Karekar
Encyclopedia
“Karekar is a surname of the Daivajna Brahmin
community, predominantly found in Goa
, coastal Maharashtra, some parts of southern Maharashtra
, and northern Karnataka
(Belgaum
, Hubli, Yellapur).
of this clan
migrated from “Gouda” desha in Magadha
(now in West Bengal
) to the south with their family deity “Gajant Lakshmi”.
This early ancestor settled with the clan on an island in Goa called as “Chudamani” (today’s Chorao
or Chodan). The place on the island where they settled was called as "Care", “Karrai” (kaa-rai) or "Carpea" (now called as "Karbhatwado" ) located on the south side of the island and a temple dedicated to their deity was built on the banks of river “Mandovi” (Gomati).Thus the temple was built in a secluded restricted forest and thus the deity came to be known as “Vana-devata” (deity of the forests).
Also another temple of the guardian deity “Ravalnath
a“ (Roulu) in the form of Shiva was also erected.
These people also worshipped “Shano” and “Pisso Roulu “as their “Grama Devata”
The clan was divided into three groups (Vangors or Vangad),which belonged to the following gotras
This clan established a well refined village community system which is called as “comunidade
” in Portuguese and “Gramasanstha” in Konkani
/Marathi
. The centre of this village community was the temple.
Another system called as “mazanie” or “mahajani” system was adopted for betterment of village, people and the temple, and the funds were equally divided amongst the clan above mentioned of the gotras. This clan used “Shreshth” (the superior) as their surname.Later many of them adopted title “Chattim” which means traders.
They were primarily involved in jewellery and gemstone trade with the Arab and Portuguese people
. Some of them were also involved in horse trade.
In the 14th century the Portuguese conquered Chodan island, and started converting people to Christianity and demolishing temples. The leaders of this clan fled to a place called as “Bhata Grama”, with their deities fearing conversions, with the help of the native fisherman people across the banks of river Mandovi.
A small temple was built for the deities. This part was ruled by the “Sawant Bhosale” Hindu kings.
For the following reasons the clan migrated to other places in Goa, as well as other states. They started using the surname “Xete Caroicar” (Xete is corrupted form of the Sanskrit “Shreshtha”) just to distinguish themselves from the other people.
, Satara
, Malvan
, Sawantwadi, Ratnagiri
and other few places in Maharashtra and in many parts of Karnataka like Belgaum,Hubli,Yellapur.and many of them are settled abroad as well.These people speak different dialects of Konkani and Marathi.
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
community, predominantly found in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, coastal Maharashtra, some parts of southern 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...
, and northern Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
(Belgaum
Belgaum
Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....
, Hubli, Yellapur).
History
It is believed that the “mula Purusha” of Bharadwaj gotraGotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
of this clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
migrated from “Gouda” desha in Magadha
Magadha
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...
(now in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
) to the south with their family deity “Gajant Lakshmi”.
This early ancestor settled with the clan on an island in Goa called as “Chudamani” (today’s Chorao
Chorao
Chorao is an island along the river Mandovi near Panaji, Goa, India.The island was historically called Chudamani, meaning stunning precious stone in Sanskrit. Local legends tell of the islands emerging from diamonds that were thrown away by Yashoda the mother of Lord Krishna. The Islanders call...
or Chodan). The place on the island where they settled was called as "Care", “Karrai” (kaa-rai) or "Carpea" (now called as "Karbhatwado" ) located on the south side of the island and a temple dedicated to their deity was built on the banks of river “Mandovi” (Gomati).Thus the temple was built in a secluded restricted forest and thus the deity came to be known as “Vana-devata” (deity of the forests).
Also another temple of the guardian deity “Ravalnath
Ravalnath
Ravalnath is a very popular Shaivite deity in west coastal region of India, figuring predominantly Goa, the Sindhudurg district of coastal Maharashtra and some areas of Karnataka.-Etymology:...
a“ (Roulu) in the form of Shiva was also erected.
These people also worshipped “Shano” and “Pisso Roulu “as their “Grama Devata”
The clan was divided into three groups (Vangors or Vangad),which belonged to the following gotras
- Bharadwaj
- Kashyap
- Koushika
- Shandilya
- Suparna
This clan established a well refined village community system which is called as “comunidade
Comunidade
The Comunidades of Goa are a unique and age-old collective land-ownership pattern that has been predominating in the state of Goa, India.-Codified by the Portuguese:...
” in Portuguese and “Gramasanstha” in Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
/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...
. The centre of this village community was the temple.
Another system called as “mazanie” or “mahajani” system was adopted for betterment of village, people and the temple, and the funds were equally divided amongst the clan above mentioned of the gotras. This clan used “Shreshth” (the superior) as their surname.Later many of them adopted title “Chattim” which means traders.
They were primarily involved in jewellery and gemstone trade with the Arab and Portuguese people
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
. Some of them were also involved in horse trade.
In the 14th century the Portuguese conquered Chodan island, and started converting people to Christianity and demolishing temples. The leaders of this clan fled to a place called as “Bhata Grama”, with their deities fearing conversions, with the help of the native fisherman people across the banks of river Mandovi.
A small temple was built for the deities. This part was ruled by the “Sawant Bhosale” Hindu kings.
For the following reasons the clan migrated to other places in Goa, as well as other states. They started using the surname “Xete Caroicar” (Xete is corrupted form of the Sanskrit “Shreshtha”) just to distinguish themselves from the other people.
Different surnames used by Karekars
- Kalaghatagi
- Kanbarangi
- Arkasali
- Padgaokar
- Kalghatkar
Modern times
This clan is highly educated well cultured and well settled in different parts of Goa,Mumbai, Kolhapur, SangliSangli
Sangli is a city in the state of Maharashtra of India. Sangli is known as the Turmeric city for its vast production of Turmeric. Sangli is situated on the banks of river Krishna and is the largest market place for Turmeric in Asia and houses many sugar factories, which it is also noted for...
, Satara
Satara
Satara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India. The town is 2320 ft. above sea-level, near the confluence of the Krishna and its tributary river Venna. The city was the capital of the Maratha empire in the 17th century, hence one of the the historical cities of...
, Malvan
Malvan
Malvan is a town in Sindhudurg District, the southernmost district of Maharashtra. This culturally and historically important town is a Taluka place in Sindhudurg District...
, Sawantwadi, Ratnagiri
Ratnagiri
Ratnāgiri is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri district in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India. The district is a part of Konkan.The Sahyadri mountains border Ratnagiri to the east...
and other few places in Maharashtra and in many parts of Karnataka like Belgaum,Hubli,Yellapur.and many of them are settled abroad as well.These people speak different dialects of Konkani and Marathi.
Notables
- Pandit Prabhakar Karekar, Hindustani Classical vocalist
- Ravala Sethi, first Goan merchant to visit Portugal whom the King of Portugal gifted honorific mount of a horse
- Virupa Sethi, in 16th century who protested against the Portuguese.