Caste in Goa
Encyclopedia
This article is about the Caste System in Goa, and describes the various jati
s or sub-castes to be found among Hindus belonging to the four varna
s (Brahmin
, Kshatriya
, Vaishya
, and Shudra
), as well as those outside of them
. The traditional caste system was also retained by the Goan Catholic
community, and as such, their castes are mentioned here in this article.
, Part I which looks at Goa (published in 1979) the "chief castes" found in Goa are :
s or Sudirs in Konkani do not really follow the four-fold varna system,but have recently started claiming higher status.
They are included in the Other Backward Class
list of the Government of India
.
, mass conversions were carried out by Portuguese Latin missionaries from the 16th century onwards. The Hindu converts retained their caste practices. The continued maintenance of the caste system among the Christians in Goa is attributed to the nature of mass conversions of entire villages, as a result of which existing social stratification was not affected. The Portuguese colonists, even during the Goan Inquisition, did not do anything to change the caste system. Thus, the original Hindu Brahmins in Goa now became Christian Bamonns
and the Kshatriya
became Christian noblemen called Chardos
. The Christian clergy became almost exclusively Bamonn. Vaishya
s who converted to Christianity became Gauddos, and Shudra
s became Sudirs. Finally, the Dalit
s or "Untouchables" who converted to Christianity became Maharas and Chamars (an appellation of the anti-Dalit ethnic slur Chamaar). The upper caste Gaonkar Christians have demanded that only their community be given positions on the Pastoral Council of Goa's Catholic Church.
Jati
Jāti is the term used to denote clans, tribes, communities and sub-communities in India. It is a term used across religions. In Indian society each jāti typically has an association with a traditional job function or tribe, although religious beliefs Jāti (in Devanagari: जाति Tamil:சாதி) (the...
s or sub-castes to be found among Hindus belonging to the four varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
s (Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
, Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
, Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
, and Shudra
Shudra
Shudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
), as well as those outside of them
Avarna
Avarna in the Sanskrit language of India means one who does not have a varna. The term denotes those sections of people in the Hindu fold who do not belong to the four major castes or Varnas. The four major castes are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra...
. The traditional caste system was also retained by the Goan Catholic
Goan Catholics
The Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Roman Catholics and their descendants from the state of Goa, located on the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language...
community, and as such, their castes are mentioned here in this article.
Hindu hierarchical caste system
According to the Gazetteer of India, Union Territory: Goa, Daman and DiuGazetteer of India, Union Territory: Goa, Daman and Diu
An official publication of the Government of Goa, published in 1979, and containing a lot of background information about the region of Goa, its past and present.-About the book:...
, Part I which looks at Goa (published in 1979) the "chief castes" found in Goa are :
Pancha Dravida Brahmins
- Karhade Brahmins and two sub-castes among the Karhada Brahmins known as the PadyePadyePadye Brahmin community hails from Goa, commonly known as "Bhatt" ,they speak a unique dialect of Konkani known as "Bhati Bhasha".-Etymology:...
Brahmins and Bhatt PrabhuBhatt PrabhuBhatt Prabhu Brahmin community belongs to Panch Darvida category of Brahmins, and claiming to be a sub-caste of Karhade Brahmin community.-About the clan:...
Brahmins popularly known as "Bhat" and "parabhu" respectively, and other Karhade Brahmins. - ChitpavanChitpavanThe Chitpavan or Chitpawan, also known as Konkanastha Brahmins , are a Smarta Brahmin community of Konkan, the coastal region of western Maharashtra in India....
Brahmins known as Konkanastha. - Kramavanta Joshi or Kriyavant Joshi
- Deshastha Brahmins
- Habbu Brahmins
Pancha Gouda Brahmins
- Gaud Saraswat Brahmins popularly known as GSBs.
- Kudaldeshkar Gaud BrahmanKudaldeshkar Gaud BrahmanKudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmin , is a community hailing from the western coast of India, residing in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, Goa and some parts of coastal and central Karnataka. This community is also known as Kudaldeshkar Aadya Gaud Brahman and sometimes Kudalkar Brahmans...
s
Kshatriya communities
- Kshatriya MarathaKonkan MarathaKonkan Maratha or Konkana are Konkani-speaking Hindus claiming Kshatriya status, with their ancestral homes in Karwar, Ankola, and Goa with surnames such as Shinde/Kadams,Naik/Nayak, Rane, Kadam, Powar/Pawar, Savant/Sawant, Khalwadekar, Gaonkar, Khanvilkar, Salunke, Desai/Dessai, Phal, Sail,...
(also known as Konkan Maratha near KarwarKarwarKarwar is the administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, India. It is a seaside town situated on the banks of the Kali river which is on the west coast of the Indian peninsula. The town lies about 15 kilometres south of the Karnataka–Goa border and 519 km north-west...
), MarathaMarathaThe Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
Shudra
These communities generally referred to as ShudraShudra
Shudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
s or Sudirs in Konkani do not really follow the four-fold varna system,but have recently started claiming higher status.
They are included in the Other Backward Class
Other Backward Class
The Central Government of India classifies some of its citizens based on their social and economic condition as Scheduled Caste , Scheduled Tribe , and Other Backward Class . The OBC list presented by the commission is dynamic and will change from time to time depending on social, educational and...
list of the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
.
- Other backward classes include Kharvi (Koli), BhandariBhandariFor other uses, see Bhandari .Bhandari caste is among the sea-faring warrior castes of ancient and medieval India. They migrated southward from Rajputana in early 1100 and subsequently spread over different parts of India...
, MadvalDhobiThe Dhobi are a caste group found in Pakistan and India who specialize in washing clothes. The word Dhobi is derived from Hindi word dhona, which means to wash. They are found throughout North India, Gujarat, Maharashtra as well as the Punjab province of Pakistan, where they are known as Gazar...
(Rajak,Dhobi), DhangarDhangarThe Dhangar caste is primarily located in the Indian state of Maharashtra...
,Gosavi, Pagui, Shimpi, Teli, Kumbar, Nathjogi, Nhavi (Nai, Nabhik, Napit, Mahalo) (this list also includes Roman Catholic counterparts of few Hindu castes too)
Other religions
In GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, mass conversions were carried out by Portuguese Latin missionaries from the 16th century onwards. The Hindu converts retained their caste practices. The continued maintenance of the caste system among the Christians in Goa is attributed to the nature of mass conversions of entire villages, as a result of which existing social stratification was not affected. The Portuguese colonists, even during the Goan Inquisition, did not do anything to change the caste system. Thus, the original Hindu Brahmins in Goa now became Christian Bamonns
Roman Catholic Brahmin
The Roman Catholic Brahmin, also referred to asBamonn in Konkani, is a caste among the Goan and Mangalorean Catholics, of modern-day descendants of Konkani Brahmin converts to Roman Catholicism.-Origins:In Goa, the Brahmins were originally engaged in the priestly occupation, but had taken up...
and the Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
became Christian noblemen called Chardos
Roman Catholic Kshatriya
The Roman Catholic Kshatriya is a caste among the Goan and Mangalorean Catholics, of modern-day descendants of Goan Kshatriya and a few Vaishya converts to Roman Catholicism. They are respectively known as Chardo in the Goan Catholic dialects of Konkani The Roman Catholic Kshatriya is a caste among...
. The Christian clergy became almost exclusively Bamonn. Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s who converted to Christianity became Gauddos, and Shudra
Shudra
Shudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
s became Sudirs. Finally, the Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
s or "Untouchables" who converted to Christianity became Maharas and Chamars (an appellation of the anti-Dalit ethnic slur Chamaar). The upper caste Gaonkar Christians have demanded that only their community be given positions on the Pastoral Council of Goa's Catholic Church.