Gomantak Maratha Samaj
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
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Primary populations in:Goa, Maharashtra Populations in: United Kingdom, United States, Canada |
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| Languages | |
| Konkani Marathi, | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Naik Maratha Samaj, Nutan Maratha Samaj |
Primary populations in:Goa, Maharashtra
Gomantak Maratha Samaj is a Konkani speaking community found in Indian state of Goa. They are known as Naik Maratha Samaj and Nutan Maratha Samaj Karwar in Karnataka and Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra respectively.
Gomantak Maratha is a relatively new ameliorative name (coined in the late 20th century) given to the group of temple service personnels, for uniting and emancipating them. They were previously known by the following names:
Etymologically Devli, the word Devli is derived from the word Devul or Dev meaning God. So Devalis are those who were dedicated or devoted to the temple or to God. The duties of Devli males (Jyotkar) included lighting the temple lamps and mashal(torch), hold Devdanda, act as temple attendants (Katkars), and play the ritual musical instruments like Mahavadya,Panchavadya,Ranavadya.
They were not always connected to the temple but with the landlords(Bhatkars),at whose residence they attended all type of household work.
Their main occupation was acrobatics.They used to play Jagar(a form of their play) and it was main source of their livelihood,and held a lower status in their community.
Goa and neighboring Sindhudurg and Uttar Kannada had a system of temple-artists. The system of Devadasi was prevalent in Goa since times immemorial and is thought to have been introduced by the Sumerians, though they held high status in the society then. It finds references throughout Goan history. It is said that the widows of Marathas (and sometimes even other castes) sought shelter in the temples as they were forced to follow the Sati tradition. Most of those widows were given shelter by the temples,some of whom became temples attendants and some turned to prostitution of some sort.Perhaps this is the reason why the modern community has got the appellation Maratha attached. Portuguese colonial rulers called them "bailadeiras"(dancers). Whereas in Sindhudurg, British and Dutch called them Devalis (Devali means who comes from temple). Later, with the religious intolerance of the Portuguese rulers, the temples shifted and lost their glory.
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