The Konkan, also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is the name given to a stretch of rugged and beautiful section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore. It includes Mumbai Region and Thane District. The sapta-Konkan is a slightly larger region described in the Skanda-purana.

Konkan is also one of six divisions of the state of Maharashtra.

Residents of Konkan and their descendants are called Konkanis. The name may also refer specifically to the Konkani people, an ethnic group of the region; most of them speak the Konkani language, which is from the Indo-European family of languages.

The Sanskrit term Konkanashta, meaning "Native of Konkan", is used to refer to the Chitpawan, a Brahmin caste of the region.

Boundaries

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The precise definition of Konkan varies, but most include Maharashtra's districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, the state of Goa, and the Kanara districts (North and South) of Karnataka.

The sapta-Konkan as depicted in Skanda-purana stretches from southern Gujarat in the north to Kerala in the south. This is actually logical since there are a lot of similarities in the food-habits (rice and fish), crops cultivated (rice, mangoes, cashews and jackfruit) and the physique (short, slim and very agile) of people dwelling in this area.

The Konkan division

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The Konkan division of Maharashtra comprises the entire coastal region of the state, including Mumbai.

• Area: 30,746 km²
• Population (2001 census): 24,807,357
• Districts: Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Raigarh, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Thane
• Literacy: 81.36%
• Area under irrigation: 4,384.54 km²

History of administrative districts in Konkan Division

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There have been changes in the names of Districts and has seen also the addition of newer districts after India gained Independence in 1947 and also after the state of Maharashtra was formed.

• Notable events include the creation of the Sindhudurg from the southern areas of the Ratnagiri district.
• Second event include the renaming of the erstwhile Colaba district as Raigarh, district.
• The Thane district is under proposal to be divided and a separate Jhawar (Tribal) district be carved out of existing Thane district

External links

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• Stunning Konkan Pictures
• A description of the land, people and culture.
• Discussion group.

See also

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• Konkan Railway
• History of Konkan

Regions of India | Divisions of Maharashtra | Goa | Kerala | Konkan

Konkan | Konkan