Konkani people
Encyclopedia
Konkani people also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
:कोंकणी लोक,,कोंकणे ,or sometimes कोंकणस्थ ), form a group of people mainly found in the Konkan Coast of western India whose mother-tongue is the Konkani language
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...
.
The word 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...
and in turn Konkani is derived from or .Different authorities explain etymology of this word differently.
Some include:
- Koṇ meaning top of the mountain.
- Name of aboriginal mother goddess,which is sometimes sanskritisSanskritisationSanskritization or Sanskritisation is a particular form of social change found in India and Nepal. It denotes the process by which castes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the upper or dominant castes. It is a process similar to...
ed to mean goddess Renuka.
Thus the nameKonkane,comes from the word ,which means the people of Konkan.
The Konkani people speak different dialects of Konkani, their native tongue; although a very high percentage are bilingual. This is because the Konkanis are spread out across the western coast of India,and dwell in areas where they have to interact with other non-Konkani speaking people on daily basis.It is believed that majority of them originated in Goa,and migrated along the coast and even inland in last few centuries due to various socio-economical as well as religious reason.They can be found in the Konkan Division, 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...
, Canara
Kanara
The Kanara or Canara region comprises three coastal districts of Karnataka, namely Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada and Kasaragod district of Kerala in southwestern India. Kanara forms the southern part of the Konkan coast...
and small pockets in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. Many have later migrated to different parts of Gujarat, Desh region of 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 North Karnataka
North Karnataka
North Karnataka is an arid plateau from elevation in the Karnataka state of southwest India. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhima, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra...
, and parts of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
.
Endonyms
In general in Konkani, the masculine form used to address a fellow Konkani speaker is and feminine form is .The plural form is Koṅkaṇe or Konkani.In Goa Konkano now refers only to Hindus,and Catholic Goans do not address themselves as Konkanos as they were banned by the PortuguesePortuguese 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....
from referring themselves so.Saraswat Brahmin
Saraswat Brahmin
The Saraswats are a Brahmin caste of India.- History :According to the legend, Saraswat Brahmins are Brahmins who lived on the banks of the former Saraswati River that once flowed in northern India. Although it is said that at Prayag the three rivers meet or met.the fact is that the Saraswati never...
s of Canara refer the Konkanis /. This literally means,Our tongue or People speaking our tongue. Though this is not common amongst the Goans
Goans
Goan is the demonym used to describe the people of the Indian state of Goa who form an ethno-linguistic group which is a result of assimilation of Indo-Portuguese, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Proto-Australoid, Indo-Scythian, Indo-Greeks and Indo-Iranians ethnic and/or linguistic ancestries.They speak...
,they normally refer Konkani as or our language. Sometimes can be used in Goan context to mean the people from my community.
Exonyms
A Konkani person is normally referred to as a Konkaniga in Kannada.(Census of India, 1891)Many of the colonial documents mention them as the Concanees, Canarians, Concanies.
Prehistory
The then prehistoric region consisting of Modern Goa and some parts of Konkan adjoining Goa were inhabited by the Homo sapiens in Upper paleolithicUpper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
and Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
phase i.e. 8000-6000 BC.The rock engraving in many places along the coast has proven the existence of hunter-gathers. Nothing much is known about these earliest settlers.
Figures of Mother goddess
Mother goddess
Mother goddess is a term used to refer to a goddess who represents motherhood, fertility, creation or embodies the bounty of the Earth. When equated with the Earth or the natural world such goddesses are sometimes referred to as Mother Earth or as the Earth Mother.Many different goddesses have...
and many other motifs have been recovered which do not really shed light on the ancient culture and language. Traces of Shamanic culture have been found in Goa.
It is believed that tribes of Austric origin like Kols, Mundaris, Kharvis may have settled Goa and Konkan during the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period, living on hunting, fishing and a primitive form of agriculture since 3500 BC. According to Goan historian Anant Ramakrishna Dhume, the Gauda and Kunbi
Gauda and Kunbi
Gaudas and Kunbis are aboriginal people residing in the coastal Indian state of Goa. They are of Proto-Australoid stock and are believed to be the original inhabitants of Konkan...
and other such castes are modern descendants of ancient Mundari tribes. In his work he mentions several words of Mundari origin in the Konkani language. He also elaborates on the deities worshiped by the ancient tribes, their customs, methods of farming and its overall impact on modern day Konkani society The Negroids
Negroid race
Negroid is a term sometimes used by forensic anthropologists and physical anthropologists to refer to populations that share certain phenotypic traits such as high Melanin levels and skeletal features associated with ancestry from Sub-saharan Africa.It was introduced by early Racial science used...
were in an Neolithic stage of primitive culture, and they were food-gatherers rather. Traces of Negroid physical characteristics are found in parts of Goa, at least up to the middle of the first millennium. The Proto-Australoid
Proto-Australoid
The Proto-Australoids are a hypothesized group of ancient hunter-gather people descended from the first major wave of modern humans to leave sub-Saharan Africa ~100,000 years ago...
tribe known as the Konkas, from whom is derived the name of the region, Kongvan or 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...
with the other mentioned tribes formed reportedly the earliest settlers in the territory. Agriculture was not fully developed at this stage, and was just shaping up. The Kols and Mundaris might have been using stone and wood implements as iron implements were used by the megalithic tribes as late as 1200 BC. The Kol tribe is believed to have migrated from Gujarat. During this period worship of mother goddess in the form of anthill or Santer, was started. Anthill is called as Roen (Konkani:रोयण), this word has been derived from the austric word Rono meaning with holes. The later Indo-Aryan and Dravidian settlers also adopted anthill worship, which was translated to Santara in Prakrit by them.
The later period
The first wave of Indo-AryansIndo-Aryans
Indo-Aryan is an ethno-linguistic term referring to the wide collection of peoples united as native speakers of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian family of Indo-European languages...
came and settled in then Konkan region about 2400 BC.Some of them might have been followers of Vedic religion
Vedic religion
Vedic religion may refer to:*the historical Vedic religion- Vedic Hinduism **Vedic mythology*Shrauta, surviving conservative traditions within HinduismIn wider meanings of the term "Vedic"*Vedanta*Hinduism in general...
. They were known to speak earliest form of Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
or Vedic Sanskrit
Vedic Sanskrit
Vedic Sanskrit is an old Indo-Aryan language. It is an archaic form of Sanskrit, an early descendant of Proto-Indo-Iranian. It is closely related to Avestan, the oldest preserved Iranian language...
vernacular.This migration of the northerners is mainly attributed to the drying up of the mighty Sarasvati River
Sarasvati River
The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata...
.Almost of Historians claim only Gowda Saraswat Brahmins and few of the other Brahmins to be their descendants.This hypothesis is not authoritative according to some.Balakrishna Dattaram Kamat Satoskar a renowned Goan Indologist and historian,in his work Gomantak prakruti ani sanskruti,Volume I explains that the original Sarasvat tribe
Rigvedic tribes
The Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rigveda are described as semi-nomadic pastoralists; when not on the move, they were subdivided into temporary settlements . They were headed by a tribal chief assisted by a priestly caste...
consisted of people of all the folds who followed the Vedic fourfold system and not just Brahmins,as the caste system was not fully developed then,and did not play an important role.(see Gomantak prakruti ani sanskruti,Volume I).
Some historians also propose a theory of migration of the Bhargava
Bhargava
Bhargava is a common surname in Northern India and Maharashtra, mainly around Nashik. In Maharashtra, it is pronounced as Bhargave instead of Bhargava. It is also used as a first name in parts of southern India....
tribe to Goa, from Gujarat. This tribe was called so because of their clan symbol which was an axe. This theory links the Parashurama myth with the history. According to this theory the Bhargava clan is connected to the mighty Phrygians in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, and Parashurama, also known as Bhargavarama, was one of their clan leaders. These Bhargavas might have started their sea-expedition before the Mahabharata war. The Angiras tribe is also believed to have migrated from the North-western India during this time.
Dhume maintains that the first wave of Aryans did not introduce any radical changes in the then existing religious systems. Whatever changes took place were done by the Sumerians. Thus the modern historians have concluded that there is no connection between the migrations from the North and the Parashurama legend. The seaborne community of Sumerian Phoenicians became extensive settlers of Goa around 1775 BC. Sumerians are believed to have modified many local customs and introduce their own systems eg.the temple building style,the Devadasi
Devadasi
In Hinduism, the devadasi tradition is a religious tradition in which girls are "married" and dedicated to a deity or to a temple and includes performance aspects such as those that take place in the temple as well as in the courtly and mujuvani [telegu] or home context. Dance and music were...
system,they also influenced the language,the caste system and the kinship practices to some extent.
The theocratic
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
democracy of Sumer was transformed into the oligarchic democracy in village-administration in Goa known as Gavkari
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:...
,when it overlapped with the practices of the locals then.The agricultural land was jointly owned by the group of villagers,they had right to auction the land,this rent was used for development,and the remaining of distributed amongst the Gavkars .Sumerian view that the village land must belong to the village god or goddess,this was the main feature of the Gavkari system where the presiding village deity temple was the centre of all the activities. It consisted of definite boundaries of land from village to village with its topographic detail, its management and social, religious and cultural interaction.Gavkari thus were in existence much before constitution of the state of Goa itself.
The second wave of Indo-Aryans occurred sometime between 1700 to 1400 BC. This second wave migration was accompanied by Dravidians from the Deccan plateau. A wave of Kusha or Harappan
Harappan
Harappan can refer to:* Aspects related to Harappa an archaeological site and city in northeast Pakistan* The Indus Valley Civilization that thrived along Indus River...
people a Lothal
Lothal
Lothal is one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus valley civilization. Located in Bhāl region of the modern state of Gujarāt and dating from 2400 BCE. Discovered in 1954, Lothal was excavated from February 13, 1955 to May 19, 1960 by the Archaeological Survey of India...
probably around 1600 BC to escape submergence of their civilization which thrived on sea-trade. With the admixture of several cultures,customs, religions, dialects and beliefs, led to revolutionary change in the formation of early Konkani society.
The classical period
The MauryaMaurya Empire
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC...
era is marked with migrations from the East, advent of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and different Prakrit vernaculars.Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
s settled Goa during the Satavahana
Satavahana
The Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...
rule, similarly a mass migration of Brahmins happened from the north, whom the kings had invited to perform Vedic sacrifices.
The advent of Western Satrap rulers also led to many Scythian
Indo-Scythians
Indo-Scythians is a term used to refer to Sakas , who migrated into Bactria, Sogdiana, Arachosia, Gandhara, Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE....
migrations, which later gave its way to the Bhoja kings.
According to Vithal Raghavendra Mitragotri, many Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s and Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s had come with Kshatriyas Bhojas from the North (see A socio-cultural history of Goa from the Bhojas to the Vijayanagara). The Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
Bhojas patronised Buddhism and settled many Buddhist converts of Greek and Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
origin.
The Abhirs, Chalukyas, Rashtrakuta
Rashtrakuta
The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...
s, Shilahara
Shilahara
The Shilahara Dynasty was a feudal clan that established itself in northern and southern Konkan and southern Maharashtra during the Rashtrakuta period...
s ruled the then Konkan-Goa for several years which was responsible for many changes in the society.Later The power-full Kadambas of Goa
Kadambas of Goa
The Kadambas ruled Goa over 10th to 14th century AD. In the beginning they ruled only Sashti and a small part of Konkan. They ruled from Chandor, over a large part, but the port of Gopakpattana was not a part in the beginning...
, came to power. During their rule,the society underwent radical transition. Close contact with the Arabs, Turks, introduction of Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
, patronizing Shaivism
Shaivism
Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...
, use of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Kannada, the overseas trade had an overwhelming impact on the people.
Muslim rule
In 1350 CE, Goa was conquered by the Bahmani SultanateBahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...
. However in 1370, the Vijayanagar Empire, a resurgent Hindu empire situated at modern day Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...
, reconquered the area. The Vijayanagar rulers held on to Goa for nearly 100 years, during which its harbours were important landing places for Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
s on their way to Hampi to strengthen the Vijaynagar cavalry. In 1469, however, Goa was reconquered, by the Bahmani Sultans
Bahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...
of Gulbarga
Gulbarga
Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...
. When this dynasty broke up in 1492, Goa became a part of Adil Shah's Bijapur Sultanate, who made Goa Velha
Goa Velha
Goa Velha is a census town in North Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It should not be confused with the World Heritage Site Velha Goa . St. Andrew's church is its parish church...
their second capital.
The Bahamanis demolished many temples, and forced the Hindus to convert to Islam. To avoid this religious persecution, several Goans families fled to the neighbourhood kingdom of Soonda.
Konkanis today
The Konkani community, however, rebounds from every setback. With the end of the British and Portuguese Empires in India, the community has made significant strides. Konkanis are well educated and mostly financially well-off.A large section of the community works in the banking sector, given their background in trade and commerce. However, the community has diversified into various professions and made a name for itself in the industrial, technical and medical fields. A high percentage of Konkanis are now engaged in tertiary occupations as compared to other communities.
A large number migrated to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and other large cities after Independence. Today, nearly half of the Konkanis can be found outside India, particularly the Arab states and Anglosphere
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
, either as naturalized citizens or expatriates.
Communities
Konkanis are a very diverse group of people. The diversity is reflected in the religion, geographical spread, origins and dialects. The Konkani people can be split into many categories based on their location, religion and/or origins.The Hindu Konkanies are categorised into various classes known as JatiJati
Jāti is the term used to denote clans, tribes, communities and sub-communities in India. It is a term used across religions. In Indian society each jāti typically has an association with a traditional job function or tribe, although religious beliefs Jāti (in Devanagari: जाति Tamil:சாதி) (the...
s like other Hindus.Most of the so called Highers castes follow the Vedic fourfold system
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
.
- Hindus
- Goud Saraswat Brahmins
- Karhade Brahmins
- PadyePadyePadye Brahmin community hails from Goa, commonly known as "Bhatt" ,they speak a unique dialect of Konkani known as "Bhati Bhasha".-Etymology:...
s and Bhatt PrabhuBhatt PrabhuBhatt Prabhu Brahmin community belongs to Panch Darvida category of Brahmins, and claiming to be a sub-caste of Karhade Brahmin community.-About the clan:...
s - Daivadnya Brahmins
- Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins
- Rajapur Saraswat BrahminsRajapur Saraswat BrahminsRājāpur/Bhālāvalikar Gauda Sāraswat Brāhmins , as they are known, belong to the "Pancha Gauda Brahmana" groups or "Gaudadi Panchakas". Rājāpur Sāraswat Brahmins are a branch of the saraswat brahmins, who were supposed to have resided on the banks of the legendary Saraswati River. They migrated to...
- Chitpavan Brahmins
- Kudaldeshkar Gaud BrahmanKudaldeshkar Gaud BrahmanKudaldeshkar 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...
s - MarathaMarathaThe Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s - Vaishya VaniVaishya VaniVaishya Vani, is a trader/merchant community hailing from the western coast of India, residing in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, Goa,some parts of coastal and central Karnataka, and Kerala. This community commonly known as Vanis and sometimes Kudali Vanis...
s - Konkan MarathaKonkan MarathaKonkan Maratha or Konkana are Konkani-speaking Hindus claiming Kshatriya status, with their ancestral homes in Karwar, Ankola, and Goa with surnames such as Shinde/Kadams,Naik/Nayak, Rane, Kadam, Powar/Pawar, Savant/Sawant, Khalwadekar, Gaonkar, Khanvilkar, Salunke, Desai/Dessai, Phal, Sail,...
s - Charis
- Gomantak Maratha SamajGomantak Maratha SamajGomantak Maratha Samaj is a Konkani speaking community found in Indian state of Goa.They are known as Naik Maratha Samaj and Nutan Maratha Samaj Karwar in Karnataka and Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra respectively.-Origin:...
, Nutan Maratha Samaj, Naik Maratha SamajNaik Maratha SamajNaik Marathais a Malvani which is dialect of Konkani, speaking community found in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra and Neighboring Pernem.-Etymology:... - BhandariBhandariFor other uses, see Bhandari .Bhandari caste is among the sea-faring warrior castes of ancient and medieval India. They migrated southward from Rajputana in early 1100 and subsequently spread over different parts of India...
s - Gauda and KunbiGauda and KunbiGaudas and Kunbis are aboriginal people residing in the coastal Indian state of Goa. They are of Proto-Australoid stock and are believed to be the original inhabitants of Konkan...
, KudumbiKudumbiKudumbi also referred to as Kunubis, Kurumbi, Kunbi are traditionally a Konkani speaking farming community residing in Kerala, India who belong to the Shudra varna . The majority of the group are farmers, labourers and petty workers settled across central and southern Kerala...
s of Kerala - KharviKharviKharvi and Gabit are fishermen and boatman communities found in Goa and the rest of the Konkan.They speak the Konkani language. They were once employed in the navy of Shivaji....
s,Gabits - Shervegar NaayakRamakshatriyaRamakshatriyas are a Kannada/Konkani speaking community of former royal army officials/caretaker-administrators of forts who mainly hail from the region of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shimoga, Uttara Kannada Districts of Karnataka and Kasaragod, Kanhangad areas of Kerala, and in the area of Goa...
s - Kansars
- GavliGavliGavli is a pastoral community found in the states of Goa and Maharashtra in India. The word Gavli means a milkmen or herdsmen in the Marathi language, and refers to a number of communities that practice, or at one time practiced pastoralism in western India....
s - MadvalMadvalMadval ,sometimes also known as Dhobi is a washerman community of Goa and rest of the Konkan.They claim to be Rajakas.The occupation of washermen is a hereditary occupation and the washermen are known as madval. The services of washermen are essential for the people of the urban as well as rural...
s
- Christians
- Goan CatholicsGoan CatholicsThe Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Roman Catholics and their descendants from the state of Goa, located on the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language...
- Mangalorean Catholics
- Karwari CatholicsKarwari CatholicsKarwari Catholics are Roman Catholics from Karwar and the Uttara Kannada district on the western coast of India, and their descendants. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language....
- Goan Catholics
- Muslims
- Konkani MuslimsKonkani MuslimsKonkani / Kokani Muslims is a Muslim sub-ethnic group of Maharashtrian Muslims living in the Konkan region of India. They speak the Konkani language. A good number of them live in Mumbai...
of Coastal Maharashtra - Navayath Muslims of BhatkalBhatkalBhatkal is also known as Batecala in some historical text especially in Portuguese history.Once ruled by Jain King Bhattakalanka and thus the name. Bhatkal is a port town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India 126 km from Karwar. The town lies on NH-17 running between Mumbai and Mangalore...
and KumtaKumta- External links :*...
in Karnataka - Darji Muslims of KumtaKumta- External links :*...
, HonavarHonavarHonavar or Honnavar , is a port town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. The town is the headquarters of Honnavar taluk.- History :...
in Karnataka
- Konkani Muslims
- Other groups of foreign origin speaking Konkani
- Janjira SiddiSiddiThe Siddi, Siddhi, or Sheedi , also known as Habshi, are an Indian and Pakistani ethnic group of Afro-Arab and/or Black African descent. The Siddi population is currently estimated to be 20,000–55,000, with Gujarat and Hyderabad in India the main population centre. Siddis are mainly Sufi Muslims,...
s - YellapurYellapuraSuch towns are known by "Main road towns", usually they have one main road. In fact they are villages with a bit better facilities like telephone booths, tea serving stalls, tyre puncture repair shop, than other villages of rest of India....
SiddiSiddiThe Siddi, Siddhi, or Sheedi , also known as Habshi, are an Indian and Pakistani ethnic group of Afro-Arab and/or Black African descent. The Siddi population is currently estimated to be 20,000–55,000, with Gujarat and Hyderabad in India the main population centre. Siddis are mainly Sufi Muslims,...
s
- Janjira Siddi
See also
- Uttara KannadaUttara KannadaUttara Kannada also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the...
- Udupi
- Dakshina KannadaDakshina Kannada- Geography :The district geography consists of sea shore in the west and Western Ghats in the east. The major rivers are Netravathi, Kumaradhara, Phalguni, Shambhavi, Nandini or Pavanje and Payaswini which all join Arabian sea. Vast areas of evergreen forests which once covered this district, have...
- Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Cochin
- Malvan regionMalvan regionMalvan region refers to the Sindhudurg district and Ratnagiri districts in Maharashtra, on the western coast of India. Earlier it was a part of the Ratnagiri district which was bifurcated into the Sindhudurg district on the 1st May, 1981, for administrative convenience and industrial and...
- Malvani peopleMalvani peopleMalvani people or Malvanis are an ethnic group from the Malvan region speaking the Malvani language. Malvani people are mostly of the Konkani or Marathi ethnicities. It may also refer to the residents of Malvan.-External links:**...
- Malvani cuisineMalvani cuisineMalvani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the Konkan region of Maharashtra and Goa, and some northern parts of West Karnataka. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian delicacies. Although it is an independent cuisine, it overlaps Maharashtrian cuisine...
- Karnataka ethnic groupsKarnataka ethnic groupsKarnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act. Karnataka is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast,...
External links
- History of Konkani Muslims of Costal Maharashtra
- The Kanara Saraswat Association
- About the roots of the Konkani speaking Saraswat Brahmin community
- History of Mangalorean Konkani Christians
- A Welfare organisation of Konkani Muslim or Kokni Muslim in the Gulf
- Daivajna Community Website
- Origins of Konkani Language
- Online Manglorean Konkani Dictionary Project