Konkan Martha Origin

As far as the origin and ancestry of he Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community is concerned, it is in fact very difficult-well nigh impossible even-to find out the same with the help of only authentic documents. But this sort of difficulty in the social research processes is not uncommon in general in other communities also.

Therefore, those who venture to find out such origin and ancestry of the communities have necessarily to fall back upon the important characteristics and features of the community in question as observed intelligently coupled with an interpretative eye, the important historical personages and dynasties of the concerned area and around who perhaps might have had an important role in the founding and evolving of the community as is presently available, some documents like the copper plates and other epigraphs etc., some references regarding the community and the related matters in the available books etc., written in the olden days, some historical incidents and accidents as well, some legendary figures who have created history in their own life-time, some legends which are reasonably believable, some survey findings if any, some facts and practices as they stand out markedly today in the community and around and such other matters which could be of use in their study and then proceed to link, connect, correlate, collate and interpret events, documents, personalities, legends etc., and thus endeavour to build up a sketch of the possible origin and ancestry by following the conjectural investigative procedures.

Keeping in view the requirements mentioned in the aforesaid preamble, an attempt is made hereunder to list out such of those important points which could possibly be of use in the study at hand, before endevouring to provide a more or less clear narrative of the origin and ancestry of the kshatriya Konkan Maratha community.

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Important points for reference


1. Those belonging to this community "claim to be Kshatriyas or Warriors" ---Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency --- Kanara District – published in 1883 A.D.This community
2. This community is addressed as 'Koknas' or 'Konkan Marathas'. They live in large undivided families and their spiritual head is Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Shringerimath ---Gazetteer of the Bombay presidency – Kanara District – Published in 1883 A.D.
3. 'Gangavali river seperates Haiva or Haiga from Kankan'. Here Kankan means Konkan ----Dr. Buchanan Francis: A Journey from Madras through the countries of Mysore, Canara and Malaba---A journey conducted in the years 1800 and 1801 A.D.
4. Only Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vishyas are considered entitled for the Thread Ceremony (Munj) ---- Based on various Smritis-Bharat Ratna, Mahamahopadhyaay, Dr. Kane Pandurang VAman: History of Dharmashastras.
5. The appropriate age for having the Thread Ceremony for the male members should be from 8 years to 16 years in the case of Brahmanas, 11 to 22 years for Kshatriyas and in the case of Vaishyas it could be from 12 to 24 years ---- Grihyasutras of Ashwalayan, Apastamb and Boudhayan.
6. Every male member of Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community of the Uttara Kannada district invariably without exception undergoes the Thread Ceremony (Munj) if not early in life at least before marriage. ----The survey findings of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community as on 1-10-2000.
7. The Kadamba family was a Brahmana family devoted to the study of the Vedas and the performance of the sacrificial rites and that they belonged to the Manavya Gotra----Talagunda Inscription of the Banavasi Kadamba king Shantivarman of fifth century A.D.
8. The change over to warrior profession ---from Brahmana to Kshatriya ---made those belonging to the Kadamba family known as Brahma-Kshatriyas and hence Mayur Sharman the founder of the Kadamba dynasty began to be addressed as Mayur Varman or Mayur Varma in the Kshatriya style---Gai G.S.: Inscrptions of the Early Kadambas.
9. The Kadambas of Deva-Wada (Sadashivgad) and the Desais of Mudageri who claim to be the descendants of the royal dynasty of the Kadambas of Goa, besides having the Thread Ceremony of their boys observe Samuhika (Group) Shravani also on the Shravani Pournima day when the male members of those families gather together in a group in their respective temple complexes and get their old thread (Yadnopavita) replaced by a fresh one in accordance with the specially prescribed rituals in this regard amidst the chanting of the vedic hymns by the Purohit and the Priests. It is further learnt that some other groups of this community also observe Shravani more or less in a similar manner.
10. An epigraph dated 14th October, 1179 A.D. known as the Sadashivgad plate consisting of a set of three copper plates held together by a circular ring with the seal of the Goa Kadamba king Vijayaditya Deva II is available with the Kadamba family of Deva-Wada (Sadashivgad). This is in connection with the figt of land in Arage village, for Shri Aryadurga temple of Ajadweep---Epigraphia Indica Vol. No. XXIX page 29-32.
11. These plates were lying there (with the family of the Deva-wada Kadambas) as an heirloom----Epigraphist Desai P.B.: Epigraphia Indica Vol. No. XXIX
12. Such Copper Plates (Sadashivgad Plates) with royal seal cannot be expected to be the property of any ordinary person. Being highly important royal documents such plates could be the preserves of only very important members of the royal family---Kadamb S.G.: The Kadambas of Uttara Kannada.
13. It is interesting to note here that Kadamba Vijayaditya Deva II was the son of the Mailala Devi, the queen of the great Kadamba ruler Jayakeshi Deva II and the daughter of the great Chalukya Emperor of Kalyani Vikramaditya VI----Kadamb S.G.: The Kadambas of Uttara Kannada.
14. In the 12th century A.D. it is pertinent to note that specially during the reign of Kadamba Vijayaditya Deva II (1176-77 to 1187-88 A.D.) who was defeated by the Kalachuryas, the Hoysalas and the Kadambas of Hanagal, the rule of the Goa Kadambas (the Mahamandaleshwaras of the Chalukyas of Kalyani) became very much weakened. Under such circumstances, it is quite likely that a very important member of the Kadamba family of Goa must have managed to carve out for himself a small principality comprising of the southern-most part of the Konkan namely the Sadashivgad area as a sub-ruler probably with the consent of the Kadamba king of Goa and also by the favour of the Chalukya Emperor of Kalyani who exercised the powers of suzerainty over the Goa Kadambas. The tradition of paying homage to Kalyanpurush at the Poorva (East) by the Kadambas of Deva-Wada at the time of Deva-Parab symbolises and supports this view---Kadamb S.G.: The Kadambas of Uttara Kannada.
15. …………….all the 15 names of the Goa Kadamba rulers wee pronounced with the Deva suffix. One such very important person from the Kadamba dynasty of Goa must have fled the Kadamba Capital of Goa under some emergent situation by sea-route and settled at Sadashivgad or as mentioned earlier in the weakened situations of the Kadamba kingdom, one such very important Kadamba must have managed to settle at Sadashivgad in the normal course. Because of this Kadamba-Deva, the Bag and the Wada must have been addressed by the people around as Deva-Bag and Deva-Wada, the annual feast being organized by the Kadamba couples as Deva-Parab and of course, the strategic island in the high seas facing the beach being an important naval manoeuvring point must have been called as Deva-Gad---Kadamb S.G.: The Kadambas of Uttara Kannada.
16. A legend has it that at some stage in the history of the Deva-Wada (Sadashivgad) Kadambas, they being the Trustees of Shri Mahamaya their family deity, had undertaken the project of repairs to the temple-tank. In the process however, they came across a Navadurga image from the tank which they did not known what to do with. So all the three Kadamba-brothers besought devine grace and the devine oracle ordained for the human-sacrifice of the third brother who perhaps was both the youngest of all and a bachelor too. He declined to do so and left off in disgust, dissociated completely from the family deity Shri Mahamaya and settled independently at Mudageri and changed his allegiance top Kalyan Purush so much so that he and his direct descendants accepted Shri Kalyan-Purush as their own family deity. It is learnt that there is still a practice amongst the Desais of Mudageri, of offering fowl-sacrifice from both the shoulders of the bridegroom at the time of the marriage. However, it is not known whether this has anything to do with the human sacrifice mentioned in the legend. Or for that matter, the authenticity of the legend itself is not known. But in any case, on thing still holds good that both the Kadambas of Sadashivgad and the Desais of Mudageri consider themselves as belonging to one and the same family and perhaps because of that, the matrimonial alliances between them are normally discouraged even today.
17. Kadamba Jayakeshi Deva I (1050 A.D. to 1080 A.D.) had declared himself as the sovereign of Konkan---Epigraphia Indica Vol. XIII.
18. The power of the Goa Kadambas reached its Zenith during the reign of Jayakeshi Deva II (1104 A.D. to 1147 A.D.) He declared himself as the Emperor of Konkan-Konkian Chakravarti---Fleet J.F.: J.B.B.R.A.S., Vol. IX.
19. The king Peramadi Deva, the son of Jayakeshi Deva II and the brother of Vijayaditya Deva II, also declared himself as the “Konkan Chakravarti” ---Pereira Gerald A: An outline of Pre-Portuguese History of Goa.
20. Queen Kamala Devi the wife of the Kadamba king Peramadi Deva built the original Saptakoteshwar temple at Diwar-Narva, which was also known as ‘Konkan Kashi’. ---Sakhardande Prajal : Pages from Past.
21. In Goa, all Hindus in general are termed as ‘Koknas’.
22. All the Kshatriya Konkan Marathas of the Uttara Kannada district are addressed as ‘Koknas’, even today.
23. In the temple complex of Deva-wada (Sadashivgad), there is a shrine of Jain-Purush.
24. In the same complex of Dev-wada (Sadashivgad), there is a smaller shrine of Kashi Purush.
25. Shilar-Phals of Balli, belonged to a royal family. These Phals had a place of honour in the royal court of the Goa Kadambas----Prabhu Desai Ulhas : Sal Kinari.
26. In April 1313 A.D. Malik Kafur invaded Diwar – Narva and destroyed the Saptakoteshwar Temple. The local Chieftains like Naiks, Sawants and Gavas fought valiantly and sacrificed their lives ---Prabhu Desai : Sal Kinari.
27. During the 1327 A.D. invasion of the Emperor Muhammad–bin–Tughluk, Chandrapur was destroyed.
28. Shringarpur fort in Ratnagiri district was captured by Muhammad Gawan in 1471 A.D.----Desai S.S.: History of Shri Mallikarjun Temple.
29. Prince Kashipurush, the founder of the Kanakunkar clan of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community, belonged to Shringarpur. After roaming in wilderness for quite a long time he came down to Canacona. The priestly classes who were allegedly exploiting and harassing the common people it is said, were exterminated by the local people under the leadership of this valiant prince. It is presumed that the prince of Shringarpur in his old age felt for the sinful deeds of his followers and left for the holy place Kashi in a remorseful mood where it is believed he lost his life in the sacred river Ganga perhaps as an atonement measure----Desai S.S.: History of Shri Mallikarjun Temple.
30. Kashi Purush had three brothers who independently settled one each in Sattari area and Quepem – Salcete area of Goa and Haliyal-Supa area of Uttara Kannada district respectively. Kashipurush had two sons by name Uttara Nayaka and Nagphal---- Desai S.S.: History of Shri Mallikarjun Temple.
31. It is said that the prince of Shringarpur (Kashipurush) became a legendary figure in his own life time by his bravery, organizational abilities and all the more by the excellence with which he managed to conquer the hearts of the people in and around Canacona which made him an icon of respect and worship in the whole of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community.
32. There is a shrine of Kashipurush in front of Shri Mallikarjun Temple Canacona.
33. There is also a smaller shrine of Kalyan-Purush in front of the shrine of Kashipurush on the right hand side in the temple-complex at Canacona.
34. Shri Kashipurush-Ghantemareshwar of Sakhanwada Majali is the family deity of quite a large number of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community in and around that place.
35. A legend says that the followers of Kashipurush Ghantemareshwar of Sakhanwada came from Kashi but their date of arrival is not known ----Ashtabandh Souvenir 1998 of Shri Kashipurush-Ghantemareshwar Temple.
36. Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great founder of the Maratha Empire visited and conquered Karwar and the area around, thrice: 1st visit : 22nd Feb. 1665 A.D.----F.R. Surat, Vol. 104 2nd visit : 10th Oct. 1673 A.D.----Sir Jadunath Sarkar : Shivaji and his times. 3rd visit : 26th April, 1675 A.D.----Sir Jadunath Sarkar : Shivaji and his times.
37. By the end of May 1675 A.D. Shivaji was the master of all the territory upto Mirjan river in Canara. He now conquered Canara for good---Sir Jadunath Sarkar : Shivaji and his times.
38. Shivaji everywhere named with terror carrying all before him like a mighty torrent----Dr. Fryer John-doctor cum traveller Englishman 1675 A.D.: New Account of East India, Vol. I.
39. Shivaji made a through conquest of the country hereabouts Ancola Shiveshwar, Kadra and that Shivaji was the master of Carwar---F.R. Surat Vol. 88----Carwar to Surat letters of 21st and 25th May, 1675 A.D.
40. Desai had been the local Bijapur Governor of Carwar even before 1675 A.D.---- Sir Jadunath Sarkar : Shivaji and his times.
41. Dalvi who was the General of Dessai the Bijapur Governor of Carwar, had aided Shivaji in the conquest of Carwar. It is further stated that Dalvi had 1000 men under him----Dr. Fryer John : New Account of East India Vol. II.
42. The Moghuls gained the fort and town of Carwar and extracted tribute from the Sonda Raja. Dalvi and Desai joined Moghuls---F.R. Surat 109 – Carwar to Surat Feb. 19, 1685 A.D.


Origin and Ancestry

The Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community of the Uttara Kannada district is of course, an age-old community of those who belong to the warrior-classes with a history of its own, there is no doubt about it. But the question is: How old is it? And when, where, and how did it possibly originate? Is it an offshoot of some community that was there or elsewhere already? Or is it a tribe of refugees who came in search of some means of livelihood? All these are pertinent questions which need in-depth study to trace the antiquity of the community. It is in fact easier finding out the source of a big river rather than tracing the origin of a community which unlike a river has certainly a social setting. For all these questions and for many more of this type, there cannot be any ready-made answers as such. The age-old social setting needs to be probed into adequate depths, interconnecting the events, documents, social practices, traditions, legends, etc., so that a fairly reliable picture of the antiquity of the community gets evolved.

As far as the antiquity of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community is concerned, the first and foremost question that should confront the researchers is the name itself by which the community is addressed. Why should the name of the community have as many as three words in it? Is it an accident? Or a machination of the shrewd brain? Or they simply do not mean anything? Or doe they signify some important milestones of the historical evolution of the community itself? Or is it due to something else? All these questions of course, need minute consideration.

As far as the study is basically concerned with the antiquity of the community, it is but natural that the present enquiry should centre round some dates of important historical events, documents, etc., primarily. Considered from this point of view it will be in the fitness of things to choose only a few dates of historical importance and verify if those have any bearing on the origin and ancestry of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community. Accordingly the following four dates only of historical importance have been chosen for consideration: 1.Shivaji’s conquests of Shiveshwar Mahal and around (Karwar area) – 1665 A.D. to 1675 A.D. 2.Muhammad Gavan’s conquest of the fort of Shringarpur in Ratnagiri district of Maharastra and around – 1471 A.D. 3.The period of the devastating invasions of Goa by Malik Kafur in 1313 A.D. and Muhammad-bin-Tughluk in 1327 A.D. and the upheavals in Goa and around thereafter in the 14th century A.D. and 4.The date mentioned in the Sadashivgad Copper Plates available with the Kadamba family of Deva-wada (Sadashivgad) – 14th October, 1179 A.D.

A little earlier, a question had arisen as to why there are as many as three words in one name. Do these three words namely 1) Kshatriya 2) Konkan and3) Maratha represent three different concepts altogether in the evolution of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community? If they do so, how much and how far was the impact of these concepts separately as well as collectively on the growth of the community as a whole?

The next question would however, be to ascertain if the four important dates mentioned above had a role of their own in the origin and evolution of the three basic concepts namely of 1)the Kshatriya 2) the Konkan and 3) the Maratha.

The oldest of all the four important historical dates cited above, being the date mentioned in the Sadashivgad Copper Plates, it will be proper, chronologically speaking, to start the deliberations with it, first, and thus the researchers are obliged to go as far back as the 12th century A.D. to trace the origin and ancestry of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community.

It may be recalled here that the celebrated Kadambas of Goa, who were the feudatories of the Chalukya Emperors of Kalyani or Kalyan as it was also called, were the descendants of the royal dynasty of the Banavasi Kadambas who according to the Talagunda inscription of the fifth century A.D. were Brahmanas devoted to the study of the Vedas whose founder Mayursharma in the process of getting anointed as the king of Banavasi changed over the warrior profession – from Brahmanas to Kshatriya – which made those belonging to the Kadamba dynasty known as Brahma-Kshatriyas.

It would be pertinent to note here that the Goa Kadamba king Vijayaditya Deva II who ruled from 1176-77 A.D. to 1187-88 A.D. in whose name the 12th century Sadashivgad Copper Plates stand., was the son of the greatest of the Goa Kadambas Jayakeshi Deva II and his celebrated queen Mailala Devi who happened to be the daughter of the greatest of the Kalyan Chalukyas Vikramaditya VI. But unfortunately the reign of Vijayaditya Deva II was marked by three severe set backs by way of defeats firstly at the hands of Kalachuryas, then the Hoysalas, and lastly the Kadambas of Hanagal. Thus, the rule of Goa Kadambas under him went on becoming very much weakened.

Under such circumstances, it is quite likely that a very important member of the Kadamba dynasty of Goa – some Kadamba – Deva – must have managed to carve out for himself away from the main scene, a small principality comprising of the southernmost part of the Konkan namely the Sadashivgad area as a sub-ruler probably with the consent of the Kadamba king of Goa and also by the favor and blessings of the Chalukya Emperor of Kalyan who exercised the power of suzerainty over the Goa Kadambas.

The tradition of paying homage to Kalyan-Purush at the Poorva (East) by the Kadambas of Deva-wada at the time of Deva-Parab (festival) and such other important occasions perhaps symbolizes and perhaps supports this view.

The Desais of Mudageri too, who are considered as the descendants of a scion of Deva-wada Kadambas who under emergent circumstances left off Sadashivgad for good and settled afresh at Mudageri dissociating completely from the family deity of the Deva-wada Kadambas, changed their allegiance and accepted Shri Kalyan-Purush as their own family deity. This also perhaps, impliedly is symbolic of the overall suzerainty of the Kalyan Chalukyas over the Kadambas.

Coming back to the preservation of the 12th century A.D. Sadashivgad Copper Plates as an heirloom by the Deva-wada Kadambas, it must be said that the gift of land as mentioned in the plates, was to Purohit Govindacharya who was well-versed in the science of astronomy and most probably was chosen by the Kadamba-Deva the sub-ruler at Deva-wada (Sadashivgad) as his Raj-Purohit in his mini-court.

In any case, it is quite perceptible that such Copper Plates with royal seal cannot be expected to be the property of any ordinary person. Being highly important royal documents, such important plates could be the preserves of very important members of the royal family.

Thus, it is conjecturable that an important Kadamba-Deva descended down from Goa to Sadashivgad through the sea-route along with valuables and referential and introductory royal documents concerning the area.

The strategic island where from this Kadamba-Deva reached the Sadashivgad beach and the hamlet where he resided with his retinue were called as Devagad, Deva-bag, and Deva-wada respectively and of course the get-together of the Kadamba couples was called as Deva-Parab. This Brahma-Kshatriya Kadamba family in accordance with the Vedic prescriptions was undergoing the Upanayan Sankar without exception. Even today the Thread Ceremony (Munji) is compulsorily observed and the Samuhik Sharavani is observed every year both at Sadashivgad as well as at Mudageri.

These descendants of the royal dynasty of the Goa Kadambas probably became the nucleus of the present day Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community and thus slowly started to attract a number of princely families, chieftains, and military generals, etc., of the warrior-classes whereby the isolation of the Kadamba family steadily, but surely began to come to an end. The matrimonial alliances with the few princely families around must have marked the beginning of the formation of the Kshatriya Konkan Maratha community.

At this initial stage perhaps, this community was simply termed as Brahma-Kshatriyas because of the overall impact of the royal family of the Kadambas. But its seems that the Kadambas felt hereditarily nostalgic about their Konkan. Here it may be recalled that Jayakeshi Deva I had declassed himself as the “Sovereign of the Konkan” and Jayakeshi Deva II had declared himself as the Emperor of Konkan – Konkan Chakravarti and further even his son Peramadi Deva the elder brother of Vijayaditya Deva II had also declared himself as the “Konkan Chakravarti.” Even the Saptakoteshwar temple of Diwar-Narva built by queen Kamala Devi, the wife of Peramadi Deva, was called as “Konkan Kashi”.

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