They also constitute nowadays an important portion of the
South Indian Tamil diaspora worldwide. A tiny community of Tamil Brahmins from the Iyer caste is also historically settled in
Sri Lanka.[1]
Denominations
Tamil Brahmins are divided into two major denominations: Iyers, who follow the
Smarta tradition, and Iyengars, who adhere to the tradition of
Sri Vaishnavism.
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.[7]
Adi Saivas/Gurukkal
Brahmins who serve as priests in temples following the Vaishnavite and Shaivite tradition and perform
pujas are offered a distinct category classified outside the community by the Government of Tamil Nadu as '703.Adi Saivar' and '754.Saiva Sivachariyar' as distinct from the '713.Brahmanar' (Brahmin) in the list of
forward castes. These priests are called "Bhattar" in the Vaishnavite tradition and in the Pandya regions of Tamil Nadu, and "Ayyan" or "Gurukkal" in the shaivite tradition and in northern ones. In
Kongu Nadu, they are called Adi Saivas (among other spellings Asishaivas, Adi-Shaivas, etc.; from Sanskrit Ādiśaiva, आदिशैव), or the Sivacharyas. They follow the
Agamas and the
Vedas.[8]
^Dutta, Ranjeeta (September–October 2007). "Texts, Tradition and Community Identity: The Srivaisnavas of South India". Social Scientist. 35 (9/10): 22–43.
JSTOR27644238. (subscription required)
^Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.).
India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p.
191.
^Kanigel, Robert (1991). The Man Who Knew Infinity: a Life of the Genius Ramanujan. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 11–12.
ISBN978-0-684-19259-8.
^"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
Witzel, Michael (1993). "Toward a History of the Brahmins". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 113 (2): 264–268.
doi:
10.2307/603031.
ISSN0003-0279.
JSTOR603031.