The precise etymology of the wordChardo is unclear. The two most probable explanations are as follows:
The roots of this Konkani word probably lies in the Prakrit word Chavada, which the name of a tribe of warriors who migrated to Goa from Saurashtra in the 7th and 8th centuries, after their kingdom was destroyed by the Arabs in 740 AD.
Another explanation given by historian B.D. Satoskar is that the Konkani word comes from the Sanskrit word Chatur-rathi or the Prakrit Chau-radi, which literally means "the ones who ride a chariot yoked with four horses".
Origins
The Kshatriyas of Goa constituted the nobility and warrior class, and ranked second in the HinduVarna system. Those involved in the trading profession were known as Chattim, which was an occupational appellation common to Brahmins as well. The origins of a Christian caste can be traced back to the Christianisation of the Velhas Conquistas that was undertaken by the Portuguese during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was during this period that the Jesuit, Franciscan and Dominicanmissionaries converted many Kshatriyas to Christianity. The caste appellation of Chardo eventually fell into disuse among the Hindu Kshatriyas, who began calling themselves Maratha, to differentiate themselves from those Kshatriyas who had embraced Christianity. Another reason for the name change was because of the ascendancy of the Marathas in the political arena of the Maratha Confederacy. The Marathas and Vaishya Vanis who were among the last to convert, were incorporated into the Chardo caste. The earliest known instance of Kshatriya conversions to Christianity took place in 1560, when 700 Kshatriyas were baptised en masse in Carambolim, Tiswadi. Their decision to embrace Christianity was made after deliberation of the village assembly, and came about as they were subjects of the Portuguese government. Another instance of a Kshatriya group seeking conversion to Christianity is mentioned in a letter of a Jesuit missionaryLuís Fróis, dated 13 November 1560: The Charodis form the second largest group in the Mangalorean Catholic community. In South Canara, many Charodis took up service in the army of the Keladi Nayakas, and came to constitute the bulk of the Christian soldiers in their army. The Lewis-Naik family of Kallianpur near Udupi, produced many distinguished soldiers and officers in the Keladi army. In recognition of their service, the Nayakas rewarded them with large tracts of land in Kallianpur. During the Indian independence struggle, Chardos were perceived by Indian nationalists to be more sympathetic to Indian nationalist leanings and less likely to be pro-Portuguese loyalists than Bamonns. In his autobiography, Indian nationalist Eddie Pereira stated about the origins of the Chardos: The Chardos have traditionally been an endogamous group, and while they traditionally did not inter-marry or mingle with the low caste Sudirs, Mahars and Chamars, the statutes and norms of the Roman Catholic church restrained them from discriminating against the latter.
