Roman Catholic Kshatriya
| Chardo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Total population | |
| approx 135,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Goa | 100,000 |
| Mangalore | 10,000 |
| Rest of India | 3,000 |
| Languages | |
| Konkani and Portuguese | |
| Religion | |
|
Predominantly: Roman Catholic |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Hindu Kshatriyas | |
The Roman Catholic Kshatriya is a caste among the Goan and Mangalorean Catholics, of modern-day descendants of Goan Kshatriya and Vaishya converts to Roman Catholicism. They are known as Chardo in the Goan Catholic dialects of Konkani (Devanagari: चारड्डो), Charodi (Kannada: ಚರೋಡಿ; Tsāroḍi) in the Mangalorean Catholic dialect of Konkani, and Chardó in Portuguese. They are an endogamous group and have traditionally avoided inter-marriage with Catholics of other castes.
The precise etymology of the word Chardo is unclear. The two most probable explanations are as follows:
The Kshatriyas of Goa constituted the nobility and warrior class, and ranked second in the Hindu Varna system. Those involved in the trading profession were known as Chattim, which was an occupational appellation common to Brahmins as well. The origins of a Christian caste can be traced back to the Christianisation of the Velhas Conquistas (Portuguese: Old Conquests) that was undertaken by the Portuguese during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was during this period that the Jesuit, Franciscan and Dominican missionaries converted many Kshatriyas to Christianity. The caste appellation of Chardo eventually fell into disuse among the Hindu Kshatriyas, who began calling themselves Marathas (Konkan Marathas), to differentiate themselves from those Kshatriyas who had embraced Christianity. Another reason for the name change was because of the ascendancy of the Marathas in the political arena of the Maratha Confederacy. The Marathas and Vaishya Vanis who were among the last to convert, were incorporated into the Chardo caste.
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