About Chitpavan

Very little is known of the Chitpavan before 1707 A.D Sometime around this time, an individual of the Chitpavan community, Balaji Vishwanth Bhat arrived from Ratnagari to the Pune-Satara area. He was brought there on the basis of his reputation of being an efficient administrator. He quickly gained the attention of Chhatrapati Shahu and his work so pleased the Chhatrapati that he was appointed the Peshwa or Chief Minister in 1713. He ran a well organized administration and by the time of his death in 1720, he had laid the groundwork for the expansion of the Maratha Empire. Since this time until the fall of the Maratha Empire, the seat of the Peshwa would be held by the members of the Chitpavan family. As Peshwa became ecclesiastical head of the state, this was not consequent upon the Peshwa's social position as a Brahman, for the chitpavan sect, to which the Peshwas belonged, was not accounted of much importance by other Brahmanic sects and by some, indeed, was considered ineligible for inclusion in the Brahmanic category. Starting around this time, Chitpavan migrants began arriving en masse from the Konkan to Pune where the Peshwa offered all important offices to the Chitpavan caste.The Chitpavan kin were rewarded with tax relief and grants of land. Historians cite nepotism and corruption as causes of the fall of the Maratha Empire in 1818. According to the author Anand Teltumbde, the Chitpavan Peshwa rule was infamous for its casteist character under which the oppression of the Dalits reached legendary heights.By late 18th century Chitpavans had established complete political and economic dominance in the region. Richard Maxwell Eaton states that this rise of the Chitpavan is a classic example of social rank rising with political fortune.This usurpation of power by the Chitpvan Brahmins caused conflicts with other communities which manifested itself as late as in 1948 in the form of anti-Brahminism after the killing of Mahatama Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, a Chitpavan.

Role in the Indian politics

After the fall of the Maratha Empire in 1818, the Chitpavan lost their political dominance to the British. The British would not subsidize the Chitpavans on the same scale that their caste-fellow, the Peshwas had done in the past. Pay and power was now significantly reduced. Poorer Chitpavan students adapted and started learning English because of better opportunities in the British administration.[16] The Chitapavan Brahmins such as Vasudev Balwant Phadke, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak played an important role in the Indian independence movement.
Some of the prominent figures in the Hindu reform movements of the 19th and 20th centuries came from the Chitapavan Brahmin community. These included Dhondo Keshav Karve, Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar and Vinoba Bhave. These reforms preached against the Hindu caste system. Yet, some of the strongest resistance to change also came from the very same community. Jealously guarding their Brahmin stature, the orthodox among the Chitpavans were not eager to see the Shastras challenged, nor the conduct of the Brahmins becoming indistinguishable from that of the Sudras. The vanguard and the old guard clashed many times. Ranade and other reformers were forced to offer penance for breaking purity rules. D. K. Karve was ostracised. Even Tilak made a visit to Varanasi so that he may not be excommunicated.
The Chitpavan community produced two major politicians in the Gandhian tradition: Vinoba Bhave and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Gandhi describes Bhave as the Jewel of his disciples, and recognized Gokhale as his political guru. However, strong opposition to Gandhi also came from within the Chitpavan community. V D Savarkar, the founder of the Hindu nationalist political ideology Hindutva, was a Chitpavan Brahmin. Several members of the Chitpavan community were among the first to embrace the Hindutva ideology, which they thought was a logical extension of the legacy of the Peshwas and caste-fellow TilakThese Chitpavans felt out of place with the Indian social reform movement of Mahatama Phule and the mass politics of Mahatama Gandhi. Large numbers of the community looked to Savarkar, the Hindu Mahasabha and finally the RSS for inspiration resulting in the likes of Narayan Apte and Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Gandhi on January 30, 1948. V D Savarkar's nephew Vikram Savarkar was the ideological guru of Godse, and Narayan Apte endorsed the murder of Gandhi by saying the samaj or community has realized the significance of Nathuram's act. Many members of the Pune's closely-knit Chitpavan community supported Gandhi's murder, prompting Rafiq Zakaria to compare them with the neo-Nazis in Europe.

Gotras

Gotra
This literally means Kula(Family root). In ancient times Gotras were commonly popular in identifying family-roots. There is no relation as such with Gotra and Veda-adhyayan. Any brahmin was allowed to study any Veda.

Below given table will help you to find out which Gotra you belong to:

Prawara
This means to choose. Prawaras is also known as Arsheya(i.e., inspired by Rishi). Prawaras is usually considered as ancestors (Purvaj) or predeccessors (Vanshaj) of Gotra rishi.

Gotra is always one; but prawaras are 3 or 5. You will get to to know from this table below.

There are mainly 14 Gotras in Chitpavans with 7 Prawaras which are as follows:

1) Atri 2) Kashyap, Shandilya 3) Kapi, Gargya, Bharadwaj 4) Kaudinya, Vasishtha 5) Kaushik, Babhravya 6) Jamadagnya, Vatsa 7) Vishnuvruddha, Nityundan

Sr. No. Gotra Prawara
1 Atri Aatreya Aarchananas Shyawashwa
2 Kapi Angirasa Aamaihyaav Ourukshasa
3 Kashyap Kashyap Aavatsaara Naidhruva
4 Kaudinya Vaasishtha Maitraavarun Kaudinya
5 Kaushika Vishwamitra Aghamarshana Kaushika
6 Gaargya Aangirasa Shaunya Gaargya
7 Jaamadagnya Bhargava Chyavana Aapnavaan
Ourva Jaamadagnya
8 Nityundana Aangirasa Paurukutsa Trasadatsyava
9 Baabhravya Vishwamitra Oudala Baabhravya
10 Bharadwaj Aangirasa Baaharspatya Bharadwaj
11 Vatsa Bhargava Chyavana Aapnavaan
Ourva Jaamadagnya
12 Vaasishtha Vaasishtha Indrapramada Bharadwasu
13 Vishnuvruddha Aangirasa Paurukutsa Trasadatsyava
14 Shaandilya Shaandilya Aasit Daivala

From matrimonial point of view, we have given the mis-matching Gotras in the same table cell.
Matchmaking within the same Gotra is highly prohibited.
Atri Gotra is considered friendly with all Gotras. So, the matchmaking of any other Gotra with this Atri Gotra is undoubtedly allowed.

Customs and Traditions

Customs and Traditions
These are the main kulachar or customs seen performed in Chittapawans.
» Bodan, Gondhal, Gauri-Ganapati, Navratri and Dev Diwali.

1) Bodan:
The word Bodan comes from Sanskrit word Vardhan meaning Growth. The Bodan is offered when you make your family (Vansh Vruddhi). After the arrival of new baby the Bodan is offered to Devi (Shakti) to seek her blessings for the whole family.

2) Gondhal
In Chitpavans, Gondhal is performed whenever there is a marriage of any family member. In this Gondhal, the newly married couple performs puja of their Kuladevata (Family Deity) and seeks her blessings. This Gondhal and Puja is performed at night. Then they end this puja by praying deity with her Aarti.

3) Gauri - Ganapati
Ganapati Utsav
Fourth day of Bhadrapada is celebrated with tremendous enthusiasm as Ganesh Chaturthi in honor of Lord Ganesha, the God of wisdom. Almost every household installs Ganesha idols, made out of mud and painted in water colours, at home. Early morning on this day, the clay idols of Ganesha are brought home while chanting Ganpati Bappa Morya and installed on the decorated platforms. Then the Ganapati Pujan is done with all rituals.

Gauri / Mahalakshmi
Along with Ganesha, Gauri (also known as Mahalaxmi in Vidharbha region of Maharashtra) festival is celebrated with lot of festivities in Maharashtra. This is three-day festival. On the first day, Gauris arrive at home, next day they eat lunch with variety of sweets and on the third day they return to their home. In Chitpavans, Gauris are taken home in the form of 5 riverside stones. They are treated with lots of love since they represent the daughters arriving at their parents' place.

4) Navaratri
This festival starts on the first day of the Hindu month of Ashvin. The nine-day festival of Durga culminates in Vijayadashami (Dasara). This is the one of the three auspicious days of the year. Traditionally, stars need not be consulted for starting a new project on this day. People also exchange leaves of Apti tree as symbol of gold. During Navaratri women and girls hold bhondla, a singing party in honor of the Goddess. In Chitpavan families they invite Kumarika, Suwasini (married woman) during these 9 days. Also perform Mahalaxmi puja on Ashtami and offer Bodan to Devi on the 10th day i.e., Dasara.

5) Dev Diwali
You won't find this particular custom in any other community. This is found only in Chitpavans. This Dev Diwali occurs on the next day of Kartik shuddha 15 - Paurnima, that is Margashirsha Pratipada. And it is celebrated remembering all Kula Devta, Sthan Devta, Vastu Devta, Gram Devta etc.

History of Chitpavans

History of Chitpavans

The Chitpavan or Chitpawan or Chittapawan, also known as Konkanastha Brahmins (KoBra) are a SmartaBrahmin community of Konkan, the coastal region of western Maharashtra in India. Also, in Karnataka you will find most of the Chitpavans reside in coastal parts of western Karnataka. Though some of them speak kannada, most of the old people are still speaking Chitpavani langauage which is considered as the original language of all Kokanastha Brahman community.

The mythological origins of the Chitpavan community are explained in Hindu scriptures by referring to the tale of Lord Parshuram in the Sahyadrikhanda of the Skanda Purana. However, the recorded history of the Chitpavans begins in the 18th century. The Chitpavans gained prominence in the Marathi-speaking region when Shivaji's grandson Shahu appointed a Chitpavan Brahmin Balaji Vishwanath Bhat as the fifth Peshwa (prime minister). During the reign of the successive Peshwas, some of whom enjoyed status as de facto head of the Maratha confederacy, the Chitpavans settled in various provinces under the Peshwa rule. The Chitpavans established themselves firmly in the social hierarchy of the Marathi-speaking region, and played a prominent role in the political history of India. The community remains concentrated in Maharashtra but also has populations all over India and the rest of the world including the USA and UK.
Origin

There are multiple theories about the etymology of the word Chitpavan:

The word means "pure from pyre" and is derived from the Sanskrit words Chita ("pyre") and Pavan ("pure")
The word means "pure-hearted" and is derived from the Sanskrit words Chitta ("heart") and Pavan ("pure")
In a famous book 'Chitpawan' written by Chaphekar, the word 'Chitpawan' originated from 'Diptawan' or 'Egyptawan' suggestng origin of the caste from Egypt. He has also mentioned in his book that being a community of mixed racial origin';it was a untouchable community in era before 'Peshwas'. Deshastha brahmins never used to take food with Chitpawanas and used to undergo thread ceremony again for so called Shuddhikaran (purification)ritual.

1. Chaphekar also mentions their origin from a Rajput warrior caste. Defeated Rajputs never used to return to their homes, he says. A group of defeated Rajput warriors came down to Konkan and settled to start their new life. These men married women from the Ambejogai region.

1. Chitpawans are related to Kashmiri Pandit community. A large group of Kashmiri pandits migrated from Kashmir to south Konkan via Karachi (presently in Pakistan). It is interesting to note that a 'Bodan' ritual of chitpawanas and 'Kanakipooja' ritual of Kashmiri pandits are similar. Both the communities are Shaivaites. Kashmiri pandits have anthropological origin from Kushans, a race from Europe. Anthropologically, Chitpawanas are related to Jews and Persians.

According to one theory, the origin of Chitpavans lies at or near Ambejogai in the Bhir (Beed) district, where their titular deity Yogeshwari is located.
Mythological origin

The earliest reference to the Chitpavan is found in one version of the Sahyadrikhanda which is a section of the Skanda Purana, a mythological work.

The legends from the later versions of Sahayadrikhanda mention that Parshuram, defiled by the slaughter of Kshatriyas, needed Brahmins who could perform Vedic ceremonies for him. So, he recovered a narrow strip of land from sea (now called Konkan). He resuscitated Brahmins from the fourteen corpses washed ashore the Sahayadri foothills after shipwreck. The corpses were purified on a funeral pyre before being restored to life, due to which the Brahmins received the name Chitapavan ("pure from pyre"). The above legend probably suggests that the ancestors of Chitapavan Brahmins came to Konkan by the sea.] The Chitpavan are classified among the Pancha Dravida Brahmins. It is said that the fourteen Deshastha Brahmins of different gotras accompanied Parshuram to Konkan and settled at Chitpolan (modern Chiplun). Their descendants came to be known as Chitpols or Chitpavans.

The Skanda Purana is also known as the Scrap Purana, and is believed to be written and compiled over a long period, from 6th century to 16th century. Doniger calls it one of the only living Purana in a very real sense. The Puranas in general[8] and the Skanda Purana in particular have often been used to give an air of authenticity and antiquity to stories which are of obscure origins. Raman states that many members of the Hindu pantheon have acquired historical authenticity, thanks to the Puranas.

The Skanda Purana is known as the Scrap Purana because of the way it has been used by Indian authors over the ages - whenever the author wanted to explain a story that ought to be old but did not have a definite source, the author would claim, without any fear of contradiction, "It's in the Skanda Purana". In Tamil the Skanda Purana is literally called the Kantal Puranam or Scrap Purana.
Language

Most of the Chitpavan Brahmins in Maharashtra have adopted Marathi as their language. Till the 1940s, most of the Chitpavans in Konkan spoke a language called Chitpavani Konkani in their homes. BORI records Chitpavani as a fast disappearing language in 1941. There are no inherently nasalized vowels in standard Marathi whereas the Chitpavani dialect of Marathi does have nasalized vowels.

Society

The Chitpavan Brahmins have two sub-groups: the Rigvedi Konkanastha and the Yajurvedi Konkanastha. They belong to the Smartha Sect. The community comprises fourteen gotras (clans) which as one of the regulators of marriage the gotras are linked with mythical sains and sages and are not hierarchically arranged. The gotras are Atri, Kapi, Kashyap, Koundinya, Gargya, Kaushik, Jamadagni, Nityundana, Bhargava, Bharadwaj, Vatsya, Vashistha, Vishnuvruddha and Shandilya. All the fourteen gotras are clustered into seven groups which are known as the gana. A gotra belonging to a particular gana cannot be considered for marriage with another gotra of same gana. The gana are as follows:- Atri-Kapi, Gargya-Bhardwaj, Koundiya-Vashistha, Kashyap-Shandilya, Kaushik-Bhargava, Jamadagni-Vatsa, Nityundana-Vishnuvruddha. Besides gotra and gana, konkanastha brahmins observe the Tri (three) and Panch (Five) Pravara system. Chitpavans also revere deities connected with gotras known as the devakas and each family worships it's devaka at the time of marriage, while individuals with the same devaka can marry. There are four hundred and forty surnames amongst Konkanastha Brahmins.

A section of Chitpavan Brahmins migrated to Magadh and got settled in and around the present day Navaadaa region! Today they are a subcaste of Bhumihar Brahmins and are called as "Chitponia Babhans". They have been mostly aristocrat class landlords(Zamindars)!