ORIGIN TIRUNELVELI CENTRAL KERALA BRAHMINS
Dear friends, Today my posting is generallyabout Brahmins of Central Kerala mostly from Tirunelveli and Madurai areassettled centuries before. Pandalamwhich is my home may sometimes be anexample of it, which is mostly referred in this posting. Sincerely, Gopala Krishnan 14-12-2011. Reposted on 30-1-20201 after editing and updating. R. Gopala krishnan 1. Vadhyars from Kallidaikurichi As I knew, we had our sasthrikalswhom we called only as Vadhyar was either from Amba samudram or Kallidaikurichiof Tirunelveli district. They had their semi permanent settlements inMavelikkara, Mannar or Alleppy. Once ayear or so they used to go to native for a few months in a turn system amongthem and return. Some had families at Kallidaikurichi only. These vaadhyars used to talk tous in Tirunelveli Brahmin Tamil only. They used to wear only Pancha kachham,some youngsters additionally shirt also used to wear during journey. Most of usfollowed about 40-50% of their Tamil talking to tell the truth. Later periods they used to talk inhalf Tamil half Malayalam mixed language. On account of origin of ourVadhyars from Tirunelveli district, every possibility is there that OURFOREFATHERS WOULD HAVE MIGRATED FROM TIRUNELVELI SIDE. Our elders were more knowing aboutChengottai, Tenkasi and Achhan kovil and Aryan kavu areas. They knew less aboutThanjavur or Mannarkudi or nearby areas. Their talks centred round Tirunelveli or Madurai areas. In fact my Kuladeivam too is Sadapedayar in our localtelling which is near Kallidaikurichi. My father as an assistant to his cousinbrother in law was at Ammaainaikkannur (today’s kodaikkanal road) in his boyhood days as learnt from him. He was running a hotel there. My brother in law was running ahotel in Madurai during his marriage. Let me further go in to the information whichI have gathered from the elders. I am 77 now and the information is as knownfrom boyhood days is told here. 2. Sastha Vazhipadu We had Brahmana samooham from early time. The maindeity worshipped is sastha. Sastha preethi was performed once a year from thetime I was a boy. Poorna Pushkala sametha Grahastha sastha is told during sasthapreethi. The Brahmana samooham was havinglanded property, own building and a separate burial ground also from those days. All theseare still there. Update- The burial ground has become a narrow stripafter widening of M C Road recently. The mention of the Brahmianasamooham in own property is for the fact that there was a grouping of Brahmins and common discussions.Even during my boyhood days all Brahmins had own houses and landed properties including paddy fields. On those days the houses were onin the middle of 30-50 CENTS OF LAND. We had no agraharam The properties are foundPURCHASED FROM LOCAL NAIRS though most homes were close to Palaces. Not gifts from royal families. Though different from agraharamhomes, the houses wereclose to one another or in a cluster. Nalukettu system was followedmostly with Nadumittam and a few ones with chavadi. Invariably all the houseswere called matams like Earthu koyikkal matam, Puthiya matam, Padinjarae matametc. Earthkoyikkal matam meantpurchased from Nairs of Earth koyikkal veedu. There was a moopil nair of Earthkoyikkal veedu just below my matam. In my boyhood days, he told me once part of the PROPERTYWAS SOLD TO US by his elders and we are there. In course of time somehow therewas financial difficulties due to partition of properties among brothers andnot having a secured income to some of them or due to splendid lifestyle. Thiswas more prominent after World War II as learnt by me. The purpose for which myancestors came to Pandalam is a mystery. One thing is sure – they did not come for shady areas due to any problems felt inTamilnadu. THEY CAME WITH MONEY AND PURCHASED PROPERTIES FROM LOCAL NAIRS. Till today most of the homes are sufficientlybig. 2a. Worship of the local deities As smartha Brahmins we worshipthe local deity Lord Krishna as well as in the near Siva temples as well asLocal Ayyappa temple. We wear chandanam(sandalwood paste) from Krishna temple, Bhasmam(holy ash) fromSiva temples and chandanam from Ayyappa temple. Of course after our semiauspicious functions or during auspicious functions like Aaavani avittam, we usedto wear Bhasmam. This has specific mention because, our sasthrikals used to wear bhasmam only. Normally after bath in the river,we used to wear chandanam in the forehead as a horizontal line obtained fromthe Krishna temple nearby. Wearing of Bhasamam was done some times duringevening, if not gone to the temple. There is more affiliation withAyyappa temple also. During Thiruvabharanam along with Pandalam Raja, his churika was taken by myelders. This person would have prepared food for Raja also in allprobabilities during the journey. But as my memory goes no brahmins worked solely for theroyal family or depend on them, though we had our houses near royal palaces.Other than our elders were sometimes called by them during festive occasionsfor preparation of food. This is mentioned because; along with Pandalam royal family we have not come fromMadurai. The royals would have come very early. Most of the elders were employedin something somewhere. Itis specific to mention, we had no business interest at all through genes.I have never heard my elders talking about business. Mostly paddy fields ownedwere given for paattam(lease) and the paattam was sufficient for life for many. My family had paddy fields at Punthala, a near by place,and still I recollect my Grandmother was getting paattam(share of the producespaddy) and paddy used to be stored in the Aara. It was sufficient and more forher lively hood. 3. Local deity and naming Most families named their third son and onwards name ofthe local deity Lord Krishna in some form. There are more Kirshnasamong families of my native on this account including me. I am the third son ofmy parents. There are fewer Siva and Siva sankara among us than Krishan andJanardhanan. In fact our family was to take the Olakkuda for Sribali inthe Local Krishna temple and I have taken it for some period in boyhood. 4. Profession. In fact I was initiated to writeon this head on account of this only. mostof our families had properties or purchased properties on arriving in the place.As my memory goes we had two groups, one belonging to Yajurveda and another belong to Samaveda. The Sama Veda grouphad properties more near to town and much more landed properties than yajurvedagroup. I belong to the yajurveda group. We differentiated them justbecause; they had their Upa karma alone on another day. But they had theirGayathri japam along with us. They shaved the hairs as a big Raa during Brahmopadesam in thefore head and many later too. We had a small Raa only. In 1950’s when the Brahmina samooham was re-establisheddue to some petty quarrels among the elders and closed for some years tillthen, there were 32 established familiesin Pandalam which has reduced to a skeleton eight today. My father was to say the permanentPresident. It was his duty to open the samooha matam, light the lamps daily andoffer neivedyam and perform deeparadhana to the deity- Sastha mainly. Brahminasamooham was opened only in the evening even during my hood days. Except one or two most of the elders had some employment in all houses. 5. Marriage and covering areas. Most of our families had marriage alliances from near by areas like Thalavadi, Kottayam,Kidangoor, Vaikkam, Adoor, Haripad,Alleppy, Kottarakkara, Pattazhi, surrounding areas of my native with in say60-70 KMs. Nobody on those days to have marriage alliances from Trivandrum orPalghat side or least fromTamilnadu as I gather. 6. General. Most of us are vadamal sub groupamong the Yajurvedies. Among Samavedies I am not so sure. What I have toconclude, thinking of better settlements for some reason, my elders would havecome to these areas, purchased properties and settled with some professionwhich they could immediately access. Theincome from purchased paddy fields given for paattam has supported them most inthe beginning. Later on division of families most took some profession liked bythem. Most in some government jobs. Many Brahmins settled in CentralTravancore in areas like Mavelikkara, Alleppy and Kottayam etc were very rich. Kottayam Kaitharathu Matam,Mavelikkara Valiya madam are just two examples. The availability of Brahmins for inauspicious things was readily available CENTRED ON ALLEPPY AND KOTTAYAMand used to come on a postal message to other areas to Brahmina samooham there. 7. Mingling with local The local people mostly calledthe elders as Sami, and they youngsters as Kunju. Most of the elders talkedMalayalam and relationship names as appa, amma, anna, manni etc was used. Recently one of my nativerelative came to my house in Chennai; we were meeting after about thirty years.Though know Tamil well,they talked Tamil to my wife and Malayalam to me. Being talking inMalayalam for pretty long time in native, find difficult to talk in Tamil to me.I too felt so. We had very good relationshipwith local Christians and Muslims. Many local shops were owned by them, andthey all talked with names like Valiya sami, kochu kunju, kochhu sami etc. Royal people and Nairs near referto us as samis mostly though royal people some time refer us as pattars, but not used in calling us.However their elders used to call my elders by Name. 8. Celebration of festivals We were celebrating Tamilfestivals too in a little scale though Kerala festivals with more pomp. We werecelebrating pongal as well as karthigai too. 9. Today scenario I understand the samoohambuilding is under renovation. All the families now available are settled WELLFINANCIALLY. Many old families have migrated to other places in Kerala andTamilnadu. Those migrated are visiting occasionally to native to see therelatives remaining there for not forgetting nativity. Many of the wards of the Pandalamiyers are in foreign countries today and there is in general there is goodfinancial status among them. Of course a few exemptions are always there. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/601489252.452669.1612004463004%40mail.yahoo.com.
