Gokhale
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Gokhale is an Indian surname typically found in the western state of Maharashtra. It is a Hindu surname found among the caste of Chitpavan kokansatha Brahmins,The term Konkanastha means "from the Konkan", referring to the coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra. The origin of the Gokhale clan supposedly was in the small coastal town of Velneshwar (10km from Guhagar, 50km from Chiplun) in Konkan.
The etymology of the word is accepted to be from Marathi gokhla, meaning "round window", originally from Sanskrit gavākşa. (Gavākşa can be rendered: go "cow" + akşa "eye"), literally "cow-eye", but also used as a synonym for a window.
Some famous Gokhales are nationalist leader Gopal Krishna Gokhale, actors Vikram Gokhale and Mohan Gokhale, and poet Chandrashekhar Gokhale.
[edit] Other Typical Chitpavan Surnames
These include Bhat, Chitale, Tamhankar, Ranade, Karve and Limaye.
