The Badaganadu are a Brahmin community that mainly reside in Karnataka and in Tamil Nadu. They are followers of either the Advaita Vedanta propounded by Adi Shankara or the Dvaita Vedanta propounded by Madhvacharya and hence there are Smarthas and Madhwas among them. [1] [2]
In Tamil Nadu, the Madhwa Brahmins are migrants from Karnataka. They have six sub-groups, they are Aruvela, Aruvanththuvakkalu, Badaganadu, Pennaththurar, Prathamasaki and Desastha and Badaga. They are concentrated in the Madras, Coimbatore, Coonoor and in Ooty.
Among the Badaganadu families, seven happen to be the Shavites and followers of Shankaracharya while the other one is a Madhwa and followers of Madhwacharya. Marriage between these two sects is permissible.