Daivadnya

Daivadnya

Shett gentlemen from Goa, from late 18th to early 19th century (Courtesy: Gomant Kalika, Nutan Samvatsar Visheshank, April 2002)
Regions with significant populations
Goa, Coastal and west Maharashtra, Coastal and central Karnataka Populations in Kerala Konkani is spoken as the native tongues and are used for written communication. Kannada, Gujarati, Malayalam, Tulu, and Hindi may be sometimes spoken outside home. English is commonly used for education and formal communication.
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Indo-Scythians, Goan Catholics, Mangalorean Catholics, Karwari Catholics

Goa, Coastal and west Maharashtra, Coastal and central Karnataka Populations in Kerala

Konkani is spoken as the native tongues and are used for written communication. Kannada, Gujarati, Malayalam, Tulu, and Hindi may be sometimes spoken outside home.

The Daivadnya or Daivajña is an ethno-religious community and a Hindu Brahmin caste of the west coast of India, predominantly residing in the states of Goa, coastal Karnataka, and coastal Maharashtra. The state of Goa is considered to be the original homeland of Daivadnyas. They are believed to have flourished and prospered in Goa and hence sometimes they are called Gomantaka Daivadnya but popularly termed as Sonars in konkan region.

Due to many socio-economic reasons, they emigrated to different parts of India within the last few centuries. Today, members of the community can be found in diverse economic conditions ranging from extremely well-off to poor. They are classified by the National Commission for Backward Classes of India under Other Backward Class(OBC) category as per Gazette of Government of India. One of the few brahmin castes to enjoy this benefit.

They are commonly known as Śeṭ in the coastal region. The word Śeṭ is a corrupt form of the word Śreṣṭha or Śreṣṭhin Over time the word was transformed from Śreṣṭha to Śeṭ. Most of the older generation from the Daivadnya community in Goa call themselves Śeṭī Bāmaṇ, which is a corrupt form of Śreṣṭhi Brāhmaṇa. The Portuguese referred these people as Xete (cf. Xett, Xete) or sometimes Chatim (cf. Xatim), which is now Cyātī in the Konkani language, the word was a Portuguese appellation for "trader" derived from the local word Śreṣṭhin. Śeṭs are often called Suvarṇakara in Sanskrit and Sonar in Konkani(cf. Svarṇakāra).