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Ashtasahasram
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | |
| Languages | |
| Brahmin Tamil | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Iyer, Tamil people |
Ashtasahasram (Sanskrit: अष्टसहश्रम IAST (IAST: IAST)
[1]) is a sub-sect of the Iyer community of Tamil Brahmins from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Culture[edit | edit source]
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 considered inferior to the first two Brahmin groups.[2][3]
The Ashtasahasrams follow the Taittirīya śākhā of the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda.[4]
They are Aparaśikhā Brahmins, who wear their traditional hair tuft towards the back of their head.[5]
Divisions[edit | edit source]
The Ashtasahasram community is further sub-divided into four groups:[1]
- Āttiyūr
- Arivarpede
- Nandivādi
- Satkulam
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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.
- ↑ Sadasivan, S. N. (2000). A Social History of India. A.P.H. Publishing. p. 233.
- ↑ 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.