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THE SARASWAT BRAHMIN-Displaced inhabitant of Saraswati
The Saraswat Cultural and the Saraswat community derive its name from the river Saraswati on whose banks the members of this community are believed to have settled. It is also believed that this community migrated to all directions till it came to settle in the Punjab, Sindh, coastal towns of Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and it is from these towns that most Saraswats derive their surnames, the community resides.
The Saraswats Brahmans are mentioned in the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata and even the Bhavisyottara Purana, deriving their lineage from the great sage Saraswat Muni who lived by the now extinct river Saraswati 8,000 years ago.
In times of yore, Brahmins were known as Saraswats. They worshipped Saraswati, the Goddess of learning. Their erudition was called Saraswata. They always chose for their habitat, the fertile banks of the river Saraswati; and the land of their homes was known as Saraswata Desha. River Saraswati has the reputation of having meandered, not less than five times and the Saraswat Brahmins, followed her until she decided to go underground. This is the reason Saraswats are assigned to several places of origin, all true.
Manusmriti and the Puranas, make reverent references to Saraswats as Vipra, a term of distinction for a Brahmin, who practises what he preaches. Before he left for the Himalayas for Tappo Siddhi or spiritual attainments, the great - sage Dadhichi, blessed his pregnant wife Saraswati with a son, her namesake who would rise to be a world teacher.
Tavaiva namna pratitaha putraste loka bhavanah
Saraswata iti khyato bhavishyati maha tapaha.
The prophecy came true, when in good time, Saraswata Muni, initiated into vedic lore,sixty thousand Saraswats, who had left their hearths and homes in a famine and come back after twelve years, when prosperity returned.
Saraswats were sticklers for chaste diction and correct articulation of Sanskrit, but at home, they spoke a vernacular bereft of Sanskrit's ornate flourishes and tongue-twisting sandhis. Words, sometimes-entire phrases, were reduced, in a set pattern, to a single word, subtle and crisp and thus built up a sturdy and elegant speech, which they called Brahmani.
The flow of the saraswati was in the middle of the Bharatvarsha, comprising present day Haryana, Punjab, Present west & south Pakistan, Rajasthsn, Uttarpradesh & Gujrat. Tragically, the disappearance of the life-giving river led mass migrations in all directions: along the courses of the Ganges and the Yamuna in the east, to Kashmir and Punjab in the north, towards Rajasthan in the west in and, eventually, to Goa, Karnataka and other places in the south. This gave rise to various smaller denominations such as the Gowda Saraswats, Chitrapur Saraswats, Rajapur Saraswats, Kutch Saraswats, Punjabi Saraswat etc., who gradually lost contact with the roots.
Over centuries, there were no opportunities for interaction amongst the various groups though they share common heritage with glorious history being the illustrious inheritors of the Indian Vedic culture and tradition. The Saraswats have for centuries persistently preserved their traditions; faciliated largely by the community temples and maths which have proved to be the medium for social interaction
Every Saraswat's family god is actually a mandal of five gods with the kuladevata in the centre. This form of worship is known as Panchayatan and is attributed to Sankaracharya.
The five gods & goddesses of Panchayatan are (1) Aditya (2) Ambika (3) Vishnu (4) Gananatha (5) Mahesvata. It prevails in Sringeri and Kavale Maths but is absents in Vaishnava Kashi and Gokarn Maths.
The most important of all Kuladevatas are the following:
„h Mangesh
„h Mahalakshmi
„h Mhalasa
„h Shanta Durga
„h Sapta Kotishvar
„h Nagesh
„h Ramanath
„h Kamakshi
The Northen Saraswat
As the powerful Kshatriya kingdoms rose, a few Saraswats migrated to Indraprastha, Mathura, and Prayag, Kashi and other places. But as Kshatriyas fell with the rise of Buddhism, a few Saraswats migrated to Rajputana and Sind married local girls and formed separate communities. They then went to Gadipur or Kannauj and on to the Gangetic valley, or the Gauda, and were known as the Gauda and then to Mithila and were called Maithila, and thence to Utkal or Orissa, where they called themselves Utkal Gauda Brahman. In Punjab they called themselves as Punjabi Saraswat Brahmin.
The Saraswat of Hindu kush to Kurushetra.
The big Punjab and Sindh was from the present HINDU KUSH of Afganistan north and to border to the Khazakistan and Iran.So, this Terrotrity was from the Hindu Kush to the Kurushetra or up to the doab of Yamuna and Ganga and in this region there was a mighty river Saraswati, So saraswat brahmans was there. Though up to Partition there was no specific mention of Punjabi with them but as they move interior of India they diffenciate themselves as Punjabi saraswat Brahmin. From Hindu Kush to Delhi. It¡¦s a long jounneyof Approx 10000 years.As there was no Math, Mahant system attached to it. Hence after spending a considerable time, the journey could not be compiled
However the Tirth of KATAKSHRAJ etc. may throw some light over the issue. The hill country north of the Kubha (Kabul) river, drained by the Kumar and the Swat, was occupied mainly by Asvakas, a people whose name is derived from the Sanskrit Asva, Iranian Aspa (Horse) Somewere in this mountain region stood also the city of Nysa, alleged to have been founded by Greek colonists. The old territory of Gandhara was divided into two parts by the Indus. To the west of the river lay the Kingdom of Pushkalavati in the modern district of Peshawar and to its east was the realm of Takshasila (Taxila) in the present district of Rawalpindi. Taxila was a properious kingdom governed by good laws. Its capital was a noble city, which occupied the site of the present Bihar Mound near Saraikala, twenty miles northwest of Rawalpindi. It lay on the high road from Central Asia to the interior of India, and the fame of its market place spread to the distant corners of the civilised world. Great as an emporium of commerce, the city was greater still as a centre of learning. Crowds of eager shcolars flocked to it for instruction in the three Vedas and the eighteen branches of knowledge.
The Kashmiri Pandits, the original inhabitants of the Valley of Kashmir, have a rich culture and peaceful traditions that they have managed to maintain over five thousand years of recorded history. Kashmir is known amongst the Kashmiri Pandits and other Saraswats (who fled Kashmir during periods of Islamic persecution) as Sharadapeeth or the Abode of the Goddess of Learning and Fine ArtsProbably these fled Saraswats had made their presence in the Punjab.
However the Punjabi Saraswat brahmins had a name in the History on account of their rule called as "The Hindushahi or Brahmanshahi Dynasty. It was laid in the second half of the ninth century by a person called as Kallar. In the late 10 th century,Jayapala became the ruler of the Hindustani Dynasty.His empire included western Punjab,NWFP,and east Afganistan.Jayapala,anandpala,Trilochanpala,and Bhim pala successive rulers of Hindushahi kingdom fought against Sabuktigin and Mahmud rulers of Ghazni. They boldly checked the invasions but failed.Ultimately the hindushahi kingdom was destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in the begining of 11th century.
The Saraswat of Uttar Pradesh
IN the present uttarpradesh there are a number of places where we find the Saraswat Brahmin in a big number. Right from the Meerut to Allahabad There is an old river called hiee. Now popularly called as Hindon. As per the purans the saraswati had its seven branches in all. One of a branch could be associated to hiee as it gets the water from the river song of dehradoon and it is rightly placed in between yamuna and Ganga. Saraswati origin was above yamnotri, hence the water of saraswati could flow right upto Allahabad.At present people don¡¦t see the saraswati there but the fact is that The present hindon goes right outo Allahabad.Hence the villages of Bulandshehr, meerut, Aligarh etc have a number of saraswats.
The Sarawat of Kashmir
The Valley of Kashmir is known among the Kashmiri Pandits or Saraswat Brahmins of Kashmir as Saradapeeth or the Abode of the Goddess of Learning and Fine Arts. During their five thousand years of history, they have made colossal contribution to world civilization in the field of Religion, Philosophy, Sanskrit literature, medicine, history, aesthetics, etc. As models of non-violence, they have never handled lethal weapons or spoken harsh words. Devoted to the study of Vedas and other Sastras in all their aspects, the essence of these studies has been coursing in their blood stream from generation to generation. In peaceful or turbulent times they were protected under their spiritual umbrella by a large number of highly advanced saints and sages who flourished in the Valley from time to time.
No wonder they preferred death to change in their religion and withstood stoically the ruthless masters for five hundred years of Muslim rule. And when pushed back to the wall, they migrated to places of safety in the hot plains of India.
How and wherefrom did the Kashmiri Pandits or Vedic Aryans enter and settle in the Valley is an interesting episode in the early movement of people from place to place.
Briefly speaking, the earliest stream of Aryans who entered India, found the banks of the River Saraswati in the Punjab fertile and conducive to easy cultivation, and settled there. Described in the Rig Veda as "the mother of rivers", scholars have debated for centuries whether Saraswati is a myth or has been a reality at some distant point of time.
Aryan Entry Into The Valley
At what point of time this important immigration into the Valley of Saraswat Aryans (comprising Brahmans, Kshatryas, Vaisas and Sudras) took place is not possible to say. However, the beginning of the Saptarishi or Laukika Era seems to be the time when the Sarswat Aryans entered into and settled in the Valley, after getting permission from Nila, the lord of the Naga tribe who were already settled there. The beginning of this era nearly coincides with Mahabharata war. The date of the coronation of King Yudhishtra is given as Kaliyug Samvat 653. Kalhana too begins the Rajatarangini from this time as is evident from the description of the installation by Lord Krishna of Queen Yasomati on the throne of Kashmir as the guardian of her son King Gonanda II.
The Saptarishi or Laukika era is still in current use among the Brahmin population of Kashmir. Buhler was the first to prove from the extant tradition of Kashmiri Brahmins and other evidence that the commencement of the Laukika Era is placed on Caitra Sudi 1, of Kali Samvat 25 (expired) or the year 3076-75 B.C. Since his discovery correct accounts of the Laukika reckoning are to be found in all handbooks of Indian chronology.
That the Kashmiri Brahmins have held on to and followed this calendar tenaciously for the last 5066 years is a strong point in favour of assuming their entry in the Kashmir Valley round about the beginning of this era.
The various exigencies of time and division of labour gradually differentiated the priestly Brahmins from other castes. And when the Saraswat Aryans entered the Valley, the Brahmins were in a dominating position and laid down rules and regulations for the other castes to follow in accordance with the agreement with Nagas. From that time begins the emergence of the Kashmiri Pandits or the Saraswat Brahmins of Kashmir as a distinct community in the all-embracing comity of people called Hindus.
The Saraswat Of Goa
The Saraswats migrated to Goa -- either by land or by way of sea -- creating their colonies around temples and living as agriculturists, traders and scribes.
Goa was invaded and won by the Portuguese in 1510 who overthrew the Muslim rulers and massacred the entire Muslim population. Subsequently, the Portuguese found allegiance of Cochin, Cananore and other south Indian places as also expanded operations to Hughli in Bengal, Bassein in Gujarat and subsequently occupied Thana, Tarpur, Bandra, Mahim and Bombay. In 1580, Spain inherited Portugal and thus ruled Goa. The Dutch and the Portuguese fought many wars early next century. Finally, in 1627, the Portuguese government gave Bombay as dowry to Charles II who married the Portuguese Princess Catherine de Braganza.
Many reasons for the downfall of the Portuguese rulers of and settlers in Goa were their attempt to conquest by the sword and their proselytisation. Religious persectution of the Hindus led to their wars with the Marathas. Many temples were destroyed during such wars and property confiscated. The Hindus families fled to the adjoining territory of Sonde and Vijayanagar.Influenced by the French Revolution, many Goans, mostly of Saraswat Brahman extraction, conspired to drive the Portuguese from Goa and establish a republic. But on the eve of their uprising in 1786 they were betrayed by a Christian and were captured, tortured and killed. Many were deported.
In the historical perspective, the main reason for the Saraswats' departure from Goa was trade. For example, their settlement at Bassein (Vasahni), Salsette (in Thana district) and subsequently Bombay. Many families went to the Belgaum and Dharawar districts during the rule of the Bahmini kings. There were some migrations during the rule of Vijayanagar and also during the persecution at the time of Muslim rule. Some families went to Kanara, Kozhikode and Cochin for trade.then the Portuguese inquisition was established in 1560, about 12,000 families mostly of Saraswats and including Vanis (Vaishyas), Kunbis (cultivators), Sonars (goldsmiths) and others fled by ships to the southern ports from Honavar ot Kozhikode. Many settled down at those of the ports, which already contained Saraswat traders and spread into the interior. On the abolition of the Inquisiton in 1814, some of them returned to Goa with some of their Kuladevas and built temples for them. The Smartha Kavale Matha nad the Vaishnava Gokarn Math were built at Kavale and Partagali.
The Saraswats of Goa and the West Coast are the Gauda Saraswats. When the Saraswats first migrated to the south, there already were Brahmins of the Pancha-Dravida group south of the Vindhyas, and a few, perhaps, merged with the latter. The Brahmans of Maharashtra and Gujarat, including the Gujarati Saraswats who must have originally belonged to to the Panch Gauda group, adopted some of the practices the Dravida Brahmans and are now included in this group. The ancestors of the present Saraswats who migrated later were marked by their culture, language, religious and social practices prevailing in the south; and they must have called themselves 'Gauda Saraswats' to show that they were different from the southern group of Brahmans.
A few Saraswats moved out of Goa over a thousand years ago to north Konkan villages of Kanhagiri (Kanheri), Kanhasila and Krishnagiri. Their new settlements were now known as Mulgaon, Raya, Khandoli, Shirgaon, Kolavge, Dongri, Amoli, Juvai, Salgaon, Pali, Agashi, etc. after their own villages in Goa. This group of villages is now known as Sashti or Salsette in Thana district. Though they were mostly traders, many entered the services of the Shilahara kings and distinguished themselves in high positions.
The Saraswat Of Karnataka
The Keladi kingdom was founded towards the end of the 15th century by Keladi Chandappa Nayak and was consolidated by his warrior son, Sadiashiv Nayak. A hundred years later, the Keladi kingdom had come to be recognised as an independent state having driven the Portuguese out of Mangalore, reduced the Jain, Brahman and other chiefs in Kanara and the adjacent areas, and taken the entire peper trade under its control.
The Smartha saraswats in the state were employed on a large scale in the service of the Nagar kings. The Vaishnav Saraswats entered the service of the Nagar rulers at a later stage and many of them held very high offices in the state. Indeed, among the ambassadors of the Keladi kings who were mostly Brahmans, Vaishnava Saraswats almost always held the important posts of ambassadors to the Portuguese at Goa.
The Saraswat OF Konkan
Kanara is a long narrow belt of land bounded on the north by Goa and Belgaum districts, on the west by Belgaum and Dharwar districts, Mysore and Coorg, on the south by Corg and Malabar districts and on the west by the Arabian Sea. Trade brought the Saraswats to Kanara long before they migrated from Goa.
Around 13th century-end, there were large settlements at Mangalore and Bhatkal and smaller ones in other coastal towns. Later, during Muslim repression in Goa around the 14th century, more Saraswats migrated:
„h Nadkarnis moved to Bandikodla
„h Kulkarnis to Hanetialli near Bandikodla
„h Kolkes to Brahmavar.
As Portuguese persecution began, the Saraswats naturally flocked to centres such as Honavar, Bhatkal, Basrur, Barkur, Brahmavar, Mulki, Mangalore, Ullal, Kumta and Nileshvar where there already were settlements, and found refuge with local Jain chieftains who were fighting the Portuguese. The traders settled near the ports; others moved in to the villages and acquired land. A few entered the service of local chieftains while others of the Coorg king¡¦s part of a junior branch of the Keladi familiy (1600-1834).
The Saraswat Of Kerala
There were already Saraswats at Kozhikode long before others came in from Goa in the 16th century. In fact, they were already there when Vasco da Gama arrived there in 1498. A quarter century ago there were about 150 families of Saraswats at Tellicherry and most of them were engaged in trade. Other settlements are at Kasargode, Kumbala, Manjeshwar and Hosdrug. When the king of Cochin exempted them from the levy of poll tax, they went in large numbers and settled at Cochin as traders. In fact, the 360 families of Saraswats that migrated to Cochin were the pick of the Goa saraswats.
However, this distinction between the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa and the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins required sufficient time to solidify. During the reign of Basavappa Nayaka I (I 696 -1714), some people of Kanara accused the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Shenvis of not being true Brahmins. This accusation is said to have evolved in consequence to two factors: 1) the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Shenvis had no guru, or spiritual leader, to represent their community and 2) since many of the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Shenvis were holding impressive administration positions during this time period, the natives of Kanara were" aroused with jealousy which stimulated them to form this accusation.
Since the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Shenvis did not have a spiritual guide to represent their caste, the ruler of the region most probably would not recognize their brahminical status. Therefore, the Shenvis felt that it was necessary to seek a spiritual preceptor for their community. Soon after, the Shenvis prayed to two of their deities, Shri Bhavanishankar and to Shri Mahabaleshvara, in hope of finding a guru. Some time after their prayers had been addressed, a sanyassin (one who is in the final stage of life and completely renounces all worldly possessions) of north Indian Saraswat Brahmin descent came to Gokarn. At the request of the Shenvis, the sanyassin accepted the role to guide and represent their community in 1708. This commenced the development of a new caste known as the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins, who had now firmly differentiated themselves from the rest of the Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa. The acceptance of the sanyassin, Shrimat Parijnanashram Swami, as their guru also started the new smarta guruparampara, or line of gurus.
After Shrimat Parijnanashram Swami consented to guide the community, his acceptance had to be formally confirmed by all of the other members of the community. The people of Gokarn sent letters to the members residing in Mangalore and Vithal to notify them about the guru who would be touring around the south to give sermons and grant blessings. Some of the Kushasthalikar and Keloshikar families did not accept the new guru at once. For example, some families residing north of the Gangavali River decided not to accept the guru. However, the families who accepted the guru decided to provide for the living expenses of the swami by offering donations every year. Whenever the guru would travel among his community members, they also had the duties of providing him with any necessities.
The Saraswat of Maharashtra.
In 1992 when I visited Bombay, I felt a joy by reading a road side Board ¡§THE SARASWATS CO-OPERATIVE BANK LTD¡¨To my surprise the Bank was formed by the saraswat Brahmins.At Bombay there are number of Saraswat Brahmins,the reason could be that they have migrated from the Gujrat to Bombay, through sea route.
The Saraswat Muni and related tirths.
As mention in the SKAND PURANA , The Saraswat Muni was also known for his devine powers and it could also be possible that all Saraswat brahmins had their origin from this known rishi. He had a number of Tiraths to his credits.
So all saraswat Brahmins derived their lineage from the great sage Saraswat Muni who lived by the now extinct river Saraswati 8,000 years ago.
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