The Sevak Brahmins are a Gujarati Brahmin community that is affiliated with the Gauravant Dravid Samaj. As per the information available on their website, during the second century of Maharaja Vikramaditya, a group of Brahmin scholars originating from Dravida departed from the port of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, driven by the pursuit of better livelihood opportunities. They opted for Karnataka, a region renowned for its rich religious and cultural heritage. Upon arrival in the city of Shrirangpattanam, they chose to reside among the local Brahmins and dedicated twelve years to the worship of Lord Krishna. Their devotion and exemplary conduct granted them the honorable title of "servants" of the Lord. However, their exceptional qualities and erudition aroused jealousy among others. This community, eventually embarked on a migration to the Konkan region before finally settling in the revered state of Gujarat. Along their migration journey, approximately twenty families found temporary abode in the sacred city of Dwarka, the divine dwelling of Lord Krishna, where they wholeheartedly committed themselves to serving Dwarkadhish.
Based on the available information, a plausible migration route for the Sevak Brahmin community can be hypothesized as follows: Tuticorin -> Shrirangpattanam -> Konkan -> Gujarat.
An intriguing aspect of this community is the resemblance of their surnames to those of Chitpavans, such as Ranade, Bapat, Raste, Vaishampayan, and others. However, it is worth noting that their gotra malika does not align with that of the Chitpavans.
| The Sevak Brahmin Gotravali | ||
|---|---|---|
| Surname | Gotra | Vedshakha |
| Kanade* | Garga | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Aapte* | Manas | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Bapat* | Paasar | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Tilak* | Kaushik | Ashwalayan Rigvedi |
| Pandit | Gautam | Ashwalayan Rigvedi |
| Vyas | Upamanyu | Ashwalayan Rigvedi |
| Raste* | Mandavya | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Vaishampayan* | Shwetatri | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Bhanu* | Bhardwaj | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Fadke* | Vatsa | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Bhagvat* | Shandilya | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Joshi* | Bhargav | Ashwalayan Rigvedi |
| Mandlik* | Krushnatri | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Chhatre* | Kautilya | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Ranade* | - | - |
| Deodhar* | Dalabhya | Kauthami Samvedi |
| Bhatta* | Kashyap | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Chital* | Uddalak | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Acharya | Shaunak | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
| Chakradeo* | Kuchchas | Madhyandin Yajurvedi |
In an essay on Karnataka Brahmins, Mahamahopadhyay P.V. Kane has highlighted the presence of surnames "Bappataka" and "Bhanu" on Navkhali copperplates and their potential connection to the Chitpavan community. The Navakhali port, located near the Gulf of Kutch, suggests a strong likelihood of these surnames being associated with the Sevaka Brahmin community.
The Gupta Samvat calendar started in the year 320 CE in the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, Gupta Samvat year 286 corresponds to the Gregorian year 606. If these surnames are actually related to the Sevak Brahmin community, their migration would have occurred before 606 CE.