Misplaced Pages

Saraswat Brahmin: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 11:02, 2 March 2021 view sourceJonathansammy (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users21,119 editsm →Western and South India: their diet includes all types of seafood including prawns, crabs, and fish← Previous edit Revision as of 11:17, 2 March 2021 view source MRRaja001 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers21,097 edits →Maharashtra, Konkan and Goa: Here the author took an example of Saraswat living in Basrur, a coastal village in Karnataka, whose main employment was trading. The whole page is about the same thing. I don't know why it was added in the Konkan, Maharashtra and Goa section. Moreover, taking the information about Saraswats in a small village Basrur and applying to the whole community throughout India or South India is not justifiable.Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile editNext edit →
Line 27: Line 27:
Anthropologist Karen Michaelson states that even after Independence, Saraswats of Bombay, are not considered part of the Brahmin community and thus ritually lower than the Brahmins.{{By whom|date=January 2021}} She gives that as the reason for the Brahmins to not eat cooked food from the Saraswat household.<ref name="Michaelson1973">{{cite book|author=Karen L. Michaelson|title=Class, Caste, and Network in Suburban Bombay: Adaptive Strategies Among the Middle Class|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QOXHAAAAMAAJ|year=1973|page=132|publisher=University of Wisconsin, Madison|quote=A pure Brahmin woman frequently sent plates of batata wada to a Maratha couple upstairs for their morning tea. The Maratha woman filled the plate with sweets on returning it .A Saraswat woman frequently had tea at a pure Brahmin's apartment Although the pure Brahmin occasionally had tea at the Saraswat household , I never saw her eat anything but sweets. In both these cases , and many others , the higher caste gave cooked food ( which carries pollution easily ) to the lower caste . The lower caste individual provided sweets which usually are ritually neutral .}}</ref> Anthropologist Karen Michaelson states that even after Independence, Saraswats of Bombay, are not considered part of the Brahmin community and thus ritually lower than the Brahmins.{{By whom|date=January 2021}} She gives that as the reason for the Brahmins to not eat cooked food from the Saraswat household.<ref name="Michaelson1973">{{cite book|author=Karen L. Michaelson|title=Class, Caste, and Network in Suburban Bombay: Adaptive Strategies Among the Middle Class|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QOXHAAAAMAAJ|year=1973|page=132|publisher=University of Wisconsin, Madison|quote=A pure Brahmin woman frequently sent plates of batata wada to a Maratha couple upstairs for their morning tea. The Maratha woman filled the plate with sweets on returning it .A Saraswat woman frequently had tea at a pure Brahmin's apartment Although the pure Brahmin occasionally had tea at the Saraswat household , I never saw her eat anything but sweets. In both these cases , and many others , the higher caste gave cooked food ( which carries pollution easily ) to the lower caste . The lower caste individual provided sweets which usually are ritually neutral .}}</ref>


Historian ] states that Saraswats from the south of Goa were a "caste of open status", which sometimes claimed to be Brahmins although they were associated with mercantile activity and called as "Chatins" from ].<ref name="Subrahmanyam1998">{{cite book|author=Sanjay Subrahmanyam|title=The Career and Legend of Vasco Da Gama|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wqMWl6sSwwC&pg=PA108|date=29 October 1998|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-64629-1|pages=108–|quote=An important and relatively little-known example of a sort of 'merchant republic' form, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries can be found at Basrur, on the Kanara coast south of Goa. The dominant trading community here were Saraswats , a caste of open status , which at times claimed Brahminhood but more usually was identified with mercantile activity ( the Portuguese usually term them chatins , from chetti )}}</ref> Similarly, Saraswats of the Western Indian Konkan belt historically had no knowledge of ], no priesthood, and even ate non-vegetarian food, according to Sociologist S.D.Pillai, based on the studies by ]. Claim of Brahminhood by communities such as these groups demonstrates that the Brahmin claim was available on other grounds and using legends to justify Brahmin origins. But the non-vegetarian tradition did not apply to Saraswats of the south.<ref name="Pillai1997">{{cite book|author=S. Devadas Pillai|title=Indian Sociology Through Ghurye, a Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3uD22Ghqs4C&pg=PA30|year=1997|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7154-807-1|pages=30–}}</ref><ref name="Kurzon2004">{{cite book|author=Dennis Kurzon|title=Where East Looks West: Success in English in Goa and on the Konkan Coast|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p5iK3CmIW6EC&pg=PA74|year=2004|publisher=Multilingual Matters|isbn=978-1-85359-673-5|pages=74–|quote=Saraswatis claim that they come from the Brahmin caste – hence their name - but others believe that they are usurpers using some fake brahmin ancestry to maintain their superiority.}}</ref> Similarly, Saraswats of the Western Indian Konkan belt historically had no knowledge of ], no priesthood, and even ate non-vegetarian food, according to Sociologist S.D.Pillai, based on the studies by ]. Claim of Brahminhood by communities such as these groups demonstrates that the Brahmin claim was available on other grounds and using legends to justify Brahmin origins. But the non-vegetarian tradition did not apply to Saraswats of the south.<ref name="Pillai1997">{{cite book|author=S. Devadas Pillai|title=Indian Sociology Through Ghurye, a Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3uD22Ghqs4C&pg=PA30|year=1997|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7154-807-1|pages=30–}}</ref><ref name="Kurzon2004">{{cite book|author=Dennis Kurzon|title=Where East Looks West: Success in English in Goa and on the Konkan Coast|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p5iK3CmIW6EC&pg=PA74|year=2004|publisher=Multilingual Matters|isbn=978-1-85359-673-5|pages=74–|quote=Saraswatis claim that they come from the Brahmin caste – hence their name - but others believe that they are usurpers using some fake brahmin ancestry to maintain their superiority.}}</ref>


Historically, in Maharashtra, Saraswats had served as low and medium level administrators under the ] for generations. In 18th century, the quasi-independent ] and the ] rulers of ] recruited Saraswats to fill their administrative positions.This made them wealthy holder of rights both in Maharashtra and Malwa during the eighteenth century. During the same period in Peshwa ruled areas, there was a continuation of filling of small number of administration post by the Saraswats.<ref>{{Cite book|title= The Marathas 1600-1818, Volume 2|last=Gordon|first=Stewart|publisher=Cambridge university press|date=2017|pages=130–145|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHK-BhVXOU4C&q=Saraswat+&pg=PA109|isbn=9780521033169}}</ref> During the rule of the ] Brahmin ] in the 18th century, Saraswat Brahmins was one of the communities against whom the Chitpavans conducted a social war which led to ] (inter-caste dispute).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Chitpwans |last=Gokhale|first=Sandhya|publisher=Shubhi Publications|date=2008|pages=204|quote=The jati disputes were not a rare occurrence in Maharashtra. There are recorded instances of disputes between jatis such as Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus and the Chitpawans, Pathare Prabhus and the Chitpawans, Saraswats and the Chitpawans and Shukla Yajurvedi and the Chitpawans. These intra-caste dispute involving the supposed violation of the Brahmanical ritual code of behavior was called Gramanya in marathi.}}</ref> Historically, in Maharashtra, Saraswats had served as low and medium level administrators under the ] for generations. In 18th century, the quasi-independent ] and the ] rulers of ] recruited Saraswats to fill their administrative positions.This made them wealthy holder of rights both in Maharashtra and Malwa during the eighteenth century. During the same period in Peshwa ruled areas, there was a continuation of filling of small number of administration post by the Saraswats.<ref>{{Cite book|title= The Marathas 1600-1818, Volume 2|last=Gordon|first=Stewart|publisher=Cambridge university press|date=2017|pages=130–145|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHK-BhVXOU4C&q=Saraswat+&pg=PA109|isbn=9780521033169}}</ref> During the rule of the ] Brahmin ] in the 18th century, Saraswat Brahmins was one of the communities against whom the Chitpavans conducted a social war which led to ] (inter-caste dispute).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Chitpwans |last=Gokhale|first=Sandhya|publisher=Shubhi Publications|date=2008|pages=204|quote=The jati disputes were not a rare occurrence in Maharashtra. There are recorded instances of disputes between jatis such as Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus and the Chitpawans, Pathare Prabhus and the Chitpawans, Saraswats and the Chitpawans and Shukla Yajurvedi and the Chitpawans. These intra-caste dispute involving the supposed violation of the Brahmanical ritual code of behavior was called Gramanya in marathi.}}</ref>

Revision as of 11:17, 2 March 2021

Brahmin sub-caste of India

Parashurama with Saraswat Brahmin settlers, commanding Varuna to make the seas recede in order to create the Konkan Region

The Saraswats are a sub-group of Hindu Brahmins of India who trace their ancestry to the banks of the Rigvedic Sarasvati River. The Saraswat Brahmins are mentioned as one of the five Pancha Gauda Brahmin communities. In some states such as Karnataka and in Maharashtra and Goa, their claim to be Brahmins is either currently disputed or not accepted as other Brahmin communities of the respective regions consider them ritually lower than themselves.

History

In Kalhana's Rajatarangini (12th century CE), the Saraswats are mentioned as one of the five Pancha Gauda Brahmin communities residing to the north of the Vindhyas. They were spread over a wide area in northern part of the Indian subcontinent. One group lived in coastal Sindh and Gujarat, this group migrated to Bombay State after the partition of India in 1947. One group was found in pre-partition Punjab and Kashmir most of these migrated away from Pakistan after 1947. Another branch known as Dakshinatraya Saraswat Brahmin are now found along the western coast of India.

Culture

Regions of settlement and Social status

Kashmir

According to M. K. Kaw (2001), Kashmiri Pandits, a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community hold the highest social status in Kashmir.

Based on the calendar used, they divided into two groups-Malmasi (who remained in the valley despite religious persecution) and Banmasi(who are said to have immigrated or re-immigrated under King Zain ul Abidin in the fifteenth century)

The former follow the lunar calendar while latter who are in the majority follow the solar calendar.

Walter Lawrence states ,that the Kashmiri Pandit community to be divided into the following classes- the Jotish (astrologer),the priestly class Guru or Bachabat and the Karkun(working class) that was employed in government service.

Maharashtra, Konkan and Goa

Rivalry between the Saraswat Brahmins and the other Brahmins such as the Chitpavans led to conflicts over ritual status During Shivaji's coronation, the ritual status of the Saraswats to be Brahmins was supported by Gaga Bhat a leading Brahmin from Benares.The Saraswat Brahmins are Rigvedis and they follow Ashwalayana Sutra and are of Shakala Shaka

Anthropologist Karen Michaelson states that even after Independence, Saraswats of Bombay, are not considered part of the Brahmin community and thus ritually lower than the Brahmins. She gives that as the reason for the Brahmins to not eat cooked food from the Saraswat household.

Similarly, Saraswats of the Western Indian Konkan belt historically had no knowledge of vedas, no priesthood, and even ate non-vegetarian food, according to Sociologist S.D.Pillai, based on the studies by G. S. Ghurye. Claim of Brahminhood by communities such as these groups demonstrates that the Brahmin claim was available on other grounds and using legends to justify Brahmin origins. But the non-vegetarian tradition did not apply to Saraswats of the south.

Historically, in Maharashtra, Saraswats had served as low and medium level administrators under the Deccan Sultanates for generations. In 18th century, the quasi-independent Shinde and the Holkar rulers of Malwa recruited Saraswats to fill their administrative positions.This made them wealthy holder of rights both in Maharashtra and Malwa during the eighteenth century. During the same period in Peshwa ruled areas, there was a continuation of filling of small number of administration post by the Saraswats. During the rule of the Chitpavan Brahmin Peshwas in the 18th century, Saraswat Brahmins was one of the communities against whom the Chitpavans conducted a social war which led to Gramanya (inter-caste dispute).

After the liberation of Goa from the Portuguese colonial rule in 1961, many Goan Saraswats opposed merger of Goa into Maharashtra.

Karnataka and Kerala

As per sociologist R.Bairy "Saraswat claim to Brahminhood is still strongly under dispute, particularly in the coastal districts of Karnataka".

In coastal districts of Karnataka and kerala, Gaud Saraswats are the Madhva Vaishnavas, followers of Madhvacharya, while the Chitrapur Saraswats are Smarthas, followers of Shankaracharya. Writer Chandrakant Keni and former I.C.S officer V. N. Kudva says, "The majority of the Saraswats, including those in Goa, are now Vaishnavas".

Diet

Main article: Saraswat cuisine

North India

Kashmiri Pandits eat mutton and fish, but obey restrictions laid down by the shastras of not eating the meat of forbidden animals.

Professor Frederick J. Simoons says according to some reports, Saraswat Brahmins from northern India also consume fish as part of their diet.

Western and South India

In Goa, the Saraswat Brahmins have seafood as a part of their diet. The Saraswat Brahmins of the Konkan region also eat fish.

In Karnataka, Saraswat Brahmins are mainly concentrated in the coastal Kanara region. Majority of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins here are followers of Madhvacharya, while the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins are Smarthas, followers of Adi Shankara. They are largely vegetarians.

In Kerala, Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins are pure vegetarians. Most of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins are Vaishnavites and vegetarians, while some Shaivites among them consume fish as part of their diet.

Marriages

The Saraswat Brahmins are divided into various territorial endogamous groups, who at one time did not intermarry. According to the sociologist, Gopa Sabharwal (2006), marriages between Saraswat and non-Saraswat Brahmins are on the increase though they were unheard of before, mainly because the Saraswats eat fish and occasionally meat, while all other Brahmins in that region are vegetarians.

See also

References

  1. ^ Shree Scanda Puran (Sayadri Khandha) -Ed. Dr. Jarson D. Kunha, Marathi version Ed. By Gajanan shastri Gaytonde, published by Shree Katyani Publication, Mumbai
  2. ^ D. Shyam Babu and Ravindra S. Khare, ed. (2011). Caste in Life: Experiencing Inequalities. Pearson Education India. p. 168. ISBN 9788131754399.
  3. ^ James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z. Rosen. pp. 490–491. ISBN 9780823931804.
  4. ^ Karen L. Michaelson (1973). Class, Caste, and Network in Suburban Bombay: Adaptive Strategies Among the Middle Class. University of Wisconsin, Madison. p. 132. A pure Brahmin woman frequently sent plates of batata wada to a Maratha couple upstairs for their morning tea. The Maratha woman filled the plate with sweets on returning it .A Saraswat woman frequently had tea at a pure Brahmin's apartment Although the pure Brahmin occasionally had tea at the Saraswat household , I never saw her eat anything but sweets. In both these cases , and many others , the higher caste gave cooked food ( which carries pollution easily ) to the lower caste . The lower caste individual provided sweets which usually are ritually neutral .
  5. ^ Dennis Kurzon (2004). Where East Looks West: Success in English in Goa and on the Konkan Coast. Multilingual Matters. pp. 74–. ISBN 978-1-85359-673-5. Saraswatis claim that they come from the Brahmin caste – hence their name - but others believe that they are usurpers using some fake brahmin ancestry to maintain their superiority.
  6. ^ Ramesh Bairy (11 January 2013). Being Brahmin, Being Modern: Exploring the Lives of Caste Today. Routledge. pp. 193–. ISBN 978-1-136-19820-5. Saraswat claim to Brahminhood is still strongly under dispute, particularly in the coastal districts of Karnataka.
  7. Dakshinatya Sarasvats: Tale of an Enterprising Community,page 6
  8. M K, KAW (2017). Kashmiri Pandits: Looking to the Future. APH Publications. pp. 32–33. ISBN 9788176482363.
  9. ^ Michael Witzel (September 1991). "THE BRAHMINS OF KASHMIR" (PDF). Retrieved 25 January 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. Dhingra, Rajni; Arora, Vaishali (March 2005). "At the Cross Roads: Families in Distress". Journal of Human Ecology. 17 (3): 217–222. doi:10.1080/09709274.2005.11905784. S2CID 54701622. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  11. http://www.michaelwitzel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/KashmiriBrahmins1.pdf
  12. . Gokhale, Sandhya (2008). The Chitpwans. Shubhi Publications. p. 204. The jati disputes were not a rare occurrence in Maharashtra. There are recorded instances of disputes between jatis such as Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus and the Chitpawans, Pathare Prabhus and the Chitpawans, Saraswats and the Chitpawans and Shukla Yajurvedi and the Chitpawans. These intra-caste dispute involving the supposed violation of the Brahmanical ritual code of behavior was called Gramanya in Marathi.
  13. Manu S Pillai (2018). Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji. Juggernaut Books. pp. 279–. ISBN 978-93-86228-73-4.
  14. Kamath, Suryanath U. (1992). The origin and spread of Gauda Saraswats. Archana Prakashana.
  15. S. Devadas Pillai (1997). Indian Sociology Through Ghurye, a Dictionary. Popular Prakashan. pp. 30–. ISBN 978-81-7154-807-1.
  16. Gordon, Stewart (2017). The Marathas 1600-1818, Volume 2. Cambridge university press. pp. 130–145. ISBN 9780521033169.
  17. Gokhale, Sandhya (2008). The Chitpwans. Shubhi Publications. p. 204. The jati disputes were not a rare occurrence in Maharashtra. There are recorded instances of disputes between jatis such as Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus and the Chitpawans, Pathare Prabhus and the Chitpawans, Saraswats and the Chitpawans and Shukla Yajurvedi and the Chitpawans. These intra-caste dispute involving the supposed violation of the Brahmanical ritual code of behavior was called Gramanya in marathi.
  18. Arun Sinha (2002). Goa Indica: A Critical Portrait of Postcolonial Goa. Bibliophile South Asia. p. 50. ISBN 8185002312. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  19. S. Anees Siraj (2012). Karnataka State: Udupi District. Government of Karnataka, Karnataka Gazetteer Department. p. 189.
  20. Chandrakant Keni (1998). Saraswats in Goa and Beyond. Murgaon Mutt Sankul Samiti. p. 62. The majority of the Saraswats , including those in Goa , are now Vaishnavas
  21. The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 91, Part 2. Published for the proprietors, Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. 1970. p. 63. The Saraswats are largely a vegetarian community, whose coconut- based cuisine is famed for its variety.
  22. Venkataraya Narayan Kudva (1972). History of the Dakshinatya Saraswats. Samyukta Gowda Saraswata Sabha. p. 154. The majority of the Saraswats, including those in Goa, are now Vaishnavas. Nearly the whole of the prosperous trading community on the West Coast are now Madhvas.
  23. Frederick J. Simoons (1994). Eat Not this Flesh: Food Avoidances from Prehistory to the Present. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 284. ISBN 9780299142506. There are even reports of certain Brahmin (Bengali Brahmins, Oriya Brahmins, Brahmins of certain parts of Bihar, Saraswat Brahmins of northern India, and Kashmiri Pandits) eating fish.
  24. Kaw, M. K. (2001). Kashmiri Pandits: Looking to the Future. APH Publishing. ISBN 9788176482363. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  25. "Forward castes must think forward as well". Hindustan Times. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  26. Maria Couto (2005). Goa: A Daughter's Story. Penguin Books India. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-14-303343-1.
  27. Understanding Society: Readings in the Social Sciences. Macmillan International Higher Education. October 1970. p. 273. ISBN 9781349153923. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  28. S. Anees Siraj (2012). Karnataka State: Udupi District. Government of Karnataka, Karnataka Gazetteer Department. p. 189.
  29. P. Thankappan Nair (2004). South Indians in Kolkata: History of Kannadigas, Konkanis, Malayalees, Tamilians, Telugus, South Indian Dishes, and Tippoo Sultan's Heirs in Calcutta. Punthi Pustak. p. 93. ISBN 9788186791509. As a result of this , the Saraswats living in the south of the Gangavali in North Kanara separated into what is known as the Gowda Saraswat community consisting mostly of Vaishnavas and Chitrapur Saraswats , mostly of Smarthas.
  30. Karnataka State Gazetteer: South Kanara. Director of Print., Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. 1973. p. 111. The Gauda Saraswats are the Madhva Vaishnavite Saraswat Brahmins, while the Saraswats have continued to be Smarthas.
  31. The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 91, Part 2. Published for the proprietors, Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press. 1970. p. 63. The Saraswats are largely a vegetarian community, whose coconut- based cuisine is famed for its variety.
  32. J. Rajathi (1976). Survey of Konkani in Kerala. Language Division, Office of the Registrar General. pp. 7–8.
  33. Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). India's Communities, Volume 6. Oxford University Press. p. 3175. The Saraswat Brahman are an ancient and a dynamic community of India, spread from Jammu and Kashmir to Konkan. They are divided into various territorial endogamous groups, who at one time did not intermarry.
  34. "Department Of Sociology:Dr. Gopa Sabharwal". Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  35. Gopa Sabharwal (2006). Ethnicity and Class: Social Divisions in an Indian City. Oxford University Press. p. 131. ISBN 9780195678307. In fact, marriages between Saraswat and non-Saraswat Brahmins are on the increase though they were unheard of before, mainly because the Saraswats eat fish and occasionally meat, while all other Brahmins are vegetarians.
  36. Ramesh Bairy (11 January 2013). Being Brahmin, Being Modern: Exploring the Lives of Caste Today. Routledge. ISBN 9781136198199. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
Categories:
Saraswat Brahmin: Difference between revisions Add topic