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Prabhu Communities

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The 'Prabhu caste' or Prabhu communities are a group of related Hindu castes belonging to the former ruling caste of statesmen, bureaucrats and aristocrats of Northern districts of Konkan region in Maharashtra, India. There are four such castes, all having different ritual and social status within the caste system of Maharashtra, but all of them having traditions traced back to the 12th century which label them as endogamous subdivisions of Kshatriyas of Solar and Lunar descent. They are Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu, Pathare Prabhu, Kanchole Prabhus and the Davane Prabhu.

Introduction

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The Prabhu caste or group of Prabhu subcastes of the traditional pan-India Kshatriya caste are subdivided into many castes.

Some sources refer to them by their full name but some are ambiguous as to which specific Prabhu community they are referring to. In other sources, context can be used to identify the specific caste. In some sources, Pathare Prabhus and Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu's have been jointly referred to as Prabhu Communities.[citation needed][further explanation needed]

Details

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Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) & pathare prabhu

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The CKP are considered superior to the other Prabhu communities. They are a ritually high caste and are considered socially proximate to Maharashtrian Brahmin community. Davane prabhus were later included in CKPs as same.[1][2][3][4][5]Along with the Saraswat, Deshastha and Chitpawan they have been considered as an "advanced caste" due to similarities in education and occupational status.[4][6][7][8]

The Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) and Pathare Prabhu are considered intellectual classes (other than Brahmins) and have been advanced in education. Both have vedic upanayana (thread ceremonies or 'munj' in marathi) and their 'vedokta' or rights to study of Vedas and perform Vedic rituals has been formally approved by the Brahmin councils and ratified by the Shankaracharyas based on shastras. In case of Pathare Prabhus the formal approval was given by the Shankaracharya of Shingeri and in the case of CKPs by Brahmin councils of Pune, Banares, Bajirao II and the Shankaracharya of Karvir and Sanakareshwar Math (a Deshastha Brahmin).[9][10][11][a][5][12][13][excessive citations]

Kanchole Prabhus

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The Drauv (or Dhurus) are also known as Kanchole Prabhus. It is said that they were part of the Pathare Prabhu community but were excommunicated for disobeying caste rules. The Kacholes made several attempts and appeals to the Pathare Prabhu caste to accept them back. The first was made in 1836, the second and third in 1881. In November 1881, 38 gentlemen from the Pathare Prabhu community confirmed the Kanchole's "purity of blood", similar religious beliefs, similar gotras and characteristics and professions, similarity in writings, status etc. Despite these proofs they were not readmitted due to rigid 19th century rules regarding caste pollution.[5][further explanation needed]

Notable People

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  • Khando Ballal Chitnis : A high-ranking minister in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj, and Maharani Tarabai Ranisaheb's court.
  • Baji Prabhu Deshpande : An army general during the era of Shivaji, well known for the main role in the battle of Pawankhind from the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu community.
  • Murar Baji Deshpande : An army general of the Maratha kingdom under Shivaji, whose final battle was the one against Diler Khan at the Battle of Purandar where he lost his life as recorded in ballads in a heroic manner.
  • Gangaji Naik Anjurkar : A semi-independent army general of Vasai region who primarily contributed to the Maratha victory against the Portuguese at the battle of Bassein (Vasai) led by Chimaji Appa (brother of Peshwa Bajirao).
  • Khandoji Mankar : In Chatrapati Shahu rule A semi-independent chieftain of medieval Bombay region who carried on armed struggles against the Portuguese,Deutch, Siddhis and Britishers with the help of the Peshwa's Maratha soldiers.

Notes

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  1. ^ quote on page 173:Rajvadyanchi Gagabhatti appendix 4, pp-1-21. The Shankaracharya's letter contains three documents which he produces verbatim, two from Banares Brahmins (1779, 1801) proving the CKPs vedokta and one from Pune Brahmins award Ratified by Bajirav II in 1796.

References

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  1. ^ Patwardhan, Moreshwar Vishwanath (1966). Varṇa va jātī (in Marathi). Vidarbha Marāṭhavāḍā Buka Kaṃpanī.
  2. ^ Gupte, Baḷakrishna Atmarama. The Kayastha Prabhus of Bombay Baroda Central India and Central Provinces. Ramchandra.B.Gupte, Calcutta.
  3. ^ Vaidya, C. V. (1926). Downfall Of Hindu India.
  4. ^ a b Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). India's communities-Anthropological Survey of India, VolumeIV. Oxford University press. p. 635. [ckp].. superior to the three other divisions namely Pathare Prabhus, Davaned Prabhu and Dhauv Prabhu
  5. ^ a b c Vijaya Gupchup. Bombay: Social Change 1813-1857. p. 166,180,184,185,186. (page 166,185)The other intellectual class, the Prabhus were once again subdivided in the Chnadraseniya Kayastha Prabhu and the Pathare Prabhus
  6. ^ André Béteille (1991). Society and Politics in India: Essays in a Comparative Perspective. Athlone Press. p. 48. Although the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu are non-Brahmins, they rank very high and might be regarded as being socially proximate to the Koknastha Brahman.
  7. ^ Champa Aphale (1976). Growing Up in an Urban Complex. National Publishing House. p. 5. advanced castes among the maharashtrians viz. Brahmins. In this groups were also included families belonging to the chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu besides the three subscastes among the brahmins, viz. Kokanastha Brahmins, Deshastha Brahmins and Saraswat Brahmins. The reason for this was that, though non-Brahmins, these C.K.P. families were very much near the Brahmin families as regards their educational and occupational status.
  8. ^ Kurtz Dr, Donald V (1997). Book Contradictions and Conflict: A Dialectical Political Anthropology of a University in Western India (Studies in Human Society, Vol 9). p. 68. ISBN 9004098283. ... CKPs. They represent a small but literate and ritually high caste.
  9. ^ "The American Economic Review - Volume 96, Issues 3-4". Nashville, Tenn. American Economic Association. 2006: 1228. High castes include all the Brahmin jatis, as well as a few other elite jatis (CKP and Pathare Prabhus).Low castes include formerly untouchable and backward castes (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Castes, as defined by the government of India). Medium castes are drawn mostly from the cultivator jatis, such as the Marathas and the Kunbis, as well as other traditional vocations that were not considered to be ritually impure. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ Utsa Patnaik; Terence J. Byres; K. N. Panikkar, eds. (2002). The Making of History: Essays Presented to Irfan Habib (Anthem South Asian Studies). Anthem Press. p. 197. ISBN 9781843310389.
  11. ^ Milton Israel and N.K.Wagle, ed. (1987). Religion and Society in Maharashtra. Center for South Asian Studies, University of Toronto, Canada.
  12. ^ KS Singh (1998). India's communities. Oxford University Press. p. 2083. ..the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu observe the thread-wearing (janeu) ceremony for male children. They cremate the dead and observe death pollution for ten days.
  13. ^ Sulabha Brahme, Ashok Upadhyaya (2004). Agrarian structure, movements & peasant organisations in India, Volume 2. V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. p. 29. ISBN 9788178270647. Besides Brahmins, the other communities advanced in education are Kayastha Prabhu, Pathare Prabhu found mainly in the...
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