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| Saraswat Brahmin |
The word Saraswat is derived from the mythological river, Saraswati. The word ‘Saraswat’ means, 'the children of Saraswati.'
What was the connection between the origin of the Saraswat community and their migration in three directions And what is the history of the Saraswat Community?
According to puranas, folklore and the scriptures, the Saraswat Brahmin community originated in the ancient era. And they are believed to be the followers of Sage Saraswat.
Sage Saraswat was the son of Maharishi Dadhichi, who lived at the bank of vedic river Saraswati.
Sage Saraswat prayed to Goddess Saraswati that he needed disciples to propagate the knowledge of Vedas. Goddess Saraswati blessed him with 14 sons, whose names were, Acharya, Pai, Baliga, Bhatt, Desai, Prabhu, Hegde, Kini, Kulkarni, Mahajan, Mallya, Rao, Nayak, and Joshi.
They were entrusted to propagate the teachings of Vedas across the globe. Their descendants and followers are known as Saraswat Brahmin. Saraswat Brahmins are the Brahmins from the Rig-vedic era who worship Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Goddess, Sun, and Lord Ganesha.
Originally, the Saraswat Brahmin community used to reside in the Saraswat region. The Saraswat region was spread across the bank of river Saraswati in northern India from Punjab to Kashmir. During that time, the main profession of the Saraswat community was to write about Vedas, propagate its teachings and conduct yagnas for wish fulfilment. Some people of this community used to do farming as well.
By 1000 BC, river Saraswati completely dried up leaving the Saraswat region barren. Then the Saraswat Brahmin community had to leave their motherland and migrate for survival. This migration lasted for centuries. According to history, their last migration occurred during 350 BC.
The migration of Saraswat Brahmin community occurred in three directions. The first migration took place towards Kashmir, few families settled in Kashmir. Here, they mainly started working as priests in the temples. Kashmiri Pandits belong to the same Saraswat Brahmin community. The second migration occurred towards the south-west.
Some families settled in Dwarka and later to the Konkan region of Maharashtra and Goa. The Brahmins who spoke Konkani language like Chitpavan, Karhades, Daivadnya were known as Konkani Brahmins. They were further divided into three sub-groups Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins and Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins.
Their main occupation here was farming, fishing, and they also worked as landlords. Third migration took place towards south-east and a few families settled in Bihar. Here, they continued their traditional work and started calling themselves Saraswat Brahmins. In the Mughal Era, that is between 1526-1700, well-educated people from the Saraswat Brahmin community mainly started working as village revenue collectors, financiers, landlords, priests and teachers.
During this time, this community migrated towards Kerala & Karnataka in the South. In the 16th Century, the Saraswat Brahmins of south India formed the Dravidian Saraswat Brahmin community and made their own identity. It is believed that in 1850, the people from Saraswat Community were the first beneficiaries of the English education introduced by the Britishers.Due to this they started working as merchants, diplomats, and financiers.
The Saraswat Brahmin community overcame difficult situations and gave a new identity to their community. In different eras, they accepted various professions but they continued their traditional occupation and kept propagating the knowledge of the Vedas across the globe for centuries. This community is Incredible.