The Gaud Saraswat Brahmins {GSB's} of Goa:- >They compose of the (A) GSB's of Goa & Kerala ,

(B) 'Rajapur/Bhavali Mutt affiliated' GSB's ~ emigrants to Konkan, M'rashtra & (C) 'Chitrapur Mutt
affiliated' GSB's ~ emigrants to Canara or Tulunadu. >>(Kudaldeshkar GSB----grouping (D) isn't
considered of "Goan descent" ~ as they were neva domiciled in Our Goa, but; they 've been a part of
Kudal- a region just across Goa's border to the North.
>>> So also grouping(E) i.e Chitpavan or Kokanastha Brahmins are part Konkani spkng/partly
Marathis by domicile. Well a few are also Niz Goeankars(Ethnic Goans).
>>>> Also, all the above 3 groupings A,B &C consists & form 4 ethno-religious groups viz. Goan
Catholic Bamons, Goan Hindu GSB's, Manglorean Konkani Hindu GSB's & Mangy Katholik Baman.
---------------------------------------------------------------------The first migration (700 BC) to Goa by Saraswats was directly from the Saraswat river banks via
Kutch and southwards mostly through sea routes. The three main groups who came to Goa were the
Bhojas, the Chediyas and the Saraswats. These Saraswats in Goa immersed themselves into
farming, fishing and trade. They were from the Bhargava and Angirasa clans and maintained
connections with the Kutch, Sindh and Kashmiri Saraswats. Many from these areas migrated to Goa
in this period in search of greener pastures. The Saraswat Brahmins worked in partnership with the
local indigenous people, the Kunbi tribals who exist still today.
The second wave of immigrants were representatives of the Kaundinya, Vatshya and Kaushika
gotras. They settled at Keloshi (Quelossim) and Kushasthal (Cortalim) and were named after those
villages as Keloshikars and Kushasthalikars. They primarily sought professional careers in the fields
of teaching, writing, and accounting. They established the Magarish temple at Kushathali and Santha
Durga temple at Keloshi. From here they spread to other villages. The main deities which also came
along with them were Mangirish, Mahadeo, Mahalaxmi, Mahalsa, Shantadurga, Nagesh,
Saptakoteshwar besides many others. Gomantak region is dotted with so many Kuladevata Temples
which testify this fact. All the saraswats in Goa at that time were Shavites.
The first group of Gowda Saraswat immigrants from Trihotrapura (around 1000 AD) settled in two
different parts of the Gomantak region. Thirty families were grouped in one commune and sixty six in
other. The first commune was known as Tiswadi meaning 30 villages (modern Tissuary), and the
other Shashatis meaning 66 (modern salcette). The Tiswadi commune was migrants from
Kanyakubja and Shashatis was from Mithila. There is a view that these settlements together were 96
and referred as Sahanavis (Saha means six and Navi means ninety) and later as Shenvis. These
settlelers belonged to 10 Gotras - Bhardwaja, Koushika, Vatshya, Kaundinya, Kashyapa, Vasishtha,
Jamdagni, Vishwamitra, Gautam and Atri. Once settled down, they continued in their traditional
professions of administration and education. Those Saraswats who were intelligent and lucky got
royal patronage and positions in governance in due course of time. But the opportunities in these
familiar professions were limited in Goa at that time. So some enterprising Saraswats branched out
into the practice of trading. The successes of these pioneering Saraswat traders encouraged many
other Saraswats to whole-heartedly adopt trading as a main-stream profession.

There is another version of the story that, """""Lord Parshuram""""" brought 96 families of the
Panchagauda Brahmins from Trihotra (in Bihar) and settled them at Panchakrosha in Kushasthali of
Goa. Such stories are also narrated about settlements of brahmins in Konkan Kanara Coast and
Kerala. This is considered to be more mythology than history as Parasuram, the 6th incarnation of
Vishnu, is a mythological figure and should have lived far earlier than the time of Saraswat migration.
And most probably they arrived in Goa under the leadership of a strong personality named
Parasuram.
Legends say that Lord Parasuram, shot an arrow from the Western Ghats in adjacent Konkan and
the arrow (Baan) landed at the site of Benaulim town. Benaulim also known as Banavali about 40 km
from Panaji and 2 km south of Colva is today a beach resort. Even if the legends are considered only
as myths, today a temple of Parasuram exists in Painguinim village near Benaulim town of Canacona
Taluka in South Goa.
Branching out of Goa
By the 10-11th centuries several Sasasthikar families migrated to Thane and Kalyan (in
Thane,Konkan) and started sea trade. In the 12th century, some Sasasthikar families went south to
Honovar, Bhaktal, Mangalore, Tellicherry and Calicut to setup trade. Around the same time some
Kushathali saraswats went to Gokarn in Canara, purchased land and became landowners in large
scale. Others who followed joined services under Sonde and Vijayanagar kings in Belgaum and
Dharwad areas.
Conversion to Vaishnavism
The Saraswats in Goa originally believed in Smarta tradition. Shri Madhavacharya, founder of Dwaita
philosophy, during his return journey from North India visited Goa in 1294. Attracted by his Dwaita
philosophy, many Sasasthikar saraswats converted to Vaishnavism. The conversion formalities were
completed by Padmanabha Tirtha, who was appointed head of Uttaradi Mutt. During his
chathurmasya he converted large number of the saraswats residing in Sasasthi and Bardesh. His
disciples converted Sasasthikars who had gone to Thane in North and Calicut in South. However,
they did not discard their attachment to the Panchayatana, and the Shaiva gods. Many of their
Kuladevatas are Shaivate (Nagesh, Ramanath) and also connected with Shakti (Shanteri Kamakshi,
Mahalasa).
THE FOUNDING OF GAUDAPADACHARYA OR""" KAVALE MUTT"""
Due to migration and lack of communication facilities, the Saraswats settled in Goa lost contact with
their roots. Being Brahmins, the Saraswats needed a spiritual leader, or Swami. In 740 A.D, at the
request of the Saraswats of Gomantak, Swami Vivarananda of the Gaudapada tradition from
Kashmir founded the Mutt at Kaushasthali and the whole Saraswat community in Goa and Konkan
was the followers of this Mutt. This belonged to the Smarta tradition advocating Adwaitha philosophy
and worshiped Shiva, Vishnu, Ganapathi, Shakthi and Surya.

The original Gaudapadacharya Mutt founded at Kushsthali, was destroyed during the Portuguese
rule in Goa in 1564 AD. The 57th guru Vidyananda Saraswathi and his two successors stayed at
Golvan in Ratnagiri and the 60th guru Ramananda Saraswati at Chindar. His successors Sadananda
Saraswati and Bhavananda Saraswati stayed and attained samadhi at Varanasi and never visited
Goa. The community members earlier approached Bhavananda Saraswati and pleaded with him to
come back to Goa. Bhavananda Swamy (the 62nd Guru) sent his disciple Sachchidanandaswamy
(the 63rd Guru) to revive the mutt in Goa. The Swamy stayed at Sonavade in Ratnagiri till the time
the Mutt at Kavale was ready. The mutt headquarters was shifted to Kaivalyapura near Shantadurga
temple in 1630 AD in the Sonde kingdom and is presently known as Kavale Mutt.The Kavale Mutt is
the oldest of the Mutts of Saraswats. The present pontiff is Swami Sivanda saraswati. The deity
worshipped by the Mutt is Bhavani Shankar.The Kavale Mutt is located at Ponda, Goa.

The rulers of Goa

The various dynasties that controlled Goa during the period were Hindus, the Scytho-parthians (2nd
-4th century AD), the Abhiras, Batpura, and the Bhojas (4th - 6th century AD), the Chalukyas (from
6th - 8th century AD) and the Rashtrakutas of Malkhed (8th to 10th Century AD). This was followed
by the Kadambas (1006 AD-1356 AD).
The Kadambas were unique because they were a local dynasty that slowly came to dominate the
scene by forging alliances with their neighbors and overlords, the Chalukyas. They made
Chandrapur (Chandor) their capital (937 AD to 1310 AD). They subsequently moved their capital to
Govapuri on the banks of the Zuari river, the site of today's Goa Velha. The period of the Kadambas
is considered to be the first golden age of Goa. The death of the last Chalukya king in 1198
weakened their alliance and this exposed Goa to the vulnerability to Muslim invasions that took place
continuously after that.
The history of Saraswats again took a turn due to continued military attacks on Goa.
@@@@@THE FIRST EXODUS FROM GOA (14th - 15th century)
The Saraswats enjoyed peace and prosperity in Goa for 400 years. In 1328, the army of Delhi
Sultans (Tughluqs) following the military campaign by Alla-ud-din Khilji captured the Kadamba capital
Chandrapur (Chandor or Chandargao) which included the Gomantak province and ransacked it.
From 1352 to 1366 AD Gomantak was under the Khilji Rule. This Islamic conquest forced many
GSBs to leave their homes and flee to Canara. In 1370 AD the Vijayanagara empire, a resurgent
Hindu empire conquered the area and held on to Goa for nearly 100 years, during which its harbours
became important centers of foreign trade.
Then in 1472, the Bahamani Muslims of Gulbarga attacked Goa. They destroyed many temples and
forced the Hindus to get converted to Islam. To avoid these insults and religious persecution several
Saraswat families moved to the neighborhood Kingdom of Sonde, more to Canara and a few to even

far off Kochi in Malabar Coast. The migrants carried with them the images of their worshipped
deities. Those Saraswats involved in farming and trading were less willing to abandon their farms
and businesses. They stayed back in Goa and slowly rebuilt their lives as farmers and traders.
To North of Goa .....>>>>>>>>>>>M'rashtra's Konkan
Those families fled to northern Kudal desh in Ratnagiri district (Maharashtra) settled down in Lotli,
Bardesh, Pedne, Rajapur, Balavali, Malwan, Vengurla etc. where they assimilated the local language
and culture. Naturally, with this exodus to distant areas and settling there, these groups lost contacts
among themselves which led to estrangement. In course of time, they came to be known by prefixing
their new locality names. By the end of 14th century, atleast 6 distinct groups came into being and
were known by their new locality names prefixing. They are: Sasashtikars, Shenavis, Bardeshkars,
Pednekars, Lotlikars and Kudaldeshkars.
Most of those who fled to North settled in Rajapur Taluk of Ratnagiri District and came to be known
as Rajapur Saraswats. The descendants of today have their surnames like Bandivadekar, Madkaikar,
Borkar, Sakhalkar, Haldwanekar, Chimbalkar, Navelkar, Marathe, Lotlikar, Salwankar, Karlekar,
Burake, Bhagav, Tendulkar, Patkar, Juvale, Dhonde, Shinkar, Shendre, Bokade, Takur, Gawade,
Potkar, Askekar, Shenai, Gavalkar, Shembekar, Lanjolkar etc. which are the original local village
names of Gomantak found there. Some families took up agriculture and some others who stayed in
the town became traders.The Rajapur Saraswats continued their Smarta tradition and established
temples of their Kuladevathas at Sakalkarwadi near Rajapur Town (Mukhyaprana), Kodvali village
(Datta Mandir). The Gajanana Mandir is another important and beautiful temple situated 24 kms.
away from Rajapur Town. The famous Shrine Nava Durge Temple at Bhalavali is an ancient temple
administered by Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins. In later years these Saraswats migrated to Bombay
and Pune and established themselves in trade and commerce. Rajapur Saraswats are followers of
the Kavale Mutt.
To South of Goa.....>>>> Canara/Tulu Nadu(Udupi-M'lore)
Those migrated to KCnara were both Vaishnavas and Smartas. Among the Smartas were the
Kushashthalis, Keloshikars and Kudaldeshkars, and among the Vaishnavas the Sasashtikars,
Bardeskars and Pednekars.
The Vaishnava sect
The group of Saraswats migrated along the seashore were mainly Vaishnavas and acquired a
reputation for trade and agriculture. There were large settlements at Mangalore and Bhatkal and
smaller settlements at other coastal towns. Under the influence of Shri Narayana Tirtha (who was a
Saraswat) of the Udupi Palimar Mutt during the 15th Century a seperate Mutt was founded for them
in 1476 AD at Bhaktal. This Mutt was later shifted to Gokarn and then to Partagali in Goa and came
to be known as Gokarn-Partagali Mutt. The Vaishnava Saraswats of Goa and most of those from

North Kanara were its followers. Vira Vithala is the deity of the Mutt. Those from Kerala and South
Kanara remained with the Uttaradhi Mutt.
Vira Vittala
The Gokarn-Pratagali Mutt for Vaishnava saraswats has Vira Vittala as the worshipped deity. After
Swamy Jeevottam Tirtha the Mutt is also called Jeevotham Mutt. Present pontiff Vidhyadhiraj Teertha
succeeded to the Peetha in 1973. The Mutt has its headquarters at Partagali, Poinginim, Canacona,
Goa.

The Bhanaps and Chitrapur mutt

The group of Smarta Gowda Saraswats (mainly Kushasthalikar and Keloshikar families) who
migrated to CANARA at the time of the Muslim invasion in the 1400s were mostly the educators and
administrators. This migrant group moved a little inland to North and South Kanara. Their intelligence
and generations-old experience as administrators, allowed some of them to secure prominent
positions as accountants in the courts of the Hindu rulers of the time. One such Hindu king of the
Keladi kingdom, was so impressed by the diligence and skills of his Saraswat accountant, that he
decreed that each village in his kingdom, be administered by a Saraswat. Eventually these
Saraswats took on the name of the village as their last name. Once they had migrated to the Kanara
district, the Shenvis were not able to sustain their unity with the Saraswat Brahmins they had left
behind in Goa. Eventhough they continued to believe in Smarta tradition, their connection with the
Kavale mutt was cutoff since the Kavale mutt at Kushathali was destroyed in 1564 AD and Swamijis
shifted to Varanasi and were not available locally.
Although the Saraswats were well respected as accountants, they were not readily recognized as
true Brahmins by the local Brahmins (due to jealousy), accusing that the Saraswats have no spiritual
guru in reality and complained to the King. So the King issued a decree stating that unless the
community showed them their guru, heavy penalties would be imposed on them. Therefore, the
Shenvis felt that it was necessary to seek a spiritual preceptor for their community. They pleaded
with a Saraswat Sanyasi, Parijananasharma Swamy, visiting from North India, to become their Guru.
He consented to guide the community and established a new Mutt for them in Gokarn in 1708 AD.
The King of Nagar had his prejudices about the new guru. So he asked the Saraswats to get their
Mathadhipati consented by the Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri mutt. Swami Parijnanashrama
travelled to Sringeri to meet the Shankaracharya and the consent was granted. This firmly
established Parijnanashram Swami as the guru of the community. In 1739 AD, the ruler Basavappa
Nayaka II donated land in Gokarn to build a mutt in reverence to their primary deity, Shri
Bhavanishankar.
His successor Shankarasharma Swamy travelled to Chitrapur and attained Samadhi there in 1757
AD. Another Mutt establishment was built in Chitrapur near Shirali in Uttara Kannada and it became
headquarters of the Mutt. This group considered themselves as superior in intellect and cutoff the
connection with other groups in Goa claiming that they are the decendents of Kashmiri Brahmins and

eventually formed their own sub-sect, called the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins (also referred as
Bhanaps after one of their popular caste members) and continued their Smarta tradition.
When the British ruled India, the Bhanaps took to English education earlier than others.
Subsequently, they were able to obtain key jobs at the district offices and the Collectors offices in
Mangalore, Honavar and Karwar. They were also quickly employed as administrators in the Cotton
and Textile export industry in Kumta, Hubli and Dharwad. Many Bhanaps made their way into the
cosmopolitan city of Bombay by the late 1800's.
The worshipped deity of the Chitrapur Mutt is Bhavani Shankar. The present pontiff of the Mutt is
Shrimad Sadyojat Shankarashram.
The Chitrapur saraswats follow Smarta tradition. The Chitrapur Mutt is located at Shirali, Uttar
Kannada Dist.

To South by Sea
Many Saraswats (mainly traders) sailed south from Goa, along the Konkan coast and disembarked
at several ports to start a fresh new life in places such as Ankola, Kumta, Honavar, Bhatkal, Gangoli,
Basrur, Udupi, Mulki, Mangalore, Ullal, Calicut and even as far south as Cochin. This group became
widely dispersed, living in villages and towns all along the Konkan coast.
THE SECOND EXODUS (16th century)
The Saraswats had migrated from Goa during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, but the exodus
became thicker after the entry of the Portuguese from the 16th century. In 1510 A.D, Panaji was
captured by the Portuguese general Alfonso Albuquerque from the Adil Shah dynasty of Bijapur, and
the Portuguese rule was established. At first, the Portuguese did not interfere with the locals,
although they banned the sati rite (burning of widows). They employed Hindus and engaged them in
their armies, and they maintained good trade relations with the Hindu empire of Hampi.
Initially the Hindus were quite happy with the Portuguese rule as they were the ones who liberated
Goa from the tyrannical Sultans. Gradually a steady influx of Christian priests to Goa began and
started conversion to Christianity. The Christian priests were often escorted by Portuguese soldiers
to ward off any cases of violence. Their first targets were the religious priests whom they tried to
convert to Christianity. When met with very little success and encountered stubborn resistance to
their activities, the Portuguese resorted to the use of force. The saraswats who were poor and
belonged to lower strata got converted to christianity and the rich had the power to resist conversion
and stayed back in Goa. Those belonged to the middle class who refused conversion had to flee.
The period from the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in Goa in 1542 AD was far more gruesome. His
initial efforts to conversion achieved limited results. Hence he laid forward a set of new policies and
coerced the Portuguese authorities to accept them. These policies sought not only converted people

to Christianity but also consecrated efforts to destroy the Hindu culture of that region. These new
policies contained Draconian laws that prohibited new temples from being built and barred people
from renovating old ones. The idols and other valuables from temples were looted and then
converted to churches. Goa at that period was literally tainted with the blood of ordinary helpless
Hindus. The official figures show that 280 temples in Berdez and 300 temples in Salcette were
destroyed. The Portuguese built churches in many places where the temples stood. In 1559 A. D,
King Joao III of Portugal issued a decree threatening expulsion or execution of non-believers in
Christianity. They were forced to eat beef. This was perhaps the worst of times seen by the Konkani
people.
Having thrown the idols of their Kula Devatas (resident deities) into wells, thousands of Saraswath
Brahmin families fled to interior Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka. About 12,000 families from the
Sasashti District of Goa, mostly of Saraswats and including Vanis (Vaishyas), Kunbis (cultivators),
Sonars (goldsmiths) and others fled by ships to the southern ports from Honavar to Kozhikode. Many
settled down at these ports, which already contained Saraswat traders and spread into the interior.
About 4,000 went north-east to settle down in Maharashtra and Indore, and others went south to
settle in Karwar and South Kanara. It is said that once tensions died down, the Brahmin men alone
traveled back to their native places and brought back their Kula Devatas. The families who escaped
were never to see Goa again. The last of those who were expelled by the Portuguese from Goa
landed in Calicut, Kerala but were driven out by the Zamorin. And so they went to Cochin and
Travancore. This happened sometime in the year 1560 A. D.
Those settled in Karnataka and Kerala easily adapted to locale. In due course their Kokani became
heavily mixed with local languages. By the end of 17th century there were at least two distinct groups
- Kerala Konkanis (malayalam as the local language) and Mangalore Konkanis (Kannada as the local
language).

GOWDA SARASWAT BRAHMINS (GSB) IN KERALA

The migration of GSBs to Kerala were mainly in two phases - in the 13th century (the exodus of 1294
AD) and subsequently in the 16th century (1560 AD).
Early settlements in Kerala
There are pieces of evidence to prove that stray members of the Saraswat community had their
settlement in Cochin since the early part of 13th century A.D. Owing to certain religious disputes
some Saraswats from Sasasti were forced to leave their native country Konkan with their idols in
1294 A.D. and traveling southward they came to the territory of His Highness the Raja of Cochin.
They formed themselves into a community which they named "Konkanastha Mahajanam" and later
came to be known as Konkanis. The Raja of cochin took them under his protection. An area of land
was given to them and helped to build a Temple and also made arrangements for the conduct of
festivals in the temple built by them. There still remains a plot of land in Cochin called Sastiparambu

to commemorate the fact that the Saraswats of Cochin originally belonged to Sasasti (Salcette). In
Sastiparambu, there is an old temple of Kuladevata Damodar.
Damodar temple at Sasti parambu
Sasti parambu
It is believed that they came to shore through the canal and put their belongings at the place now
called Sasti parambu and went straight to the King. The Raja of Cochin permitted them to stay and
also allotted an area of land now known as Cherlai. This was later renamed as Gosripuram.

The Canal
By 1360 AD there were about 150 families of Saraswats at Tellicherry and most of them were
engaged in trade. Other settlements were at Kasargode, Kumbala, Manjeshwar and Hosdrug. In fact,
Saraswats were already there when Vasco da Gama arrived Calicut in 1498 AD. The GSBs lived
together amongst themselves in Agrahara throughout the State. When the King of Cochin excempted
Saraswats from the levy of poll tax, they came in large numbers and settled at Cochin as traders. In
fact, the 360 families of Saraswats that migrated to Cochin were the pick of the Goa saraswats and
eventually became rich and powerful.
The local Namboothiri Brahmins did not recognise Saraswats as Brahmins and were not allowed
inside the Kerala temples. This was mainly because many saraswats were fish eating and some of
them came to Kerala by sea. In those days crossing the sea was considered inauspicious by the
Brahmins. The GSBs started worshipping their Kuladevatas in homes and settlements, and wanted
to establish own temples. The Kerala GSBs also gave up fish eating to establish as Brahmins.
Patronized by prosperous GSBs, the first GSB temple in South Kerala was established at Cherai,
near Cochin in 1563 AD.
Founding of the Kashi Mutt
Sudheendra Tirtha Swami
The senior Swamiji
Veda vyasa

All the Kerala Saraswats were Vaishnavas and were disciples of the Uttaradi Mutt of Jayatheerth.
Vibhudendra Tirtha, one of the two disciples of Jayatheerth, established a Mutt at Kumbakonam and
Gowda Saraswats of South Kanara and Kerala were transferred to this Mutt. The Cochin Saraswats
invited their junior guru Sri Vijayindra Tirtha (who was a Saraswat Brahmin) of Kumbakonam Mutt to
Cochin for Chathurmasya vrita in 15391540 and requested him to initiate a Saraswat boy among
them to Sanyasa. In 1541, Sri Hanumantha Bhaktha was selected and taken to Kumbakonam. The

new Sanyasin was named Yadavendra Thirtha who eventually became head of the new Kashi Mutt
at Varanasi established in 1542 AD. The people of Cochin helped to buy land at Benaras for the
Mutt. The worshipped deity of this Mutt is Shri Vedavyasa. In 1599 AD, Sri Sudhindra Tirtha of
Kumbhakonam Mutt installed the idol of Venkateswara at Cochin Tirumala Temple. Gradually
Saraswats in other parts of Kerala also installed images of Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity
in their temples and this deity is called Tirumala Devar.
The Kashi mutt has its headquarters at Brahma Ghat, Varanasi. It has branches and establishments
at Prayag, Haridwar, Bhatkal, Basrur, Hemmady, Bantwal, Panambur (Suratkal), Manjeshwar,
Rameshwaram, Karkala, Nayampalli near Udupi, Bhagamandala (Kodagu), Bandora (Goa),
Pallipuram (Kerala), Manchakal, Naravi (near Belthangady), Alleppey, Konchady, Hangarakatte,
Tirupathi, Bangalore and Calicut. The Kashi Mutt is also running schools to foster Sanskrit learning
and train purohits at Karkal and Basrur.
The present senior swamiji had chosen a successor who was later replaced by another in 2002. This
has led to some differences among the community members.
Major migration
The Saraswat migrations reached its peak during the second exodus from Goa (in 1560 AD). Many
of them came to Calicut, but were not welcomed by the Ruler Samoothiri of Calicut. So they moved
still southwards. The first batch settled in Cherai, the area between Azheekal and Elankunnapuzha in
the Vypeen island. In 1565 AD the idol of Lord Varaha brought from Goa by the settlers was installed
at Cherai. In search of trading opportunities, some moved along the sea coast and settled in places
like Alleppey, Purakkad and Kayamkulam. However, the major concentration was in Cochin area.
They called their place of settlement Gosripuram, which is derived from the word Goapuri. They
belonged to the Madhwa cult and had links with the Kumbakonam mutt. The saraswats settled in
Cochin setup temples of their Kuladevtas.
The social life of GSBs was inseperable from the temples and social exchanges with the locals was
limited. Most of the new GSB settlers in Kerala were very poor. However they managed to get Royal
patronage and free land for establishing their temples. Only a few (who migrated in the first phase,
mainly traders in Cochin and Kasargod) were well off. They took control of the temples and the vast
lands associated with it. The poor dispersed further in search of opportunities and doing petty
business like pappad making and cooking. The GSBs thus belonged to 3 classes - businessmen,
landlords and poor.
Venkateswara as presiding deity
Swami Vijayendra Tirtha of Kumbakonam mutt visited Cochin and performed Chaturmasa Vrita
among the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin Community of Cochin. He had a miraculous idol of
Venkateswara with him. Upon seeing the radiance of the idol, the community of Cochin under the
leadership of Sri Mala Pai, requested the idol from the Swamiji. He agreed to hand over the idol in

exchange for a heap of gold coins that would immerse the idol (Kanakabhisheka). A rent-free site
was granted by the Prince of Cochin to build a temple. The Gosripuram temple was constructed and
this Venkateswara idol was permanently installed in the Cochin temple as the main deity of
Saraswats in 1599 AD. The Pratishtha was performed by Swami Sudheendra Tirtha, the disciple of
Swami Vijayindra Tirtha. This idol has a major role in the events to come. click for origin of the
Venkateswara idol.
Gradually saraswats residing in other parts of Kerala also installed the images of Venkateswara as
presiding deity in their temples.
Major Events and Activities
In 1627 A.D, Vira Kerala Varma Raja of Cochin gave the Konkanis certain rights and privileges such
as excemption from payment of Purushantharam or succession fee, permision to construct houses
with bricks mortar and wood and also to conduct business from Cochin with foreign countries. This is
considered as the magna carta of the Konkani community in Kerala. After this the Saraswats
became supreme in trade and commerce. Again in 1648 A.D, the Raja of Cochin, Vira Kerala Varma,
gave the community the civil and criminal powers to be exercised by them within the well-defined
boundary of their settlement called Sanketam. The Saraswats could secure all these privileges in
Cochin because of their skill and ability as overseas traders.
During the second half of the 17 Century AD while the portuguese were dominating Cochin, the
Dutch made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the Fort at Cochin from the Portuguese. The
Konkanis who rendered assistance to the Dutch were tortured by the Portuguese and their houses,
markets and temple known as Cochin Tirumala Devaswom were plundered. The Konkanis left
Cochin along with the Venkateswara idol to a place called Udayamperur and remained there till Jan
1663. When the Portuguese surrendered to the Dutch, the Konkanis came back to Cochin and
reconstructed the Cochin temple. The second Prathistha of Lord Venkatesvara was performed in the
reconstructed temple at Cochin during the year 1719 AD. The consecration took place at the hands
of Swami Devendra Tirtha, the sixth pontiff of Sree Kashi Mutt Samsthan.
While the Konkanies were at Udayamperur where they remained as refugees without shelter, they
took a pledge to spread their habitation in sixteen places, eight in Cochin Kingdom and eight in
Travancore area thereby building sixteen Tirumala Devaswoms and calling each place a gramam.
According to the Grandavari records in Cochin Archives, the Dutch company had secured in 1663
the privilege of extra-territoriality for the Konkanis and Christians in the Cochin kingdom. The
privilege permitted the Konkani and the local Christian subjects of the Cochin prince for trial of all
suits filed by these people or against these people, in the Courts of the Dutch Company. They
secured this privilege because Konkanis were the people whose help the Dutch needed most for
their commercial transactions, and the local Christians because they were the co-religionists of the
Dutch. The Saraswats competed with the Jaina traders and the Muslim Mopla traders on the West
Coast in their overseas trade. The Europeans especially the Dutch and the Portuguese, who disliked

the local Muslims for their close alliance with Arabs who were the rivals of these Europeans in
oceanic trade, maintained special relations with the Saraswats in their commercial transactions. The
Dutch who founded their factory at Cochin and monopolized the trade of the port relied on the
Saraswats for securing goods like pepper, rice, forest products etc.
The Dutch had settled in Cochin at the full tide of Konkani predominance. The Dutch had given them
the right to collect income from Mattancherry and Cherlai, to collect farms and customs of Amaravati
and to conduct the affairs of Mattancherry and Cherlai and of Konkani temples. In the agreement
made in 1772 with the Raja of Cochin, the Dutch had also stipulated that the Raja shall impose no
new demand on the Konkanis that they shall have full liberty to complain to the Dutch Governor, if
aggrieved, and that the Raja shall not interfere in any matters of the temple without the knowledge
and consent of the Company.
The story of Kalaga Prabhu
Baba Prabhu was the foremost among the konkani merchants in Cochin. David Rahabi, a Jew
business man and attorney in Malabar was close friend of the Prabhu and left his son young
Ezechiel in charge of the Prabhus who had initiated the young jew to business. In 1752 Ezechiel
Rahabi started partnership business with a prominent merchant Kalaga Prabhu. Unfortunately for
Prabhu, he was indebted to Ezechiel and in 1770, Ezechiel took over a warehouse of Prabhu as part
of payment of the debt without consulting the Prabhu. Kalaga Prabhu then approached the Governer,
who ordered the Ezechiel to return the keys to Prabhu. The keys were returned and Ezechiel kept
away from the disputed warehouse till Ezechiel was dead. On 11-11-1771, a sensational law suit
began between the three sons of Ezechiel and Kalaga Prabhu. Kalaga Prabhu then entered into
correspondence with the generals of Hyder Ali with the aim of humiliating the Raja of Cochin and the
Jews of Cochin. The correspondence was detected in time and Kalaga Prabhu and his son Chorda
Prabhu were caught and exiled with their families for life to Cape of Good Hope. This last known
man of a great konkani family was the first Indian to settle in South Africa.
Kalaga Prabhu had earlier constructed a temple at Cherlai with granite stones. The temple was
dedicated to Lord Siva and worshipped as Vasukewara which was later renamed as Keraleswara. It
is believed that the linga of Siva was brought by him from the shores of Rameswaram.
After the exile, the Dutch sold at public auction all properties of Kalaga Prabhu including the
Keraleswara temple. The temple and the property of Kalaga were purchased by one Nagaresa who
entrusted the temple to the Raja of Cochin. However, the Raja of Cochin in 1790 handed over the
management of the Keraleswara temple to Cochin Tirumala Devaswom.
Sakthan Thampuran & Persecution
In 1791, shortly after ascending throne the new Raja of Cochin, known in Cochin history as Sakthan
Thampuran, demanded a contribution of jaggery from the Konkanies and made an injunction not to
allow gathering of crops on Devaswom Kanam fields. On refusal, the Raja arrested a number of

Konkani merchants and ordered them to pay customs to the king thereby violating the agreement
which the Dutch had made in the year 1772. Letters were exchanged between the Raja of Cochin
and the Dutch Governor, and the Dutch have determined to station a military detachement at Cherlai
to protect them, and insisted on recall of Raja's guards stationed there. The relation of Konkanis with
the Raja continued non-cordial. The also demanded 30,000 varahans from Cochin Tirumala
Devaswom and that on refusal the trustees of the Devaswom were imprisoned. In order to get them
released the Konkanies closed down all business establishments in Vypeen and Mattancherry as a
protest against his high handedness.
On 12th October 1791 the leading merchants of the Konkani community were massacred including
Devaresa Kini, Krishen, Goga Kamath, Manuku Shenoi and Nagendra. Again, the Raja of Cochin
caused three overseers of Temple Tirumala Devasom to be put to death because they won't
surrender to him any part of the treasure belonging to it, and also plundered the shops and carried
away the merchant's property. The Duth on seeing the Raja's atrocities sent an army and attacked
the King's Palace at Mattancherry, but were repulsed. The Raja plundered the temple of Tirumala
belonging to the community and looted the wealth estimated at over Rs. 1,60,000 from the temple
alone.
The king of Travancore was exceedingly angry to hear about the massacre. Both Devaresa and
Nagendra, the sons of Ranga Pai, were his agents and between them took care of a great deal of his
money. He intervened and urged the Dutch to take vengeance and to pay him a proper
compensation. But the English (Mr. Powney, the English company's agent) in Travancore intervened,
and the King had to withdraw from the dispute.
The exodus and the Tirumala deity click for origin of the Venkateswara idol.
Tirumala devarThe persecuted Konkanies then fled in country boats to Thuravoor and Alleppey in
Travancore state in 1792 A.D and presented their grievances to the Raja of Travancore thru Dewan
Kesavadas who assured them that he would bring about their return to and stay at Cochin as before
and in the interim allowed them to stay at Alleppey. They have also carried the Tirumala devar idol
from Cochin with them. At Alleppey, they installed the Tirumala Devar, in the Agrasala of the
Venkatachalapathy Temple (old tirumala temple) and worshiped. In 1852, as desired by the
Travancore Maharaja, a separate temple was constructed at Anantha Narayana Puram (about 1 Km
from the previous temple) and the deity was installed there. With the settlement of Cochin Konkanies
at Alleppey, the place began to develop into a center of commerce. The konkanis built 'Pandikasala'
and started doing extensive business. A new port of Alleppey came into being with better harbour
facilities. The Tirumala deity was considered a good fortune for the area where it is located.
After the death of Sakthan Thampuran in 1805 AD, Raja Kerala Varma who succeded him took keen
interest in the local GSB community and addressed their grievances. He was genuinely interested in
Cochin GSBs demand to get the deity back to Cochin. He even addressed a letter to Col. Munro
(1816 A.D) wherein he stated that "as the rheumatic and hermein disease which We have been
suffering from, has grown more serious now and since no visible cure has been affected not

withstanding that several physicians have treated the disease and, on consulting astrologers, it turns
out that We have incurred the severest displeasure of the Cochin Tirumala Deity and that the
disease will be cured if the Tirumala Deity is returned to Cochin, consecration effected and the
poojas commenced....". The Raja therefore requested Col. Munro to use his good offices for
restoration of the image in question to Cochin; But the request was turned down by the then resident
as a result of urgent representation of Travancore officers that the presence of the image was
considered to be intimately connected with the prosperity of the Port of Alleppey.
The desperate Cochin Konkanies planned recovery of the deity by hook or crook. They masterminded a strategy to smuggle the idol from Alappuzha to Cochin. Ultimately the idol was
clandestinely brought back to Cochin on the midnight of 7th Feb 1853 (just 10 months after it was
installed in the new temple). It was taken out of the Alleppey Ananthanarayana puram Temple at
night in a basket coverd by Naivedyam (the main Purohit dislodged the idol from its resting place in
the Girbhagriha and hid it among his share of offerings) and carried to Cochin by country boat via
Aroor, beyond which was the Cochin State. The people of Alleppey came to know about this only in
the next morning by the time the idol was beyond the Travancore State boundary and could not do
anything.
Since it was believed that the Raja of Cochin had his hand in the Robbery, the Maharaja of
Travancore put in a lengthy complaint with the governor of Fort, St. George through the resident,
Trivandrum for the restitution of the idol in question, and the whole matter was referred to the Hon.
Court of Madras, and a long drawn out suit ensued between the two states, Cochin and Tranvancore.
The Konkanies of Cochin got through all ordeals and finally the Idol was duly reinstated in the Cochin
Temple itself.
The 20th century and Rise of middle class
In the early 20th century, the rich temple Devaswoms started schools near the temples at places like
Cochin, Thuravoor, Alleppey etc. During and after the first world war, many GSBs doing petty
business utilised the business opportunities and made quick bucks. They realised the benefits of
literacy and educated their children. Basically good in Mathematics and Commerce many of these
children managed to get jobs as teachers, clerks and accountants. The founding of Canara Bank (in
1910) and the Syndicate Bank (in 1925) by GSBs of Mangalore and Udupi, gave employment to
most of the educated GSB youths of Kerala until the nationalisation of banks. This resulted in a
steady improvement in the economic conditions and social status of the poor class. Majority of them
became middle class by the sixties. From the concentrated pockets, they migrated to other towns
and villages and became dispersed.
The introduction of Kerala Land Reforms Act in 1963 relating to the fixation of ceiling on land
holdings, the vesting of lands in excess of the ceiling in Government, abolition of tenancy system and
assignment of proprietary right on land to the cultivating tenants changed the fate of the temples and
many GSBs. The landlords lost much of their land and the vast lands attached to the temples were

taken over by the government. With deteriorating income most of the temples (except a few) now
struggle for existence.