The Sōraṭh Connection
Irrespective of the dates, however, we can assume that at some point of time two groups of pastoralists from Kāṭhīyāvāḍa departed in two different directions – one by the sea, landing on the coast of Konkan and the other overland, crossing Narmada, into Deccan. We need to differentiate these mass migrations from the regular cattle caravans that travelled from Kāṭhīyāvāḍa to Deccan and back, carrying merchandise. [The Pastoralists of Deccan, 19 Mar 17; The Ashmounds of Kupgal, 26 Mar 17] The former were probably distress migrations triggered by a natural calamity, possibly a rising sea level along the coast of Kāṭhīyāvāḍa; we know from archaeological evidence that a good part of the Kāṭhīyāvāḍa coast was submerged at different times, destroying prosperous sea ports. These migrations therefore could be a result of severe economic distress and were in search of new business opportunities. It is reasonable to believe that the geographical knowledge acquired during the cattle caravan trading expeditions must have come handy for charting the course of the migrations. Apart from the cattle caravans, sea borne trade could have existed between Konkan and Kāṭhīyāvāḍa. Of course we cannot rule out the possibility that the group which came to Konkan travelled overland along the coast via Bharuch and Sopara.
There is a significant difference between the two groups. The one which came to Konkan seems to have kept itself aloof from the aboriginal settlers that they found there, maintaining an endogamous tradition for a long time. This could have largely been a strategy to maintain its hegemony. As we have seen earlier, they have been overlords of large tracts of lands, often an entire village, or even a group of villages. Unfortunately there exist no historical records, not even folk traditions, documenting their advent and evolution in Konkan. They seem to have met their first potent adversary in the brāmhaṇa only some millennia later.
The group that travelled inland into Deccan seems to have fared very differently. It let itself mingle indistinguishably with the vaḍukar, creating an entirely new community of kshatriya in Deccan. Eventually these too spread into the coastal Konkan. But, perhaps the most notable historical fact is its contribution of a series of kings to Deccan. [The Dhangar Dynasties Of Deccan, 13 August 17; The Yādavarāyā, 27 Aug 17; To The Ramparts Of Pratāpagaḍa, 03 Sep 17] But, as Derret notes, here too these kshatriya seem to have maintained their hegemony – while the kings were of kshatriya-vaḍukar descent, their armies (māḷēpār) were made up of pure vaḍukar. [Derret, 1957 : The Hoysaḷas, 15]
