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Konkan



 
 
The Konkan (Marathi: ????), also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali
Karavali

Karavali is the geographical area covered by sea-coast of Karnataka. This region is also called Canara. Karavali forms the southern part of the Konkan Coast....
, is a rugged section of the western coastline of India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 from Raigad
Raigad

Raigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India....
 to Mangalore
Mangalore

Mangalore is the chief port city of the India state of Karnataka. Bounded by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats mountain ranges, Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in southwestern Karnataka....
. The sapta-Konkan is a slightly larger region described in the Skanda
Skanda

Skanda is the name of deity popular amongst Hindus and Buddhists.* Murugan, a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan* Skanda , a popular Deva and/or Bodhisattva popular in Chinese Buddhism...
-purana.

Konkan Division is also one of six administrative sub-divisions of the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a States and territories of India located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's List of states of India by area and List of states of India by population....
, comprising of its costal districts.

Residents of Konkan and their descendants are called
Konkanis.






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Dabhol Beach
The Konkan (Marathi: ????), also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali
Karavali

Karavali is the geographical area covered by sea-coast of Karnataka. This region is also called Canara. Karavali forms the southern part of the Konkan Coast....
, is a rugged section of the western coastline of India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 from Raigad
Raigad

Raigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India....
 to Mangalore
Mangalore

Mangalore is the chief port city of the India state of Karnataka. Bounded by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats mountain ranges, Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in southwestern Karnataka....
. The sapta-Konkan is a slightly larger region described in the Skanda
Skanda

Skanda is the name of deity popular amongst Hindus and Buddhists.* Murugan, a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan* Skanda , a popular Deva and/or Bodhisattva popular in Chinese Buddhism...
-purana.

Konkan Division is also one of six administrative sub-divisions of the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a States and territories of India located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's List of states of India by area and List of states of India by population....
, comprising of its costal districts.

Residents of Konkan and their descendants are called
Konkanis. The name may also refer specifically to the Konkani people
Konkani people

Konkani people form an ethnic group mainly found in the Konkan Coast of western India who speak the Konkani language natively.The word Konkani derives from kum, meaning 'Mother Earth' and kana, meaning 'piece/part' thereby meaning a strip of land along the western Indian coast beyond the Western Ghat mountains called as Konkan....
, an ethnic group of the region; most of whom speak the Konkani language
Konkani language

Konkani is an Indo-Aryan languages belonging to the Indo-European languages family of languages spoken in the Konkan coast of India. It has approximately 7.6 million speakers of its two individual languages, Konkani and Goan Konkani....
.

The Sanskrit term
Konkanastha (????????), means "Resident of Konkan".

Boundaries

The precise definition of Konkan varies, but most include Maharashtra
Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a States and territories of India located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's List of states of India by area and List of states of India by population....
's districts of Raigad
Raigad

Raigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India....
, Mumbai
Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
, Thane
Thane

Thane is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Conurbation, northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane District....
, Ratnagiri
Ratnagiri

Ratnagiri The Sahyadri mountains border Ratnagiri on its west. Heavy rainfall results in highly eroded landscape in the coastal region, but fertile alluvial valleys in the region produce abundant rice, coconuts, cashew nuts, and fruits, delicious "Hapus" mangoes being one of the main fruits....
 and Sindhudurg
Sindhudurg

Sindhudurg is a fortress which occupies an islet in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in western India. The fortress lies on the shore of Malvan town of Sindhudurg District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, south of Mumbai....
, the state of Goa
Goa

Goa is India's smallest states and territories of India in terms of area and the List of states and territories of India by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western...
, and the Uttar Kannada, Udupi
Udupi

Udupi is a city and the headquarters of the Udupi District in the States of India of Karnataka. Udupi is famous for the Krishna temple located here....
 and Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada

Dakshina Kannada , , is a coastal Districts of Karnataka in the states and territories of India of Karnataka in India. It is bordered by Udupi District to the north, Chikkamagaluru district to the northeast, Hassan District to the east, Kodagu District to the southeast, and Kasaragod District in Kerala to the south....
 districts of Karnataka
Karnataka

Karnataka is a States and territories of India in the southern part of India. It was Unification of Karnataka on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act....
.

The
sapta-Konkan as depicted in Skanda-purana stretches from Maharashtra to Karnataka . This is actually logical since there are a lot of similarities in the food-habits (rice and fish), crops cultivated (rice
Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
, mango
Mango

Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae....
es, cashew
Cashew

The cashew is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The plant is native to northeastern Brazil. Its English language name derives from the Portuguese language name for the fruit of the cashew tree, caju, which in turn derives from the indigenous Tupi language name, acaj?....
s and jackfruit
Jackfruit

The jackfruit is a species of tree of the mulberry family native to parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is well suited to tropical lowlands....
) and the physique (tall and well-built) of people dwelling in this area.

The Konkan division

Maharashtrakonkan
The Konkan division is an administrative sub-division of Maharashtra comprises all the coastal districts of the state.

  • Area: 30,746 kmē
  • Population (2001 census): 24,807,357
  • Districts: Mumbai
    Mumbai City District

    Mumbai City District is a Districts of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. As a city district, it has no headquarters or subdivisions. It, along with the Mumbai Suburban District make up the metropolis of Mumbai....
    , Mumbai Suburban
    Mumbai Suburban District

    The Mumbai suburban district is a Districts of Maharashtra of the state of Maharashtra, India. Its headquarters is in Bandra . It consists of five administrative subdivisions or tehsils: Mulund, Kurla, Bandra, Andheri, and Borivali....
    , Raigad
    Raigad district

    Raigad District , also known as Raigarh District, is a Districts of Maharashtra in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the Konkan region....
    , Ratnagiri
    Ratnagiri District

    Ratnagiri is a district in Maharashtra????????, India. Nearly 400 km from Mumbai. It has the distinction of being the native place of three Bharat Ratna awardees, namely Dhondo Keshav Karve, Dr....
    , Sindhudurg
    Sindhudurg district

    Sindhudurg is an administrative Districts of Maharashtra in the state of Maharashtra in India, which was carved out of the erstwhile Ratnagiri District....
    , Thane
    Thane District

    Thane is a Districts of Maharashtra in northern Maharashtra state in western India. The headquarters of the district is the city of Thane. Other major cities in the district are Navi Mumbai , Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar,Ambarnath, Kulgaon-Badlapur, Dahanu, Shahapur, Vada, Thane and Vasai-Virar....
  • Literacy: 81.36%
  • Area under irrigation: 4,384.54 kmē


History of administrative districts in Konkan Division

There have been changes in the names of Districts and has seen also the addition of newer districts after India gained Independence in 1947 and also after the state of Maharashtra was formed.
  • In 1961 the Konkan region became a part of the newly formed state of Maharashtra
    Maharashtra

    Maharashtra is a States and territories of India located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's List of states of India by area and List of states of India by population....
    . Prior to this it was a part of Bombay province which was split to form Gujarat
    Gujarat

    Gujarat is a States and territories of India in western India. Gujarat borders Pakistan to the north west and the state of Rajasthan to the north and northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, Maharashtra and the Union territory of Diu, Daman District, India, Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the south....
     and Maharashtra
    Maharashtra

    Maharashtra is a States and territories of India located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's List of states of India by area and List of states of India by population....
    .
  • Creation of the Sindhudurg
    Sindhudurg district

    Sindhudurg is an administrative Districts of Maharashtra in the state of Maharashtra in India, which was carved out of the erstwhile Ratnagiri District....
     from the southern areas of the Ratnagiri
    Ratnagiri District

    Ratnagiri is a district in Maharashtra????????, India. Nearly 400 km from Mumbai. It has the distinction of being the native place of three Bharat Ratna awardees, namely Dhondo Keshav Karve, Dr....
     district.
  • The erstwhile Kolaba district was renamed as Raigad
    Raigad district

    Raigad District , also known as Raigarh District, is a Districts of Maharashtra in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the Konkan region....
    .
  • A proposal to carve Jawhar
    Jawhar

    Jawhar is a city and a municipal council in Thane district in the Indian States and territories of India of Maharashtra. It is about 166 km from Mumbai and 80 km from the city of Nasik....
     district out of Thane District
    Thane District

    Thane is a Districts of Maharashtra in northern Maharashtra state in western India. The headquarters of the district is the city of Thane. Other major cities in the district are Navi Mumbai , Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar,Ambarnath, Kulgaon-Badlapur, Dahanu, Shahapur, Vada, Thane and Vasai-Virar....
     is being considered on account of its high tribal population.


Geography

The Sahyadri Mountain range ("Western Ghats
Western Ghats

The Western Ghats also known as the Sahyadri mountains, is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea....
") forms the eastern boundary of the Konkan, and the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui, the north-east point of Somalia, Socotra, Kanyakumari in India, and the western coast of Sri Lanka....
 marks the western boundary. The southern boundary is the Gangavali River. The Mayura River forms the northern boundary.

The Gangavali flows in the district of North Canara ("Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada

Uttara Kannada is a district in the southern Indian states and territories of India of Karnataka. It is sometimes called North Canara, or North Kanara....
") in present-day "Karnataka
Karnataka

Karnataka is a States and territories of India in the southern part of India. It was Unification of Karnataka on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act....
 State"; the cis-Gangavali portion (seen from Bombay) of this district is the southern-most part of the Konkan. The towns of Gokarn, Guhagar
Guhagar

Guhagar is a census town in Ratnagiri district in the Indian States and territories of India of Maharashtra. The town is known for its virgin beach, coir items, coconuts, and betel nuts....
, Honavar
Honavar

Honavar or Honnavar is a port town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. The town is the headquarters of Honnavar taluk....
, and Karwar
Karwar

Karwar is the capital of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, India; it is a seaside town situated on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent....
 fall within the Konkan.

The exact identity of the Mayura River, the northern limits of the historic Konkan, is indeterminate.

Ethnology

The Gramit or Gamit tribals of the Maharashtra Konkan (districts of Sindhudurg
Sindhudurg

Sindhudurg is a fortress which occupies an islet in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in western India. The fortress lies on the shore of Malvan town of Sindhudurg District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, south of Mumbai....
, Ratnagiri
Ratnagiri

Ratnagiri The Sahyadri mountains border Ratnagiri on its west. Heavy rainfall results in highly eroded landscape in the coastal region, but fertile alluvial valleys in the region produce abundant rice, coconuts, cashew nuts, and fruits, delicious "Hapus" mangoes being one of the main fruits....
, Raigad
Raigad

Raigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India....
 or Alibag or Colaba, Mumbai Urban, Mumbai Suburban and Thane
Thane

Thane is a city in Maharashtra, India, part of the Mumbai Conurbation, northeastern suburb of Mumbai at the head of the Thane Creek. It is the administrative headquarters of Thane District....
 in "Maharashtra State") are among the original settlers in the region .

The Kunkna tribals native to the territories of Maharashtra Konkan, Dadra & Nagar-Haveli, Daman and Cis-Narmada Gujarat,are another tribal community.

Some Notable Kokani family surnames: Mulla, Mallya, Mangeshkar, Zakaria, Antulay, Rao, Kamath and Fernandes.

See also

  • People of the Konkan Division
    People of the Konkan Division

    The Konkan is the administrative division in the coastal region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has a diverse number of ethnic and religious communities....
  • Konkani people
    Konkani people

    Konkani people form an ethnic group mainly found in the Konkan Coast of western India who speak the Konkani language natively.The word Konkani derives from kum, meaning 'Mother Earth' and kana, meaning 'piece/part' thereby meaning a strip of land along the western Indian coast beyond the Western Ghat mountains called as Konkan....
  • Konkani language
    Konkani language

    Konkani is an Indo-Aryan languages belonging to the Indo-European languages family of languages spoken in the Konkan coast of India. It has approximately 7.6 million speakers of its two individual languages, Konkani and Goan Konkani....
  • Konkani (dialect of Marathi language)
  • Konkan Railway
    Konkan Railway

    The Konkan Railway is a railway line which runs along along the Konkan of India. It was constructed and is operated by a Konkan Railway Corporation....
  • National Highway 17 (India)
    National Highway 17 (India)

    National Highway 17, commonly referred to as NH 17, is a busy highway that runs roughly north-south along the western coast of India, parallel to western ghats....


External links