Charodi, also referred to as Mestha(Mesta), Achari, Konkani Achari, Khandekar, or ''Nayak'', is a community from
Karnataka state in India.
There is no caste called as Charodi in Hindu religion. They are believed to have migrated from
Goa in four boats ('char' means four and 'hodi' means boat) which landed in four different places of Karnataka. Charodis were initially known as "Mestha" and after migration, they changed their names based on the location they landed. They are usually called ''Achari'' or ''Charodi'' in North Karnataka and ''Nayak'' or ''Mestha'' in South Karnataka.
They as per their tales, they migrated from Goa via a sea route to coastal Karnataka.
[
During the British Raj they were included among the " Denotified Tribes" of India.]carpentry
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tr ...
.[ They are included in other backward class communities of Karnataka in post-independent India.]["Central list of OBCs for the state of Karnataka"]
/ref>
They are generally followers of Sringeri Matha
Dakṣināmnāya Śrī Śāradā Pītham or Śri Śringeri Maṭha (, ; sa, मठ, ) is one amongst the four cardinal Matha, pīthams following the Daśanāmi Sampradaya - the ''peetham'' or ''matha'' is said to have been established by ach ...
.[ They are also worshippers of Shiva, which is locally also known as ]Ravalnath
Ravalnath ( knn, रवळनाथ, ), also widely known as Roulu, (रवळू, ) is a popular Hindu deity in Goa and the Sindhudurg district of coastal Maharashtra, in western India. Shrines of Ravalnath are also found in border areas of Belg ...
. Charodi Mestha Samaj had their own temples in Goa, Mangalore, Kundapur, Gangolli, Shiroor, Honnavar, Sirsi, Karwar, Sagar and Shimoga.
References
Social groups of Karnataka
Ethnic groups in India
Denotified tribes of India
Other Backward Classes
Hindu communities
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