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The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western
coast of India Coastal India is a geo-cultural region in the Indian subcontinent that spans the entire coastline of India.(7516.6 km; Mainland: 5422.6 km, Island Territories: 2094 km) Region Coastal India spans from the south west Indian c ...
, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the
Deccan plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by t ...
in the east. The hinterland east of the coast has numerous river valleys and riverine islands among the hilly slopes leading up into the tablelands of the Deccan. The region has been recognised by name, since at least the time of Strabo in the third century C.E., and was a thriving mercantile port with
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
tradesmen from the 10th century. The best-known islands of Konkan are Ilhas de Goa, the site of the
Goa state Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka t ...
's capital at Panjim, and the seven islands of Bombay, on which lies the capital of the
State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...
of Maharashtra.


Definition

Historically, the limits of Konkan have been flexible, and it has been known by additional names like " Aparanta" and "Gomanchal", the latter being defined as the coastal area between the Daman Ganga River in the north and the Gangavalli River in the south. The ancient '' Sapta Konkan'' was a larger geographical area that extended from
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
to
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...
and included the whole region of coastal Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka. However, this segment overlaps the Konkan and Malabar coast continuum; and usually corresponds to the southernmost and northernmost stretches of these locales respectively.


Etymology

According to the '' Sahyadrikhanda'' of the '' Skanda Purana'', Parashurama threw his axe into the sea and commanded the Sea God to recede up to the point where his axe landed. The new piece of land thus recovered came to be known as ''Saptah-Konkana'', meaning "piece of earth", "corner of earth", or "piece of corner", derived from
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...
words: ''koṇa'' (कोण, corner) + ''kaṇa'' (कण, piece). Xuanzang, the noted Chinese
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
monk, mentioned this region in his book as ''Konkana Desha''; Varahamihira's Brihat-Samhita described Konkan as a region of India; and 15th century author Ratnakosh mentioned the word Konkandesha.


Geography

Konkan extends throughout the western coasts of Maharashtra, Goa and
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
. It is bounded by the Western Ghats mountain range (also known as Sahyadri) in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, the Daman Ganga River in the north and the River Aghanashini in the south. The Gangavalli flows in the district of Uttara Kannada in present-day
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
. Its northern bank constitutes the southernmost portion of Konkan. The towns of Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honavar and Bhatkal fall within the Konkan coast. The largest city on the Konkan coast is
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
, the state capital of Maharashtra. The others are, from north to south: * Palghar district *
Thane district Thane district (Pronunciation: ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the country, with 11,060,148 inhabitants; however, ...
*
Mumbai Suburban district Mumbai Suburban district (Marathi: ''Mumbai Upanagar Jilhā'') is the second most populous district of Maharashtra in the Konkan Division. With its administrative headquarters in Bandra, the district consists of three subdivisions or tehsils ...
*
Mumbai City district Mumbai City district is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. As a city district, it has no headquarters or subdivisions. It, along with the Mumbai Suburban District, makes up the metropolis of Mumbai. This area is called the "Island Ci ...
*
Raigad district Raigad district (Marathi pronunciation: aːjɡəɖ, previously Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The district was renamed to Raigad after the fort that was the first capital of the former Marath ...
* Ratnagiri district * Sindhudurg district * Uttara Kannada ( Karwar)


Ethnology

The main ethnolinguistic group of the Konkan region is the Konkani people. Specific caste and communities found in the region are the Aagri, Koli,
Bhandari Bhandari or Bhandary or Bhanderi is a surname found in various Hindu castes and communities in India and Nepal. Bhandari or Bhanderi means ''treasurer'', keeper of a storehouse. In Punjab, Bhandaris belong to the Khatri caste. In Nepal, the sur ...
, Kunbi, Maratha,
Gabit Gabit is a community found in the Konkan regions of the Indian states of Goa. Karnataka and Maharashtra. In Goa, they are distinct from the Kharvi community found mostly in the south of that state, although they share a similar traditional occup ...
, Mangela, Karadi, Phudagi, Vaiti,
Kharvi The Kharvi, are a community found in Goa and Maharashtra. Some are Christians, while others are Hindus. They have various sub-groups, among which are the Taris, Tarukars, and Ramponkars. Taris are the primary fishermen, Tarukars are the Taru ow ...
, Teli, Kumbhar,
Nhavi Nhavi is a cast village in Yawal taluka in Jalgaon district in the state of Maharashtra, India. Demographics The residents of Nhavi are mostly from the Leva Patil caste, with many Muslims, Koli,Tadvi bhil, Buddhists, Parashi and Pavari. The ...
, Dhobi, Kasar,
Sutar Sutar is a village in Achham District in the Seti Zone of western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census, the village had a population of 2697 living in 473 houses. At the time of the 2001 Nepal census The 2001 Nepal census ( ne, राष ...
, Lohar, Chambhar, Mahar,
Dhangar Dhangar is a herding caste of people found in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They are referred as Gavli in southern Maharashtra, Goa and northern Karnataka, Golla (caste), Golla in Andhra Prad ...
,
Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) (also Goud or Gawd) are a Hindu Brahmin community of the north. The Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat of Goa and southern India claim to be descendents of these Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of the north that migrated to K ...
(also includes Rajapur Saraswats and Chitrapur Saraswats),
Daivajna Brahmin The Daivadnyas, (also known as Daivadnya Brahmins or Daivadnya Sonars or Konkanastha Rathakara), are a Konkani Gold-smith community, who claim to have descended from Vishwakarma, Hindu architect god and part of larger Vishwakarma community. ...
, Kudaldeshkar, Pathare Prabhu, Gomantak Maratha,
Chitpawan The Chitpavan Brahmin or Konkanastha Brahmin is a Hindu Maharashtrian Brahmin community inhabiting Konkan, the coastal region of the state of Maharashtra. Initially working as messengers and spies in the late seventeenth century, the community ...
, Karhade, Kayastha Prabhu,
Panchkalshi Panchkalshi or SKP is a Hindu community. They are one of the original native communities of Bombay (Mumbai) metropolitan area in the Konkan division of India. Since the 19th century the community has called itself Somvanshi Kshatriya Pathare. H ...
, Vani, Komarpant,
Vadval The Lunar dynasty (IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities (''Som ...
, Gavli, Ghorpi, Nath Jogi, Gurav, Pagi, Kalan, Ghadi, Padti, Vanjari, Namdev Shimpi and others. Billava,
Bunt Bunt may refer to: * Bunt (community), an elite social group from Karnataka, India * Bunt (baseball), a batting technique in baseball * Bunt (sail), a part of a ship's sail * Bunt Island, island in Antarctica * The Bunt, nickname of the Buntingfo ...
, Mogaveera and Linghayat communities found in the parts of Karnataka which are near to Konkan. Tribal communities include the
Katkari The Katkari also called Kathodi, are an Indian tribe from Maharashtra. They have been categorised as a Scheduled tribe. They are bilingual, speaking the Katkari language, a dialect of the Marathi-Konkani languages, with each other; they speak Ma ...
, Thakar,
Konkana Konkana was a southern kingdom populated by Brahmins during and after the period of Puranas. This kingdom is identified to be the Konkan region (coastal region) of Maharashtra. Other such Brahmin populated kingdoms includes Dravida, Andhra and K ...
, Warli and Mahadev Koli, mainly found in the northern and central parts of Konkan. The Dubla and Dhodia tribes in southern
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...
, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Palghar district of Maharashtra are also part if Konkan. Palghar district has the largest percentage of tribal population in Konkan. A small nomadic tribe called the Vanarmare is found in southern parts of Konkan, which was originally associated with the hunting of monkeys. The Gauda and Velip tribes are found in Goa. The Jewish community called Bene Israel is mainly found in
Raigad district Raigad district (Marathi pronunciation: aːjɡəɖ, previously Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The district was renamed to Raigad after the fort that was the first capital of the former Marath ...
. The Christians included East Indians in North Konkan and Mumbai, Goan Catholics in Goa,
Karwari Catholics Karwari Catholics ( Konkani: ''Karwarchem Katholik'') are Indian Christians following the Roman Rite, hailing primarily from the Karwar township and the surrounding North Kanara district, situated on the Kanara coast of Karnataka state ...
in Uttara Kannada as well as Mangalorean Catholics in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. Major Muslim communities like Konkani Muslims and Nawayaths are scattered throughout the whole region. They are reportedly descendants of people who came from Hadhramaut (in
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast an ...
or South Arabia), and other parts of
Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
and the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
. The Siddis have their roots in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.


See also

*
People of the Konkan Division The Konkan Division is the administrative division in the coastal region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has a diverse number of ethnic and religious communities. Communities * Agri *Bhandari *Neo-Buddhists *Chitpavan *Chaukalshi *Daiv ...
* Konkan Railway * Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project * Malabar Coast * Coromandel Coast


References


External links

*
Konkan Tourism
– a complete guide on tourism
Konkan HotelsTourist Place to visit Konkan Darshan
{{GeoSouthAsia Regions of India Landforms of Goa Coasts of India Konkani