Mast of the Santa Anna, Rameshwar, Vijaydurg

Pujare, also known as Pujar, Pujara or Pujari, traditionally belonged to the priestly class of the Maratha community. They are the original inhabitants of

Rameshwar Rameshwar also known as Rameshwar Wadi is a small town located on the coast of Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra on the west coast of India. A very old Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple is located in this town which is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shi ...

in Devgad Taluka of Sindhudurg District in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, India. Their oldest settlement is in

also known as

Rameshwar Wadi Rameshwar also known as Rameshwar Wadi is a small town located on the coast of Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra on the west coast of India. A very old Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple is located in this town which is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiv ...

which is a small village located on the coast of Sindhudurg District of

on the west coast of India. This settlement has been dated back to the 16th century or before. Within the boundaries of this village, a 16th-century Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple is located, which is dedicated to the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

deity Shiva. The temple rituals of Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple are performed by the Pujare. They are responsible for performing all the temple rituals, including Puja and

Aarti ''Arti'' (Sanskrit: Ārātrika, Hindi: Ārtī) is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, often part of '' puja'', in which light (usually from a flame) is offered to one or more deities. ''Arti(s)'' also refers to the songs sung in praise of the d ...

, as well as taking care of the shivling and murtis. The Pujare act as counselors during Shri Dev Rameshwar festivities and festivals. They have a reputation for being learned and conduct prayer services for Lord Shiva.

is also known for its Alphonso mangoes. Apart from being the priests of the temple, Pujare also own Alphonso mangoes plantation in and around the region. These are few of the age-old plantations in the Konkan region that are being passed on from generations since the 17th century. As per historical records, as far as 9 generations have been known to be recorded in the region.

Other Settlements

is the central settlement for Pujare as Shri Dev Rameshwar Temple is located in this village. However, there are large Pujare population in settlements within the Rameshwar Region as well as the surrounding areas. Some of the settlements include Kolwadi, Katye, Hurshi, Padel, Girye,

Pural Pural is a town in Devgad Taluka in Sindhudurg district of the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a small village on the west coast of Maharashtra. Transport Pural is located 8 km off MH SH 115 which connects with NH 17 40 km away f ...

, Nadan and Tirlot.

Ancestry

The oldest records of the Pujare Clan shows Gond Pujara as the father of today's Pujare. the ancestry chart shows 15th Century records which continues right up to today's living Pujare clan members. This clan is not to be mistaken for Poojary of the Karnataka.

References

{{Ethnic and social groups of Goa and the Konkan Kshatriya communities Maratha clans Surnames