Gomantak Maratha Samaj

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Gomantak Maratha Samaj
Regions with significant populations
Primary populations in: Goa, Damaon& Diu, Maharashtra& Karnataka
Diaspora populations in: Anglosphere
Languages
Konkani, Marathi
Religion
Hinduism

Gomantak Maratha Samaj is a Hindu community found in the Indian state of Goa.[1] They are known as Nav Maratha Samaj and Nutan Maratha Samaj in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra and Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, respectively.

Origin[]

Gomantak Maratha is a relatively new ameliorative name[2] adopted by a community of traditional Hindu temple servants. They were previously known by the following names:[3]

Kalavant, Kulambini[]

  • Those who participated in music and singing were known as Kalavantini, literally meaning an artiste, they enjoyed a high status in the community.
  • Those who maintained the temple lamps, Palanquin, and held Chamara (Chavar in Konkani) were known as Bhavins, literally a pious lady.

The Kalavant women (sometimes called as Naikinn) as a custom became mistresses of Brahmin men who paid a huge sum of money to her mother. They also practiced prostitution.[4]

Devli[]

Etymologically Devli, the word Devli is derived from the word Devul or Dev meaning God. So Devlis are those who were dedicated or devoted to the temple or to God. The duties of Devli males (Jyotkar) included lighting the temple lamps and mashal (torch), hold Devdanda, act as temple attendants (Katkars), and play the ritual musical instruments like Mahavadya, Panchavadya, Ranavadya.

Chedvaan, Chede, Bandi, Farjand[]

They were not always connected to the temple but with the Brahmin landlords (Bhatkars), at whose residences they performed all types of household work.

Perni[]

Their main occupation was acrobatics. They used to perform Jagar (a form of acrobatics) as the main source of their livelihood and held a lower status in the community.

History[]

The temple prostitution system was prevalent in Goa since times immemorial.[5] The Kalawantin community finds references throughout Goan history.[6] Hindu widows originally sought shelter in the temples if they did not commit Sati after the husband's death. These widows would then become the mistresses of the Brahmins. Any resulting illegitimate daughters would also be sold by their mothers to become mistresses of Brahmins, while the illegitimate sons would become temple servants and entertainers.[7] The Portuguese called them bailadeiras (dancers) whereas the Dutch and the British called them devalis (someone who comes from a temple).

During British colonial rule, many Kalawantin community members moved for economic reasons to the city of Bombay and other areas of British India. Most of these emigrants followed Hindustani music gharanas to improve their art and talent. Those who remained in Goa began organizing themselves after the post-1910 Portuguese Republic period. In 1910, Rajaram Painginikar started Kalawantin Movement from Paingini village in Goa. In 1917, Maratha Gayan Samaj (Maratha Singers Society) was formed in Kakode. In 1937, the Gomantak Maratha Samaj (G.M.S.) was formed under the leadership of Rajaram Panginikar.[8][9] The main functions of the G.M.S. are as follows:

  • To promote the education of its members.
  • To arrange marriages of their children within the community.
  • Other community welfare activities for their community.

Following the Annexation of Goa, the G.M.S. was formally included by the Government of Goa as a Reserved category.[9]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Gracias, Fatima da Silva. Kaleidoscope of women in Goa, 1510–1961. p. 80.
  2. ^ "Gomantak Prakruti ani Sanskruti" by B.D.Satoskar
  3. ^ Gracias, Fatima da Silva. Kaleidoscope of women in Goa, 1510-1961. p. 80.
  4. ^ People of India, Vol. 21: Goa. Anthropological Survey of India. 1993. p. 79. ISBN 9788171547609.
  5. ^ Sinai Dhume, Anant Ramkrishna (1986). The Cultural History of Goa from 10000 B.C. to 1352 A.D. University of Michigan. pp. 310–311.
  6. ^ Mitragotri, Vithal Raghavendra (1999). A Socio-cultural History of Goa from the Bhojas to the Vijayanagara. Panjim: Institute Menezes Braganza.
  7. ^ Satoskar, B. D. (1979). Gomantak Prakruti ani Sanskruti. Pune: Shubhada Saraswat Prakashan.
  8. ^ Goa world book review Archived 5 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b Radhakrishnan, Waman (1998). Purushartha. Panjim: Rajhauns.
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