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Puntambekar is an Indian surname. It is found amongst Marathi speaking Deshastha Brahmin and Karhade Brahmin communities of Maharashtra. 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.

Puntamba

The ancestors of Puntambekar originally hail from the town of Puntamba. It is an ancient town situated on the banks of the Godavari river in Rahata taluka, Ahmednagar district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is believed that the village was named by merging two town places 'Punyastambha' and 'Tambilindanapur'. The village history began in the early 1st millennium Shalivahana era.

Being on the banks of the Godavari which is sacred to Hindus, the town has been a place of pilgrimage. There are many Hindu Temples in the town. Historically, the town has been a center for the learning of Hindu scriptures, with traditional schools (Ved shala) to impart that knowledge. The 14th and the final resting place of the sage Changdev is located in the town. is surrounded by a town wall (called 'Tatabandi' in Marathi). Many traditional houses called "vada" with courtyards are found in the village.

Diaspora

Because of their expertise in hindu scriptures as well in administration, deshastha brahmins in general found opportunities to use these skills in different regions of India over the centuries. Some of them including Puntambekars from Maharashtra went to the Hindu holy city of Varanasi (also known as Kashi) many centuries ago. These clans had expertise in particular areas of Sanskrit literature. The Puntamkars were known for their work on logic. The Puntambekar clan in Kashi has abbreviated the surname to "Puntamkar". The clan was one of seven prominent ones from Maharashtra who became the city's intellectual elites in the early Mughal era or even earlier. The others included Sesa, Bhat, Dharmadhikari, Bharadvaja, Payagunde, and Chowdhuri. These Brahmins were collectively called Dakshinatya Brahmins. The clans dominated the study of Sanskrit scriptures and Hindu laws for many centuries. These clans had expertise in particular areas of Sanskrit literature. The Puntamkars were known for their work on logic. Some clans probably migrated during the expansion of Maratha power or later during British colonial rule to serve the Maratha states of Gwalior, Indore, Baroda, and others in Central India. Some Puntambekars served Maratha rulers in southern India at Thanjavur, Arcot and parts of Karnataka. This clan worships Renuka Devi. One branch of Puntambekars had no male heir, so they adopted the youngest son of Moreshwar Patwardhan and Laxmibai Patwardhan of Chiplun in the 18th century. This adoption process is known as the Dattak process in Marathi language. 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 then settled in Mumbai. Kuldaiwat of this branch is 'Mahalaxmi' of Kolhapur.

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. 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 settled in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Clans

Notables

• Dr. Shankar Puntambekar - noted writer in Hindi language.

References

1. Shah, R.R. Ahmadnagar - Vol. 1 Marathi Vishwakosh. Mumbai, India: Maharashtra State Marathi Vishwakosh. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
2. "The Gazetteers Department - AHMADNAGAR". Government Central Press. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
3. Chaudhari, Vasant. Puntambe - Vol. 9 Marathi Vishwakosh. Mumbai, India: Maharashtra State Marathi Vishwakosh. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
4. "पुणतांबे". 4 July 2019.
5. Paul Wallace; Richard Leonard Park (1985). Region and nation in India. Oxford & IBH Pub. Co. During much of the 19th century, Maratha Brahman Desasthas had held a position of such strength throughout South India that their position can only be compared with that of the Kayasthas and Khatris of North India.
6. De, Barun (2004). Samaddar, Ranabir (ed.). Peace studies : an introduction to the concept, scope, and themes. New Delhi: SAGE Publ. p. 214. ISBN 9780761996606.
7. Benke, T., 2010. THE ŚŪDRĀCĀRAŚIROMAN I OF KR S N A ŚES A: A 16th Century Manual of Dharma for Śūdras. Publicly accessible Penn Dissertations, p.159.
8. ^ Rosalind O'Hanlon; David Washbrook (2 January 2014). "Speaking from Siva's temple:Banaras scholar households and the Brahmin ecumene of Mughal India". Religious Cultures in Early Modern India: New Perspectives. Taylor & Francis. pp. 274–. ISBN 978-1-317-98287-6.
9. Benke, T., 2010. THE ŚŪDRĀCĀRAŚIROMAN I OF KR S N A ŚES A: A 16th Century Manual of Dharma for Śūdras. Publicly accessible Penn Dissertations, p.159.
10. Jaishri P. Rao (29 April 2019). Classic Cuisine and Celebrations of the Thanjavur Maharashtrians. Notion Press. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-1-68466-649-2. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
11. Joglekar, Jaywant (2006). Veer Savarkar Father of Hindu Nationalism. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-84728-380-1.
12. "Noted writer Dr Shankar Puntambekar passes away". news.webindia123.com.
13. "Noted writer Dr Shankar Puntambekar passes away".
14. Prabhune, Anupama Ratnakar (2007). Hindi vyangya parampara mein Dr. Shankar Puntambekar ka sthan (PDF). Pune: University of Pune. pp. 67–80. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
15. Dr. Dilip Kasabe (1 December 2020). Sahityasama. Rajkamal Prakashan. pp. 200–. ISBN 978-93-89598-54-4.

• Surnames of Indian origin