Koli Christians | |
---|---|
ईसाई कोली | |
Abbreviation | CK |
Jāti | Koli people |
Classification | Other Backward Class |
Kuladevta (male) | Sacred Name of Jesus Christ |
Kuladevi (female) | Mount St Mary |
Nishan | Christian cross |
Religions | Christianity |
Languages | |
Country | India |
Original state | |
Ethnicity | Koli people |
Population | 9000 (1989) |
Feudal title |
|
Subdivisions |
|
Related groups | Aagri and Gauda and Kunbi castes |
Status | Subgroup of Koli caste |
Reservation (Education) | Yes |
Reservation (Employment) | Yes |
Reservation (Other) | Yes |
Kingdom (original) | Portuguese Bombay, Colaba state etc. |
Koli Christians [1] are Koli people who profess Christianity in India, they are also a subgroup of the Bombay East Indians, who are the indigenous people of the Seven Islands of Bombay and the Bombay metropolitan area, which is now also called Mumbai (Bombay). [2] The Koli Christians were of the Son Koli subcaste, before their conversion by the Portuguese from Brahmanism to Christianity, in the former Bom Bahia of Portuguese India. [3] Christian Kolis are also known as Thankar and Gaonkar Kolis, they played an important role in building churches & convents in the northern Konkan division of present-day Maharashtra. [4]
In 1989, there were approximately 9,000 Koli Christians, most of whom were fishermen, like their Hindu counterparts. [5] Koli Christians blend the customs and traditions of the Koli people with the beliefs of the Catholic Church . In accordance with Koli tradition, marriages among Koli Christians are typically arranged, and certain ceremonies are observed in common with Hindu Kolis, such as the Shakarpura (engagement ceremony), while Christian practices are also observed, including the conducting of the wedding in a church. [2] Although cross cousin and first cousin marriage has been generally practiced among the Hindu Maharashtri Kolis, the Bombay East Indian Koli Christians are forbidden through catechism (instructions) on the Sacrament of Matrimony. [6]
Most Koli Christians live in Koliwadas, where their social lives are overseen by a patil and his karbaris (councillors). [5] Holding their position by right of inheritance, these people are collectively known as the jamat. The bulk of Koli Christians fish for a living, with their catches being taken to market in Mumbai by fishwives or agents. [7]
The Kolis of the Konkan division in Maharashtra converted to Christianity during the Portuguese Indian era, and they proved very helpful during the wartime because they were experts in boat and warships building. [8] [9]
Christian Kolis are mostly found in the Mumbai , Colaba, Worli, Chimvai (Bandra), Madh, Uttan, Gorai, Bassein (Vasai) & Aghasi (Agacaim) in Maharashtra. [12] In Gorai, 85% population are Christian Kolis. [13]
Some Christian Kolis worship both Hindu idols and the Christian God. [14] [ failed verification ] Christian Kolis also venerate the Hindu Koli goddess Ekvira in the Karla Caves and the deity Bhairava in Jejuri. [15] Christian Kolis dress up statues of St Mary in their ethnic Koli saris. [16]
The Koli Christians of Maharashtra are classified as Other Backward Class (OBC) by the National Commission for Backward Classes and the Government of Maharashtra [17] and Government of Goa. [18]
Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12.5 million (1.25 crore). Mumbai is the centre of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population of over 23 million. Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires out of any city in Asia.
Salsette Island is an island in Konkan division of the state of Maharashtra, along India's west coast. Administratively known as Greater Mumbai, the Mumbai Suburban district, Mira Bhayander and a portion of Thane district lie within it, making it very populous and one of the most densely populated islands in the world. It has a population of more than 20 million inhabitants living on an area of about 619 square kilometres (239 sq mi).
The Bombay East Indians, also called East Indian Catholics or simply East Indians, are an ethno-religious Indian Christian community native to the Seven Islands of Bombay and the neighbouring Mumbai Metropolitan Area of the Konkan division, along the western coast of India.
The Mangela Koli, or Mangala Koli is a subcaste of the Koli caste found in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
The Marathi—Konkani languages are the mainland Southern Indo-Aryan languages, spoken in Maharashtra and the Konkan region of India. The other branch of Southern Indo-Aryan languages is called Insular Indic languages, which are spoken in Insular South Asia.
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Bombay, also called Bom Bahia or Bom Baim in Indo-Portuguese creole, Mumbai in the local language; is the financial and commercial capital of India and one of the most populous cities in the world. It's also the cosmopolitan city centre of the Greater Bombay Metropolitan Area, and the cultural base of the Bollywood film industry. At the time of arrival of the Portuguese Armadas, Bombay was an archipelago of seven islands. Between the third century BCE and 1348, the islands came under the control of successive Hindu dynasties. The Delhi Sultanate had been ruling the area along with Chaul, New Bombay (Thana) & Damaon; with the local administration at Bassein (Vasai) since the raids of Malik Kafur in the Konkan region and across the Indian subcontinent. This territory in North Konkan along with the Bombay islands were later taken over by the Sultan of Guzerat from 1391 to 1534, when he had declared the end of the suzerainty to Delhi, after the Timurid invasion of it. Growing apprehensive of the power of the Moghal emperor Humayun, Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat was obliged to sign the Treaty of Bassein on 23 December 1534; according to which, the Seven Islands of Bombay, Fort San Sebastian of Bassein in strategic town of Bassein (Vasai), and its dependencies were offered to the Portuguese East Indies. The places were only later officially surrendered on 25 October 1535, by the Sultan of Guzerat.
Christianity is a minority religion in Maharashtra, a state of India. Approximately 79.8% of the population of Maharashtra are Hindus, with Christian adherents being 1.0% of the population. The Roman Catholic archdiocese whose seat is in Maharashtra is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay. There are two different Christian ethnic communities in Maharashtra: the Bombay East Indians, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and the Marathi Christians, who are predominantly Protestant with a small Roman Catholic population.
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Panchkalshi is a Hindu community. They are one of the original native communities of Bombay (Mumbai) metropolitan area in the Konkan division of India. Since the 19th century the community has called itself Somvanshi Kshatriya Pathare (SKP).
The Koli is an Indian caste found in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir states in India. Koli is an agriculturist caste of Gujarat but in coastal areas they also work as fishermen along with agriculture. In the beginning of 20th century, the Koli caste was recognised as a denotified tribe under Criminal Tribes Act by the Indian Government because of their anti-social activities during World War I.
The Patil is a title used by Koli chiefs of villages in Maharashtra.
Ekvira is a Hindu goddess, regarded to be a form of the goddess Renuka. She is the kuladevi of the Koli people. Every year Kolis pay respect to Ekvira and celebrate the festival in Karla Caves.
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Gabit is a community found in the Konkan regions of the Indian states of Goa. Karnataka and Maharashtra.
The East Indian language or East Indian dialect, also known as Mobai Marathi and East Indian Mahratti; is the form of Marathi-Konkani languages spoken in Bombay (Mumbai). It has a significant amount of Indo-Portuguese loanwords. It does not have a unique script of its own. Devanagari and the Roman script are used by its speakers, who are the native Christians of the Seven Islands of Bombay in the northern Konkan division. The dialect is losing popular usage due to immigration, depopulation & anglo-americanisation among the younger generation. However, it is still used to make songs and dramas, as well as in Christian worship since the Novus Ordo was approved in the 1960s.
Bapuji Bhangare was a Koli Patil of Deogaon and Indian freedom fighter who challenged the British government in Maharashtra state of British India. Bapuji Bhangare breakdown the British government strongly in Pune, Ahmadnagar and Nashik districts of Maharashtra.
The Son Koli, or Sona Koli is a subcaste of the Koli caste found in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Son Kolis are the original residents of what is now Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra. They practice both Hinduism and Christianity because Son Kolis were converted to Christianity during the Portuguese rule in India and worship Our Lady of Mount and Hindu deities. Historically, the Son Kolis have been fisherman by profession.
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