Pathare Prabhu Explained

Pathare Prabhu is one of the Hindu communities found mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Introduction

The Pathare Prabhus and the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus (CKP) are considered sister communities, both being part of the 'Prabhu caste'.^[1] Both Pathare Prabhu and CKP follow the Advaita Vedanta Smarta tradition of Hinduism propounded by Adi Shankara.^[2]

Along with all the Maharashtrian Brahmin castes and the CKP, they are considered one of the 'high' or 'elite' castes of Maharashtra.^[3]

The Pathare Prabhu, in the 19th century would to refer to Mumbai (then known as Bombay) as 'Desh' (country). They formed the "Union Club" under which were the five primary collectives of Girgaon, Mazagaon, Parel, Mahim and Worli. In 1887, they held a meeting at the "Desh" level in which it was decided to stop inviting "naikins" (dancers) to sing at the Upanayana (thread ceremonies or "munja") and marriage celebrations. Historians cite an incident where a Pathare Prabhu member who broke this rule two years later was socially outcast by the community. He sued for defamation but the British Court ruled against him.^[4]

Notable people

• Moroba Kanhoba – 19th century writer and social reformer (women's rights advocate), author of the famous Marathi novel "Ghashiram Kotwal". His highly publicized marriage to a widow ended in a tragedy after the couple was found dead within a year of the marriage.^{[5] [6]}
• Shivkar Bapuji Talpade – A Vedic Scholar famous for flying an unmanned heavier-than-air aircraft in 1895 in Bombay^[7]
• Atmaram Sadashiv Jayakar - Notable zoologist, physician, naturalist and explorer. Best known for his scientific study on animals and medical surveys of Oman. He described some unknown species like Arabitragus jayakari, Hippocampus jayakari and Omanosaura jayakari, all named after him. He also studied the Omani dialect of Arabic.^[8]
• Mahadev Vishwanath Dhurandhar - Well known Indian painter and artist.^[9]
• Kanhoba Ranchoddas Kirtikar - Notable botanist, surgeon and Marathi poet.^[10]
• Mukund Ramarao Jayakar - First vice chancellor of the University of Pune.^[11]
• Raobahadur Narayan Dinanath Velkar (1798–1870) - 19th century social reformer, and first Native Muncipal Commissioner of Bombay city and one of the founders of The Times of India.^[12]

See also

• Pathare Prabhu (Kanchole)

External links

• The Pathare Prabhu Community Website
• An interesting description of pathare prabhu culture as experienced by Helena Blavatsky in the 18th century.

Notes and References

1. Book: Urban leadership in Western India: politics and communities in Bombay city, 1840-1885 . Christine E. Dobbin. 1972 . 225. 978-0-19-821841-8. Not only were the Pathare prabhus aware for the need for self help. In 1876 the members of their sister community, the Chandraseniya Kayasth Prabhus, began to organize themselves..
2. Book: The Castes, Tribes and Culture of India . K.P.Bahadur, Sukhdev Singh Chib . 161. ESS Publications. 1981. pg 161: The Kayastha Prabhus...The creed mostly accepted by them is that of the advaita school of Shankaracharya, though they also worship Vishnu, Ganapati and other gods. ...Most of the Pathare Prabhus are the followers of smart sect who adopt the teachings of Shankaracharya.
3. The American Economic Review - Volume 96, Issues 3-4 . 1228 . Nashville, Tenn. American Economic Association . 2006 . High castes include all the Brahmin jatis, as well as a few other elite jatis (CKP and Pathare Prabhus).Low castes include formerly untouchable castes (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes as defined by the government of India). Middle castes are drawn mostly from the cultivator jatis, such as the Marathas and the Kunbis, as well as other traditional vocations that were not considered to be untouchable..
4. Book: The Making of History: Essays Presented to Irfan Habib (Anthem South Asian Studies). 2002. Anthem Press. 197. 9781843310389. Utsa Patnaik. Terence J. Byres. K. N. Panikkar.
5. Book: Indian Writing in English: Tradition and Modernity. Kanupriya . Amar Nath Prasad. 2006 . 9788176257176 . Moroba Kanhoba Vijaykar's novel Ghashiram Kotwal appeared in 1873. Ghashiram is not an imaginative character of literature..
6. Book: Crossing Thresholds: Feminist Essays in Social History. 350. 2007. Perhaps the most highly publicized was the ill-fated marriage of Moroba Kanhoba Vijaykar, one of the earliest members of the Society, in 1870. It resulted in the family's excommunication by his Pathare Prabhu caste, despite reformist support. But most unfortunate was the tragedy that struck before a year was over. The newly-weds were found dead in the neighbouring....
7. Web site: A flight over Chowpatty that made history. 18 October 2004. 3 February 2015. The Times of India. Talpade belonged to the Pathare Prabhu community, one of the founder of Mumbai.
8. Omani Proverbs, Oleander Press, 1987, page 1-7
9. Pratap Velkar (1997). Pathare Prabuncha Itihasa, Shrividya prakashan, page 456
10. Pratap Velkar (1997). Pathare Prabuncha Itihasa, Shrividya prakashan, page 445
11. Book: The Myth of the Lokamanya: Tilak and Mass Politics in Maharashtra. University of California Press. registration. 190. Richard I. Cashman. 1975. 9780520024076 . Although more at home in the cosmopolitan center of Bombay, and a member of the Council of the Bombay Presidency Association, the Pathare Prabhu lawyer, Mukund Ramrao Jayakar (1873-1959), expressed the typical response.
12. News: Vijayakar . Pradeep . Mumbai's first Native Commissioner remembered . . May 17, 2010.