Admittedly, very little research has been done in Konkan history though Konkan language and culture has made its own modest contribution to enrich India’s multiculturalism.jain kings protect this region several hunderds of years all caves and hill jain temples was built by jain kings now only remain ruins . For this reason, most people are still unaware of the elegance of Konkan language and the richness of Konkan culture. It is an undeniable fact that Konkan history does not find a rightful place it so richly deserves in Indian history.Goa, the smallest state of India is known for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture. It also has a rich flora and fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which is classified as a biodiversity hotspot. The state remained as a part of the Portuguese overseas territory for almost 450 years until it was annexed to the Indian Union in 1961 as an union territory. It was latter elevated as the 25th Indian state on May 30th, 1987. Traces of Jainism in Goa Recent Archeological excavations have unearthed evidence of the existence of Jainism in Goa. During the pre-Portuguese period, there were settlements of the Jain trading community in areas like Bandoda, Gujirwada in Kudne, Kothambi and Narve, which disappeared during Portuguese rule. There are ruins of three Jain temples belonging to Vijayanagar period. The first Jain Basti of Neminath is from Bandivade of Ponda taluka. The other two Jain temples located in Cudnem and Jainkot area of Narve belong to the Vijayanagar period. Further, the popular word in Goa ‘Shivarak’ meaning vegetarian food is evolved from the Jaina word ‘Shravak’ which means Jain house holder. Rashtrakuta (rāṣṭrakūṭa), was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant that mentions their rule from Manpur in the Malwa region of modern Madhya Pradesh. Other ruling Rashtrakuta clans from the same period mentioned in inscriptions were the kings of Achalapur (modern Elichpur in Maharashtra) and the rulers of Kannauj. Several controversies exist regarding the origin of these early Rashtrakutas, their native home and their language. The clan that ruled from Elichpur was a feudatory of the Badami Chalukyas and during the rule of Dantidurga, it overthrew Chalukya Kirtivarman II and went on to build an empire with the Gulbarga region in modern Karnataka as its base. This clan came to be known as the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, rising to power in South India in 753. At the same time the Pala dynasty of Bengal and the Prathihara dynasty of Malwa were gaining force in eastern and northwestern India respectively. An Arabic writing Silsilatuttavarikh (851) called the Rashtrakutas one of the four principal empires of the world.[1] This period, between the eight and the 10th centuries, saw a tripartite struggle for the resources of the rich Gangetic plains, each of these three empires annexing the seat of power at Kannauj for short periods of time. At their peak the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta ruled a vast empire stretching from the Ganges River and Yamuna River doab in the north to Cape Comorin in the south, a fruitful time of political expansion, architectural achievements and famous literary contributions. The early kings of this dynasty were Hindu but the later kings were strongly influenced by Jainism. During their rule, Jain mathematicians and scholars contributed important works in Kannada and Sanskrit. Amoghavarsha I, the most famous king of this dynasty wrote Kavirajamarga, a landmark literary work in the Kannada language. Architecture reached a milestone in the Dravidian style, the finest example of which is seen in the Kailasanath Temple at Ellora. Other important contributions are the sculptures of Elephanta Caves in modern Maharashtra as well as the Kashivishvanatha temple and the Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal in modern Karnataka, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Admittedly, very little research has been done in Konkan history though Konkan language and culture has made its own modest contribution to enrich India’s multiculturalism. For this reason, most people are still unaware of the elegance of Konkan language and the richness of Konkan culture. It is an undeniable fact that Konkan history does not find a rightful place it so richly deserves in Indian history. The Geographical Features Konkan is the coastal belt of the western state of Maharastra in India. Though a narrow strip, the Konkan region is easily identifiable on a map of India. It is the land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The Konkan coast borders Panaji city of Goa to the North and Kasargod of Kerala in the South. The Konkan Coast is known for its rich vegetation, exquisite beaches, delicious food, palm and coconut trees. The physical area of the Konkan strip is 320 miles in length and thirty to sixty miles of varying breadth. Konkani Language The original settlers of Konkan region were Brahmins who predominantly lived along the banks of the river Saraswati. They developed their own dialect known as Shauraseni Prakrit – out of which evolved the present day Konkani. But some historiand claim that the language Konkani is the sanskritized version of a language spoken by the early Konkan tribe. Native residents of the Konkan region speak the Konkani language and Konkani is also widely spoken in the erstwhile Portuguese state of Goa. Many scholars opine that for long Konkani was only as a spoken language without any script until the arrival of the Portuguese. History Background The long Konkan coast line and vantage ports and its proximity to the Arabian coast were well exploited by the earliest travelers. It is a historical fact that the Buddhists and later the Bráhmans chose Sálsette for establishing one of their monastries. It is also true that some extraordinary cave temples are found in Konkan area. When the Portuguese arrived in large numbers in India, one of their early acquisitions was the coast along the North Konkan. In the South Konkan area, many manufacturing units were set up by the English, Dutch and French during the beginning of the seventeenth century. Eventually, the founder of the Marátha Empire selected as his capital a Konkan hill-fort. After the Marátha dynasty lost its hegemony, the Konkani Bráhmans inherited the region and expanded their hold to the adjoining parts of India. But historically speaking, Konkan was at no time more than a part of some inland kingdom. As stated earlier, very little research has been done in Konkan history and it is indeed a fit subject for students of history to do further in-depth study and unearth facts that are bound to be fascinating. The Geographical Features Konkan is the coastal belt of the western state of Maharastra in India. Though a narrow strip, the Konkan region is easily identifiable on a map of India. It is the land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The Konkan coast borders Panaji city of Goa to the North and Kasargod of Kerala in the South. The Konkan Coast is known for its rich vegetation, exquisite beaches, delicious food, palm and coconut trees. The physical area of the Konkan strip is 320 miles in length and thirty to sixty miles of varying breadth. Konkani Language The original settlers of Konkan region were Brahmins who predominantly lived along the banks of the river Saraswati. They developed their own dialect known as Shauraseni Prakrit – out of which evolved the present day Konkani. But some historiand claim that the language Konkani is the sanskritized version of a language spoken by the early Konkan tribe. Native residents of the Konkan region speak the Konkani language and Konkani is also widely spoken in the erstwhile Portuguese state of Goa. Many scholars opine that for long Konkani was only as a spoken language without any script until the arrival of the Portuguese. History Background The long Konkan coast line and vantage ports and its proximity to the Arabian coast were well exploited by the earliest travelers. It is a historical fact that the jains, Buddhists and later the Bráhmans chose Sálsette for establishing one of their monastries. It is also true that some extraordinary cave temples are found in Konkan area. When the Portuguese arrived in large numbers in India, one of their early acquisitions was the coast along the North Konkan. In the South Konkan area, many manufacturing units were set up by the English, Dutch and French during the beginning of the seventeenth century. Eventually, the founder of the Marátha Empire selected as his capital a Konkan hill-fort. After the Marátha dynasty lost its hegemony, the Konkani Bráhmans inherited the region and expanded their hold to the adjoining parts of India. But historically speaking, Konkan was at no time more than a part of some inland kingdom. As stated earlier, very little research has been done in Konkan history and it is indeed a fit subject for students of history to do further in-depth study and unearth facts that are bound to be fascinating.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 17:46:08 +0000
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