Tamil Brahmin – Wikipedia

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Overview of the Tamil-speaking Brahmins in India

Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, in addition to other regions of India, as well as Sri Lanka.[2] They can be broadly divided into two denominations: Iyengars, who are adherents of Sri Vaishnavism, and Iyers, who follow the Srauta and Smarta traditions.

Denominations[edit]

Tamil Brahmins are divided into two major denominations: Iyers, who follow the Smartha tradition, and Iyengars, who adhere to the tradition of Sri Vaishnavism.

Iyer[edit]

Iyers are Srauta-Smartha Brahmins, whose members follow the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara. They are concentrated mainly along the Cauvery Delta districts of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Tiruchirapalli where they form almost 10% of the total population. However the largest population reside in Nagercoil, making up to 13% of the city’s population.[3][4][5] They are also found in significant numbers in Chennai,[6]Coimbatore, Madurai, Thiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Palakkad, Alappuzha, Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Kannur, and Thiruvananthapuram.[7]

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Iyengar[edit]

The Iyengars subscribe to the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. They are divided into two denominations: Vadakalai (Northern art) and Tenkalai (Southern art), each with minor differences in religious rites and traditions. They adhere to the tradition of Sri Vaishnavism.[8]

Adi Saivas/Gurukkal[edit]

Brahmins who serve as priests in temples following the Vaishnavite and Shaivite tradition and perform pujas are sometimes offered a distinct category within the community. These priests are called “Bhattar” in the Vaishnavite tradition and in the Pandya regions of Tamil Nadu, and “Gurukkal” in the shaivite tradition and in northern ones. In Kongu Nadu, they are called Adi Saivas or the Sivacharyas. They follow the Agamas and the Vedas.[9]

Notable people[edit]

  • Sage Agastya, revered Indian sage of Hinduism, Tamil Siddhar in the Shaivism tradition, and author of Agattiyam, an early grammar of the Tamil language[10]
  • Viswanathan Anand, Indian Chess Grandmaster
  • Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indian classical Bharatanatyam dancer, theosophist, choreographer and an activist for animal welfare[11]
  • Ravichandran Ashwin, Indian cricketer
  • K. Balachander, Indian filmmaker and playwright
  • Maadhu Balaji, Indian actor
  • S. Jaishankar, Indian diplomat and politician serving as the Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India since 30 May 2019
  • Subramania Bharati, Indian independence activist and poet[12]
  • Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Nobel Prize-winning Indian astrophysicist[13]
  • Seetha Doraiswamy, Indian carnatic multi-instrumentalist
  • Gemini Ganesan, Indian actor
  • Shyamala Gopalan, American-Indian biomedical scientist, Mother of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris[14]
  • Kamal Haasan, Indian actor
  • Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, Indian lawyer and member of the Constituent Assembly of India responsible for framing the Constitution of India[15]
  • Janani Iyer, Indian actress
  • Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Indian Carnatic vocalist
  • Shreyas Iyer, Indian cricketer
  • Tirukkodikaval Krishna Iyer, Indian carnatic violinist[16]
  • U. V. Swaminatha Iyer, Indian researcher and Tamil scholar[17]
  • Venkatesh Iyer, Indian cricketer
  • J. Jayalalithaa, Indian politician (Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu), actress
  • K. S. Krishnan, Indian physicist, co-discoverer of the Raman scattering[18]
  • Ramya Krishnan, Indian actress
  • Trisha Krishnan, Indian actress
  • Padma Lakshmi, Indian American author, activist, model, and television host
  • Iravatham Mahadevan, Indian epigraphist and civil servant[19]
  • Shankar Mahadevan, Indian Singer and Composer
  • R. Madhavan, Indian actor
  • Ramana Maharshi, Indian sage[20]
  • Hema Malini, Indian actress
  • Crazy Mohan, Indian actor
  • Vennira Aadai Moorthy, Indian actor
  • T. S. B. K. Moulee, Indian actor
  • Nachinarkiniyar, medieval Tamil scholar and commentator of the Tolkāppiyam, Pattuppāṭṭu, Kaliththokai, Kuṟuntokai and Civaka Cintamani[21]
  • Indra Nooyi, Former CEO of PepsiCo
  • Paridhiyaar, medieval Tamil scholar and Kural commentator
  • Parimelalhagar, medieval Tamil scholar and Kural commentator[23]
  • Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc.[24]
  • C. Rajagopalachari, Indian statesman, politician, Indian independence activist, last Governor-General of India, Former Chief Minister of Madras State
  • Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize-winning Indian structural biologist[25]
  • C. V. Raman, Nobel Prize-winning Indian physicist[26]
  • Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician[27]
  • Cho Ramaswamy, Indian actor
  • Alladi Ramakrishnan, Indian physicist and founder of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (Matscience) in Chennai[28]
  • Ramaiyan, commander in the Madurai Nayak dynasty
  • Krishnan Raman, commander-in-chief of the Chola forces under Rajaraja Chola I, holding the title Mummadi Brahmarayar Niyomanam
  • Sivananda Saraswati, Indian yoga guru, Hindu spiritual teacher, and proponent of Vedanta[29]
  • C. S. Seshadri, mathematician.[30]
  • Nirmala Sitharaman – Current Finance Minister of India, Bharatiya Janata party.[31]
  • Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Indian cricketer
  • S. Srinivasan, Indian aeronautical engineer
  • Padma Subrahmanyam, Indian classical Bharatanatyam dancer
  • Subramanian Swamy, Indian politician, economist and statistician
  • Tolkappiyar, earliest known author and grammarian in Tamil language[32]
  • Vaali, Indian poet and lyricist
  • S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan, Indian mathematician and Abel Prize laureate[33]
  • Vyjayanthimala, Indian actress

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Llc, Books (September 2010). Social Groups of Tamil Nadu: Badagas, Kongu Vellalar, Iyer, Boyar, Iyengar, Paravar, Nagarathar, Rajus, Nadar, Balija, Pallar, Kamma, Thondaimandala Mudaliar, Arya Vysyas, Paraiyar, Saurashtra Language, Maravar, Sengunthar, Vadama, Kapu, Kotas, Toda People (Revised ed.). India: General Books LLC. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-157-56781-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ “Team – Noolaham Foundation”.
  3. ^ “Brahmins seek reservation in education and employment”. The Hindu. 19 September 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  4. ^ G. S. Ghurye, Pg 393
  5. ^ Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans, Pg 5
  6. ^ Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans, Pg 15
  7. ^ “Approaching societal issues through the eyes of Ambedkar”. dtNext.in. 10 April 2017. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  8. ^ Dutta, Ranjeeta (September–October 2007). “Texts, Tradition and Community Identity: The Srivaisnavas of South India”. Social Scientist. 35 (9/10): 22–43. JSTOR 27644238. (subscription required)
  9. ^ Rajagopal, Sharat Chandrika (1987). Rethinking Hinduism: A Renewed Approach to the Study of “sect” and an Examination of Its Relationship to Caste : a Study in the Anthropology of Religion. University of Minnesota. p. 368.
  10. ^ Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature, Appendix III, The Case of Akattiyam; Sanskrit and Tamil; Kankam, Pg 235–260
  11. ^ “Know the Only Indian in Today’s Google Doodle? She Could Have Been India’s First Female President!”. The Better India. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  12. ^ Indian Literature: An Introduction. University of Delhi. Pearson Education India. 2005. pp. 125–126. ISBN 9788131705209.
  13. ^ “Who was S Chandrasekhar?”. The Indian Express. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  14. ^ Dhume, Sadanand (20 August 2020). “What Kamala Harris Isn’t Saying About Her Mother’s Background – WSJ”. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 January 2021. Ms. Harris’s mother also figures in another tale told less often: of India’s small and successful Tamil Brahmin diaspora
  15. ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 191.
  16. ^ “Thirukodikaval Krishna Iyer – Google Groups”. groups.google.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  17. ^ Viswanathan, S. (26 February – 11 March 2005). “The patriarch of Tamil”. Frontline, Vol. 22, Issue 5. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  18. ^ Srinivasan, Mahadeva (5 June 2012). “Not for him the second fiddle”. The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  19. ^ “Straight from the Heart – Iravatham Mahadevan: Interview with Iravatham Mahadevan”. Varalaaru.com.
  20. ^ Osborne, Arthur (2002) [1954], Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge (PDF), Sri Ramanasramam
  21. ^ Chitty, Simon Casie (1859). The Tamil Plutarch, containing a summary account of the lives of poets and poetesses of Southern India and Ceylon. Jaffna: Ripley & Strong. p. 57.
  22. ^ Ki. Vaa. Jagannathan (1963). திருக்குறள், ஆராய்ச்சிப் பதிப்பு [Tirukkural, Aaraicchi Pathippu] (3 ed.). Coimbatore: Ramakrishna Mission Vidhyalayam.
  23. ^ “Opinion: Tamil Brahmin emigration was driven by opportunity, not socialism or identity politics”. The News Minute. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  24. ^ “Common root: Tamil Nadu gets its third laureate”. Times of India. TNN. 8 October 2009.
  25. ^ “CV Raman Birth Anniversary 2020: Interesting Facts About The Nobel Laureate”. NDTV.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  26. ^ Kanigel, Robert (1991). The Man Who Knew Infinity: a Life of the Genius Ramanujan. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-0-684-19259-8.
  27. ^ Staff Reporter (13 July 2008). “Alladi Ramakrishnan, 85, Scientist, Passes Away”. India Journal. Retrieved 18 August 2010.[permanent dead link]
  28. ^ “His Holiness Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati Maharaj”. Divine Life Society. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  29. ^ “From Proofs to Transcendence, via Theorems and Rāgas – Bhāvanā”. Retrieved 30 July 2020. We are a Shree Vaishnavite Brahmin family
  30. ^ “A power couple whom AP looks up to | Hyderabad News – Times of India”. The Times of India.
  31. ^ Kamil Zvelebil (1973), The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India, BRILL, p. 136, ISBN 90-04-03591-5
  32. ^ “Srinivasa Varadhan”. Abel Prisen. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2018. I came from a Brahmin community, viewed by the government as privileged, and there was reverse discrimination

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