Chari, South India

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Chari is an Indian community belonging to Brahmin caste in South Indian. Chari is also called as Acharya.

The word "Chari" is derived from the word Charya or Acharya (guru). Some of the Chari were skilled in building temples and travelled building temples towards north during Krishnadevaraya period. A bunch of the members settled down in Goa for building temples and during the era of Portuguese the Chari community lost its touch with its origin in the south. Over a period of Portuguese rule in Goa they were offered jobs like carpentary, blacksmithy and masonry for building the governmental and non-governmental civil structures. As Portuguese did not expand their territory in India other than Goa, the Chari community also was stagnated and hence they had no other option than remaining local carpenters and blacksmiths.

The Chari community has progressed a lot now, not only in the field of arts but also in others like education, sports as well. Many of the artisans from the Chari community are well known for their artworks and craftsmanship.