The land of Goa is held by village communities, the gaunkaris, whose members share the fields, the tanks and the temple revenues through an assembly of founding families; Brahmin settlements (Brahmapuris) hold the temple villages.
The system is well known from much later records; its roots in the Kadamba time are probable and cannot be dated. The Kadamba king takes his dues and the dues of the ports.
Who holds it
- Name
- not named
- Title
- The village assemblies of the gaunkari (gauncars, bhatkars and mundkars)
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
No source we read names the holder for 1 January 1200.
Overlord
Jayakeshi III
What it holds
- the village lands, tanks and temple endowments
How things stand that morning
Present as a way of living on the land; the king is above it.
Wealth
Rice, coconut, areca, salt; no figure.
Military
Village levies; no numbers.
Where the sources disagree
- The Portuguese-era form is a later description; do not date its institutions to 1200 without caution.
- The later records that describe the gaunkari system are of the Portuguese period, after 1510.
Evidence: The gaunkari system is described in much later sources; its Kadamba-age form is inferred.
On the map: Drawn on the Kadamba core.
Primary sources for Kadambas of Goa
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Epigraphia Carnatica: inscriptions of the Mysore country, Various (Hoysala chancery and temple scribes), edited by B. Lewis Rice and R. Narasimhachar (inscriptions of the 4th to 19th centuries; the series ran from 1886 to 1905, revised from 1972). The Hoysala kingdom of Veera Ballala II (reigning 1173 to 1220) is documented almost wholly by the inscriptions in this series, arranged by district and taluk with full English translations. Read online
- Inscriptions of the Silaharas, Various (Silahara chanceries), edited by V. V. Mirashi (inscriptions of the 9th to 13th centuries; edited 1977). Collects the records of the three Silahara houses: North Konkan (Thana), South Konkan, and Kolhapur.
Sources and studies
- History of Goa, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
- Kadambas of Goa, Wikipedia (read for this sheet)
- OMNIA board notes for the place (a lead, checked against the other sources)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.