Veer Savarkar Family Tree: The Story Behind Hindutva's Architect

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, known as Veer Savarkar, born 28 May 1883 in Bhagur, Nashik, Bombay Presidency (now Maharashtra), India, was an Indian independence activist, politician, lawyer, writer, and Hindutva ideologue — coined "Hindutva" in his 1923 essay; spent 10 years in the Cellular Jail (Kala Pani), Andaman & Nicobar Islands for sedition. He died 26 February 1966 at age 82.

The Family's Roots: A Maharashtrian Chitpavan Brahmin Family

The Savarkar family is Chitpavan Brahmin from Bhagur, Nashik.

His Parents

Father: Damodar Pant Savarkar — Bhagur lawyer; died when Vinayak was 16 (1899).

Mother: Radhabai Savarkar — homemaker; died when Vinayak was 9.

His Brothers

Ganesh Damodar Savarkar (Babarao) (1879–1945) — eldest brother; also imprisoned at the Cellular Jail.

Narayan Damodar Savarkar — younger brother; doctor.

His Wife: Yamunabai

Yamunabai Savarkar — married Veer in 1901.

Their Children

Prabhat Savarkar — daughter.

Vishwas Savarkar — son; published a Marathi biography of his father.

The Savarkar Family Tree at a Glance

Father: Damodar Pant Savarkar — lawyer; died when Vinayak was 16.

Mother: Radhabai Savarkar — died when Vinayak was 9.

Brothers: Ganesh "Babarao" Savarkar (1879–1945) — Cellular Jail prisoner; Narayan Damodar Savarkar — doctor.

Wife: Yamunabai Savarkar (m. 1901).

Children: Prabhat Savarkar — daughter; Vishwas Savarkar — son.

Veer Savarkar:

  • Born 28 May 1883, Bhagur
  • Fergusson College, Pune
  • Abhinav Bharat Society: 1904 — co-founded
  • Travelled to London 1906 on a scholarship (with Shyamji Krishna Varma)
  • Sent revolvers to India that were used in killings of British officials
  • Arrested in London 1910; transferred to India
  • Cellular Jail, Andaman Islands: 1911–1924 — sentenced to two life terms (50 years total); released 1924 with restrictions
  • Hindu Mahasabha president: 1937–1942 (5 terms)
  • Coined the term "Hindutva" in his 1923 pamphlet Essentials of Hindutva
  • Tried and acquitted in the Gandhi assassination case (1948)
  • Bharat Ratna posthumous nominations rejected; honoured at Cellular Jail with a memorial
  • Died 26 February 1966, Bombay, age 82

What the Savarkar Family Story Teaches Us

A lawyer father who died when Vinayak was 16. A mother who died when he was 9. Two brothers — one also imprisoned at the Cellular Jail. A wife. Two children. A career that produced the concept of "Hindutva" and 13 years of imprisonment in the Andamans.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Veer story carries the same lesson. Some family records hold two siblings in the same prison.

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