from Deshastha Brahmins resulted in intense rivalry between the two brahmin communities in the later days. The 19th century records also mention Gramanyas between the Chitpavans, and two other communities, namely the Daivajnas, and the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu
Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu or , abbreviated CKP, is an ethno-religious community which is part of Kayastha. The mother tongue of this community is Marathi...
. This lasted for about ten years. Since Independence the rivalry between the groups has waned, as evident by the inter-community marriages and inter-mixing of them at social, professional and political level.