Ashtasahasram
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | |
| Languages | |
| Brahmin Tamil | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Iyer, Tamil people |
Ashtasahasram is a sub-sect of the Iyer community of Tamil Brahmins from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Culture
[edit]The Ashtasahasrams as Iyers belong to the Smarta (Shaivite) tradition, along with the Vadamas, Brahacharanams, Vadyamans/Madhyamans, and the Kanials/Kaniyalars. However, the Ashtasahasrams are smaller in numbers and are considered inferior to the first two Brahmin groups.[1]
The Ashtasahasrams follow the Taittirīya śākhā of the Kr̥ṣṇa Yajurveda.[2]
They are Aparaśikhā Brahmins, who wear their traditional hair tuft towards the back of their head.[3]
Divisions
[edit]The Ashtasahasram community is further sub-divided into four groups:[4]
- Āttiyūr
- Arivarpede
- Nandivādi
- Satkulam
References
[edit]- ^ Fuller, C. J.; Narasimhan, Haripriya (2014). Tamil Brahmans: The Making of a Middle-Class Caste. University of Chicago Press. p. 6.
- ^ Mahadevan 2008, p. 51.
- ^ Mahadevan 2008, p. 3, 142-143.
- ^ Mahadevan, Thennilapuram P. (2008). "On the Southern Recension of the Mahābhārata, Brahman Migrations, and Brāhmī Paleography (For Frits Staal)". Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies. 15 (2): 143. doi:10.11588/ejvs.2008.2.327. ISSN 1084-7561.