Sarpotdar

Sarpotdar is a family name found mainly among the Maharashtrian people in India. It is derived from the Mughal title Sarpotdar. The Persian word "pota" which means "treasure": the treasurer in Mughal times was called "Potdar" and the chief treasurer would be "Sarpotdar". Later on, the nature of this job changed to somewhat like Inspector General of Currencies.

Origin

Sarpotdars originate from Ratnagiri district in the konkan region of Maharashtra (India). They are predominantly from Anjanari, Nadivali and Padvan and one of their branches had settled at Godhra in Gujarat. Their surname earlier was Orpe and was subsequently changed to Sarpotdar possibly in the 16th century. Their Kuladaivat (family deity) is Laxmi Ravalnath of marcela (Mashel) and Pernem (Pedne) in Goa.

Historical background

The first known ancestor of Sarpotdars Ravalopant Orpe Sarpotdar came to Fort Vishalgad i.e. ‘khelana’ from Bidar, a political city in Karnataka, in the late 16th century. Since then various generations of Sarpotdars worked on the Fort Vishalgad as administrative officers on different posts.

Evidences show that Narayan Timaji alias Naropant Sarpotdar was the in charge of Kothi & Ambarkhana i.e. ‘Food stocks & treasure’ in pre-shivaji times.

Family heroes

Legacy

The recent well-known personalities from Sarpotdars are the veteran historian and Ex-Vice-Chancellor of University of Pune 'Padmabhushan' Mahamahopadhyaya Datto Vaman Potdar and Ex Parliamentary Leader of ‘Shivsena’ Madhukar Sarpotdar.

References

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.