Puntambekar
Puntambekar (Marathi: पुणतांबेकर) is an Indian surname found amongst the Maharashtrian Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin and Karhade Brahmin communities. Marathi surnames are created by adding the suffix -kar to the family's town of origin; therefore, people originating from the town of Puntamba take the name Puntambekar.
Migration across India and the World
The Maratha empire at its peak was spread across much of India from Thanjavur in the South to Indo-Gangetic plain of the North and in the West to Attock in what is today's Pakistan. Therefore members of Puntambekar clans can be found in all corners of India. Ancestors of these clans probably migrated with the advancing Maratha armies or later during British colonial rule to serve the vassal Maratha states of Gwalior, Indore, Baroda, Thanjavur etc.
During the Peshwa rule more than 200 years ago, some Puntambekars from Maharashtra went to the Hindu holy city of Banaras(Varanasi) to perform the religious ceremonies for Peshwas and ultimately settled there. This family have abbreviated the surname to "Puntamkar". One branch of Puntambekars had no male heir,so they adopted (called Dattak process in Marathi language), the youngest son of Moreshwar Patwardhan and Laxmibai Patwardhan of Chiplun in the 18th century. The next generation of this boy was given a village ' Anagar' near Solapur, as a fief (Vatan in Marathi /Urdu). Thereafter this branch acquired the surname ' Anagare'. This branch afterward settled in Bombay. Kuldaiwat of this branch is 'Mahalaxmi' of Kolhapur. Some Puntambekars served the Peshwa in the south at Arcot and parts of Karnataka. This clan worships Renuka Devi and were extremely well educated and excelled in science and arts.
One branch of the Rigvedi family settled in Chiplun, a town in Ratnagiri district on the Konkan coast of Maharashtra. The Chiplun group belongs to the Vasishta gotra or Kashyap gotra. The family deity, Kuladaiwat, is the Shree Yamai Devi/ of Aundh in the Satara district of Maharashtra, India. Members of this family moved to what was known as East Africa during the British colonial period nearly a century ago. Members of this Puntambekar clan are now not only found in India, but have also settled in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Table of different Puntambekar Clans
| Surname | Other Surnames used | Brahmin Sub-caste and Shakha (Sub-sect) | Gotra (Rishi Lineage) | Kuladevata (Family Deity - Goddess) / Kuladaivat (Family Deity - God) | Town of Origin, Other towns lived in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puntambekar | None | Deshastha Rigvedi | Vasishtha | Yamai of Aundh | Puntamba, Chiplun (from the 1800s), East Africa, UK, USA |
| Puntambekar | Puntamkar | Unknown | Bharadwaj | Shree Bhavani of Tuljapur | Puntamba, Banaras (from the 1700s) |
| Puntambekar | Angare | Unknown | Unknown | Mahalaxmi of Kolhapur | Puntamba, Angar, and Mumbai |
| Puntambekar | None | Unknown | Kashyap | Renuka | Puntamba, Arcot (from the 1700s) |
Village of Puntamba
Puntamba | पुणतांबा is an ancient village situated on the banks of the Godavari river in Rahata taluka, Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra in India. It is believed that the name of the village was formed by merging two town places 'Punyastambha' and 'Tambilindanapur'.The family name, Puntambekar comes from this town. The village is served by a rail link between Manmad & Daund. There is also a train line linking Puntamba to Shirdi. The 14th and the final resting place of the sage Changdev is located in this village . The village is surrounded by a wall ('Tatabandi') There are also a number of traditional houses called "vada" with courtyards in the village. It is village of Old Temples and also known for Vedabhyas. Horticulture is main business of people who live in Puntamba.