| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Primary populations in:Goa,Maharashtra,KarnatakaPopulations in:United Kingdom,United States,Canada | |
| Languages | |
| Konkani,Marathi,Malwani,Maharashtrian Konkani | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Konkani people,Goud Saraswat Brahmin,Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu,Pathare Prabhu,Padye,Karhade Brahmin |
Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmin is a Brahmin sub-caste from the western coast ofIndia, residing in theKonkan division ofMaharashtra andGoa. They also known asKudaldeshkar Aadya Gaud Brahmin,Kudaldeshkar and sometimesKudalkar Brahmins.[1] They speakMarathi, and theMalwani dialect ofKonkani.
The Aadya Gaud Brahmins who settled near the Kudal region, from the region of Gudadesh nearShravasti in north India[2][3] and not from Bengal.[full citation needed][need quotation to verify]
Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahmins followShankaracharya'sAdvaita school of philosophy, and have their own three centuries oldMatha in Dabholi village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The first pontiff of the Shreemat Purnanand Swamiji[4] was initiated intoSanyasa by Vishwananda Swamiji. The present 20th pontiff of the Math is Pradyumnanand Swamiji.[5]
The original language of Kudaldeshkars is Malwani. TheMalvani dialects ofKonkani are also referred to as creoles between Konkani and Marathi. Today Malwani is more significantly identified as the principal language of Kudaldeshkars and also of the natives of the Sindhudurg district. There is no unique script or text characters for Malwani and it is generally written in Devanagari. They also speakMarathi inMaharashtra, andKonkani inGoa andKarnataka. Malwani is also calledKudali, originally known as Kudwali.[6]