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
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
The Ashtasahasram community is further sub-divided into four groups:[4]
- Āttiyūr
- Arivarpede
- Nandivādi
- Satkulam
References
- ^ 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.