Respected sir,
I have read your informative response regarding Dravid Brahmins in Madhya
pradesh. Thank you
On Thursday, 16 May, 2024 at 10:15:27 am IST, 'Bala N. Aiyer' via
KeralaIyers <[email protected]> wrote:
The South-Indian Brahmins belong to the Pancha-Dravidas, and the North-Indian
Brahmins are Pancha-Gauras. There are several families in Madhya Pradesh who
carry a last Name as "Dravid" - and they say that they are originally from
South India and were there for hundreds of years. I had a friend with that name
in the Indian Army. There is a cricket player, well-known, named Dravid.
Bala N. Aiyer
On Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 10:14:17 PM CDT, Rajaram Krishnamurthy
<[email protected]> wrote:
Pitu Gotra Part 15 How many brahmins 3 KR IRS 15524 16524 (contd)
The Madhvaas date from the recent reform activities of
Madhvacharya(somewhere in the 12th century) also of the Vaishnava sampradaya ,
and theywere prominent in the last days of Vijayanagar (1500's) . A famous guru
of theline was Raghavendra swami.(They are found all over Karnataka, south
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu as well asAndhra). Their roots include a strong Marathi
one, and a north Indianconnection as well.
2 m) Draavidulu: Draavids, who seem to be north IndianBrahmins who
arrived in coastal Andhra. Dravidas are further divided intosubcastes like
Aaraama-dravidulu, Peruru-dravidulu, Rayali-Draavidulu, DiviliBrahmins,
Peruru-dravidulu, Tummagunta Brahmins etc based on the locations theysettled.
Some ofthese Dravida Brahmins belong to Rigveda school and some belong
toKrishna-Yajurveda school. The TelanganaVaidiki Brahmin caste to which
Goutamiputra-Satakarni belonged to is a Dravida Brahmin caste (?). This group
belongs toRigveda school. {Recently aTelugu film was also released on Gudami
Putra Satakarni}
( And Dravida belonged to southwhereas some TN political are displaying a
tamil meaning graphing them only asDravida; Adi Shankar in Soundarya lahari
addressed himself as :DRAVIDA SISUmeaning from Keral; that was tarnished by
sone TN illiterates as denoting Gnanasambandar born in TN, is being spoken by
Adi Shankara as Dravida sisu; henceAdi Shankara should have existed only after
Gnana sambandar ; and thus with thehelp of so many Officials relating tothe
particular Mutt following Adi Shankara [which by certain documents was notone
established by Adi Shankara] fixed the period of Adi Shankara in 700 AD;with
the facts changed wrt Adi Shankaraagainst many evidences lying across as
exited around 750 BCE to 450 BCE, pulleddown the curtains; in this process, in
the web sites, there were heated debate, trying to project the real one
established by Shankara as NON-EXISTENT one;British nailed the period of buddha
from not less than 1000 BCE born, to 500BCE against the Sikkim monastery
records and history of Dharma krithi; our ownpeople twisted to do away from the
truth; thus our real history was pushed downby 2000 years minimum.] [However,
Dravida became Tamil was rendered by some as,the root word DRAVIDA, became
DRAMILA, and then TAMILA @TAMIL])}
DravidaBrahmins of Andhra
3 There are twomajor divisions among Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh: Niyogi and
Vaidiki, and the Vaidiki Brahmin divisionis further divided into several
groups, one of which is Dravida Brahmin groupthat arrived in Andhra viaTamil or
Dravida (draaviDa) country.
4 A group ofBrahmins migrated approximately 600 years ago (~1300-1400 AD)
from Saurashtra towards south of Vindhyas and settled on thebanks of River
Kaveri in Tamil Nadu and adopted Tamil language. These Brahminsare related to
the Ayyars of TamilNadu. Later, some of theseBrahmins migrated northward
towards coastal Andhra to the River Godavari basinand henceforth are called
DravidaBrahmins. It is possible that Dravida Brahmins migrated to Andhra
around400 years ago from Tamil Nadu. TheDravida Brahmin group continued the
migration deep into north coastal Andhra, settlingat various places of their
convenience and based on the locations they settledin, further divided into:
Aaraama-dravidas
Divili Brahmins
Dravidas or suddha dravidas
Peruru-dravidas
Puduru-dravidas
Rayali-dravidas
Tummagunta Brahmins
5 Aaraama-dravidasare those Brahmins who settled and lived in gardens
(aaraamas) initially. Theyare also called thota aravalu(thota = garden, aravulu
= Tamils or Draavids). Some Dravida Brahminssettled in the villages and are
identified by the area or the name of thevillage in which they settled down.
For example, the Brahmins who settled inthe town Peruru near Amalarpuramcame to
be known as Peruru-Draavidulu. Similarly, the Brahmins settled in thetowns of
Ryali, Divili, Puduru and Tummagunta came to be known as RyaliDraavidulu,
Divili Brahmins, Puduru Draavidulu, Tummagunta Brahmins,respectively.
6 The DravidaBrahmins included 6 jaatis@ divisions (clans, tribes), 6
vamshams (stock orclan), 18 pakshams (parts) and 18 gotrams (lineage)and
several family names. Due to theirexpertise and learning, the rulers of
Coastal Andhra gave not only refuge, butalso gifts and rewards of lands and
Agraharas (villages) to the migratedBrahmins. Dravida Brahmins continued their
migrations in search of opportunities and are found in severalstates in the
Indian Union, especially in the cosmopolitan cities like Chennai,Delhi, Mumbai,
Bangalore etc., and also in the New World.
7 Dravidabrahmins such as perurudaravidas, dhimiladaravidas, Dravidas etc.
are very muchinto Vedic rituals like yajnas and yagas. Aaraama-dravidas are
not big on perfoming yajna and yaagas like othersDravida Brahmins, but excelled
in Vedic studies, poetry and literature,medicine, music, astrology etc. As
theIndian society has changed from Islamic rule to Christian rule to
independence and democracy, Brahminshave lost, to a large extent, their
traditional life style and religiousvocations, and are left with secular
vocations in competition with rich,powerful forward castes andprivileged SC, ST
and BC communities everywhere in India. (Book,” TheMouths that Recited Vedas
are Grieving” – Though totally appeared to beconnective, yet the records
vbought into that book speaks the movements of thebrahmins all over India, from
Pillar to the post for survival; and survival inthe last 500 years of brahmins
are reflected in many volumes written in NorthIndia)
8 Notes:
1) "aaraamadraavida vamsacharitra," written(1935) by Anamtapadmanaabham
Dvivedula (1888-1947), published by his sonVenkataramarao Dvivedula,
Samkhavaram, Andhra Pradesh - 533446. To obtain acopy of the original text
write to Venkataramarao Dvivedula or to:Sankararao A,6-2011, East Point Colony,
Chinna Waltair, Visakhapatnam 530023 Venkatarao D,8-2-1 purohit, Peda Waltair,
Visakhapatnam, 530017 Kameswararao Nagabhatla,SVVSS Devasthanam purohith,
Annavaram 533406 or Dhanvantari CVSNLN, No 10 TTDGrade I purohit, Purohita
Samgham, Tirumala Hills, 517504. Also, Dr. RajgopalDuddu .
9) Brahmins have been migrating from time immemorial. TheBrahmin families that
migrated made an impact peacefully by example rather thanconverting people by
any means. The Brahmin migration to the South features inlegends of the sage
Agastya. The VindhyaMountain range in central India continued to grow higher
showing its might andobstructed cloud movement causing draught. Sage Agastya
decided to solve theproblem and travelled south. The Vindhya Mountain bowed to
Agastya and the sagerequested Vindhya to stay prostrated until he returns.
Vindhya complied withthis request and sage Agastya never returned to north.
10 The earliestBrahmins to arrive in Andhra were most probably sage
Viswamitra's students andprogeny around 1200 BC. (again period is recorded from
the british recordsonly). South Indian kings showed respectand patronage for
Brahmins and Brahminism since ancient times, e.g., Satavahana dynasty that
ruled for five centuries andextended over Andhra and central India, founded by
Srimukha(221-198 BC), supported Brahminism and Vedic tradition (History
andCulture of Andhra Pradesh, Rao PR, pp.viii and 8-22). One of the most
important features ofSatavahana dynasty was granting land to Brahmins.(History
of India, HermanKulke and Dietmar Rothermund, p. 102). Sangam era of Chera,
Chola and Pandya kings in Deep South also used togrant lands to
Brahmins(History of India, Herman Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund, p. 104).
Similarly, there have been Brahmin migrationsback and forth that continue even
today. Due to these waves of Brahmin migrations, we see today varioussub-castes
and traditions among Brahmins.
11 One of thoseBrahmin migrations pertinent to Dravida Brahmins was from
Saurashtra { THERE ISON THE MADURAI SIDE A SOURASTRA BRAHMIN AND NON BRAHMIN
COMMUNITY SEEN) to thesouth to River Kaveri. It is not clear why this
particular group of Brahminsmigrated to Tamil country in 13th and 14th
centuries. However, the period inwhich the Dravida Brahmins migrated was full
of strife and destruction due toIslamic incursions in the Northwestern Indian
Continent (current Afghanistan,Pakistan and present Western India), including
Gujarat. Saurashtra forms partof the area where the ancient Saraswati River
existed. Saurashtra is also known as Soruth andSorath, a former state in the
Indian continent, located on the Kathiawarpeninsula of western India, which is
now part of the Indian State of Gujarat.The Rig-Veda refers to the River
Saraswati as a mighty river flowing from themountains to the sea and was adored
as the nurturing mother of a civilization,which drew its life sustenance on the
banks of the river. It is not clear if the southward-migratedBrahmins are
related to Saraswat Brahmins of this region who migrated to otherparts of the
Indian continent.
12 From theRiver Kaveri region, they migrated to various other parts of
Tamil Nadu and upnorth into Andhra Pradesh somewhere between 600 to 300 years
ago. (NOT SURE OFTHE PERIODS) Some of the Aaraamadravida Brahmin families have
migrated from Kumbhakonam, an ancienttemple town in Tamil Nadu on the banks of
river Kaveri, 194 miles away by trainfrom Chennai. Kumbhakonam has
mythicalconnections - visit Kanchi Kamakoti peetham site. (and history shows
Kanchi mutt shifts betweenKanchi to Kumbakonam back to Kanchi and back to
Kumbakonam and back to Kanchi; whenThe Kanchi mutt was at Kumbakonam, Trichy
akilaandeswari was given a maragadha-set so valuable; which was contested by
another Mutt because of which AdiShankara date was altered; in the British days
, after an ordeal the KanchiMutt won the case; in that dictum, the original
value of Kanchi Mutt is foundand incorporated as that of Adi Shankara as
another evidence; however that isbeing denied by the other groups also)
13) Although it is not clear when Dravida Brahminsmigrated to Andhra,
according to Anamtapadmanaabham Dvivedula (ref 1), about300 years ago they
adopted Telugu language and integrated with Telugu speakingpeople. If we
consider the studies on language adoption in the US, theimmigrants (first
generation of immigrants) and their offspring (secondgeneration immigrants)
continue to speak their native tongue as well as thelanguage of the land. The
third generation of immigrants forget their ancestrallanguage or only a small
minority in that group maintains bilingualism.Speaking only English is the
predominant pattern by the third generation in theUS. Thus, by extrapolation,
we mayassume Dravida Brahmins began migrating to Andhra around 400 years ago,
whichis, of course, an assumption. It could be 600 years to 2500 years ago!
14) Some of the aaraamadravida family names (seeref 1): Allamaraaju,/
addamki,/ addamki bhaagavatulua,/ ayilaavajhala,/abbaavajhala,/ akkapamtula,
/annapamtula,/ anamtapamtula, /avadhaanula,/akkabhaagavatula, /anamtavjhala,
/ayitta, / anivilla, /aakomdi,/ aayupilla, /upamaaka,/oarigamti, /oaleti,/
kamchi, /kaakaraparti,/ kaakara,/ kaakaraala, /kaaraadavajhala,/kaampamtula,
/kaamavarapu, /koochibhotla,/kolloori, /komdaari,/ kolgamti,/ koata,
/gamdavarapu,/ goakulaanamdam, /gummaa,/charla,/ chellapilla, /chakravartula,
/chaamarti, /chilakamarti,/chimtalachervu, /chittapamtula, /tampella,/
taatapoodi, /tirumaamidi,/ toata, /dvivedula,dvivedi, /dvibhaashyam,/ duddu,/
sasiraaju, /naldeegela, /nrusimhadevara, /narasimhadevara,/pamtula, /
pullaapamtula, /puraanapamda,/ paalamki, /pinnimti, /peddimti,/
podila,/ponnapalli, /perumaalla,/ paina, /patraayudu,/ ballamoodi, /bulambu,/
boani, /bhaagavatula,/brahmayila,/ bheemasoala, /bhairavabhatal,
/madhunaapamtula, /madhuraapamtula,/maddaal, /madhurakavi, /mahendravaada,/
maarepalli, /muddu, /munnamgi,/raavooru, /raamanugula,/ raamavarapu,/ raajulu,/
raaghavabhatlu, /raamabhaktula,/varadaa, /vajhala, /vedula, /sannidhi,/
saamavedula, /soamayaajula etc./
15 Usually,Telugu Brahmin family names are based on their vocation,
villages, awards,recognition etc. Family names likeKuchibhatlu, Nagabhatlu,
Bhairavabhatlu, Raghavabhatlu, etc. are names based on"battir", Tamil wordfor
pundit. Some say that Bhattu is a derivative of bhata, which means aperson who
works for hire and as these Brahmins were hired by kings for variouspriestly
duties, they are called bhat-lu. It is also said that Brahmins whoconsidered
themselves as bhattus (servants) of their family God (kula-daivam)gave their
family name as bhattu or bhatla of their family God. For example,Nagahatlu
means bhattus of Naga or snake God. Raghavabhatlu means bhattu ofLord Raghava
or Rama. Pamtulu, Madhurapamtulu,etc. based on their recognition as pamtulu,
which means pundit or guru orteacher. Ponnapalli, Marepalli, Kolluru,Addanki,
etc are based on village names. Vedulavaru, Dvi-vedulavaru, etc. basedon their
learning in vedas and others like soamayaajula are based on
ancestralachievements, jobs and deeds. ( has this “battir” got to do anything
with“battar”?)
16 It should benoted that some of the above family names of Brahmins are
also found in variousother castes and tribes,especially those related to
villages. So, it is not correct to assumethat a person with a family name
listed above to be an aaramadravida Brahmin.
17) Around400 years ago, coastal Andhra was under the rule of Tuluva
dynasty. Srikrishnadevaraya ascended to the throne in 1509 and brought peaceand
glory to the Andhra. Telangana was already taken over by Muslim rule,several
centuries ago. Quli Qutub Shah of Golconda (Hyderabad),Ismail Adilshah of
Bijapur and Gajapatis of Orissa waged wars againstVijayanagara dynasty. The
reignof Srikrishnadevaraya was considered to be the Golden Age of
Teluguliterature. Soon afterSrikrishnadevaraya, Quli Qutub Shah defeated
Vijayanagar dynasty and Andhracame under Muslim rule for the first time. Later,
British tookover coastal Andhra and formed Madras province combining with Tamil
land.(See History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh, Rao PR.pp.92-153)}
18 n) Madhvulu: Madhvas are thefollowers of Sri Madhvacharya, (a k. a.
srimad Anandateertha), the 13th centurysaint-philosopher of Karnataka, India .
They were prominent in the lastdays of Vijayanagar (1500's). Raghavendra swami
was a famous guru of this caste. They are found allover Karnataka, south
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra and have very strongroots in Maharashtra and
the north.
19 o) VelanatiVaidikulu: The Velnadus are most numerous class of Vaidiki
Brahmins. Vallabhachari, who in the 15thcentury attained great success as
prophet, and whose descendants areworshipped almost as gods still Rajputana,
Gujarat and Maharashtra was a memberof this caste. The Velnadus are most
numerous in the Godavari andKrishna districts. Colonies ofthis caste are found
in the erstwhile Mysore State (Karnataka), except Kadur.
20 p) Telaganyuluor Telaganadu Vaidikis: The TelaganyaVaidikis are as
numerous as the Velnadus and found mostly in Telangana, chieflyin the
Northeastern part of erstwhileHyderabad Kingdom.
21 q) VenginatiVaidikulu: The Venginadus are chiefly found in the districts
of Godavari andVizianagaram, formerly known as the Vengi Country.
22 r) KaasalnatiVaidikulu: The Kasalanadu derive their name from Kosala, the
ancient name ofOude, from where they migrated to Kalinga Country, where they
are found now.
23 s) Muraknati Vaidikulu: Murakanati Vaidikisare found mostly in the
country south of the River Krishna. They are numerous in Karnataka.
24 t) Gouda Brahmins are teachers and priests. They belong to
SuklaYajurveda and Kanva MadhyandinaSakha and have the family names such as
Joshi, Ojjhulu etc.
25 u) Adisaivulu: They belong to KrishnaYajurveda school. These Saiva
Brahminsare further devided into several castes such as Kanchisaivulu,
Antarvedisaivulu, Balajipetasaivulu,Tiruvalngadusivulu, Sakteya Brahmins etc.
26 v) Saivulu: The Saivite Brahmins follow theSaiva aagamas. However, they
study Vedas also and belong to Krishna Yajurvedaschool. One of the sects of
thesesaivite Brahmins is called Aradhyas.[MallikaarjunaPanditaradhyudu
(1120-1180) was born into an Araadhya Brahmin family andlived in
‘DrakshaaraamamuCity’ in the district of Godaavari. His teacher was
KotipalliAraadhyadeva. He was the most powerful among the Shaivite Brahmins
andwas famous for his supernatural powers. He defeated Buddhists in the court
ofKing Velanati Choda ofChandavoalu kingdom and established Shaivism.
27 "ShivakaviYuagamu" is an era of Brahmin Shaivite poets in the history of
Teluguliterature. This is considered to be the time between Nannayaand Tikkana
(12th century AD). Famous poets of this era are Nannechodudu, Mallikarjuna
Panditaradhryudu, and PalkurikiSomanadhudu. These three poets are known as
ShivakaviTrayamu (trinity of Shaivite poets) and belonged to Kalamukha Shaivite
sect. Veerashaivites believe thatPanditaaradhyudu is the incarnation of
‘Pramadha’ and as powerful as LordShiva. He is also one of thethree Shaivite
priests known as 'Punditatrayamu’ or "the trinity ofPundits," who devoted their
life to the spread of the religion of Shiva,‘the Shaivism,’ in Andhra Nation.
The remaining two Pundits are Sripati Punditudu and Manchena
Punditudu.Mallikaarjuna proved that the Supreme Lord Shiva was the ultimate
Godand was superior to any other God. He condemned and prevailed over all
half-heartedShaivites. He successfully Brahminized the Shaivism and established
AraadhyaShaivism, which is followed by Araadhya Brahmins. He was a Pundit in
Andhra,Kannada and Sanskrit languages. He composed Shiva Tatvasaaramu,
Lingodbhavagadyamu, Rudramahima,Gunasahasramaala, Amareswaraashthakamu,
Parvatavarnanamu, etc., in Telugu, andBasavageetamu, Prabhulingastotramulu in
Kannada.
28 Shivatatvasaaramuis a composition containing 489 verses with ‘Kanda’
meter. This is the primarybook and standard for Veera Shaivites. In this poetry
he addresses Lord Shiva as Shiva, Ajaa, Rudraa, Maheshaaetc. Mallikarjuna
describes in detail the process of ‘Shivadeeksha’ and‘Paashupatashaiva’
principles. In this work he condemns the "Advaita"religion, philosophy and "the
Maaya argument" of Advaita religion. Sirigiri Nundeda Shivasharanu" inKannada
language is the last work of Mallikarjuna Panditaradhyudu.References:Andhra
Vaangmaya Charitramu, Dr.Venkataavadhaani DivaakarlaTelugu Saahitya Sameeksha,
Dr. Naagayya G.]
29 Theygenerally run Saiva and Shakti shrines, often very large, and
famous ones like Kalesvaram, Vemulavada,Srisailam, Kalahasti, etc. They have a
link to Kashmir Saivism, Varanasiand Jyotirlinga shrines all over India like
Kedarnath. The rituals they followare different from the smaartas. Aradhyas
are in fact semi convertedLingayats. They following Basavaand attach great
importance to Linga worship. However, they adhere to Brahminism, recite Gayatri
prayers and marry SmartaBrahmins. Although Lingayat Saivareligion attempted to
dismantle the tribal differences, the Lingayats adhere totheir original castes
naturally. Thus,Aradhyas remain designated to be Brahmins, just like other
castes in Lingayatreligion (followers of Basava).
K RAJARAM IRS 15524//16524 TO BE COTND.
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