The Chitpavan or Chitpawan, also known as Konkanastha Brahmins (कोकणस्थ ब्राह्मण), are a Smarta Brahmin community of Konkan, the coastal region of western Maharashtra in India.
The mythological origins of the Chitpavan community are explained in Hindu scriptures by referring to the tale of Parshuram in the Sahyadrikhanda of the Skanda Purana. The Satavahanas were great sanskritisers. It is possibly at their time that the new group of Chitpavan Brahmins were formed. Also, a reference to the chitpavan surname Ghaisas, written in Prakrut Marathi can be seen on a tamra-pat (bronze plaque) of the Year 1060 A.D. belonging to the King Mamruni of Shilahara Kingdom, found at Diveagar in Konkan.
However, the recorded history of the Chitpavans in India and Hinduism begins in the 18th century. V. The Chitpavans gained prominence in the Marathi-speaking region after Chattrapati Shahu appointed a Chitpavan Brahmin Balaji Vishwanath Bhat as the fifth Peshwa (prime minister). During the reign of the successive Peshwas, some of whom enjoyed status as de facto head of the Maratha confederacy, the Chitpavans settled in various provinces under the Peshwa rule. The Chitpavans established themselves firmly in the social hierarchy of the Marathi-speaking region, and played a prominent role in the political history of India. The community remains concentrated in Maharashtra but also has populations all over India and the rest of the world including the USA and UK.