Pujare, also known as Pujar, Pujara or Pujari, traditionally belonged to the priestly class of the

Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...

community. They are the original inhabitants of

Rameshwar Rameshwar also known as Rameshwar Wadi is a small town located on the coast of Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra on the west coast of India. A very old Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple is located in this town which is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiv ...

in Devgad Taluka of

Sindhudurg Sindhudurg Fort (Marathi pronunciation: in̪d̪ʱud̪uɾɡ is a historical sea fort located in Arabian Sea near the Konkan region of Maharashtra in Western India. The fort, commissioned by Chhatrapati Shivaji, was constructed between 1664 ...

District in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

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 ...

. Their oldest settlement is in

also known as Rameshwar Wadi which is a small village located on the coast of

District of

on the west coast of

. This settlement has been dated back to the 16th century or before. Within the boundaries of this village, a 16th-century Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple is located, which is dedicated to the

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 ...

deity

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. The temple rituals of Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple are performed by the Pujare. They are responsible for performing all the temple rituals, including Puja and

Aarti ''Arti'' () or ''Aarati'' () is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, part of a ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'', in which light from a flame (fuelled by camphor, ghee, or oil) is ritually waved to venerate Hindu deities, deities. ''Arti'' also refers t ...

, as well as taking care of the shivling and

murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...

s. The Pujare act as counselors during Shri Dev Rameshwar festivities and festivals. They have a reputation for being learned and conduct prayer services for Lord Shiva.

is also known for its Alphonso mangoes. Apart from being the priests of the temple, Pujare also own Alphonso mangoes plantation in and around the region. These are few of the age-old plantations in the

Konkan The Konkan is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, bound by the river Daman Ganga at Damaon in the north, to Anjediva Island next to Karwar town in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau to the eas ...

region that are being passed on from generations since the 17th century. As per historical records, as far as 9 generations have been known to be recorded in the region.

Other Settlements

Rameshwar Wadi is the central settlement for Pujare as Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple is located in this village. However, there are large Pujare population in settlements within the Rameshwar Region as well as the surrounding areas. Some of the settlements include Kolwadi, Katye, Hurshi, Padel, Girye, Pural, Nadan and Tirlot.

Ancestry

The oldest records of the Pujare Clan shows Gond Pujara as the father of today's Pujare. the ancestry chart shows 15th Century records which continues right up to today's living Pujare clan members. This clan is not to be mistaken for Poojary of the Karnataka.

References

{{Ethnic and social groups of Goa and the Konkan Kshatriya communities Maratha clans Surnames