[Q]: Research on Marathas in TN

[Nikhil Rao]

The following reference will have some of the information that you require
It has biographies of some illustrious maharashtrians from Thanjavur,
including those of Tiruvidaimarudur Sakharama Rao, gottuvadya player and
guru of Semmangudi, Narasimhappa a mridamgam vidwan from a Maratha family.
CALL NUMBER:
                 DS432.M2 S66
          TITLE:
                 South Indian Maharashtrians : cultural and economic studies
/ issued by t
he Mahratta Education Fund, Madras as its
                 silver jubilee souvenir.
     PUBLISHED:
                 Madras : The Fund, 1937.
  DESCRIPTION:
                 vi, 167, 41 p., [27] leaves of plates : ill. ; 26 cm.
       SUBJECT:
                 Maratha (Indic people)
       SUBJECT:
                 Maratha (Indic people)--Biography.
       SUBJECT:
                 India, South--Biography.
           NOTE:
                 "Maharashtrian residents of Madras": p. [1]-41 (2d group)
 LCCN NUMBER:
                 78-912439 r902

In  the group of Thanjavur Maharashtrians, there are also marathas in
addition to the brahmins. This migration started during Shahaji's time
initially may be to the mysore bangalore area and then shifted to Thanjavur
when Venkoji took over Thanjavur from the Nayak rulers. Why there was
migration of deshastha brahmins only and not chitapavanas or karhades has
been a puzzle to me perhaps during the early years of Shahaji/Venkoji's rule
the chitapavanas may not have yet migrated to the deccan area from konkan.
Atleast one of the Mathas established by Samarth Ramdas is still in
existence in Thanjavur.

Nikhil





On Mon, 31 May 1999 18:13:45 +1700, Bal Prasad <bprasad at NETCOM.COM> wrote:

>I am trying to get information regarding the group of Maharashtrians
>who went to Tamil Nadu during the Peshwa era and who are often referred
>to as TDB (Thanjavur Deshasta Brahmins). A large number of them settled
>around Thanjavur and they founded the Sarasvati Mahal library there. I
>have been told that the migration happened during the reign of Kings
>Shivaji and Sambhaji. I would like to know if anything has been
>published about them.
>
>TIA,
>Prasad