Kamat

Kamat (also spelt as Kamath) is a common surname amongst the Konkani Saraswat Brahmins of the Konkan and Malabar coasts of India in the states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra. They usually speak Konkani and is considered as their mother tongue. And most often Marathi or Kannada as their secondary language. The surname is believed to be derived from kaali maTTaachi which means people from Kali Math. Another opinion holds that it was derived from profession as many Konkani Saraswat Brahmin names are Kamats were said to be land owners among Konkani Saraswat families - the name could have been derived from "kaam mathichen", meaning work of the soil.

Variations

Kamat is a common surname of Konkani Saraswat Brahmins and of a few Konkani Roman Catholics of Goa and Canara. "Kamat" is mostly used in Goa, around the Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, and Konkan in Maharashtra. Kamath is used by Brahmins around Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and also in Kerala. "Camotim" was used in the erstwhile Portuguese territory of Goa but has given way to "Kamat" today.[1] "Camat" word is still in use in Indonesia which was a Portuguese colony at some point of time in the history. In Indonesia "Camat" means administrative and political head of the sub-district or taluk. Taluk is called as kecamatan (spelled as ke-chamatan). The name is also in use among some Konkani Catholics who trace their ancestry to the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Goa.[2]

There are many GSB and RSB families, original "Kamats" from Goa who migrated to Maharashtra in the 16th Century during the Portuguese rule and they adopted the place name from Goa where they originally belonged to.

Kasaragod Kamath which is one of the biggest of GSB families and they are proud to keep track of the last 5 generations. They maintain a family tree which is containing names of all family members for the last five generations and it is updated every year on the auspicious day of Sri Vinayaka Chaturthi. Vinayaka chaturthi is celebrated by Kasaragod Kamaths in their 200-year-old family house in a most traditional way.[3]

Kamat also a very popular community in hyderabad and telangana area also.

Notable people

Citations

  1. Saradesāya 2000, p. 24
  2. Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians, Alan Machado Prabhu, I.J.A. Publications, 1999, p. 137
  3. Kasaragod Kamath family tree
  4. Late Dr. K. L. Kamat
  5. Riya Chakravarty (May 3, 2013). "Indian cinema@100: First women on screen: Durgabai Kamat and her daughter Kamlabai Ghokhle". NDTV. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  6. "Vikram Gokhale has an illustrious family lineage". The Times of India. Jan 23, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.

References

External links

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