Chitrapur Saraswats are a small Konkani-speaking community of

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

s in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. They are traditionally found along the

Kanara Kanara or Canara, also known as Karāvali, is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern Konkan coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka. The subregion comprises thr ...

coast and call themselves ''Bhanaps'' in the Konkani language.

Susan Bayly Susan Bayly is Professor Emerita of Historical Anthropology in the Cambridge University Department of Social Anthropology and a Life Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constit ...

says that they were formed from communities engaged in scribal work and commerce and were of "unclear status" until almost the end of the 18th century when they were "Brahmanised" into a caste by some touring Brahmins or

gurus Guru ( ; IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential figure to the disciple (or '' ...

. Frank Conlon says they are originally from North India.

Origin

Historian

states that the Ramanandis, who opened up to almost any background were responsible for "Brahmanising" groups of unclear status and Chitrapur Saraswats are one such example. Specifically, she states,

History

This is a small community from India spread the world over. They have taken names of villages in Karnataka as surnames. So, their recent history is associated with the State of Karnataka. But some researchers like Bertrand Renaud and Frank Conlon believe they migrated from the banks of River Saraswati in north India. The estimated population of this community is roughly 25,000. The community members refer to themselves as "Bhanaps". The community also has a magazine published every month called ''Kanara Saraswat'' from Mumbai which carries articles by members and other news concerning the community.

Notable people

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (14 December 1934 – 23 December 2024) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. H ...

, film director and screenwriter * Narayan Ganesh Chandavarkar, Indian National Congress politician and Hindu reformer. *

Guru Dutt Guru Dutt (born Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone; 9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964; also known as Gurudatta Padukone) was an Indian film actor, director, producer, choreographer, and writer.Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. 9941998 ...

, film director, producer and actor. *

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian playwright, actor, film director, Kannada writer, and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi films. His rise as a playwr ...

, actor, film director,

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

-language writer *

Radhika Pandit Radhika Pandit (born 7 March 1984) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Kannada films. Among the most popular and highest paid Kannada actresses, she is a recipient of several accolades including three Filmfare Awards South, one Kar ...

, actress who primarily works in

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar ...

. *

Amrita Rao Amrita Rao (born 7 June 1981) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. Known for her quintessential girl-next-door portrayals, Rao is the recipient of several accolades including an IIFA Awards, IIFA Award and two ...

, Bollywood actress *

Karnad Sadashiva Rao Karnad Sadashiva Rao was an Indian independence movement, Indian freedom fighter from what is now Karnataka, India. Rao was born to a wealthy south Indian family in 1881. He studied at Presidency College in Madras and also studied law in Mum ...

, Indian freedom fighter * Benegal Narsing Rau, Indian civil servant, jurist, diplomat, and statesman known for his key role in drafting the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India, legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures ...

* Shripad Subrao Talmaki, social reformer and early pioneer of the cooperative movement in India and known as the father of India's cooperative movement.

References

External links

Kanara Saraswat Association official Website

Chitrapur Math, Shirali

Chitrapurebooks.com
{{Ethnic and social groups of Goa and the Konkan Konkani Mangalorean society Brahmin communities of Karnataka Brahmin communities of Goa

Origin

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links