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Karhaḍe Brahmins (also spelled as Karada Brahmins or Karad Brahmins) are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra, but are also distributed in states of Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

Classification

Along with the Deshastha and Konkanastha Brahmins, the Karhade Brahmins are referred to as Maharashtrian Brahmins.

Based on Veda and Vedanta

Karhade Brahmins are essentially Rigvedi Brahmins who follow the Ashwalayana Sutra and belong to Shakala Shakha. Karhade Brahmins are divided into two groups based on the Vedanta they follow, the first of which follows the Advaita Vedanta of Adi Shankara and the second of which follows the Dvaita Vedanta of Madhvacharya. Hence, Karhade Brahmins have both Smarthas and Madhvas (also known as Bhagvats or Vaishnavas) among them. Like their Deshastha counterparts, traditionally the karhade allowed cross-cousin marriages.

Sub-division and other claims

There are three divisions of Karhade Brahmins - Karhade (from Desh), Padye and Bhatt Prabhu (from Konkan). "Padhye" was a further division of "Padye" - and were Khots or farmers. There are three sub-castes in Karhade Brahmans 1. Karhade 2. Padye and 3. Bhatt Prabhu. Padyes were found mostly in Ambuj province of Konkan . According to author Pran Nath Chopra, The Karhade Brahmins who were appointed as the priests came to be called as "Upadhyayas" which in due course became Padhye.

Origin

Skanda Purana (Sahyadri Khanda) as well as Brahmanda Purana are very harsh towards Karhade Brahmins and it is mentioned that they descended from the bones of camel and hence designated as Karhades. However, Madhav Deshpande believes that the motivation in writing this negative account in Sahyadri Khanda is suspect because it is a "pro-saraswat" text written by Deshasthas. Bhattacharya (1896: 84) mentions that the Sahyādrikhaṇḍan appears to be the work of a Deśastha Brahman. This follows Guṃjīkar (1884: 145), who originally made this speculation (see Patil 2010: 74). According to him the Brahmins of Maharashtra, i.e. Deshastha, Chitpavan and Karhade were unanimous in the rejection of the Brahmin claim of the shenavi.Deshpande considers it a "virulent anti-Karhāḍe tirade". Lewitt believes that the transmission of the text was recently in Saraswat hands for some time. Bhattacharya (1896: 84) rejects these suggestions because it is inconceivable that a Deshastha brahmin would write a "pro-Saraswat" text as there was dislike of the Saraswats of the west coast of India by the Deshasthas.

The Karhade Brahmins take their name from the town of Karad in Satara district, the sacred junction of the Koyna and Krishna. They migrated to the region between Malvan and Sangameshwar near the Konkan coast and made it their homeland. The Karhade section, though it takes its name from Karad, a place in the Deccan region, is found chiefly in the Konkan coast. Author Sandhya Gokhale says, "Karhade Brahmins are generally thought to be a branch of the Deshastha Rigvedis who immigrated from their home in Satara district to the southern part of Ratnagiri on the Konkan Coast, where they were principally settled".

Demographics

Most Karhade Brahmins live in Maharashtra though a significant population exist in Goa, Karnataka, and cities outside Maharashtra such as Sagar and Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur in present day state of Madhya Pradesh. Ancestors of these people moved to these places during 18th century during the Maratha empire period. A southern branch of the Karhade Brahmins settled around the Udupi - Mangalore - Kasargod region of the Malabar coast and they are called the "Karada Brahmins" and share their traditions with Kerala Brahmins and the Brahmins of South Karnataka.

Culture

Occupation

Traditionally, the Karhade Brahmins were a community of priests who offered religious services in Hindu temple and to other communities.

Language

Marathi is the mother tongue of most of the Karhade Brahmins in Maharashtra.

Diet

Karhade Brahmins generally follow a vegetarian diet.

Notable people

• Moropant Ramachandra Paradkar (1729–1794), Marathi poet who was the last among those classified by Marathi literary scholars as pandit (पंडित) poets.
• Balshastri Jambhekar (1810-1846), journalist and founder of Darpan, the first newspaper in the Marathi language.
• Govind Ballal Kher (Govind Pant Bundela) (1710 - 1760), general and trustee of Peshwa Bajirao I 's territories in Bundelkhand.
• Visaji Krushna Biniwale,Visaji Krushna Chinchalkar, popularly known as Visaji Pant Biniwale, was one of the leading generals of Peshwas in Northern India during 1759 to 1772. Peshwa Madhavrao I mainly sought his assistance in his attempt to restore Maratha Empire in the North after the defeat in the Battle of Panipat (1761).
• Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi (1828-1858), one of the leaders of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
• The Newalkars - military leaders under the Peshwa and later rulers of Jhansi.
• Govind Sakharam Sardesai (1865–1959), historian.
• Bhaskar Ramchandra Tambe (1874–1941), Marathi-language poet.
• Govind Ballabh Pant (10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961), Indian freedom fighter, one of the architects of modern India and first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Recipient of Bharat Ratna. His ancestors migrated from the coastal Konkan region centuries ago to Kumaon region in present day Uttarakhand state.
• B. G. Kher (1888-1957), first Chief Minister of Bombay Presidency.
• Laxmanrao Kirloskar (1869 – 1956) was an Indian businessman. He is the founder of the Kirloskar Group.
• Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar (1903-1991), Kirloskar Group son of noted industrialist Laxmanrao Kirloskar.
• M. S. Golwalkar (1906-1973), Sarsanghachalak of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
• Jitendra Abhisheki (1929-1997) was an Indian vocalist, composer and scholar of Indian classical, semi-classical, and devotional music for in a Padye Karhade Brahmin family. While he distinguished himself in Hindustani music, he is also credited for the revival of the Marathi musical theatre in the 1960s.

See also

• Deshastha Brahmin
• Chitpawan Brahmin
• Marathi people

References

1. Patterson, Maureen L. P. (25 September 1954). "Caste and Political Leadership in Maharashtra: A Review and Current Appraisal" (PDF). The Economic Weekly: 1065. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
2. Gregory Naik (2000). Understanding Our Fellow Pilgrims. Gujarat Sahitya Prakash. p. 65. ISBN 9788187886105. The Karhada Brahmins: The Brahmins lived in southern parts of modern Maharashtra, between Konkan and Desh, in a province, then called Karathak, comprising Satara, Sangli, and Kolhapur, with Karad as capital. Hence the name of Karhada Brahmins. Among them too there are Smartas and Madhvas or Bhagwats (Vaishnavites).
3. Syed Siraj ul Hassan (1989). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. p. 113. ISBN 9788120604889. The Karhades are all Rigvedis of the Shakala Shaka, who respect the sutra, or aphorism, of Ashwalayana. They belong to both the Smartha, and the Vaishnava sects, and in religious and spiritual matters follow the guidance of Sri Shankaracharya, and Madhwacharya, respectively.
4. Parshuram Krishna Gode (1960). Studies in Indian Cultural History Volume 3. p. 24. The Karhadas are both स्मार्त and वैष्णव. The वैष्णव group is of माध्वमत.
5. Karve, I., 1958. What is caste. Economic Weekly, 10(4), p.153
6. Baidyanath Saraswati (1977). Brahmanic Ritual Traditions in the Crucible of Time. Indian Institute of Advanced Study. p. 140. ISBN 9780896844780. In Maharashtra, the Brahmans generally practise cross-cousin marriage in which a man marries his matulikanya. Among the Saraswata, the Karhada and the Desastha Rigvedi Brahmans of this region it is indeed the preferred type of marriage, but the Chitpavan follow the North Indian custom.
7. Borayin Larios (10 April 2017). Embodying the Vedas: Traditional Vedic Schools of Contemporary Maharashtra. De Gruyter. p. 91. ISBN 978-3-11-051732-3.
8. Pran Nath Chopra (1982). Religions and Communities of India. East-West Publications. p. 56. ISBN 978-0856920813. These Karhade were appointed priests and came to be called Upadhyayas which in due course became Upadhye.
9. "A socio-cultural history of Goa from the Bhojas to the Vijayanagara" By Vithal Raghavendra Mitragotri Published by Institute Menezes Braganza, 1999, Original from the University of Michigan, Pages:50.
10. "Shree Scanda Puran (Sayadri Khandha)" -Ed. Dr. Jarson D. Kunha, Marathi version Ed. By Gajanan Shastri Gaytonde. Published by Shree Katyani Publication, Mumbai.
11. Deshpande, M.M. (2010). "Pañca Gauḍa and Pañca Drāviḍa: Contested borders of a traditional classification". Studia Orientalia: 108: 30–54. The Deśasthas, Citpāvans and Karhāḍes were united in their rejection of the brahminhood for the Sārasvatas, and Wagle himself provides evidence of this animosity. See Wagle 1970b: 318–319 for court cases filed by different brahmins against the Sārasvatas in 1788 ad, 1850 ad and 1864 ad. Also see Bambardekar 1939 and Conlon 1977: 39ff
12. Levitt S. H. (2017). "Reflections on the Sahyādrikhaṇḍa's Uttarārdha". Studia Orientalia Electronica. 5: 151–161. doi:10.23993/store.65156.
13. Deshpande, M.M. (2010). "Pañca Gauḍa and Pañca Drāviḍa: Contested borders of a traditional classification". Studia Orientalia (108): 37,39. The first chapter of the Sahyādrikhaṇḍa is titled citpāvanabrāhmaṇotpattiḥ "Origin of the Citpāvan brahmins". In the newly recovered land of Konkan, there are no traditional brahmins, either of the Gauḍa or Draviḍa persuasion, to be found. Paraśurāma invites all the brahmins for carrying out ancestral offerings (śrāddha-pakṣa), and yet no one showed up (Chapter 1, verse 31). The angry brahmin Paraśurāma decided to produce new brahmins (brāhmaṇā nūtanāḥ kāryāḥ, Chapter 1, verse 33). As he was wandering along the bank of the ocean, he saw some men gathered around a funeral pyre and asked them about their caste and dharma. These were fishermen, and Paraśurāma purified their sixty families and offered them brahminhood (brāhmaṇyaṁ ca tato dattvā, Chapter 1, verse 37). Since these fishermen were purified at the location of a funeral pyre (citā), they received the designation of citapāvana (ibid.)
14. Stanley Wolpert (8 January 2021). Tilak and Gokhale: Revolution and Reform in the Making of Modern India. Univ of California Press. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-0-520-32340-7.
15. Hirendra K. Rakshit (1975). Bio-anthropological Research in India: Proceedings of the Seminar in Physical Anthropology and Allied Disciplines. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India. p. 68.
16. Sandhya Gokhale (2008). The Chitpavans: Social Ascendancy of a Creative Minority in Maharashtra, 1818-1918. Shubhi Publications. p. 28. ISBN 9788182901322. Karhade Brahmans are generally thought to be a branch of the Deshastha Rigvedis who immigrated from their home in Satara district to the southern part of Ratnagiri on the Konkan Coast, where they were principally settled.
17. Roberts, John (1971). "The Movement of Elites in Western India under Early British Rule". The Historical Journal. 14 (2): 241–262. JSTOR 2637955.
18. Rodney W. Jones (1974). Urban Politics in India: Area, Power, and Policy in a Penetrated System. University of California Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-520-02545-5.
19. India's Communities, Volume 5. Oxford University Press. 1998. p. 1583. ISBN 9780195633542.
20. Vithal Raghavendra Mitragotri (1999). A socio-cultural history of Goa from the Bhojas to the Vijayanagara (PDF). Institute Menezes Braganza. p. 54.
21. India's Communities, Volume 5. Oxford University Press. 1998. p. 2079. ISBN 9780195633542.
22. Syed Siraj ul Hassan (1989). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. p. 115. ISBN 9788120604889. The Karhada Brahmans are remarkable for their neat and cleanly habits and hospitable conduct. They are a very intelligent class and have risen to high offices under the present Government. The poet Moropant and the notoriously brave Rani Laxmibai of Zansi belonged to this caste.
23. Tucker, R., 1976. Hindu Traditionalism and Nationalist Ideologies in Nineteenth-Century Maharashtra. Modern Asian Studies, 10(3), pp.321-348.
24. Roberts, John (1971). "The Movement of Elites in Western India under Early British Rule". The Historical Journal. 14 (2): 241–262. JSTOR 2637955.
25. Balkrishna Govind Gokhale (1988). Poona in the Eighteenth Century:An Urban History. Oxford University Press. p. 122. Visaji Krishna Biniwale (a Karhada Brahman) rose to eminence as a military commander under Balaji Bajirao.
26. Joyce Lebra (2008). Women Against the Raj: The Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 2. ISBN 9789812308092. Myth and history intertwine closely in the life if the Rani of Jhansi, known in childhood as Manu...She was born in the holy city of Varanasi to a Karhada brahmin , Moropant Tambe
27. Chapman 1986, p. 13.
28. Karve, D.D. (1963). The New Brahmans: Five Maharashtrian Families. Berkeley and Los Angeles: Univ of California Press. p. 5.
29. Natarajan, Nalini, ed. (1996). Handbook of twentieth century literatures of India (1. publ. ed.). Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press. pp. 219, 221, 227. ISBN 9780313287787.
30. M. V. Kamath (1989). B.G. Kher, the Gentleman Premier. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 5. Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a Karhade Brahmin whose ancestors went north from Karhatak.
31. Patterson, Maureen L. P. (1968). "Chitpavan Brahmin Family Histories: Sources for a Study of Social Structure and Social Change in Maharashtra". In Singer, Milton; Cohn, Bernard S. (eds.). Structure and Change in Indian society. Transaction Publishers. p. 533. ISBN 9781351487801.
32. Herdeck, Margaret; Piramal, Gita (1985). India's Industrialists. Three Continents Press. ISBN 9780894104749.
33. Margaret Herdeck; Gita Piramal (1985). India's Industrialists, Volume 1. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 145. ISBN 978-0894104152.
34. Sharma, Jyotirmaya (2007). Terrifying vision : M.S. Golwalkar, the RSS, and India. New Delhi: Penguin, Viking. p. x. ISBN 978-0670999507.
35. "Jitendra Abhisheki - ECLP 2367 - (Condition 85-90%)". ngh.co.in. Retrieved 6 February 2022.

Bibliography

• Chapman, Joyce Lebra (1986), The Rani of Jhansi: A Study in Female Heroism in India, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 9780824809843

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• Brahmin communities of Maharashtra
• Surnames of Indian origin