 | ||
The Konkan Division is the administrative division in the coastal region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has a diverse number of ethnic and religious communities.
Contents
Agri
The Agri people (Sanskrit/Marathi/Hindi: आग्री ) are historically an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the Mumbai, Raigad , Thane, Nashik, Ratnagiri Districts and the suburban area of Mumbai in Maharashtra.They are also present in Goa, Rajasthan, Delhi, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Gujarat, Daman and Diu
The Agri people are traditionally salt-makers but now settled in Agriculture and Fishing, Real Estates, Business . They are vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian with their daily diet consisting of Bhakri (rice bread), steamed rice with daal, bhaji(veg). They speak a dialect of Agri, a form of Konkani with Marathi influences. They use the Devanagari script.
They worship all Hindu gods, particularly Khandoba and Bhairoba. For Example:- Sarde, Uran Devoted Bahiridev( Lord Bhairav), Lord Krishna
Bhandaris
The Bhandari caste is among the seafaring caste of ancient and medieval India.They migrated southward from Rajputana in early 1100 CE and subsequently spread over different parts of India. Along with Maharashtra, Goa, parts of Karnataka like Karwar.
East Indians
East Indians are a Marathi-speaking, Roman Catholic ethnic or sub-ethnic group, based in and around the city of Mumbai in western Indian state of Maharashtra. These people are of the original Marathi ethnic group and had been evangelized by the Portuguese.
Konkani/Konkani Muslims
There are large Konkani Muslim communities in Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg. In local lingo, the pronunciation is Kokani rather than Konkani, which can be confused with konkani language speaking people from Goa. Kokani Muslims speak Kokani, a Marathi dialect, peculiar to the community. They are descendants of Arab traders (Mulla/Faqih) and some Hindu converts. Konkani Muslims are heavily involved in the merchant navy, shipbuilding, and textile industries in India. Most in villages are also into farming and fishing, whereas many work as expatriates in Gulf countries. They trace their ancestry back to the Arab traders who arrived on the Western coast of India during the medieval era. The diaspora spread out around India and the rest of the world but maintain their strong sense of community and identity. They predominantly belong to the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, unlike North Indian Muslims who generally adhere to the Hanafi school.
Siddis
The Siddi (Urdu: شیدی ; Punjabi: ਸਿਦ੍ਦੀ; Kannada: ಸಿದ್ಧಿಗಳು; Hindi, Marathi, Konkani: सिद्दी or शीदि/ಸಿದ್ಧಿ; Sindhi: شيدي; Gujarati: સીદી), also known as Siddhi, Sheedi, Habshi or Makrani, are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. Members are descended from Bantu peoples from Southeast Africa. Some were merchants, sailors and mercenaries. Others were indentured servants but the vast majority were brought to the Indian subcontinent as slaves by Arab and Portuguese merchants.
Bene-Israel
The Bene-Israel Of India (Hebrew: בני-ישראל מהודו )
A Jewish group who arrived to the Konkan more than 2000 years past and who occupied more than 200 villages in the area living in peace with all other religions in the area.
They speak Judio-Marathi along with their ancient language, Hebrew. Mainly farmers and oil makers known as "Shanwar Telis" oil makers who keep the Sabbath, they also were warriors in various armies in the area and commanders as well.
Most started to migrate to Mumbai after 1746 and later to the state of Israel after 1948. They were estimated around 30,000 in 1948 and today are more than 100,000 worldwide; in India the numbers are around 4,500, with less than 100 in the Konkan area.