The Pawns On The Chessboard
When some of the brāmhaṇa moved out of Goa at a later date the kuṇabī too seem to have moved with them. For instance there are Konkani speaking kuṇabī in some parts of Kerala who are supposed to have moved there accompanying the sārasvat brāmhaṇa. I do not have documentary evidence. But extensive field work done by Fr. Visitação Monteiro among the kuṇabī in some Kerala villages, points to the movement of sārasvat brāmhaṇa accompanied by kuṇabī from Konkana to Kerala. These migrations are said to have taken place in the 11th and 13th centuries CE; another major movement took place in 1522, according to a stone plaque in Cochin which says : “1522 - Konkanis reached Cochin”. We do not know the reason for the migrations. Some attribute the early migrations to the constant hostility between Shaivites and Vaishnavites that prevailed in Konkan at that time. Others attribute them to economic reasons – the diminishing trade prospects of sārasvat brāmhaṇa following the ascendancy of the Sultanates. The latter migration could be the economic consequence of the advent of the Portuguese. The konkani brāmhaṇa were offered lands in Kerala, which they still hold. According to Monteiro, at some places the entire spice trade is still in the hands of the konkani. The first migrations were to the thriving port city of Kodungallur (Muziris to the Greek, Cranganore to the British); but subsequent to its submergence in 1341, most of the konkani moved to Cochin. Today you find dense konkani settlements in Mattancheri, Vypeen Island and Goshree Islands. According to Monteiro, there are about 10 to 15 lakh konkani kuṇabī in Kerala. Why did the kuṇabī follow the brāmhaṇa ? That could throw some light on the effect of the advent of kshatriya on the earliest settlers in Konkan.
