Konkan
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The Konkan (Marathi/Konkani: कॉंकण), (Kannada/Tulu\Konkani:ಕೊಂಕಣ ಕರಾವಳಿ)((Urdu:کوکن) also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Thane district to Mangalore. The sapta-Konkan is a slightly larger region described in the Skanda Purana which refers it as "Parashurama Srishti". Lord Parashurama after the bloodshed in Northern India against Kshatriyas, resorted to peaceful measures to relocate Saraswat Brahmins who were facing atrocities there by reclaiming land from the Arabian sea by worshipping "Samudra devata" alongwith his Rigvedic Saraswat Brahmin followers who were the first ingenious inhabitants of Konkan. Remaining Kshatriyas, Nagas etc. ran to forests down below and some jumped into the sea, ocean fearing the axe of Lord Parashurama. Lord Rama had blessed the Lotus pond land Goa and Yudhisthira alongwith Pandavas had visited Goa for consultation with holy Brahmins here before Mahabharata war. Konkan Division is also one of six administrative sub-divisions of the state of Maharashtra, comprising its coastal districts.
Residents of Konkan and their descendants are called Konkanis. The name may also refer specifically to the Konkani people, ethnic group of the region; most of whom speak the Konkani language. Besides the Konkanis the other major ethnic group are the Tuluvas, mostly living the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi of Karnataka state. In the Uttara Kannada district and in some parts of Udupi District Kannada is widely spoken Language. The Sanskrit term Konkanastha (कोंकणस्थ), means "Resident of Konkan". A Vijayanagara Royal inscription refers to Gova as "Govabhivandim Konkana Desham" meaning "Greetings to Goa the country of Konkanis". Goa was the port city for sea trade during the rule of Kadambas of Banavasi and Shilaharas of Bombay whose general Lakshman Prabhu renovated the Walkeshwar temple and Bana ganga lake in eastwhile Bombay princely state. Goa was the nerve centre of the thriving Konkan civilization after Saraswati/Sindhu/Indus valley Indian civilisation trail in Harappa and Mohenjodaro downwards to Dwaraka in Gujarat and further down to Konkan all along the west coast as sea route was favourable in those times. The ancient Konkanis built a wall to protect their beloved land from sea erosion under guidance of Lord Parashurama the "Moolapurusha" of Saraswat Brahmin community who trace ancestry to the great Dadhichi muni who sacrificed his backbone for "Vajrayudha" of Indra the god of heaven and the chief deity of the Rigvedic pantheon.The underwater wall in Arabian sea off the Konkan coast was submerged thousands of years ago and recently traced by ISRO Satellite images alongwith Sri Rama sethu(called Adam's bridge in English) off Rameswaram on east coast of India.
Boundaries
The precise definition of Konkan varies, but most include Maharashtra's districts of Raigad, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, the state of Goa, and the Uttara Kannada, Udupi and South Kanara districts of Karnataka and Kerala.
The sapta-Konkan as depicted in Skanda-purana stretches from Gujarat to Kerala. This is actually logical since there are a lot of similarities in the food-habits (rice and fish), crops cultivated (rice, mangoes, cashews and jackfruit) and the physique (tall and well-built) of people dwelling in this area.
The Konkan division
The Konkan division is an administrative sub-division of Maharashtra which comprises all the coastal districts of the state.
Geography
The Sahyadri Mountain range ("Western Ghats") forms the eastern boundary of the Konkan, and the Arabian Sea marks the western boundary. The southern boundary is the Gangavali River. The Mayura River forms the northern boundary.
The Gangavali flows in the district of ("Uttara Kannada") in present-day "Karnataka State"; the cis-Gangavali portion (seen from Bombay) of this district is the southern-most part of the Konkan. The towns of Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honavar and Bhatkal fall within the Konkan. The exact identity of the Mayura River, the northern limits of the historic Konkan, is indeterminate.
Ethnology
The Gabit, Gauda and Kunbi tribals of Konkan are among the original settlers in the region.
Tribal communities in Konkan include Konkana, Warli and Kolcha in Southern Gujarat, Dadra and Nagarhaveli and Thane district of Maharashtra. Katkaris are found more in Raigad and also some in Ratnagiri district.
See also
- People of the Konkan Division
- Konkani people
- Konkani language
- Konkan Railway
- Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project
External links
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