Origin of Saraswats

Saraswat Brahmins are Brahmins who lived on the banks of the former river Saraswati that once flowed in northern India, joining the Ganga and Yamuna in Prayag. Saraswats are considered among the oldest and most widespread community in India, still preserving their own culture. There is a Shaivite as well as a Vaishnavite sect in Saraswats. Around 1000 BC, the river Saraswati started drying out and the people on its banks started migrating to other parts of India thus forming sub-communities. There are many sub-communities in Saraswats, including: Goud Saraswat Brahmins(found in Majority in Goa,Maharashtra,Karnataka,Kerala) Chitrapur Saraswats Bhalavalikar/Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins Kashimri Saraswats (Kashmiri Pandits) Punjabi Saraswats/Punjabi_Brahmins Sind Saraswats Kutch Saraswats Rajasthan Saraswats Saraswat Catholics saraswat's from uttranchal The story of the migration of this community can be traced from Lower Central Russia. These migratory experiences were written and the scrolls can be found stored in the Partagali Mutt. These scrolls were studied by the Archaeological Survey of India for studying the theory of Aryan migration. The community which was called Saraswat, as in "Saraswati Teeraya yasya tey" (meaning the people residing by the River Saraswati), spread to parts of modern Afghanistan, Punjab and Kashmir. From here, they slowly migrated towards some place in Nepal. In fact, the Kula Devi (presiding deity for the clan) of the Kings of Nepal is the Goddess "Shree Mahalasa Narayani" (a female form of the divine lord Vishnu), whose temple is now located in Mhardol in Goa, India. They then moved to modern Bengal, which was known as "Gauda Desha" in ancient times. From this place, with the blessings of their Guru, a small community comprising of people from Seven-and-a-half (Saadi-Saat) Gothras moved into lower part of India, starting with Goa, and onwards into Karnataka and Kerala. These people were addressed as Gaud Saraswat Brahmins. Lord Parshuram with Saraswat brahmin settlers commanding Lord Varuna to make the seas reced to make the Konkan . In accordance with the theory of the Aryan migration, this community comprises solely of Brahmins who practised various occupations, depending on which their surnames (which is a major source of identification and placement in the caste system in India) were attached, as has been noticed in the early Vedic period.

- From Wikipedia -