Mudartha
Encyclopedia
Mudartha is a unique family name which is to be found among some of the Mangalorean Catholics that hail from the Udupi district in Dakshina Kannada
.
The ancestors of the Mudarthas are believed to have originated from the Assagao and Anjuna
villages of the Bardez
district in northern Goa
. In his historical and genealogical work on the Mudarthas, History of the Mudarthas (1996), Prof. Wilfred D’Souza traces the origin of the Mudarthas to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins who gradually migrated from Kashmir
to Goa from the 2nd century BC. He states that while the names of these Brahmin ancestors of the Mudartha are not known, oral tradition has it that their ancestral surname is Prabhu
from the male side and Shenoy
from the female side.
A legend dictates that one girl from the Shenoy family of Calangute
got married to a boy from Prabhu family of Assagao and their family was converted to Roman Catholicism during the middle of the 16th century.
The original Goud Saraswat Brahmin settlers of Assagao were known as Mudras. When the Portuguese began their conversion activities, most Mudras fled with the idols of their families to the North and settled in different parts of Southern Maharashtra
. Those who remained in Bardez became Catholics and came to be called Mudots. The earliest Mudots migrated to South Canara
to escape a famine in 1591 and settled down first in the Balegundi area of Belman
, where they eventually came to known as Mudarthas. Gradually, some of these Mudarthas moved towards Shirva
and Moodubelle
.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, most of the Mudarthas changed their surname to D’Souza
. According to Mangalorean genealogist Michael Lobo, the known D'Souza-Mudartha clans include the D'Souza family of Belman; D'Souza family of Bendore; D'Souza family of Kirem; D'Souza family of Moodubelle; D'Souza family of Mulki; D'Souza family of Pakshikere
; D'Souza family of Pezar; D'Souza family of Pilar; and the D'Souza family of Shirva.
Dakshina Kannada
- Geography :The district geography consists of sea shore in the west and Western Ghats in the east. The major rivers are Netravathi, Kumaradhara, Phalguni, Shambhavi, Nandini or Pavanje and Payaswini which all join Arabian sea. Vast areas of evergreen forests which once covered this district, have...
.
The ancestors of the Mudarthas are believed to have originated from the Assagao and Anjuna
Anjuna
Anjuna is a village in Goa, one of the twelve Brahmin comunidades of Bardez.Its church, St. Michael's Church, Anjuna, founded in 1595, is dedicated to S. Miguel, and celebrates the feasts of S. Miguel and Nossa Senhora Advogada . There are three large chapels in the parish: the one to S...
villages of the Bardez
Bardez
Bardez is the name of a region and taluka in North Goa. The name is credited to the Brahmin immigrants who migrated to the Konkan via Magadha in Gangetic India from Aryavarta, in the north-western part of the Indian sub-continent. Bardez or more properly Bara desh means "twelve countries"...
district in northern Goa
Goa
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...
. In his historical and genealogical work on the Mudarthas, History of the Mudarthas (1996), Prof. Wilfred D’Souza traces the origin of the Mudarthas to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins who gradually migrated from Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
to Goa from the 2nd century BC. He states that while the names of these Brahmin ancestors of the Mudartha are not known, oral tradition has it that their ancestral surname is Prabhu
Prabhu
Prabhu means master or the supreme lord in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God.The term is also used by male devotees of the hindu deity Lord Krishna/Vishnu as a title and form of address. If a man sees another male devotee whom he does not know, he will...
from the male side and Shenoy
Shenoy
Shenoy is a common surname amongst the Goud Saraswat Brahmins and Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins. It is the most common surname among the Goud Saraswat Brahmins.-Etymology:...
from the female side.
A legend dictates that one girl from the Shenoy family of Calangute
Calangute
Calangute is a census town with a permanent population of approximately 16,000 in North Goa, in the state of Goa, India. It is famous for its beach, the largest in north Goa, visited by thousands of domestic and international tourists alike. The peak tourist season is during Christmas and New...
got married to a boy from Prabhu family of Assagao and their family was converted to Roman Catholicism during the middle of the 16th century.
The original Goud Saraswat Brahmin settlers of Assagao were known as Mudras. When the Portuguese began their conversion activities, most Mudras fled with the idols of their families to the North and settled in different parts of Southern Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. Those who remained in Bardez became Catholics and came to be called Mudots. The earliest Mudots migrated to South Canara
South Canara
South Canara was a district under the British empire, located at . It was bifurcated in 1859 from Canara district. It was the undivided Dakshina Kannada district...
to escape a famine in 1591 and settled down first in the Balegundi area of Belman
Belmannu
Belmannu is a small town in Karkala taluk of Udupi district. It is also called Belman.The place derived its name from the Kannada word 'Bili Mannu' which means white soil....
, where they eventually came to known as Mudarthas. Gradually, some of these Mudarthas moved towards Shirva
Shirva
Shirva is a village in Udupi taluk of Udupi district. The village is known locally for cultivation of flowers, especially Jasmine, called Mallige in Tulu language spoken by locals...
and Moodubelle
Moodubelle
Belle is a town in Karnātakā, a Southern state of India, located between Western Ghats and Arabian Sea. This territory belongs to Udupi District, and shares its borders with Shirva, Pamboor, Katapady, Udupi, Manipal and Kanajar .-Overview:...
.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, most of the Mudarthas changed their surname to D’Souza
Sousa
-Surname:*Sousa *John Philip Sousa, American bandleader and composer, writer of America's national march*Francis Newton Souza, Indian artist and founding member of the Progressive Artists' Group of Bombay...
. According to Mangalorean genealogist Michael Lobo, the known D'Souza-Mudartha clans include the D'Souza family of Belman; D'Souza family of Bendore; D'Souza family of Kirem; D'Souza family of Moodubelle; D'Souza family of Mulki; D'Souza family of Pakshikere
Pakshikere
Pakshikereis a hamlet on Haleyangady to Kinnigoli route. This hamlet is situated in Mangalore taluk of Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India. Pakshikere in Kannada literally means bird's lake or lake of birds...
; D'Souza family of Pezar; D'Souza family of Pilar; and the D'Souza family of Shirva.
External links
- My name is Mudartha — Blog post at Cspalsh.com