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PUNITH
Puniths are Deshastha Brahmins (Marathi: देशस्थ ब्राह्मण).They are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste belonging to the Indo-Aryan ethnic group primarily from the Indian state of Maharashtra. "Deshastha", in Sanskrit, means "inland" and thus, Deshastha Brahmins are Brahmins living in the interiors or away from the coast.[1]

History and Traditions
Puniths like all Deshastha Brahmins consider themselves to be the direct descendants of the great Rishis (Sages) who settled in Dandakaranya(Maharashtra)in ancient times.[1] They are people of Aryan descent who had settled down south of Vindhya mountains as they descended from Central Asia. The Deshasthas arrived in Maharashtra, parts of Gujarat and peripheries of Karnataka from the ancient Gandhar province in (Afghanistan) and Punjab during 1st century BC to 150 AD.[2] First they settled in Vidarbha[3] Later they moved westwards in the valleys of Bhima, Godavari and Krishna rivers in Central and Western Maharashtra.[4]

Deshastha — like all other Brahmins — trace their paternal ancestors to one of the seven sages, the Saptarshi. This way they classify themselves into eight gotras, named after the ancestor Rishi most of whom follow affirming their faith and traditional lineage as the descendants of Rigvedic Rishis. The earlier ancestors were considered to be practicing "purohits " or staunch Brahmin pundits under the Peshwa rule, their ritualistic and orthodox practices continued into the period of rule by the Maratha warrior and emperor Shivaji Maharaj.

Like most families in Maharashtra & other states of India, Punith families also have their own "unique" family deity, Kuldevta, usually the Goddess Parvati or Lord ganesha, known by different names such as Bhavani, Renuka, Amba,Bhargawa ,Bharadwaj,Ekdantha etc. Despite being the most popular deity amongst Deshastha and other Marathi people, no family regards Vitthal or other popular Avatars of Vishnu such as Rama or Krishna as their Kuldevata. Balaji may be an exception though. Punith as a in the Hindu terminology also means "the purest kind". Thought they may not be found as large communities, the name and surname continues even in Contemporary Indian times as a dominant one in the Deccan Region of the Indian Subcontinent.

External Refrences
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivaji

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshastha_Brahmin

3. ^ Umashankar, Rachana Rao (2004). Mythical histories and visible realities. http://deptorg.knox.edu/ansodept/student_2004/Umashankar04Brahmin.pdf.

4. ^ Joglekar, Jayawant D. (2006). Veer Savarkar Father of Hindu Nationalism. Lulu.com. pp. 27. ISBN 1847283802. http://books.google.com/books?id=1J3uk3x_k6sC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=chapekar+dravid&source=bl&ots=PMQT_bpQ7x&sig=_3_5bmPrO7-PPp_9-p2-h1CO4Co&hl=en&ei=nKtCSrvvCNOWkQXg49HuCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10.

5. V.D.Katamble, Shivaji the Great, Pune : Balwant Printers - English Translation of popular Marathi book "Shrimanyogi".

6. ^ Molecular insight into the genesis of ranked caste populations of Western India