Saraswat Brahmin

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Not only the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Konkan.

The Saraswats are a Brahmin sub-caste of India.

History

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According to the legend, Saraswat Brahmins are Brahmins who lived on the banks of the former Saraswati River that once flowed in northern India. Around 1900 BC, the river Saraswati started vanishing under ground and the people on its banks started migrating to other parts of India thus forming sub-communities. There are many sub-communities in Saraswats, including

• Kutch Saraswats(found in Gujrat-Kutch, Mumbai)
• Rajasthan Saraswats
• Saraswats from Uttarakhand
• Saraswats from Uttar Pradesh
• Saraswats from Konkan
• Kashmiri Saraswats
• Punjabi Saraswats
• Sindhi Saraswats
• Oriya Saraswats

Communities

As per several renowned historians, the Saraswati-Sindhu river was existent in parts of Kashmir, Punjab and Sindh. Punjabi Saraswat Brahmins are one of the most influential communities in Punjab. Approximately 45% of Punjabi Brahmins belong to the Bharadwaja Gotra, a Saraswati Brahmin group which is the same as the one found in Kashmir.The other prominent Gotra in Punjab is Lakhanpal.In addition to main Saraswati gotras such as Bharadawaja and Vashistha, Punjab is also home to the small 'Mohyal' minority, a sub-community within Punjabi Saraswat Brahmins have traditionally been landlords, Dewans, Shahs, and Kings in Northern areas,being the descendants of Dronacharya and were warriors.

The Brahmins of Jammu are known as "Dogra" Saraswats and they too are a sub-category of the larger Saraswat Brahmins. Though ethnically they are similar to the other Saraswats, culturally and linguistically they are closer to Punjabi Brahmins than to the Kashmiri Brahmins as the Dogra Brahmins speak in Dogri (a language similar to Punjabi).

Saraswat Brahmins form a great proportion of the Vedic followers in Kashmir, called the Kashmiri Pandits. These Kashmiri Brahmins are thought to be the descendants of Rishi Kashyap and are originally Central Asian migrants. Kashmiri Pandits identify their deity with the Goddess Saraswati, who has been mentioned in the Vedas as the Goddess of learning. The surname of "Pandit" is invariably a Saraswat Brahmin surname and a large number of them are the Kashmiri Pandits though some Saraswats with this surname are found in other parts of India as well. There are many Muslims in the Valley of Kashmir with surname of Pandit/Pandith as well, indicating that they are fairly more recent converts to Islam (from Hinduism). Many Kashmiri Muslims have still have kept their Brahmin surnames of Bhat, Dhar, Pandit, Raina, Kaul and Reshi.

Prominent Saraswats

See also

• Bharadwaja
• Vashishtha
• Lakhanpal
• Vishvamitra
• Gautama
• Jamadagni
• Kashyap
• Dhanwantari
• Atri
• Mohyal
• Chhibber
• Datt
• Mohan
• Pandit
• Pathak
• Bhanot

References

• Gazzette, Punjab Department of Revenue,Religions and castes