KOKAN MYTH
The most famous legend associated with konkan, is that of the mythicalsage Parashuram
(the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), who severalthousand years ago created the entire stretch of Konkan coast byordering the seas to recede.An interesting sidelight in this legendary origin of konkan is thatLord Parashuram is supposed to have shot an arrow from the top of thewestern ghats into the sea to command the Sea God to withdraw till theplace where the arrow fell and claimed that land to be his kingdom.The place where the arrow landed was called Bannali (in Sanskrit for'where the arrow landed'; Bann: arrow, ali: village), or today'sBenaulim.Parashuram arrived in the new abode with other Saraswat Brahmins andsages in order to perform the Yadnya and other rituals. These Brahminfamilies of Dashgotras from Panchgoudas of Trihotrapura in northernIndia came along with their family deities and settled themselves inthis land of Gomantak or the land of the Gods as it came to be knownthereafter.Another legend, less well known, states that the coastal area ofKonkan enchanted Lord Krishna, who was charmed by the beautiful ladiesbathing in the area. The ladies in turn, were so taken up by themelodious music coming from his flute, that they kept dancingforgetting their daily chores. Lord Krishna, then named the landGovapuri after the cows (gov) belonging to the locals.The history of the sacred land of Gomantak, 'land of the Gods' is welldescribed in Sahyadri Khand of Skandha Purana, the ancient text ofHindu religion. According to this story narrated in the ChapterShantiparva of Mahabharat, a Brahmin from the Saraswat family,Parashuram, annihilated the entire community of the warrior tribeKshatriyas and gifted the conquered land to a sage named Kashyapmuni.Unfortunately, the Kshatriya annihilation meant that the land was leftunadministered and fell into anarchy and chaos. The worried sageKashyapmuni, requested Parashuram to leave the area and settleelsewhere. Parashuram came south and reclaimed new land by orderingthe sea to recede and give up the coastal land. This land known as"Aparant" or "Shurparak" is spread between the Sahyadri mountains andSindhusagar.The first wave of Brahmins to settle in Goa and konkan, were calledSaraswats because of their origins from the banks of the RiverSaraswati, an ancient river that existed in Vedic times. Thesubsequent drying up of the river caused large scale migration ofBrahmins to all corners of India.A group of ninety-six families, known today as Gaud Saraswats, settledalong the Konkan coast around 1000 BC. Of these, sixty-six familiestook up residence in the southern half in today's Salcete taluka whichderives its name from the Sanskrit word "Sassast" meaning the number66.The other thirty families settled in the northern area in today'sTiswadi taluka which derives its name from the Sanskrit word for thenumber 30. The Saraswat Brahmins worked in partnership with the localindigenous people, the Kunbi tribals who still exist today. Around theyear 740 AD, the Brahmins established their first Matha (religiouscentre of learning) at Kushasthali (present day Cortalim) .They initially settled at Mathagram (Margao), Kushasthal (Cortalim)and Kardalinagar (Keloshi). The main deities which also came alongwith them were Mangirish, Mahadeo, Mahalaxmi, Mahalsa, Shantadurga,Nagesh, Saptakoteshwar besides many others. According to local legend,the ash found at Harmal beach in Pernem Taluka is cited as the ash ofthe Yadnya or holy ritual performed in Goa.Today a temple of Parashuram exists in Painguinim village of CanaconaTaluka in South Goa and in chipalun also. There is no concrete proofto determine the exact date of the arrival of Saraswats or Parashuramain the area, nor is it conclusively proved that Saraswats or otherAryans were the first to arrive in Konkan.Even if the legends are considered as only myths, the residence ofSaraswat Brahmins in Goa since ancient times along with their familydeities is an undeniable fact. And most probably they arrived in Goaunder the leadership of a towering personality named Parashuram.
(the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), who severalthousand years ago created the entire stretch of Konkan coast byordering the seas to recede.An interesting sidelight in this legendary origin of konkan is thatLord Parashuram is supposed to have shot an arrow from the top of thewestern ghats into the sea to command the Sea God to withdraw till theplace where the arrow fell and claimed that land to be his kingdom.The place where the arrow landed was called Bannali (in Sanskrit for'where the arrow landed'; Bann: arrow, ali: village), or today'sBenaulim.Parashuram arrived in the new abode with other Saraswat Brahmins andsages in order to perform the Yadnya and other rituals. These Brahminfamilies of Dashgotras from Panchgoudas of Trihotrapura in northernIndia came along with their family deities and settled themselves inthis land of Gomantak or the land of the Gods as it came to be knownthereafter.Another legend, less well known, states that the coastal area ofKonkan enchanted Lord Krishna, who was charmed by the beautiful ladiesbathing in the area. The ladies in turn, were so taken up by themelodious music coming from his flute, that they kept dancingforgetting their daily chores. Lord Krishna, then named the landGovapuri after the cows (gov) belonging to the locals.The history of the sacred land of Gomantak, 'land of the Gods' is welldescribed in Sahyadri Khand of Skandha Purana, the ancient text ofHindu religion. According to this story narrated in the ChapterShantiparva of Mahabharat, a Brahmin from the Saraswat family,Parashuram, annihilated the entire community of the warrior tribeKshatriyas and gifted the conquered land to a sage named Kashyapmuni.Unfortunately, the Kshatriya annihilation meant that the land was leftunadministered and fell into anarchy and chaos. The worried sageKashyapmuni, requested Parashuram to leave the area and settleelsewhere. Parashuram came south and reclaimed new land by orderingthe sea to recede and give up the coastal land. This land known as"Aparant" or "Shurparak" is spread between the Sahyadri mountains andSindhusagar.The first wave of Brahmins to settle in Goa and konkan, were calledSaraswats because of their origins from the banks of the RiverSaraswati, an ancient river that existed in Vedic times. Thesubsequent drying up of the river caused large scale migration ofBrahmins to all corners of India.A group of ninety-six families, known today as Gaud Saraswats, settledalong the Konkan coast around 1000 BC. Of these, sixty-six familiestook up residence in the southern half in today's Salcete taluka whichderives its name from the Sanskrit word "Sassast" meaning the number66.The other thirty families settled in the northern area in today'sTiswadi taluka which derives its name from the Sanskrit word for thenumber 30. The Saraswat Brahmins worked in partnership with the localindigenous people, the Kunbi tribals who still exist today. Around theyear 740 AD, the Brahmins established their first Matha (religiouscentre of learning) at Kushasthali (present day Cortalim) .They initially settled at Mathagram (Margao), Kushasthal (Cortalim)and Kardalinagar (Keloshi). The main deities which also came alongwith them were Mangirish, Mahadeo, Mahalaxmi, Mahalsa, Shantadurga,Nagesh, Saptakoteshwar besides many others. According to local legend,the ash found at Harmal beach in Pernem Taluka is cited as the ash ofthe Yadnya or holy ritual performed in Goa.Today a temple of Parashuram exists in Painguinim village of CanaconaTaluka in South Goa and in chipalun also. There is no concrete proofto determine the exact date of the arrival of Saraswats or Parashuramain the area, nor is it conclusively proved that Saraswats or otherAryans were the first to arrive in Konkan.Even if the legends are considered as only myths, the residence ofSaraswat Brahmins in Goa since ancient times along with their familydeities is an undeniable fact. And most probably they arrived in Goaunder the leadership of a towering personality named Parashuram.
posted by KOKANASTH at 12:35 AM
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