Konkan

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Konkan
Concan
Kokan
Region
Dabhol Beach.jpg
Dabhol in Ratnagiri district, Konkan division, Maharashtra. Beaches dotted with swaying coconut palms are a ubiquitous sight along the Konkani coast.
Konkan Districts.png
Modern Districts of India forming the Konkan
Coordinates: 15°36′N73°48′E / 15.6°N 73.8°E / 15.6; 73.8
Country Flag of India.svg  India

The Konkan is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, bound by the river Daman Ganga at Damaon in the north, to Anjediva Island next to Karwar town in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau to the east. [1] [ verification needed ] The hinterland east of the coast has numerous river valleys, riverine islands and the hilly slopes known as the Western Ghats; that lead up into the tablelands of the Deccan. The region has been recognised by name, since at least the time of Strabo in the third century CE. [1] It had a thriving mercantile port with Arab tradesmen from the 10th century. [2] The best-known islands of Konkan are Ilhas de Goa, the site of the Goa state's capital at Panjim, and the Seven Islands of Bombay, on which lies Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra and the headquarters of the Konkan Division.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Definition

Historically, the limits of Konkan have been flexible, and it has been known by additional names like "Aparanta" and "Gomanchal", the latter being defined as the coastal area between the Daman Ganga River in the north and the Gangavalli River in the south. [3]

The ancient Sapta Konkan was a larger geographical area that extended from Gujarat to Kerala and included the whole region of coastal Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka. [1] However, this segment overlaps the Konkan and Malabar coast continuum; and usually corresponds to the southernmost and northernmost stretches of these locales respectively.[ citation needed ]

Etymology

According to the Sahyadrikhanda of the Skanda Purana , Parashurama threw his axe into the sea and commanded the Sea God to recede up to the point where his axe landed. The new piece of land thus recovered came to be known as Saptah-Konkana, meaning "piece of earth", "corner of the earth", or "piece of the corner", derived from Sanskrit words: koṇa (कोण, corner) + kaṇa (कण, piece). [4] [5] Xuanzang, the noted Chinese Buddhist monk, mentioned this region in his book as Konkana Desha; Varahamihira's Brihat-Samhita described Konkan as a region of India; and 15th-century author Ratnakosh mentioned the word Konkandesha. [1]

Geography

Deogad Beach in Sindhudurg district ,Konkan region Maharashtra, India.JPG
Beach of Devgad taluka, Sindhudurg district, in the State of Maharashtra
Ratnagiri Mountain Ranges.jpg
View of the Sahyadri Mountains in the village of Sathare Bambar, Ratnagiri district

The Konkan extends throughout the western coasts of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. [1] It is bounded by the Western Ghats mountain range (also known as Sahyadri) in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, the Daman Ganga River in the north, and the River Aghanashini in the south. The Gangavalli flows in the district of Uttara Kannada in present-day Karnataka. Its northern bank constitutes the southernmost portion of Konkan. The towns of Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honavar, and Bhatkal fall within the Konkan coast. The largest city on the Konkan coast is Mumbai, the state capital of Maharashtra. Districts on the Konkan coast are, from north to south: [6]

Ethnology

The main ethnolinguistic group of the Konkan region is the Konkani people. Specific caste and communities found in the region are the Aagri, Koli, Bhandari, Kunbi, Maratha, Gabit, Mangela, Karadi, Phudagi, Vaiti, Kharvi, Teli, Kumbhar, Nhavi, Dhobi, Kasar, Sutar, Lohar, Chambhar, Mahar, Dhangar, Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (also includes Rajapur Saraswats and Chitrapur Saraswats), Kudaldeshkar, Pathare Prabhu, Gomantak Maratha, Chitpavan Brahmins, Karhade Brahmins, Kayastha Prabhu, Panchkalshi, Vani, Komarpant, Vadval Daivadnya , Gavli, Ghorpi, Nath Jogi, Gurav, Pagi, Kalan, Ghadi, Padti, Vanjari, Namdev Shimpi and others. Billava, Bunt, Nadavara, Mogaveera and Linghayat communities found in the parts of Karnataka which are near to Konkan.

Tribal communities include the Katkari, Thakar, Konkana, Warli and Mahadev Koli, mainly found in the northern and central parts of Konkan. The Dubla and Dhodia tribes live in southern Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Palghar district of Maharashtra. Palghar district has the largest percentage of tribal population in Konkan. A small nomadic tribe called the Vanarmare is found in southern parts of Konkan, which was originally associated with the hunting of monkeys. The Gauda and Velip tribes are found in Goa.

The Jewish community called Bene Israel is mainly found in Raigad district. The Christians included Bombay East Indians in North Konkan and Mumbai, Goan Catholics in Goa, Karwari Catholics in Uttara Kannada as well as Mangalorean Catholics in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada.

Major Muslim communities like Konkani Muslims and Nawayaths are scattered throughout the whole region. They are reportedly descendants of people who came from Hadhramaut (in Yemen or South Arabia), [7] and other parts of Arabia and the Middle East. The Siddis have their roots in Africa. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uttara Kannada</span> District of Karnataka, India

Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a major coastal district of Karnataka, and is the third largest district in Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belagavi districts to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shivamogga District, and Udupi District to the south, and the Laccadive Sea to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanara</span> Region in Karnataka, India

Kanara or Canara, also known as Karavali is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka. The subregion comprises three civil districts, namely: Uttara Kannada, Udupi, and Dakshina Kannada. Kassergode was included prior to the States Reorganisation Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konkani language</span> Indo-Aryan language spoken in India

Konkani is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Konkani people, primarily in the Konkan region, along the western coast of India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages mentioned in the Indian Constitution, and the official language of the Indian state of Goa. It is also spoken in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat as well as Damaon, Diu & Silvassa.

Saraswat Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins, who are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir and Punjab in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara and Kerala in South India. The word Saraswat is derived from the Rigvedic Sarasvati River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karwar</span> City in Karnataka, India

Karwar is a seaside city, taluka, and administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district lying at the mouth of the Kali river on the Kanara coast of Karnataka state, India.

Kamat or Kamath is a surname from Goa, Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka in India. It is found among Hindus of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin, Saraswat and Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin communities following Madhva Sampradaya of either Gokarna Matha or Kashi Matha.

The Konkani people are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the Konkan region of the Indian subcontinent who speak various dialects of the Konkani language. Konkani is the state language of Goa and also spoken by populations in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Damaon and Kerala. Other Konkani speakers are found in Gujarat state. A large percentage of Konkani people are bilingual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konkan division</span> Region in Maharashtra, India

The Konkan Division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. It comprises the central portions of the Konkani region excluding Goa and Damaon, which were absorbed into Maharashtra owing to the States Reorganisation of India. Konkan Division is the western section of present-day Maharashtra, along the west coast of India. The two districts of the state capital Mumbai also fall into this division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konkani Muslims</span> Muslims of Konkan region

Konkani Muslims are an ethnoreligious subgroup of the Konkani people of the Konkani region along the west coast of India, who practice Islam. Nawayath and "Nakhuda" Muslims from the North Canara district of Karnataka have similar origin as Konkani Muslims, but show a distinct ethnolinguistic identity due to geographical isolation of the Canara coast from the Konkan coast.

Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB), also known as Shenvis are a Hindu community of contested caste status and identity. They primarily speak Konkani and its various dialects as their mother tongue.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daivadnya</span> Hindu caste

The Daivadnya Brahmin,, is a community from Goa and Karnataka, who claim to have descended from Vishwakarma. Although they claim themselves to be Brahmins and some sources mention them as Brahmin as well, these claims are mostly not accepted by others including local Brahmin castes. They are native to the Konkan and are mainly found in the states of Goa and Damaon, Canara, coastal Maharashtra, and Kerala. Daivadnyas in the state of Maharashtra and Karnataka are classified by National Commission for Backward Classes as an Other Backward Class.

Konkani cuisine is the cuisine of the Saraswat Brahmins from the Konkan region on the western coast of India. Konkani cuisine differs within the Saraswat Brahmin subsects and within the Konkan-Canara region. Konkani cuisine originally hails from the Konkan region including Uttara Kannada, Udupi district, Dakshina Kannada, Damaon, and Goa, India. Konkani cuisine is popular served in many restaurants throughout the western coast of India, and especially in the cities of Bombay and Bangalore. Each variation has its unique flavour and makes uses of different vegetables and fruits available in the region. Konkani cuisine is usually pesco-vegetarian, except acharyas and purohits who follow a strictly saatvik vegetarian diet. According the Konkani folklore, fish, meats are regarded as sea vegetables. Historically, they have refrained from eating any terrestrial animals in general.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanna (dish)</span> Indian savoury rice cake

A sanna is a spongy, steamed, and savoury unfilled dumpling originally made of red rice, black lentil and coconut in the Konkan region, by the western coast of the Indian subcontinent. They originated in Goa and Damaon, Mangalore, Bombay and Bassein (Vasai), and are especially popular among Goans, both the Goan Hindus and Goan Christians, and also among the Konkani migrants outside Konkan in Karachi, Sindh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Kerala. They are also loved by the people of the Konkan division, such as the Kuparis of the Bombay East Indian community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmin</span> Brahmin community from Konkan region of India

Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmin is a Brahmin sub-caste from the western coast of India, residing in the Konkan division of Maharashtra and Goa. They also known as Kudaldeshkar Aadya Gaud Brahmin, Kudaldeshkar and sometimes Kudalkar Brahmins. They speak Marathi, Malwani dialect of Konkani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canarese Konkani</span> Regional language between Goa and Mara

Canarese Konkani are a set of dialects spoken by minority Konkani people of the Canara sub-region of Karnataka, and also in Kassergode of Kerala that was part of South Canara.

Konkani is a southern Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages spoken in the Konkan coastal region of India. It has approximately 3.6 million speakers.

Manki or Mankipura is a village in Honnavar Taluk, Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. It is located on the shore of the Arabian Sea and between Goa and Mangalore, about 100 km from Karwar. It lies on NH-66 running between Mumbai and Mangalore.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Saradesāya, Manohararāya (2000). "The Land, the People and the Language". A History of Konkani Literature: From 1500 to 1992. India: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 1–14. ISBN   978-8-1720-1664-7.
  2. 1 2 Wink, André (1991). Al-hind: The Making of the Indo-islamic World. Brill. p. 68. ISBN   978-90-04-09249-5.
  3. ↑ De Souza, Teotonio R., ed. (1990). Goa Through the Ages: An economic history - Volume 2. India: Concept Publishing Company. pp. 8–9. ISBN   9788170222590.
  4. ↑ Shastri Gaytonde, Gajanan (ed.). Shree Scanda Puran (Sayadri Khandha) (in Marathi). Mumbai: Shree Katyani Publication.
  5. ↑ Satoskar, B. D. Gomantak Prakruti ani Sanskruti. Part 1 (in Marathi). Shubhada Publication. p. 206.
  6. ↑ Limited, Nigade Software Technologies (opc) Private. "Konkan Division District List (कोंकण विभाग जिल्हा यादी)". www.swapp.co.in. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Khalidi, Omar (1996), "The Arabs of Hadramawt in Hyderabad", in Kulkarni; Naeem; De Souza (eds.), Mediaeval Deccan History, Bombay: Popular Prakashan, ISBN   978-8-1715-4579-7
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