Bhavabhūti ( Devanagari : भवभूति) was an 8th-century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit . His plays are considered the equal of the works of Kalidasa . He is known as "Poet of Karun Rasa" for his work named as Uttararamacarita .
133-663: Bhavabhuti was born in Padmapura, tah. Aamgaon, at Gondia district,in Maharashtra. He was born in a Deshastha Brahmin family of scholars. He is described as a scion of the Yāyāvara family, bearing the surname Udumbara. His Kāśyapa brahmin ancestors adhered to the Black Yajurveda and kept the five sacred fire. His real name was Srikantha Nilakantha , and he was the son of Nilakantha and Jatukarni. He received his education at 'Padmapawaya',
266-478: A retroflex lateral flap ळ ( ḷa ) and alveolar ल ( la ). It shares this feature with Punjabi . For instance, कुळ ( kuḷa ) for the Sanskrit कुलम् ( kulam , 'clan') and कमळ ( kamaḷ ) for Sanskrit कमलम् ( kamalam 'lotus'). Marathi got ळ possibly due to long contact from Dravidian languages; there are some ḷ words loaned from Kannada like ṭhaḷak from taḷaku but most of
399-555: A "scheduled language". The Government of Maharashtra has applied to the Ministry of Culture to grant classical language status to Marathi language, which was approved by the Government of India on 3 October 2024. The contemporary grammatical rules described by Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad and endorsed by the Government of Maharashtra are supposed to take precedence in standard written Marathi. Traditions of Marathi Linguistics and
532-468: A book "Bhavbhuti ab geeton mein" (Bhavbhuti, now in his songs), he also has published some audio CDs and cassettes to keep the legend's memories alive. "Bhavbhuti Rang Mandir" has also been constructed at Gondia City in the Honour of Poet Bhavbhuti . State's local TV channel, Sahyadri and E TV Marathi telecasts some documentaries on the life of this great poet. People and some non-profit groups have erected
665-497: A celibate life, live off alms, consume selected vegetarian saatvic food and observe considerable austerity in behaviour and deeds. Though such practices are not followed in modern times by a majority of Deshasthas, all Deshasthas boys undergo the sacred thread ceremony. Many still continue to get initiated around eight years of age. Those who skip this get initiated just before marriage. Twice-born Deshasthas perform annual ceremonies to replace their sacred threads on Narali Purnima or
798-605: A few statues in the region where the poet was there once . Deshastha Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and North Karnataka . Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh , Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Brahmins are also concentrated in the states of Telangana (which was earlier part of Hyderabad State and Berar Division ) , Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (Which
931-618: A grant by the Hoysalas . These inscriptions suggest that Prakrit was a standard written language by the 12th century. However, after the Gaha Sattasai there is no record of any literature produced in Marathi until the late 13th century. After 1187 CE, the use of Marathi grew substantially in the inscriptions of the Yadava kings, who earlier used Kannada and Sanskrit in their inscriptions. Marathi became
1064-552: A part of the Mahabharata translation is available and the entire Ramayana translation is lost. Shridhar Kulkarni came from the Pandharpur area and his works are said to have superseded the Sanskrit epics to a certain extent. This period also saw the development of Powada (ballads sung in honour of warriors), and Lavani (romantic songs presented with dance and instruments like tabla). Major poet composers of Powada and Lavani songs of
1197-425: A place some 42 km South-West of Gwalior . Dayananidhi Paramahansa is known to be his guru . He composed his historical plays at 'Kalpi', a place on banks of river Yamuna . He is believed to have been the court poet of king Yashovarman of Kannauj . Kalhana , the 12th-century historian, places him in the entourage of the king, who was defeated by Lalitaditya Muktapida , king of Kashmir, in 736 AD. The play
1330-586: A platform for sharing literary views, and many books on social reforms were written. The First Marathi periodical Dirghadarshan was started in 1840. The Marathi language flourished, as Marathi drama gained popularity. Musicals known as Sangeet Natak also evolved. Keshavasut , the father of modern Marathi poetry published his first poem in 1885. The late-19th century in Maharashtra saw the rise of essayist Vishnushastri Chiplunkar with his periodical, Nibandhmala that had essays that criticised social reformers like Phule and Gopal Hari Deshmukh . He also founded
1463-470: A range of styles are preferred. For example, the Deshastha Shiv Sena politician Manohar Joshi and former Chief Minister of Maharashtra prefers white fine khadi kurtas , while younger men prefer modern western clothes such as jeans . In the past, caste or social disputes used to be resolved by joint meetings of all Brahmin sub-caste men in the area. Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins still recite
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#17328632466441596-512: A separate language dates to approximately 3rd century BCE: a stone inscription found in a cave at Naneghat , Junnar in Pune district had been written in Maharashtri using Brahmi script . The Gaha Sattasai is an ancient collection of poems composed approximately 2,000 years ago in ancient Marathi also known as Maharashtri Prakrit or simply Maharashtri . It is a collection of poetry attributed to
1729-453: A special department for Marathi. Marathi Day is celebrated on 27 February, the birthday of the poet Kusumagraj (Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar). Standard Marathi is based on dialects used by academics and the print media. Indic scholars distinguish 42 dialects of spoken Marathi. Dialects bordering other major language areas have many properties in common with those languages, further differentiating them from standard spoken Marathi. The bulk of
1862-760: A stir in Marathi literature with its passionate depiction of a cruel society and thus brought in new momentum to Dalit literature in Marathi. Gradually with other writers like Namdeo Dhasal (who founded Dalit Panther ), these Dalit writings paved way for the strengthening of Dalit movement. Notable Dalit authors writing in Marathi include Arun Kamble , Shantabai Kamble , Raja Dhale , Namdev Dhasal , Daya Pawar , Annabhau Sathe , Laxman Mane , Laxman Gaikwad , Sharankumar Limbale , Bhau Panchbhai , Kishor Shantabai Kale , Narendra Jadhav , Keshav Meshram , Urmila Pawar , Vinay Dharwadkar, Gangadhar Pantawane, Kumud Pawde and Jyoti Lanjewar. In recent decades there has been
1995-767: A system of patronage for Brahmin scholars. The most prominent Deshastha Brahmin families during the Peshwa rule were The Pant Pratinidhis , The Vinchurkars , The Purandares , The Gandekars (Pant Sachiv family) and The Bavadekars . During the Peshwa era, The lack of administrative positions forced Deshastha and other literate groups to find opportunities elsewhere in India such as the Guntur area in present-day Andhra Pradesh . Historian Govind Sakharam Sardesai lists 163 prominent families that held high ranks and played significant roles in politics, military and finance in 18th century Pune,
2128-476: A treatise in Marathi on Bhagawat Gita popularly called Dnyaneshwari and Amrutanubhava . Mukund Raj was a poet who lived in the 13th century and is said to be the first poet who composed in Marathi. He is known for the Viveka-Siddhi and Parammruta which are metaphysical, pantheistic works connected with orthodox Vedantism . The 16th century saint-poet Eknath (1528–1599) is well known for composing
2261-559: A trend among Marathi speaking parents of all social classes in major urban areas of sending their children to English medium schools . There is some concern that this may lead to the marginalisation of the language. Marathi is primarily spoken in Maharashtra and parts of neighbouring states of Gujarat (majorly in Vadodara , and among a small number of population in Surat ), Madhya Pradesh (in
2394-485: A vehicle for the propagation of religion and culture. Mahanubhava literature generally comprises works that describe the incarnations of gods, the history of the sect, commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita , poetical works narrating the stories of the life of Krishna and grammatical and etymological works that are deemed useful to explain the philosophy of sect. The 13th century Varkari saint Dnyaneshwar (1275–1296) wrote
2527-478: Is priesthood and the Kulkarni Vatan (village accountants). They also pursued secular professions such as writers, accountants, moneylenders and also practised agriculture. In historic times a large number of Deshasthas held many prominent positions such as Peshwa , Diwan , Deshpande (district accountants), Deshmukh , Patil , Gadkari , Desai , and Nirkhee (who fixed weekly prices of grains during
2660-817: Is a common Kuladaivat to several castes ranging from Brahmins to Dalits . The practice of worshiping local or territorial deities as Kuladaivats began in the period of the Yadava dynasty . Other family deities of the Deshasthas of Maharashtra and Karnataka are Bhavani of Tuljapur , Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur , Mahalaxmi of Amravati , Renuka of Mahur , Saptashringi on Saptashringa hill at Vani in Nasik district, Banashankari of Badami , Lakshmi Chandrala Parameshwari of Sannati , Renuka Yellamma of Savadatti . Venkateswara of Tirupathi , Narasimha and Vithoba (Vittala) of Pandharpur are popular forms of Vishnu who are worshipped as kuladevatha among Deshasthas. Traditionally
2793-462: Is also spoken by Maharashtrian migrants to other parts of India and overseas. For instance, the people from western India who emigrated to Mauritius in the early 19th century also speak Marathi. There were 83 million native Marathi speakers in India, according to the 2011 census, making it the third most spoken native language after Hindi and Bengali. Native Marathi speakers form 6.86% of India's population. Native speakers of Marathi formed 70.34% of
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#17328632466442926-527: Is also spoken in other states like in Goa , Karnataka , Tamil Nadu , Telangana , Gujarat , Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh , and the territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu . It is the official language of Maharashtra, and an additional official language in the state of Goa , where it is used for replies, when requests are received in Marathi. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India , with 83 million speakers as of 2011. Marathi ranks 13th in
3059-473: Is attacked by a tiger, and Makaranda rescues her, getting wounded in the process. After numerous travails, all ends well, with the two couples uniting. According to the renowned Sanskritist Daniel H.H. Ingalls , the Malatimadhava is a work that combines love and horror with a felicity never again equaled in Sanskrit literature. According to Dasharatha Sharma , the dramatists Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti utilized
3192-449: Is called a dwija which translates to " twice-born " in English, in the sense that while the first birth was due to his biological parents, the second one is due to the initiating priest and Savitri . Traditionally, boys are sent to gurukula to learn Vedas and scriptures. Boys are expected to practice extreme discipline during this period known as brahmacharya . Boys are expected to lead
3325-728: Is common, while sometimes in the Varhadii dialect, it corresponds to the palatal approximant y (IPA: [j]), making this dialect quite distinct. Such phonetic shifts are common in spoken Marathi and, as such, the spoken dialects vary from one region of Maharashtra to another. Zaadi Boli or Zhaadiboli ( झाडिबोलि ) is spoken in Zaadipranta (a forest rich region) of far eastern Maharashtra or eastern Vidarbha or western-central Gondwana comprising Gondia , Bhandara , Chandrapur , Gadchiroli and some parts of Nagpur of Maharashtra. Zaadi Boli Sahitya Mandal and many literary figures are working for
3458-481: Is marked on the shoulders and on the chest with Shankha (conch), Chakra (disc) and other emblems of Vishnu , while for women, the seals are stamped only on their arms, the 'chakra' is stamped on the right arm, the shanka is stamped on the left arm. The stamp used for marking these seals being of red hot iron and is known as "Tapta Mudra Dharana". Tapta means 'heated' and mudra means 'seals'. Madhvas also stamp five mudras with gopichandana paste daily on various parts of
3591-459: Is set in the city of Padmavati. The king desires that his minister's daughter Malati marry a youth called Nandana. Malati is in love with Madhava ever since she saw him and drew his portrait. Madhava reciprocates, and draws a portrait of her in turn. Malati suspects her father's motives in falling in with the King's plans for her. A side plot involves the lovers' friends Makaranda and Madayantika. The latter
3724-509: Is slightly different from the Devanagari alphabets of Hindi and other languages: there are additional letters in the Marathi alphabet and Western punctuation is used. William Carey in 1807 Observed that as with other parts of India, a traditional duality existed in script usage between Devanagari for religious texts, and Modi for commerce and administration. Although in the Mahratta country
3857-533: Is still read with interest by Veerashaiva people of Marathwada. Apart from this, the Pararamrhasya, a spiritual book composed by him on Shatsthalsiddhanta, is also recited. Marathi was widely used during the Sultanate period. Although the rulers were Muslims, the local feudal landlords and the revenue collectors were Hindus and so was the majority of the population. To simplify administration and revenue collection,
3990-516: Is the official language of Maharashtra and additional official language in the state of Goa . In Goa , Konkani is the sole official language; however, Marathi may also be used for any or all official purposes in case any request is received in Marathi. Marathi is included among the languages that are part of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India , thus granting it the status of
4123-645: Is the commentary on the Anu Vyakhyana of Madhvacharya . The most revered of all Bhakti saints, Dnyaneshwar was universally acclaimed for his commentary on the Bhagvad Gita . It is called Dnyaneshwari and is written in the Prakrit language. He lived in the 13th century. Eknath was yet another Bhakti saint who published an extensive poem called the Eknathi Bhagwat in the 16th century. Other works of Eknath include
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4256-508: Is the most distinguished poet in the ovi meter. He is most known for translating the Mahabharata and the Ramayana in Marathi but only a part of the Mahabharata translation is available and the entire Ramayana translation is lost. Shridhar came from near Pandharpur and his works are said to have superseded the Sanskrit epics to a certain extent. Other major literary contributors of the 17th and
4389-482: Is usually appended to Sanskrit or Kannada in these inscriptions. The earliest Marathi-only inscriptions are the ones issued during the Shilahara rule, including a c. 1012 CE stone inscription from Akshi taluka of Raigad district , and a 1060 or 1086 CE copper-plate inscription from Dive that records a land grant ( agrahara ) to a Brahmin. A 2-line 1118 CE Prakrit inscription at Shravanabelagola records
4522-696: The Arthashastra of Kautilya while composing their famous works. Kalidasa is indebted to Kautilya's Arthashastra for material in the Raghuvamsa . Similarly, Bhavabhuti utilizes words and ideas from the Arthashastra in the Malatimadhava and the Mahaviracharita . There is indeed a striking resemblance between the methods advocated by Ravana's minister, Malayavana and the policies suggested by Kautilya in
4655-539: The Ahmadnagar Sultanate . Adilshahi of Bijapur also used Marathi for administration and record keeping. Marathi gained prominence with the rise of the Maratha Kingdom beginning with the reign of Shivaji . In his court, Shivaji replaced Persian, the common courtly language in the region, with Marathi. The Marathi language used in administrative documents also became less Persianised . Whereas in 1630, 80% of
4788-613: The American Marathi mission and the Scottish missionaries led to the development of a peculiar pidginised Marathi called "Missionary Marathi" in the early 1800s. The most comprehensive Marathi-English dictionary was compiled by Captain James Thomas Molesworth and Major Thomas Candy in 1831. The book is still in print nearly two centuries after its publication. The colonial authorities also worked on standardising Marathi under
4921-580: The Arthashastra . On the basis of Bhavbhuti's literature, it is said that he was born at Padmapura Village in Amgaon Tahsil of Gondia District of Maharashtra. In this present era, local people around Padampura are trying to keep memories of Bhavbhuti's ancient existence alive with them. Late shri Laxmanrao Mankar Guruji named his education society as "Bhavbhuti Education Society" in 1950. Yashodabai Rahile founded "Bhavbhuti Mandal" (community) in 1996. Historian & Principal Mr O. C. Patle has published
5054-647: The Bhavartha Ramayana , the Rukmini Swayamwara and the Swatma Sukha . The 17th century saw the Dasbodh of the saint Samarth Ramdas , who was also the spiritual adviser to Shivaji. Hemadpant who was the prime minister from 1259 to 1274 C.E. in the regimes of Kings Mahādeva (1259–1271) and Ramachandra (1271–1309) of Seuna Yādav Dynasty of Devagiri , which ruled in the western and southern part of India
5187-518: The CKPs . However, researcher Donald Kurtz concludes that although Deshasthas and other brahmin groups of the region were initially largely rural , they were mostly urbanised by the end of the 20th century. One of the traditional occupations of the Deshasthas was that of priesthood at the Hindu temples or officiating at socio-religious ceremonies. Records show that most of the religious and literary leaders since
5320-538: The Indo-Aryan language family are derived from early forms of Prakrit . Marathi is one of several languages that further descend from Maharashtri Prakrit . Further changes led to the formation of Apabhraṃśa followed by Old Marathi. However, this is challenged by Bloch (1970), who states that Apabhraṃśa was formed after Marathi had already separated from the Middle Indian dialect. The earliest example of Marathi as
5453-537: The Jnanpith Award . Also Vijay Tendulkar 's plays in Marathi have earned him a reputation beyond Maharashtra . P.L. Deshpande (popularly known as PuLa ), Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar , P.K. Atre , Prabodhankar Thackeray and Vishwas Patil are known for their writings in Marathi in the fields of drama, comedy and social commentary. Bashir Momin Kavathekar wrote Lavani's and folk songs for Tamasha artists. In 1958
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5586-779: The Maratha Empire . The Deshastha Brahmins of Vadodara in Gujarat are immigrants who came from the Deccan for state service. In Andhra Pradesh , the Deshastha Brahmins have settled in various parts, particularly in the cities of Anantapur , Kurnool , Tirupati , Cuddapah , Hyderabad (which is now part of Telangana ). In Coastal Andhra , Deshastha Brahmins settled in Nellore district , Krishna district and Guntur district . In Telangana , Deshastha Brahmins are distributed throughout all
5719-832: The Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in India. Along with the Karhade and Konkanastha Brahmins , the Marathi -speaking Deshastha Brahmins are referred to as Maharashtrian Brahmins , which denotes those Brahmin subcastes of the Deccan Plateau which have a regional significance in Maharashtra, while the Kannada -speaking Deshastha Brahmins from the Deccan Plateau region of Karnataka are referred to as Karnataka Brahmins or Carnatic Brahmins . Deshastha Brahmins are further classified in two major sub-sects,
5852-581: The Rig Veda at religious ceremonies, prayers and other occasions. These ceremonies include birth, wedding, initiation ceremonies, as well as death rituals. Other ceremonies for different occasions in Hindu life include Vastushanti which is performed before a family formally establishes residence in a new house, Satyanarayana Puja , originating in Bengal in the 19th century, is a ceremony performed before commencing any new endeavour or for no particular reason. Invoking
5985-781: The Sanskrit deśa (inland, country) and stha (resident), literally translating to "residents of the country". The valleys of the Krishna and the Godavari rivers, and a part of Deccan plateau adjacent to the Western Ghats , are collectively termed the Desha – the original home of the Deshastha Brahmins. In Tamil Nadu , Deshastha Brahmins are also referred as Rayar Brahmins . The word Rayar means king in South India . Deshastha Brahmins fall under
6118-471: The full moon day of the month of Shravan , according to the Hindu calendar. The threads are called Jaanave in Marathi and Janavaara in Kannada. Marathi language Marathi ( / m ə ˈ r ɑː t i / ; मराठी , Marāṭhī , pronounced [məˈɾaːʈʰiː] ) is a classical Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra and
6251-884: The list of languages with most native speakers in the world . Marathi has the third largest number of native speakers in India, after Hindi and Bengali . The language has some of the oldest literature of all modern Indian languages. The major dialects of Marathi are Standard Marathi and the Varhadi Marathi . Marathi was designated as a classical language by the Government of India in October 2024. Marathi distinguishes inclusive and exclusive forms of 'we' and possesses three genders : masculine, feminine, and neuter. Its phonology contrasts apico-alveolar with alveopalatal affricates and alveolar with retroflex laterals ( [l] and [ɭ] (Marathi letters ल and ळ respectively). Indian languages, including Marathi, that belong to
6384-428: The schwa , which has been omitted in other languages which use Devanagari. For example, the word 'रंग' (colour) is pronounced as 'ranga' in Marathi & 'rang' in other languages using Devanagari, and 'खरं' (true), despite the anuswara , is pronounced as 'khara'. The anuswara in this case is used to avoid schwa deletion in pronunciation; most other languages using Devanagari show schwa deletion in pronunciation despite
6517-636: The vedas , smritis , puranas and especially Advaita and Dvaita philosophies all over India , because of this they have Smarthas as well as Madhvas among them. Intermarriages between Deshastha Smarthas and Deshastha Madhwas is very common and normal among Deshasthas of Maharashtra. These sub-sects are based on the Vedanta they follow. Deshastha Madhva Brahmins, also referred as Deshastha Madhvas (or simply Madhvas ) are Deshastha Brahmins who follow Dvaita Vedanta of Madhvacharya . Deshastha Madhva Brahmins are followers of ten Madhva Mathas. Out of
6650-452: The very Maharashtrian saree – the Paithani – for their wedding day. In early to mid 20th century, Deshastha men used to wear a black cap to cover their head, with a turban or a pagadi being popular before that. For religious ceremonies males wore a coloured silk dhoti called a sovale . In modern times, dhotis are only worn by older men in rural areas. In urban areas, just like women,
6783-460: The 13th century have been Deshasthas. Author Pran Nath Chopra and journalist Pritish Nandy say, "Most of the well-known saints from Maharashtra , Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were Deshastha Brahmins". In addition to being village priests, most of the village accountants or Kulkarnis belonged to the Deshastha caste. Priests at the famous Vitthal temple in Pandharpur are Deshastha, as are
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#17328632466446916-578: The 17th and the 18th century were Anant Phandi, Ram Joshi and Honaji Bala . The British colonial period starting in early 1800s saw standardisation of Marathi grammar through the efforts of the Christian missionary William Carey . Carey's dictionary had fewer entries and Marathi words were in Devanagari . Translations of the Bible were the first books to be printed in Marathi. These translations by William Carey,
7049-485: The 18th century during Peshwa rule, some well-known works such as Yatharthadeepika by Vaman Pandit , Naladamayanti Swayamvara by Raghunath Pandit , Pandava Pratap, Harivijay, Ramvijay by Shridhar Pandit and Mahabharata by Moropant were produced. Krishnadayarnava and Sridhar were poets during the Peshwa period. New literary forms were successfully experimented with during the period and classical styles were revived, especially
7182-429: The 18th century were Vaman Pandit , Mahipati , Amritaraya, Anant Phandi and Ramjoshi. The Deshastha community has produced several saints and philosophers. Most important of these were Dnyaneshwar, Jayatirtha, Sripadaraja, Vyasatirtha, Eknath, Purandara Dasa, Samarth Ramdas and Vijaya Dasa. The most revered logician and philosopher, Jayatirtha was universally acclaimed for his magnum opus work "Nyaya Sudha", which
7315-498: The 1990s. A literary event called Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All-India Marathi Literature Meet) is held every year. In addition, the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natya Sammelan (All-India Marathi Theatre Convention) is also held annually. Both events are very popular among Marathi speakers. Notable works in Marathi in the latter half of the 20th century include Khandekar's Yayati , which won him
7448-495: The 20th century was marked by new enthusiasm in literary pursuits, and socio-political activism helped achieve major milestones in Marathi literature , drama, music and film. Modern Marathi prose flourished: for example, N.C.Kelkar 's biographical writings, novels of Hari Narayan Apte , Narayan Sitaram Phadke and V. S. Khandekar , Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 's nationalist literature and plays of Mama Varerkar and Kirloskar. In folk arts, Patthe Bapurao wrote many lavani songs during
7581-401: The Desh. Like Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins, Deshastha Yajurvedi Brahmins of Shukla Yajurvedi section are also spread throughout Deccan . The Deshastha Rigvedi's and Deshastha Yajurvedi's started following the Vedantas propounded by Adi Shankara and Madhvacharya . They have produced a number of acharyas who has presided over various mathas . These seats of learning spread the teachings of
7714-400: The Deshastha Brahmins are mostly concentrated in the districts of Bijapur , Dharwad , Kalaburagi , Belagavi , Bidar , Raichur , Bellary , Uttara Kannada , and Shivamogga . Deshasthas also settled outside Maharashtra and Karnataka, such as in the cities of Indore in Madhya Pradesh and those of Chennai and Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu , which were a part of or were influenced by
7847-440: The Deshastha Rigvedi and the Deshastha Yajurvedi, who earlier used to inter-dine but not inter-marry but now intermarriages between the two sub-groups is common. These sub-sects are based on the Veda they follow. The Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins (DRB) are followers of Rigveda and follow Rigvedic rituals. Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins are followers of Ashvalayana sutra and Shakala Shakha of Rigveda. Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins are
7980-462: The Deshastha followed the sixteen bodily Sanskara from birth to death. Upon birth, a child is initiated into the family ritually according to the Rig Veda for the Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins. The naming ceremony of the child may happen many weeks or even months later, and it is called the barsa . In many Hindu communities around India, the naming is almost often done by consulting the child's horoscope, in which are suggested various names depending on
8113-436: The Eknāthī Bhāgavat, a commentary on Bhagavat Purana and the devotional songs called Bharud. Mukteshwar translated the Mahabharata into Marathi; Tukaram (1608–49) transformed Marathi into a rich literary language. His poetry contained his inspirations. Tukaram wrote over 3000 abhangs or devotional songs. Manmathswamy (1561-1631) wrote a large volume of poetry and literature in Marathi. The Shivparv Ambhag composed by him
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#17328632466448246-455: The Krishna and Godavari rivers, and the plateaus of the Western Ghats (Sahyadri hills), are collectively called the Desha – the original home of the Deshastha Brahmins. Brahmins constitute 8-10% of the total population of Maharashtra . Almost 60 per cent (three-fifth) of the Maharashtrian Brahmins are Deshastha Brahmins. In North Karnataka , especially in the districts of Vijayapura , Dharwad and Belagavi Deshasthas were about 2.5% of
8379-403: The Madhyandins and the Kanavas. The Madhyandinas follow the Madhyandina Shakha of the Shukla Yajurveda . The word Madhyandina is a fusion of two words Madhya and dina which mean middle and day respectively. Ghurye says Madhyandhina is the name of the person, a pupil of Yajnavalkya , the founder of Shukla-Yajurveda and followers of Madhyandhina are known by this name. The other meanings of
8512-417: The Mahakavya and Prabandha forms. The most important hagiographies of Varkari Bhakti saints were written by Mahipati in the 18th century. Other well known literary scholars of the 17th century were Mukteshwar and Shridhar . Mukteshwar was the grandson of Eknath and is the most distinguished poet in the Ovi meter. He is most known for translating the Mahabharata and the Ramayana in Marathi but only
8645-448: The Nizam's Rule). Authors Vora and Glushkova state that "Deshastha Brahmins have occupied a core place in Maharashtrian politics , society and culture from almost the beginning of the Maharashtra's recorded history. Occupying high offices in the state and even other offices at various levels of administration, they were recipients of state honours and more importantly, land grants of various types." The word Deshastha derives from
8778-403: The Puja is over they replace it by a sandalwood spot. Whereas Deshastha Madhvas applies Urdhva Pundra with Gopichandana ( Sandal paste ). They smear gopichandana on their forehead in two perpendicular lines, running from the nose to the root of the hair, with a central line of charcoal divided in the middle by a circular turmeric patch at the centre. During the initiation, a Deshastha Madhva men
8911-424: The Sanskrit words Desha and Stha , which mean inland or country and resident respectively. Fused together, the two words literally mean "residents of the country". Deshastha are the Maharashtrian and North Karnataka Brahmin community with the longest known history, making them the original and the oldest Hindu Brahmin sub-caste from Maharashtra and North Karnataka. The Deshastha community may be as old as
9044-417: The Satavahana King Hala. A committee appointed by the Maharashtra State Government to get the Classical status for Marathi has claimed that Marathi existed at least 2,300 years ago . Marathi, a derivative of Maharashtri Prakrit language , is probably first attested in a 739 CE copper-plate inscription found in Satara . Several inscriptions dated to the second half of the 11th century feature Marathi, which
9177-429: The Vedas, as vedic literature describes people strongly resembling them. This puts Deshastha presence on the Desh between 1100 and 1700 BC. As the original Brahmins of Maharashtra, the Deshasthas have been held in the greatest esteem in Maharashtra and they have considered themselves superior to other Brahmins. Marathi Brahmins started migrating to the Hindu holy city of Benares in the medieval period. They dominated
9310-413: The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. His works of high Sanskrit poetry and plays are only equalled by those of Kalidasa . Two of his best known plays are Mahāvīracarita and Mālatī Mādhava . Mahaviracarita is a work on the early life of the Hindu god Rama , whereas Malati Madhava is a love story between Malati and her lover Madhava, which has a happy ending after several twists and turns. Mukund Raj
9443-743: The above-mentioned rules give special status to tatsamas , words adapted from Sanskrit . This special status expects the rules for tatsamas to be followed as in Sanskrit. This practice provides Marathi with a large corpus of Sanskrit words to cope with the demands of new technical words whenever needed. In addition to all universities in Maharashtra, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Vadodara , Osmania University in Hyderabad , Karnataka University in Dharwad , Gulbarga University in Kalaburagi , Devi Ahilya University in Indore and Goa University in Goa have special departments for higher studies in Marathi linguistics. Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi) has announced plans to establish
9576-425: The art of accommodation and survival by changing loyalties in a most astonishing and successful manner. But the most important plus point in him that attracted the English was perhaps his technical abilities as a successful administrator, which the English could use to their advantage in later years'. Although, many Deshastha Brahmins were employed in the service of Hyder and Tippu , a greater penetration of them into
9709-463: The ascendancy of Qutub Shahis of Golconda . In Guntur district between 1788 and 1848, two out of five Zamindars i.e., Chilkalurpet Zamindari and Sattanapalli Zamindari were ruled by Deshastha Madhva Brahmins, whose title was " Deshmukh ", but Frykenberg also tells us that in the earlier phase the Deshasthas had to contend for power with the zamindars many of whom were not Brahmins at all but Kammas , Velama and Rajus . This structure of competition
9842-529: The beginning of the British colonial rule , the most powerful Brahmin bureaucrats in the South India were Deshastha Brahmins, who were migrants from Maharashtra and North Karnataka . During the later years of the colonial rule Deshasthas increasingly lost out to the Tamil Brahmins due to the latter community's enthusiasm towards English education. Even though the majority of Deshasthas speak Marathi, one of
9975-476: The body. Vaishnava Advaitins who follow Varkari Sampradaya also apply Gopichandana Urdhva Pundra on their forehead. Every Deshastha family has their own family patron deity or the Kuladaivat . This deity is common to a lineage or a clan of several families who are connected to each other through a common ancestor. The Khandoba of Jejuri is an example of a Kuladaivat of some Maharashtrian Deshastha families; he
10108-419: The child is 11 months old, he or she gets their first hair-cut. This is an important ritual as well and is called Jawal . When a male child reaches his eighth birthday he undergoes the initiation thread ceremony variously known as Munja (in reference to the munja grass that is of official ritual specification), Vratabandha , or Upanayanam . From that day on, he becomes an official member of his caste, and
10241-413: The child's Lunar sign (called Rashi). However, in Deshastha families, the name that the child inevitably uses in secular functioning is the one decided by his parents. If a name is chosen on the basis of the horoscope, then that is kept a secret to ward off casting of a spell on the child during his or her life. During the naming ceremony, the child's paternal aunt has the honour of naming the infant. When
10374-499: The common name of Deshasthas. Today's Marathi speaking population in Tanjore are descendants of these Marathi speaking people. The isolation from their homeland has almost made them culturally and linguistically alien to Brahmins in Maharashtra. The early British rulers considered Deshastha from the south to be a distinct community and heavily recruited them in administrative service in the present-day areas of Northern Karnataka after
10507-479: The confederacy. These excursions by the Marathas helped to spread Marathi over broader geographical regions. This period also saw the use of Marathi in transactions involving land and other business. Documents from this period, therefore, give a better picture of the life of common people. There are a number of Bakhars (journals or narratives of historical events) written in Marathi and Modi script from this period. In
10640-479: The conservation of this dialect of Marathi. Thanjavur Marathi तञ्जावूर् मराठि, Namadeva Shimpi Marathi, Arey Marathi (Telangana), Kasaragod (north Kerala) and Bhavsar Marathi are some of the dialects of Marathi spoken by many descendants of Maharashtrians who migrated to Southern India . These dialects retain the 17th-century basic form of Marathi and have been considerably influenced by the Dravidian languages after
10773-485: The cultural capital of Maharashtra. Of these 163 families, a majority(80) were Deshastha, 46 were Chitpawan , 15 were CKP , and Karhade Brahmin and Saraswat accounted for 11 families each. This Deshastha Brahmin migrant who served under Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan as the most trustworthy aide could successfully win over the confidence of the English in 1799. Diwan Purnaiah was a typical example of an elite adept in
10906-530: The districts of Burhanpur , Betul , Chhindwara and Balaghat ), Goa , Chhattisgarh , Tamil Nadu (in Thanjavur ) and Karnataka (in the districts of Belagavi , Karwar , Bagalkote , Vijayapura , Kalaburagi and Bidar ), Telangana , union-territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli . The former Maratha ruled cities of Baroda , Indore , Gwalior , Jabalpur , and Tanjore have had sizeable Marathi-speaking populations for centuries. Marathi
11039-471: The districts of the state. The Deshastha families who migrated to Telugu states completely adapted themselves to the Telugu ways, especially in food. The military settlers (of Thanjavur ) included Brahmins of different sub-castes and by reason of their isolation from their distant home, the sub-divisions which separated these castes in their mother-country were forgotten, and they were all welded together under
11172-589: The dominant language of epigraphy during the last half century of the dynasty's rule (14th century), and may have been a result of the Yadava attempts to connect with their Marathi-speaking subjects and to distinguish themselves from the Kannada-speaking Hoysalas . Further growth and usage of the language was because of two religious sects – the Mahanubhava and Varkari panthan s – who adopted Marathi as
11305-516: The elite in this region, specifically around Guntur. By the 19th century, Deshasthas had held a position of such strength throughout South India that their position can only be compared with that of the Kayasthas and Khatris of North India . At the time of Indian independence in 1947, urban dwelling and professional Marathi Hindu people, mostly belonged to communities such as the Chitpavans and
11438-502: The fall of Peshwa rule in these areas in preference to Deshastha and other Brahmins from Desh. According to PILC Journal of Dravidic Studies, Maratha people who migrated towards the South India were originally from Pune and Bijapur . They took the land route and passed through Satara , Sangli and Kolhapur . Another set of migrants migrated from Bijapur through North Karnataka , the districts of Cuddupah , Kurnool , Chittoor and North Arcot . The word Deshastha comes from
11571-676: The families of same language but the marriages between Marathi and Kannada speaking families do happen often. Marriage alliance between Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins, Telugu Brahmins and Karnataka Brahmins also takes place quite frequently. Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins are treated as a separate and distinct caste from the Deshastha Yajurvedi Madhyandina and Deshastha Kannavas Brahmins by several authors, including Malhotra and Iravati Karve . The Deshastha Yajurvedi Brahmins are followers of Yajurveda and follow Yajurvedic rituals. They are further classified into two groups called
11704-580: The history of the Maratha Empire, seven out of eight Ashta Pradhan (Council of Eight Ministers) came from the community. In 1713, Balaji Vishwanath Bhat , a Kokanastha Brahmin was appointed as the sixth Peshwa and the seat of Peshwa remained in Konkanastha hands until the fall of the Maratha Empire. To obtain the loyalty of the locally powerful Deshastha Brahmins, the Konkanastha Peshwas established
11837-548: The intellectual life of the city and established an important presence at the Mughal and other north Indian courts. During the Deccan sultanates era and early Maratha rule, the Deshasthas were closely integrated into the texture of rural society of Maharashtra region, as village record keepers (Kulkarnis) and astrologers (Joshis). As such they featured far more prominently in the eyes of the rural communities than any other Brahmin groups in
11970-485: The language's name was saṃskṛtam , while in day-to-day Marathi it is saṃskrut . In other Indic languages, it is closer to sanskrit ). Spoken Marathi allows for conservative stress patterns in words like शब्द ( śabda ) with an emphasis on the ending vowel sound, a feature that has been lost in Hindi due to Schwa deletion . A defining feature of the Marathi language is the split of Indo-Aryan ल /la/ into
12103-523: The late colonial period. After Indian independence , Marathi was accorded the status of a scheduled language on the national level. In 1956, the then Bombay state was reorganised, which brought most Marathi and Gujarati speaking areas under one state. Further re-organization of the Bombay state on 1 May 1960, created the Marathi speaking Maharashtra and Gujarati speaking Gujarat state respectively. With state and cultural protection, Marathi made great strides by
12236-540: The leadership of Molesworth and Candy. They consulted Brahmins of Pune for this task and adopted the Sanskrit dominated dialect spoken by the elite in the city as the standard dialect for Marathi. The first Marathi translation of the New Testament was published in 1811 by the Serampore press of William Carey. The first Marathi newspaper called Durpan was started by Balshastri Jambhekar in 1832. Newspapers provided
12369-516: The major languages of the Indo-Aryan language family, a significant minority speak Kannada , one of the major languages of the Dravidian languages family. The major dialects of Marathi are called Standard Marathi and Warhadi Marathi . Standard Marathi is the official language of the State of Maharashtra. The language of Pune's Deshastha Brahmins has been considered to be the standard Marathi language and
12502-469: The medium for preaching their doctrines of devotion. Marathi was used in court life by the time of the Yadava kings. During the reign of the last three Yadava kings, a great deal of literature in verse and prose, on astrology, medicine, Puranas , Vedanta , kings and courtiers were created. Nalopakhyana , Rukminiswayamvara and Shripati's Jyotisharatnamala (1039) are a few examples. The oldest book in prose form in Marathi, Vivēkasindhu ( विवेकसिंधु ),
12635-404: The migration. These dialects have speakers in various parts of Tamil Nadu , Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka . Other Marathi–Konkani languages and dialects spoken in Maharashtra include Maharashtrian Konkani , Malvani , Sangameshwari, Agri , Andh , Warli , Vadvali and Samavedi . Vowels in native words are: There is almost no phonemic length distinction, even though it is indicated in
12768-578: The miracle-filled the life of Chakradhar Swami of the Mahanubhava sect compiled by his close disciple, Mahimbhatta, in 1238. The Līḷācarītra is thought to be the first biography written in the Marathi language. Mahimbhatta's second important literary work is the Shri Govindaprabhucharitra or Ruddhipurcharitra , a biography of Shri Chakradhar Swami's guru, Shri Govind Prabhu. This was probably written in 1288. The Mahanubhava sect made Marathi
12901-520: The most ancient sub-caste among Deshasthas and are found throughout the Deccan . According to Iravati Karve , Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins are found in western and central Deccan along the banks of the Godavari and the Krishna rivers and are spread deep into Karnataka . Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins are endogamous group which include families from difference linguistic regions. Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmins include some families that speak Marathi and some speak Kannada , majority of marriages happen within
13034-529: The naivedya is offered only on days of special religious significance. Deshasthas, like all other Hindu Brahmins, trace their paternal ancestors to one of the seven or eight sages, the saptarshi . They classify themselves into eight gotras , named after the ancestor rishi . Intra-marriage within gotras (Sagotra Vivaha) is considered as incest. Deshastha Smartas applies Tripundra with Vibhuti (cow-dung ashes) or Chandana ( Sandalwood paste ). They smear it in three traverse streaks on their forehead and after
13167-729: The name are they are so-called because they perform Sandhya Vandana at noon or it also means these Brahmins are supposed to attain Brahmin-hood only after mid-day. Ghurye says apparently the name 'Madhyandhina' was misunderstood or deliberately misinterpreted by the southern Brahmins. Some Yajurvedi Deshasthas follow the 'Apastamba' subdivision of Krishna Yajurveda . Recently, the Yajurvedi Madhyandin and Yajurvedi Kannava Brahmins have been colloquially being referred to as Deshastha Yajurvedi Madhyandin and Deshastha Yajurvedi Kannava, although not all have traditionally lived or belonged to
13300-611: The name of the family's gotra and the Kula Daivat are important aspects of these ceremonies. Like most other Hindu communities, Deshasthas have a shrine called a devaghar in their house with idols, symbols, and pictures of various deities. Ritual reading of religious texts called pothi is also popular. In traditional families, any food is first offered to the preferred deity as naivedya , before being consumed by family members and guests. Meals or snacks are not taken before this religious offering. In contemporary Deshasthas families,
13433-399: The original diphthong qualities of ⟨ऐ⟩ [əi] , and ⟨औ⟩ [əu] which became monophthongs in Hindi. However, similar to speakers of Western Indo-Aryan languages and Dravidian languages, Marathi speakers tend to pronounce syllabic consonant ऋ ṛ as [ru] , unlike Northern Indo-Aryan languages which changed it to [ri] (e.g. the original Sanskrit pronunciation of
13566-525: The pioneer of printing in Indian languages, was only able to print in Devanagari. He later tried printing in Modi but by that time, Balbodh Devanagari had been accepted for printing. Marathi is usually written in the Balbodh version of Devanagari script, an abugida consisting of 36 consonant letters and 16 initial- vowel letters. It is written from left to right. The Devanagari alphabet used to write Marathi
13699-490: The pontiffs of Uttaradi Matha (a Dvaita monastery) beginning from Raghunatha Tirtha , Raghuvarya Tirtha , Raghuttama Tirtha to Satyapramoda Tirtha , without a single exception, belonged to the Deshastha Brahmin community. Deshasthas produced prominent literary figures in Maharashtra between the 13th and the 19th centuries. The great Sanskrit scholar Bhavabhuti was a Deshastha Brahmin who lived around 700 AD in
13832-546: The popular Marathi periodical of that era called Kesari in 1881. Later under the editorship of Lokmanya Tilak , the newspaper was instrumental in spreading Tilak's nationalist and social views. Phule and Deshmukh also started their periodicals, Deenbandhu and Prabhakar , that criticised the prevailing Hindu culture of the day. The 19th century and early 20th century saw several books published on Marathi grammar. Notable grammarians of this period were Tarkhadkar , A.K.Kher, Moro Keshav Damle, and R.Joshi The first half of
13965-766: The population in Maharashtra, 10.89% in Goa, 7.01% in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 4.53% in Daman and Diu, 3.38% in Karnataka, 1.7% in Madhya Pradesh, and 1.52% in Gujarat. The following table is a list of the geographic distribution of Marathi speakers as it appears in the 2019 edition of Ethnologue , a language reference published by SIL International , which is based in the United States . Marathi
14098-437: The power by appointing their own relations was not only confined to Guntur, but this habit extended throughout South India . By the 19th century, Deshasthas had held a position of strength throughout South India . According to Eric Frykenberg, "Deshastha Madhva Brahmins—a vestige of former regimes— who possessed the requisite clerical skills and knowledge of the revenue system and a capacity for concealing this knowledge through
14231-596: The presence of schwa in the written spelling. From the 13th century until the beginning of British rule in the 19th century, Marathi was written in the Modi script for administrative purposes but in Devanagari for literature. Since 1950 it has been written in the Balbodh style of Devanagari. Except for Father Thomas Stephens' Krista Purana in the Latin script in the 1600s, Marathi has mainly been printed in Devanagari because William Carey ,
14364-480: The priests in many of Pune's temples. Other traditional occupations included village revenue officials, academicians, astrologer, administrators and practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine. Deshasthas who study the vedas are called Vaidika, astrologers are called " Joshi " and practitioners of medical science are called Vaidyas, and reciters of the puranas are called Puraniks. In historic times Deshasthas also engaged in manufacturing and trading of salt and cereals in
14497-865: The pronunciation of the Deshastha Rigvedi is given prominence. There are a few other sub-dialects like Ahirani, Dangi, Samavedi, Khandeshi and Puneri Marathi. There are no inherently nasalised vowels in standard Marathi whereas the Chitpavani dialect of Marathi, spoken in Pune does have nasalised vowels. Deshastha Brahmins who are spread throughout South India have either Marathi or Kannada as their mother tongue and speak in local languages with other people. As with most Pancha-Dravida Brahmin communities, Deshastha Brahmins are also vegetarians . Deshastha use black spice mix or kala , literally black, masala , in cooking. Traditionally, each family had their own recipe for
14630-676: The pronunciations of English words such as of /æ/ in act and /ɔ/ in all . These are written as ⟨अॅ⟩ and ⟨ऑ⟩ . The default vowel has two allophones apart from ə . The most prevalent allophone is ɤ , which results in कळ ( kaḷa ) being more commonly pronounced as [kɤːɺ̢ ] rather than [kəɺ̢ ] . Another rare allophone is ʌ , which occurs in words such as महाराज ( mahārāja ): [mʌɦaˈrad͡ʒ] . Marathi retains several features of Sanskrit that have been lost in other Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi and Bengali, especially in terms of pronunciation of vowels and consonants. For instance, Marathi retains
14763-808: The region. Before the rise of the Peshwas from the Bhat family, the Maratha bureaucracy was almost entirely recruited from the Deshastha community along with the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu community; but Balaji Vishwanath 's accession to power shattered their monopoly over the bureaucracy, even though they retained influence as Kulkarnis and Deshmukhs on rural Maharashtra . Many Deshastha Brahmins moved to present day Andhra Pradesh for lack of opportunities in Chitpavan dominated Peshwa era. This group became part of
14896-591: The revenue and finance departments were monopolised almost by them. With their mathematical mind, accuracy and memory they were ideally suited for these posts. Purnaiah governed the Mysore Kingdom as the first Dewan under Krishnaraja Wadiyar III and later Sovar Bakshi Rama Rao, Bargir Bakshi Balaji Rao , Babu Rao continued as the Dewans after him. Diwan Purnaiah was also the founder of Yelandur estate . Diwan Purnaiah 's direct descendant P. N. Krishnamurti , who
15029-532: The rule of Qutb shahis of Golkonda . The posts held by them include Deshmukh , Deshpande , Majumdar , Mannavar (Head of Police) etc. in the districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . Most of Shivaji 's principal Brahmin officers were Deshasthas, including all of his Peshwas. Other significant Deshasthas of the period were warriors such as Moropant Trimbak Pingle , Ramchandra Pant Amatya , Annaji Datto Sachiv , Abaji Sondev, Pralhad Niraji , Raghunath Narayan Hanmante and Melgiri Pandit . At one point in
15162-444: The script. Some educated speakers try to maintain a length distinction in learned borrowings ( tatsamas ) from Sanskrit. There are no nasal vowels, although some speakers of Puneri and Kokni dialects maintain nasalisation of vowels that was present in old Marathi and continues to be orthographically present in modern Marathi. Marathi furthermore contrasts /əi, əu/ with /ai, au/ . There are two more vowels in Marathi to denote
15295-503: The service was witnessed during the Dewanship of Purnaiah and during the succeeding years. One Rama Rao was appointed Foujdar of Nagar in 1799 by Purnaiya. Sowar Bakshi Rama Rao, Bargir Bakshi Balaji Rao , Babu Rao, Krishna Rao and Bhim Rao of Annigere were some of the notables among this class. When Purnaiah was Prime Minister of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan Krishna Rao served as Commander-in-Chief of Mysore Kingdom . During this time
15428-567: The spice mix. However, this tradition is dying out as modern households buy pre-packaged mixed spice directly from supermarkets. A popular dish in Deshastha cuisine is the varan made from tuvar dal . Metkut , a powdered mixture of several dals and a few spices is also a part of traditional Deshastha cuisine. Puran poli for festivals and on the first day of the two-day marriage is another Marathi Brahmin special dish. Most middle aged and young women in urban Maharashtra dress in western outfits such as skirts and trousers or shalwar kameez with
15561-557: The states of Maharashtra and Karnataka . Hence they also adopted the surnames related to them. Deshasthas have contributed to the fields of Sanskrit, Marathi literature and Kannada literature, mathematics, and philosophy. The Deshastha community in the Karnataka region produced the fourteenth century Dvaita philosopher saint Jayatirtha , the fifteenth and sixteenth century stalwarts of Haridasa movement and philosophers of Dvaita order, Purandara Dasa , Vijaya Dasa , and Prasanna Venkata Dasa. In fact, according to Sharma, all
15694-498: The sultans promoted use of Marathi in official documents. However, the Marathi language from the era is heavily Persianised in its vocabulary. The Persian influence continues to this day with many Persian derived words used in everyday speech such as bāg (Garden), kārkhānā (factory), shahar (city), bāzār (market), dukān (shop), hushār (clever), kāḡaḏ (paper), khurchi (chair), jamin (land), jāhirāt (advertisement), and hazār (thousand) Marathi also became language of administration during
15827-722: The ten mathas, Uttaradi Math is the largest and most of Deshastha Madhvas are followers of this matha. The other two prominent mathas whome Deshastha Madhvas follow are Raghavendra Math and Vyasaraja Math . These three mathas are combinedly known as "Mathatraya" in Madhva Sampradaya . In South India Deshastha Madhvas have traditionally been bilingual in Marathi and Kannada , Telugu or Tamil . Deshasthas following Advaita Vedanta of Adi Shankara have two divisions among them. They are Vaishnav Advaitins and Smarta Advaitins . The Smarta Advaitins are also known as Deshastha Smarta Brahmins or Deshastha Smartas The valleys of
15960-514: The term " Dalit literature " was used for the first time, when the first conference of Maharashtra Dalit Sahitya Sangha (Maharashtra Dalit Literature Society) was held at Mumbai , a movement inspired by 19th century social reformer, Jyotiba Phule and eminent dalit leader, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar . Baburao Bagul (1930–2008) was a pioneer of Dalit writings in Marathi. His first collection of stories, Jevha Mi Jat Chorali ( जेव्हा मी जात चोरली , " When I Stole My Caste "), published in 1963, created
16093-424: The total population in the 1960s. Earlier this region was known as "Bombay-Karnataka region". The Illustrated Weekly of India says, The exact percentage of population belonging to Deshastha community is very difficult to find out since they are spread throughout the Deccan. The Deshastha Brahmins are equally distributed all through the state of Maharashtra, ranging from villages to urban areas. In Karnataka ,
16226-428: The traditionally nauvari or nine-yard sari , disappearing from the markets due to a lack of demand. Older women wear the five-yard sari . Traditionally, Brahmin women in Maharashtra, unlike those of other castes, did not cover their head with the end of their saree. In urban areas, the five-yard sari is worn by younger women for special occasions such as marriages and religious ceremonies. Maharashtrian brides prefer
16359-621: The use of this complicated book-keeping system and the Modi script who conspired to subvert the orders of the and to absorb a sizeable amount of land revenues". According to Frykenberg, This was the reason why most of the Sheristadars , Naib Sheristadars and Tehsildars in Madras Presidency are exclusively selected from Deshastha Brahmin community, who are fluent in writing Modi script . According to Frykenberg, Deshasthas also are noted for their English skills during British colonial rule. At
16492-482: The variation within these dialects is primarily lexical and phonological (e.g. accent placement and pronunciation). Although the number of dialects is considerable, the degree of intelligibility within these dialects is relatively high. Varhadi (Varhādi) (वऱ्हाडि) or Vaidarbhi (वैदर्भि) is spoken in the Western Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. In Marathi, the retroflex lateral approximant ḷ [ ɭ ]
16625-459: The vocabulary was Persian, it dropped to 37% by 1677. His reign stimulated the deployment of Marathi as a tool of systematic description and understanding. Shivaji Maharaj commissioned one of his officials, Balaji Avaji Chitnis , to make a comprehensive lexicon to replace Persian and Arabic terms with their Sanskrit equivalents. This led to production of 'Rājavyavahārakośa', the thesaurus of state usage in 1677. Subsequent Maratha rulers extended
16758-503: The words are native. Vedic Sanskrit did have /ɭ, ɭʱ/ as well, but they merged with /ɖ, ɖʱ/ by the time of classical Sanskrit. The Kadamba script and its variants have been historically used to write Marathi in the form of inscriptions on stones and copper plates. The Marathi version of Devanagari , called Balbodh , is similar to the Hindi Devanagari alphabet except for its use for certain words. Some words in Marathi preserve
16891-519: Was a Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin. Deshastha Brahmins also held prominent roles in the political, military and administrative hierarchy of the Vijayanagara Empire . According to Robert Eric Frykenberg, the very origin of the Bahamani power appears to have been linked with support from local deccani leadership. Frykenberg also quotes that, The reason to Mahmud Gawan greatness as an administrator
17024-412: Was another poet from the community who lived in the 13th century and is said to be the first poet who composed in Marathi. He is known for the Viveka-Siddhi and Parammrita which are metaphysical, pantheistic works connected with orthodox Vedantism . Other well known Deshastha literary scholars of the 17th century were Mukteshwar and Shridhar Swami Nazarekar . Mukteshwar was the grandson of Eknath and
17157-459: Was due to his sagacious employment of groups of Maratha Brahmans known as Deshasthas. According to Robert Eric Frykenberg, the break-up of Bahamani authority following the senseless execution of the able Diwan in 1481 led to increasing dependence upon the services of the Deshasthas by the Sultanates of Bijapur , Golkonda , and Ahmednagar . Deshastha Madhva Brahmins held high positions during
17290-754: Was earlier part of Central Provinces and Berar ) Historian Pran Nath Chopra and journalist Pritish Nandy say, "Most of the well-known saints from Maharashtra , Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were Deshastha Brahmins". The mother tongue of Deshastha Brahmins is either Marathi , Kannada or Telugu . Over the millennia, the Deshastha community has produced Mathematicians such as Bhāskara II , Sanskrit scholars such as Bhavabhuti , Satyanatha Tirtha , Satyadharma Tirtha ; Bhakti saints such as Dnyaneshwar , Eknath , Purandara Dasa , Samarth Ramdas and Vijaya Dasa ; polemical logician such as Jayatirtha and non-polemical scholar such as Raghuttama Tirtha . The traditional occupation of Deshastha Brahmins
17423-406: Was evidently not created ex nihilo by British rule, but existed before Maratha period and earlier. According to Eric Frykenberg, By mid-nineteenth century all the vital positions in the subordinate civil and revenue establishments in the Guntur district were monopolised by certain Deshastha Brahmin families. According to Asian Economic Review , The tendency of the Deshastha Brahmins to consolidate
17556-484: Was the fifth jagirdar of Yelandur estate also served as the Diwan of Mysore from (1901 – 1906). Later many prominent Deshastha Brahmins such as Kollam Venkata Rao, V. P. Madhava Rao , T. Ananda Rao (son of Rajah T. Madhava Rao ) and N. Madhava Rao governed the Mysore Kingdom as Dewans . In 17th century Deshastha Madhva Brahmins started migrating to Andhra Pradesh and held high level administrative positions during
17689-548: Was written by Mukundaraja , a Nath yogi and arch-poet of Marathi. Mukundaraja bases his exposition of the basic tenets of the Hindu philosophy and the yoga marga on the utterances or teachings of Shankaracharya . Mukundaraja's other work, Paramamrta, is considered the first systematic attempt to explain the Vedanta in the Marathi language Notable examples of Marathi prose are " Līḷācarītra " ( लीळाचरित्र ), events and anecdotes from
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