Mangalorean Catholic

Mangalorean Catholics
Kodialchein Katholik

Cathedral of Our Lady of Rosary of Mangalore
Regions with significant populations
Mangalore Diocese	360,000
Languages
Konkani
Religion
Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
Related ethnic groups
Goan Catholics, Karwari Catholics, Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins, Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins, Daivadnya Brahmins, Konkan Marathas, Vaishya Vanis, Indo-Aryans

Mangalorean Catholics (Konkani: Kodialchein Katholik) are an ethno-religious community of Roman Catholics following the Latin Rite from the Mangalore Diocese (erstwhile South Canara district) on the southwestern coast of Karnataka, India. They are a Konkani people and speak the Konkani and Kannada languages.

Contemporary Mangalorean Catholics are descended mainly from Goan Catholics who migrated to South Canara between 1560 and 1763, throughout the course of the Goa Inquisition, Portuguese–Adil Shahi wars, and the Portuguese–Maratha wars. They learned the languages of South Canara, Tulu, and Kannada, but retained Konkani as their mother tongue and preserved their lifestyle. Their 15-year captivity at Seringapatam imposed by Tipu Sultan, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, from 24 February 1784 to 4 May 1799 led to the near extinction of the community. After Tipu's defeat and subsequent killing by the British in 1799, the community resettled in South Canara, and later prospered under British rule.

Although early assertions of a distinct Mangalorean Catholic identity date from the migration period, a developed Mangalorean Catholic cultural identity only emerged following the captivity. The culture of Mangalorean Catholics is a blend of Mangalorean and Goan cultures. After migration, they adopted some aspects of the local Mangalorean culture, but retained many of their Goan customs and traditions, and like their Goan ancestors, modern Mangalorean Catholic culture can be best described as an increasingly Anglicised Indo-Latin culture. The Mangalorean Catholic diaspora is mostly concentrated in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf and the English-speaking world.