Pathare Prabhu - History

History

According to their own detailed chronicled lineage, they trace their descent much further back in Indian history from King Ashwapati (circa 700 BC) who was a monarch of Nepal and from the solar lineage of Lord Ram. Amongst Pathare Prabhu families, 12 families belong to solar line and 17 to lunar line. Solar from Lord Ashwapati and lunar from Lord Kamapati probably the king of Kamarup or present-day Assam, Pururavas being one of the prominent ancestors from the lunar side. And so this community has both solar and lunar lineages unlike other Kshatriya clan. As we see that both the kingships were close to each other, geographically intermarriages were possible amongst them and so eventually that became one community of royal lineage. The name of the community, 'Pathare Prabhu', probably derived from plateau of Nepal since plateau is called pathar in local terms. Lords of the plateau was the original name which changed to other ellipsis such as Pattan Prabhu, Patara Prabhu, and Patharia Prabhu. However, they are not now in vogue any more.

A legend goes that Risi Bhrugu cursed lord Ashwapati because he did not take cognizance of the Risi during one religious ceremony and according to that the descendants of Ashwapati were to lose their kingship and shall be reduced to petty clerks in the Kaliyug. According to the legend, Risi Bhrugu condemned his progeny to be called as Pattan Prabhu in place of Pathare Prabhu; Pattan means defeated. According to the records, Pathare Prabhu rulers were at Ayodhya and from there they went to Paithan and from there to Konkan. These records show that the people of this community eventually spread across the country and settled in many kingdoms as nobles. It appears from the later history of this community that the curse came to be true. They began to lose their power as monarchs and gradually were reduced to petty lords of small regions; many were accepting courtier-ship of other rulers. Having natural talent as administrators, they were welcome as nobles in many dynasties to manage those kingdoms. At that, eventually they became nobles in the court of many rulers from other parts of India such as Pratihara of Rajasthan and Yadavas of Deccan.

They inherited Rajput/Kshatriya aristocracy from the Pratihara dynasty where they worked as honorable nobles. From the regions of North India and Rajasthan, after the Turkic invasion and subduction of the Pratihara rulers around the 12th and 13th centuries AD, some families migrated to Mumbai and other regions in Maharashtra via Prabhas Pattan in Gujarat. Gentlmen from this community of Pathare Prabhu also held important position in the court of Yadava kings of Deogiri. After the fall of Yadava dynasty at the hands of Alauddin Khilji, members of Pathare Prabhu community decided to return under the stewardship of King Bimba to Mumbai region along with their Yajurvedi Brahmins where other families had already settled. During Pesewa rule of Maratha dynasty, some difference appeared within the Pathare Prabhu landlords and the Pesewa. That made people of this community to go under the protection of Portuguese and later on under East India Company. Finally most of the families of this noble community settled in the islands of Mumbai for safekeeping under East India Company. They were no more lords but still held large lands as landlords. There again they held important positions such as judges and translators for the erstwhile British Raj.

They were associated with Raja Bhimdev who ruled over the islands of Mumbai and during British times, many members of this community were absorbed in the administrative and official departments of the British government.

Members of this community built many landmarks of Mumbai, such as Mahalaxmi Temple in central Mumbai, Bhau-cha-dhakka (Ferry Wharf), Gora Ram Mandir and Kala Ram Mandir at Thakurdwar, Prabhadevi Mandir at Dadar, Shri Ram Mandir at Kalbadevi, Kirtikar Market at Dadar.