Gomantak Maratha Samaj is a

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 ...

community found in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Goa 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 to the ...

. They are known as ''Nutan Maratha Samaj'' in the

Sindhudurg Sindhudurg Fort (Marathi pronunciation: in̪d̪ʱud̪uɾɡ is a historical fort that occupies an island in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in Western India. The fort was built by Shivaji Maharaj.The fortress lies on the sh ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

of Maharashtra and ''Naik Maratha Samaj'' in Maharashtra,

Uttara Kannada Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Uttara Kannada District is a major coastal district of Karnataka, and currently holding the title of the largest district in Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Bel ...

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 ''Karnat ...

, also

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

respectively.

Origin

Gomantak Maratha is a relatively new ameliorative name"Gomantak Prakruti ani Sanskruti" by B.D.Satoskar adopted by a community of traditional

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

servants. They were previously known by the following names:

Kalavantin/ Kulambini

*Those who participated in music and singing were known as ''Kalavantini'', literally meaning ''an artiste,'' they enjoyed a high status in the community. *Those who maintained the temple lamps, ''

Palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

'', and held ''Chamara'' (''Chavar'' in Konkani) were known as ''Bhavins'', literally a ''pious lady''. The Kalavant women (sometimes called as ''Naikinn'') as a custom became mistresses of Brahmin men who paid a huge sum of money to her mother. They also practiced prostitution.

Devli

Etymologically ''Devli'', the word Devli is derived from the word '' Devul'' or ''Dev'' meaning God. So Devlis are those who were dedicated or devoted to the temple or to God. The duties of Devli males (''Jyotkar'') included lighting the temple lamps and ''mashal'' (torch), hold ''Devdanda'', act as temple attendants (''Lathkar''), also some were temple architects (''Nayak'') and play the ritual musical instruments like ''Mahavadya'', ''Panchavadya'', ''Ranavadya''.

Chedvaan, Chede, Bandi, Farjand

They were not always connected to the temple but with the Brahmin landlords (Bhatkars), at whose residences they performed all types of household work."Gomantak Prakruti ani Sanskruti" by B.D.Satoskar

Perni

Their main occupation was acrobatics. They used to perform ''Jagar'' (a form of acrobatics) as the main source of their livelihood and held a lower status in the community."Gomantak Prakruti ani Sanskruti" by B.D.Satoskar

History

The

temple prostitution Sacred prostitution, temple prostitution, cult prostitution, and religious prostitution are rites consisting of paid intercourse performed in the context of religious worship, possibly as a form of fertility rite or divine marriage (). Scholar ...

system was prevalent in Goa since times immemorial. The Kalawantin community finds references throughout Goan history. From ancient times, Hindu Kshatriya widows originally sought shelter in the temples if they did not commit ''

Sati Sati or SATI may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi * ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike *Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer *Sati, a character in ''Th ...

'' after the husband's death. These widows would then become the mistresses of the Brahmins. Any resulting illegitimate daughters would also be sold by their mothers to become mistresses of Brahmins, while the illegitimate sons would become temple servants and entertainers. The Portuguese called them ''bailadeiras'' (dancers). In 1598, the Viceroy passed a law on behalf of King

Philip I of Portugal Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

that prohibited members of the community from entering the

Velhas Conquistas {{Unreferenced, date=November 2008 ''As Velhas Conquistas'' or "the Old Conquests" are a grouping of the areas in Goa which were incorporated into Portuguese India early in the sixteenth century AD; as these areas underwent urbanisation they were ...

on the grounds that the community members "perform many obscene dances, sing dirty songs and do all sorts of things that only reflect a diabolic state." During British colonial rule, many Kalawantin community members moved for economic reasons to the city of

Bombay 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 second-m ...

and other areas of British India. Most of these emigrants followed

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, si ...

gharana In Hindustani music (North Indian classical music), a ''gharānā'' is a system of social organisation in the Indian subcontinent, linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and more importantly by adherence to a particular mus ...

s to improve their art and talent. Those who remained in Goa began organizing themselves after the

Portuguese First Republic The First Portuguese Republic ( pt, Primeira República Portuguesa; officially: ''República Portuguesa'', Portuguese Republic) spans a complex 16-year period in the history of Portugal, between the end of the period of constitutional monarchy ...

period. In 1910, Rajaram Painginikar started ''Kalawantin Movement'' from

Poinguinim Poinguinim is a village in the Canacona taluka administrative region of Goa, India, near the Goa-Karnataka border, and close to the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary. The village is home to a population of 6,625 people as of the 2011 census. The name ...

village in Goa. In 1917, ''Maratha Gayan Samaj'' (Maratha Singers Society) was formed in Kakode. In 1937, the Gomantak Maratha Samaj (G.M.S.) was formed under the leadership of Rajaram Panginikar.Goa world book review
The main functions of the G.M.S. are as follows: *To promote the education of its members. *To arrange marriages of their children within the community. *Other community welfare activities for their community. Following the

Annexation of Goa The Annexation of Goa was the process in which the Republic of India annexed ', the then Portuguese Indian territories of Goa, Daman and Diu, starting with the armed action carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in December 1961. In India, ...

, the G.M.S. was formally included by the Government of Goa as a Reserved category.

Notable membersGoa world book review

* Mangeshkar Family *

Kishori Amonkar Kishori Amonkar (10 April 1932 – 3 April 2017) was a leading Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the Jaipur ''gharana'', or a community of musicians sharing a distinctive musical style. She was a performer of the classical genre ' ...

Dayanand Bandodkar Dayanand Balkrishna Bandodkar (12 March 1911 – 12 August 1973) and popularly known as Bhausaheb Bandodkar was the first Chief Minister of Goa, in the territory of Goa, Damaon& Diu. Born in Pernem to a Marathi people, Marathi family who had i ...

Shashikala Kakodkar Shashikala Kakodkar (7 January 1935 – 28 October 2016), popularly known as ''Tai'' ( mr, ताई; ), was a prominent leader of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). She served as the Chief Minister of Goa, Daman and Diu on two occasio ...

Kesarbai Kerkar Kesarbai Kerkar (13 July 1892 – 16 September 1977) was an Indian classical vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. A protege of Ustad Alladiya Khan (1855–1946), the founder of the gharana, from age sixteen, she went on to become one of th ...

Moghubai Kurdikar Mogubai Kurdikar (15 July 1904 – 10 February 2001) was a renowned Indian classical vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. Early years and background Mogubai was born in the village of Kurdi in Portuguese-ruled Goa. Little is known of her fat ...

Raghunath Mashelkar Raghunath Anant Mashelkar FRS FREng FRSC, also known as Ramesh Mashelkar, (born 1 January 1943) is an Indian Chemical Engineer, born in a village Mashel in Goa and brought up in Maharashtra. He is a former Director General of the Council of S ...

* Vithal Nagesh Shirodkar

References

{{Social groups of Maharashtra Goan society Hinduism in Goa Social groups of Goa