Chitrapur Mutt and GSBs

Chitrapur Mutt is at Shirali  in Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka existing since 1757. It is the central Mutt (community temple) for the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins.

The other Mutts of this community are located in Gokarna, Karla, Mangalore and Mallapur. All the Mutts have the insignia of the saffron flag. The chief deity worshipped in this Mutt is Bhavanishankar  who is a form of Lord Shiva. The other 6-7 sanctorums of the temple are reserved for the Samadhis of the previous Guru Swamis of the community. This mutt has been the abode for Guru Parampara from the third Guru onwards.

The mutt’s origin is connected to the death of the second Guru Srimat Shakarashram I Swamiji at this place. His samadhi is known as ‘Hodi Samadhi’ is located here. He attained mahasamadhi here in 1757. At this spot the Nagarkattikar family had their house, their generosity established the Hodi Samadhi as well as the worship of Lord Bhavanishankar here. The Saraswat community is indebted to the Nagarkattikars even to this day.    

Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji is the head of the Mutt at present. He ascended the Peetha in February 1997 as the the eleventh Guru of  illustrious lineage of Gurus which began in 1708. 

It is said that the tenth Swamiji had not adopted a disciple (shisya) and hence the community was in a quandary. It was then that some members of the community found out that a certain Saraswat youth had taken Sanyas and was in Mount Abu. They requested him to ascend to the illustrious Peetha and he now stands as the 11th Guru of this glorious Guru-Parampara.

Saraswat story

The orginin of the Saraswat Konkani community is traced back to the migrant Aryans of North West India, the region of ‘Saptha Sindhu’ or the seven rivers (seven tributaries of Sindhu).

With the disappearance of Sarasvati, a major tributary during 1700 BC, the migration of the “Sarasvats” commenced. Saraswat Brahmins, are one of the five ancient ‘Gouda Brahmins’, deriving the name from the mythological river Saraswati that had flowed  from the Himalayas to the western sea near Dwaraka in Gujarat.

Legendry lore of the Sahyadris or Western Ghats, informs that  these vedic brahmins are mainly distributed in the Konkan regions. In ancient times, they built a temple base in “Kuchastalli” or Courtalim, in todays Goa and settled in sixty-six small family units called “Shastikars” meaning ‘of the sixty’ along side the Southern Dravida Brahmins were already present there. These came to be labeled as ‘Gowda Sarswat Brahmins or GSB’s in short.

Saraswat Brahmins spoke a dialect of Prakrit, early Sanskrit and Konkani came with passage of time. Konkani was also known as “Sarasvat Balbani,” i.e., ‘the speech of the children of the banks of the Sarsvati’ and also ‘Brahmanchi Basha’.  

An English historian states, “The Konkani speakers are ethnically North Indian Brahmins, though they have adopted other faiths and names as well;  they have an ingrained affinity of social customs of Hinduism and to the surroundings of their adoption”.  The recent release of a stamp and first day cover by the Indian Post  to mark the 150 years of historic edifice of the ‘Chitrapur Mutt’ sacred to the west coast based Konkani speaking Chitrapur Saraswats is indeed a mark of honour for this great community!