Caste system in Goa

The caste system in Goa consists of various Jātis or sub-castes found among Hindus belonging to the four varnas (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra), as well as those outside of them. A variation of the traditional Hindu caste system was also retained by the Goan Catholic community.

Hindu caste system

According to the Gazetteer of India, Union Territory: Goa, Daman and Diu, Part I which looks at Goa (published in 1979) the "chief castes" found in Goa are:

Brahman

Pancha Gauda Brahmins

Saraswat Brahmins are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir and Punjab in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara (coastal region of Karnataka) and Kerala in South India.The word Saraswat is derived from the Rigvedic Sarasvati River.

- Gaud Saraswat Brahmins popularly known as GSBs. They are landowning though most were engaged in clerical jobs, trade, priests and landlords.
- Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahman were landowning class generally associated with agriculture and trade.
- Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin were associated with trade.
- Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin also known as Bhalavalikar Saraswat Brahmins.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Pancha Dravida Brahmins
- The two sub-castes was known as the Padye Brahmins and Bhatt Prabhus, popularly known as "Bhatt" and "Prabhu" respectively, they generally associate themselves with Karhade Brahmins. They are landowning castes and were engaged as temples priests and in agriculture, some into money lending.^[4]
- Chitpavan Brahmins also known as Konkanastha Brahman are priests, few in area like Sattari are landowners and work in other professions.^[4]
- Kramavanta Joshi or Kriyavant Joshi, they were a class of priests who officiated Hindu funeral ceremony and were looked down upon by the above-mentioned castes.

96 Kuli Maratha

Kshatriyas of Goa historically belonged to different clans, and they were collectively referred to as Chardo prior to the Portuguese rule in Goa.

Historian and Journalist B.D. Satoskar has cited Shenoi Goembab Konkani Author and Grammerian had said that "The Konkani word Chardo comes from the Sanskrit word Chatur-Rathi & the Prakrit word Chau-radi literally means The one who rides a chariot yoked with four horses, like Maha-Rathi for the origin of the word 'Maratha'.Chatur-rathi have entered Goa through Dwaraka & Cheddis."^[1]

The term Chardo fell into disuse among the Hindu Kshatriyas, in order to differentiate from those Kshatriyas who converted to Catholic Christianity. Later, the Hindus Kshatriyas began to identify themselves as Marathas of the Mahratta confederacy of the Deccan.^[1])

Vaishya Vani

Vaishya/Vaishya Vani: are the traditional community of traders, and are commonly known as Vanis.

Daivadnya

Daivadnya Brahmins are popularly known as Shetts, they mainly work as jewellers.They are Mahajan of Kasarpali Kalika devi Temple in Bicholim . They're Forward Caste^[5]^[6]^[4]

Bhandaris

B.D. Satoskar notes that the Naik/Hetkari subcaste of the Bhandari community from the Konkan region served as naval warriors during the Maratha kingdom, with Mainak Bhandari being a notable naval commander. In later periods, members of this community also served in the British Army. Traditionally, their primary occupation has been toddy tapping. The Bhandari community is classified under the Other Backward Class (OBC) and is one of the largest social groups in Goa.

Kalavants

Commonly known as Kalavants and now known as Gomantak Maratha Samaj is a group of various sub-castes who served the temples and the aristocrats in the olden days. Gomantak Maratha is relatively a new ameliorative name (coined in the late 20th century ^[1]) given to these groups for uniting and emancipating them.^[7]

Artisan castes

These include Charis, Chitaris who call themselves Vishwakarma Manu Maya Brahmin, Sutars and Kasars. They are included in the Other Backward Class list of the Government of India. Rest of castes generally referred to as Shudras or Sudirs in Konkani do not really follow the four-fold varna system, but have recently started claiming higher status. Most of them have been practicing different occupations historically and now are categorized as Other Backward Class by Govt of Goa, these include Madval (Rajak, Dhobi), Gosavi , Shimpi, Khumbar, Teli, Nathjogi, this list also includes Roman Catholic counterparts of few Hindu castes too].^[4]^[8]

Scheduled Castes of Goa

Following castes are commonly known as Dalits.

Bhangi, Chambhar (Hadi), Mahar, Mahyavanshi (Vankar), Mang

Scheduled Tribes of Goa

Kunbi, Gavda, Velip. The Gauda and Kunbi are considered as aboriginals.*Dhodia (Halpati, Naikda (Nayaka), Siddi, Varli .

Historically outside Comunidade

Dhangars

Dhangar, also referred as Gouly or Gavli, is the state's only ancient pastoral community. In Goa under colonialism, the community kept away from the rest of society as they wanted to escape the grazing tax and the ban on Kumeri (shifting cultivation) introduced by the Portuguese Empire. Dhangar leaders claim that they had fled to remote hilly and forested areas to avoid religious persecution and religious conversion. They were not part of the comunidade anywhere in Goa. It is claimed that throughout the Portuguese rule in Goa they were so insulated that not a single Dhangar was converted to Christianity.^[9] Their knowledge and experience of deep forests played a major part in finding specific locations to build forts for the Maratha kingdom to flourish. A study carried out by Government of Goa in 2013 stated that the community had a unique identity, and are known for their martial prowess.^[10]^[9]^[11]^[12] In Goa, they are classified in the Other Backward Classes category in India's system of reservation.^[13]

Christianity

In Goa, mass conversions were carried out by Portuguese Catholic missionaries from the 1510 conquest onwards. The Portuguese clergy imposed Portuguese surnames on the converts at the time of baptism so that it would be difficult to ascertain their original caste. The Portuguese authorities also suppressed untouchability among the converts and attempted to homogenize them into a single class.^[14]^[15]

However, the converts retained a variation of their caste status based on patrilineal descent from their previous caste affiliations. All Brahmin sub-castes (Saraswats, Padyes and Daivadnyas) were merged into the Christian caste of Bamonns (Konkani: Brahmins).^[16] The converts from the Kshatriya and Vaishya Vani castes were merged together as Chardos (Kshatriyas)^[16] and those Vaishyas who did not become Chardos formed a new caste called Gauddos.^[17] The converts from all the lower castes, as well as the previously Dalit and adivasi groups, were grouped together as Sudirs, equivalent to Shudras.^[18]^[19] The Bamonns, Chardos and Gauddos have been hierarchically seen as the high castes in the Goan Christian society.^[20]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Gomantak Prakruti ani Sanskruti" by B.D. Satoskar.
^ Sinai Dhume, Anant Ramkrishna (1986). The Cultural History of Goa from 10000 B.C. to 1352 A.D. University of Michigan.
^ Mitragotri, Vithal Raghavendra (1999). A Socio-cultural History of Goa from the Bhojas to the Vijayanagara. Panjim: Institute Menezes Braganza.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gomes Pereira, Rui (1978). Goa: Hindu temples and deities (translated from the original in Portuguese by Antonio Victor Couto). Pereira, 1978. pp. 1–231.
^ Rajendran, S. Survey Report on Village: Goa, Daman & Diu. Director of Census Operations, functions Goa, for Daman & Diu: CPublications. p. 10.
^ Ghurye, Govind Sadashiv (1969). Caste and Race in India. Popular library of Indian sociology and social thought. Popular Prakashan. pp. 449. ISBN 9788171542055.
^ Gracias, Fatima da Silva. Kaleidoscope of women in Goa, 1510-1961. p. 80.
^ "Central list of other backward classes". Archived from the original on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
^ ^a ^b Herald, Team (24 October 2013). "Dhangars-Gouly treated like outsiders, says report". Goa. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020.
^ Kerkar, Rajendra (11 January 2019). "Tribal tag for Dhangars long pending". Goa. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020.
^ Draxe, M. J. (1987). The dange dhangars of Kolhapur district: A sociological study (PDF) (PhD). Shivaji University. p. 71.
^ Singh, L. K. (2008). Indian Cultural Heritage Perspective For Tourism. Asian Educational Services. p. 57. ISBN 9788182054752.
^ Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Goa (Report). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
^ Boxer, C. R. (1963). Race Relations in the Portuguese Colonial Empire, 1415-1825. Oxford Clarendon Press. p. 75.
^ Prabhu, Alan Machado (1999). Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians. I.J.A. Publications. ISBN 978-81-86778-25-8.
^ ^a ^b Gune, Vithal Trimbak; Goa, Daman and Diu (India). Gazetteer Dept (1979). "Gazetteer of the Union Territory Goa, Daman and Diu: district gazetteer, Volume 1" (Document). Gazetteer Dept., Govt. of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu. p. 238.
^ Gomes, Olivinho (1987). Village Goa: a study of Goan social structure and change. S. Chand. p. 78.
^ Muthukumaraswamy, M. D.; University of Madras. Dept. of Anthropology; National Folklore Support Centre (India) (2006). Muthukumaraswamy, M. D.; University of Madras. Dept. of Anthropology; National Folklore Support Centre (India) (eds.). Folklore as discourse. National Folklore Support Centre. ISBN 978-81-901481-6-0. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
^ Bhargava, Gopal K.; Bhatt, S. C. (2006). Land and people of Indian states and union territories (Goa). Kalpaz Publications. p. 39.
^ Gomes, Olivinho (1987). Village Goa: a study of Goan social structure and change. S. Chand. p. 79.