Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins
चित्रापुर सारस्वत / Chitrapur Saraswats
Chitrapur Saraswats are Konkani-speaking community of Hindu Brahmins in India. They call themselves Bhanaps (भानप) in the Konkani language. Although Kavle Math of Ponda or the Shri Gaudapadacharya Math predates it, and is known as the Adi Math of all Saraswats, the Chitrapur Math, located in the village of Shirali, in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka is the primary autonomous religious institution of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community. With its line of Gurus (or Guru Parampara), the Chitrapur Math is a vital link that holds together the widely scattered units of the community. The community members are adherents of Smartism and the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Adi Sankara. The Chitrapur Math is traditionally affiliated to the Sringeri Sharada Peetham. Lord Shiva in the form of Bhavanishankar is the patron deity of the Chitrapur Math.
Suffixes like Bhat and -kar have not been given.
1 Adur 2 Aghanashini 3 Agrahar 4 Aidur 5 Aldangadi 6 Alekal 7 Amembal 8 Amladi 9 Andar 10 Arangadi 11 Aroor 12 Badakere 13 Baddukuli 14 Badur 15 Bagde 16 Bail or Adyapadi 17 Bailangadi 18 Bailur 19 Baindur 20 Bajekal 21 Balje 22 Balnad 23 Balsavar 24 Balse 25 Balwalli 26 Bandadak 27 Bangalore 28 Bangramanjeshwar 29 Bankeshwar 30 Bankikodla 31 Bantwal 32 Barkur 33 Basrur 34 Batrabet 35 Bedraman 36 Bellare 37 Bellimal 38 Beltangadi 39 Benegal 40 Bhagwat 41 Bhandikeri 42 Bharadvaj 43 Bhatkal 44 Bijoor 45 Bilgi 46 Bilyur 47 Biyar 48 Bobulli 49 Bolangdi 50 Bolar 51 Bondal 52 Borkar 53 Brahmavar 54 Burde 55 Chandavar 56 Chandragiri 57 Charkal 58 Charmadi 59 Chikarmane 60 Chitrik 61 Chittar 62 Cirvante 63 Damble 64 Dhareshwar 65 Dharmastal 66 Divgi 67 Dongarkeri 68 Donkabet 69 Edere 70 Gangavali 71 Gangolli 72 Garati 73 Gersappa 74 Gokarn 75 Golikere 76 Gollarkeri 77 Gulvadi 78 Gunavante 79 Gundil 80 Gurkar 81 Guttigar 82 Hadav 83 Haigund 84 Haladi 85 Haldipur 86 Halekote 87 Handade 88 Haridas 89 Harite 90 Hattiangadi 91 Hattikudur 91a Heble 92 Hejmadi 93 Hemmadi 94 Heranjal 95 Herwatte 96 Hirebet 97 Hidnir 98 Honawar 99 Honnemidi 100 Hosangadi 101 Hoskote 102 Huvinhittal 103 Ichalampadi 104 Idgunji 105 Invalli 106 Irde 107 Irvattur 108 Jade 109 Jajre 110 Jalwalli 111 Jamalabad 112 Jannahittal 113 Jeddigadde 114 Jeppu 115 Jotadi 116 Kabad 117 Kabse 118 Kachur 119 Kadkod 120 Kadle 121 Kagal 122 Kai kini 123 Kailaje 124 Kalambe 125 Kalavar 126 Kalbag 127 Kalle 128 Kaltode 129 Kalyanpur 130 Kandlur 131 Kanknadi 132 Kantebet 133 Kapinadak 134 Karampadi 135 Karambar 136 Karandadi 137 Karanje 138 Karkal 139 Karnad 140 Karopadi 141 Karpe 142 Kasargode 143 Kati 144 Katri 145 Kaundinya 146 Koushika 147 Kaval 148 Kavalige 149 Kavur 150 Kel 151 Kemangundi 152 Kembre 153 Keregal 154 Kerekatte 155 Kerwar 156 Kesarkodi 157 Khambadkone 158 Kilpadi 159 Kodange 160 Kodikal 161 Kodiyal 162 Kodkani 163 Kokradi 164 Kolke 165 Kolle 166 Kolpe 167 Kombrabail 168 Konaje 169 Kone 170 Koppi 171 Koriye 172 Kubher 173 Kuchinad 174 Kudmul 175 Kudyadi 176 Kulkarni 177 Kumbarkeri 178 Kumble 179 Kumta 180 Kundadak 181 Kundaje 182 Kundapur 183 Labhadaya 184 Lajmi 185 Madiman 186 Madyar 187 Mallapur 188 Manevarte 189 Manel 190 Mangalore 191 Manikere 192 Manjeshwar 193 Manki 194 Mannige 195 Marballi 196 Maskeri 197 Masur 198 Mavinkurve 199 Mirjan 200 Mogeri 201 Mogral 202 Molahalli 203 Mudbhakal 204 Mudbidri 205 Mudur 206 Mugve 207 Mukkadap 208 Mukkud 209 Mulki 210 Mullarpattan 211 Mundkur 212 Murdeshwar 213 Murur 214 Nadghar 215 Nadkarni 216 Nagar 217 Nagarkatte 218 Nagarmath 219 Naikinkatte 220 Nalkur 221 Naravi 222 Narikuli 223 Nayampalli 224 Nayal 225 Nettar 226 Nilavar 227 Nilekani 228 Nileshwar 229 Nirodi 230 Nirthadi 231 Padambur 232 Padbidri 233 Padukone 234 Pailodi 235 Pairla or Pherla 236 Pandit 237 Panemanglor 238 Pangal 239 Panje 240 Pejavar 241 Perlatbail 242 Phi;ar 243 Pombatmajal 244 Posodi 245 Putli 246 Puttur 247 Ragde 248 Rayasad 249 Sagar 250 Sajip 251 Salem 252 Saletur 253 Salukere 254 Samrodi 255 Samsi 256 Sanadi 257 Sashittal 258 Satare 259 Savda 260 Savkar 261 Savkur 262 Savnal 263 Savur 264 Sharma 265 Shedde 266 Sherbet 267 Shibad 268 Shirali 269 Shiriyar 270 Shirlal 271 Shukla 272 Sirur 273 Sode 274 Someshwar 275 Sorab 276 Sthale 277 Sujir 278 Sunke 279 Surkund 280 Taggarse 281 Talageri 282 Tallur 283 Talmaki 284 Taribagil 285 Tavanandi 286 Telicheri 287 Tengar 288 Thadgaje 289 Tirkannad 290 Todar 291 Tombat 292 Tonse 293 Trasi 294 Turme 295 Ubhaya 296 Udipi 297 Udiavar 298 Ugran 299 Ujre 300 Ullal 301 Ulman 302 Ulpe 303 Upponi 304 Vakketur 305 Vaknalli 306 Vine 307 Vithal 308 Vombatkere 309 Wagle 310 Wandse 311 Yedere 312 Yellapur 313 Yellur 314 Yennemadi 315 Yerdur
Amchi Mansa
ReplyDelete(From an article on Community Quirks in The Sunday Times of India, of
12 August 2001)
By Vithal C Nadkarni
Filmmaker Arun Khopkar once introduced yours truly as someone who belongs to 'hang-palai' (the community). Now 'hang-palai' isn't a
thingamee like a pallav hanging gracefully from a limp, fair wrist. It only means 'look here' in konkani. Not in any old konkani, but in the
musical dialect known only to Chitrapur Saraswats. Linguist finesse and a polyglot flair for the languages are probably this music-loving
community's most noticeable quirks.
While we are on the subject, don't listen to whatever the Bongs tell you. Of course, Bongalese can be chweet. But 'Amchi Konkani' is so much more mellifluous---expressive and refined---particularly when well-brought-up women speak it. As in so many of life's great pleasures, nuance and timing is everything. Insiders know it as aalavaonu-ullounchey – stretching words and vowels almost to breaking point without staining that prim little mouth.
Indeed, strange things happen when a true-blooded Chitrapur Saraswat woman says "Hanga-palounche-wain?" (the same thing which Mr. Khopkar, alas, managed to mangle so completely). Grown men have been known to
break out in goose bumps and bellow like maddened moose in the moonlight.
What's quirkier is that the same lovely tongue can also be used to hand out the most outrageous put downs and most salacious gossip.
Therefore, the second-most important quirk of these bon vivants is'zanki'.
Loosely translated as 'ribaldry', 'zanki' is really a state of mind, like Milan Kundera's unbearable lightness of being, which covers all things risqué and roué, which can be twisted into a double entendre.
No prizes for actual examples. Suffice it to say, puns, inversions, spoonerisms, allusions and rambunctious riffs are all in order when
the Saraswat swain gets into the flow.
Non-Chitrapurs often accuse these genteel worshipers of Saraswati of being hostage to a certain sort of clannishness. Come on, give us a break. I like to think of the Anand Ashrams and the Talmaki-wadis and other Saraswat colonies that scattered over Mumbapuri as monuments to the spirit of co-operation and community building. In this respect, the Chitrapurs are akin to Parsis, another highly evolved and literate but religion-or-ritual-loving community.
Here ends part 1 of Amchi Mansa from TOI written by Vithal C Nadkarni
Part 2 of Amchi Mansa by Vithal C Nadkarni
ReplyDelete(Published in the Sunday Times of India edition dated 21st August 2001)
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For all their rootedness, however, the Chitrapurs also display a remarkable restlessness, may be due to their gypsy genes. Like the Sindhis, they too have successfully spread all over the world. What's more, they often speak of an exodus from their chosen land – from Sharada or Kashmir to Chitrapur, a small village in Karnataka which also houses their Math or the seat of their pontiff at Shirali.
Some non-Saraswats, however, tend to be skeptical about these claims. In vain, for instance, have I tried to convince my sniggering colleagues at TOI aka The Old Lady of Boribundar about the real secret of my 'Grecian' looks and Alexandrine nose? But no, you just can't win them all. So what if Frank Conlon*, an American researcher from Seattle, has meticulously chartered the territorial adventures of the Saraswats from the Saraswati Valley in a scholarly tome (printed by a Saraswat Publisher)?
Networking is another Chitrapur Saraswat strength. This stems from the Great Bhanap Law ("Bhanap" is one of the terms of endearment for this community): when you get two or more Amchies together, they will work out their Bhanap Family Tree connections faster than you can say, "Wali Ambat!" or "Vallo Bhairasu!" (Wali ambat is lentil-and-spinach Saraswat specialty and vallo bhairasu is a 'wet towel' that may not necessarily work as a Wet Blanket.)
Contrary to popular belief, all Saraswats aren't necessarily born with a silvery fish in their mouth. The original cuisine of the Chitrapurs
is fiercely vegetarian. But there's no shortage of renegades. To be fair, however, these omnivores swear by the principles of three elemental exclusions: they don't eat submarines from water, aeroplanes from air and man - I am not sure if the taboo holds for 'woman' – on land. //ENDS
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Footnote:
* Frank Conlon, "Caste in a Changing World: The Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmans 1700-1935"