Karnataka Brahmins or Carnatic Brahmins are Pancha Dravida Brahmin native to the Indian state of Karnataka.
Karnataka Brahmins fall under the Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community. [1]
Karnataka Brahmins are divided into three major sub-divisions,
with several sub-divisions under each. [2] [3]
Of the two broad divisions among the brahmins, the Pancha Gowda of the north and the Pancha Dravida of the south, the brahmins of the Karnataka belong to the latter. There are the four linguistic groups speaking Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
The Canarese or the Karnataka Brahmins The Canarese speaking or Karnataka brahmins are divided into two major sub-divisions, the Smarta and Madhwa with several sub- divisions under each.
All the Brahmins belong to one of the three sects, i.e., the Smarthas, the Madhwa and the Srivaishnava, followers of Shankaracharya, Madhwacharya and Ramanujacharya.