Dravida Brahmins
ClassificationForward caste
ReligionsHinduism
Populated statesAndhra Pradesh, Telangana

Dravida Brahmins, or simply Dravidulu, is a sub-caste of the Telugu Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh in South India, who migrated from Tamil-speaking regions.[1] They are further divided into sub-sects based on the places where they have settled such as Aaraama Dravidulu, Pudur Dravidulu, Konaseema Dravidulu, Peruru Dravidulu, Tummagunta Dravidulu and Dimili Dravidulu.[2]

Origin

During the reign of Rajaraja Narendra (r. 1022 – 1061 CE),[3] many Tamil Brahmin families settled in different parts of Andhra Pradesh.[4] Under Narendra's son, Kulottunga I (r. 1061 – 1118 CE), the first Chalukya-Chola emperor, several Brahmins migrated from the Tamil country.[5]

His son Virachodadeva, the Viceroy of Vengi, invited 546 Brahmin families and established them at Virachoda Chaturvedimangalam. Several records of the Chalukya-Cholas register the gift of villages in the plains of Godavari river to Brahmins who migrated from Dravidadesa.[5] These Brahmins who had settled in Andhra region are known as the Dravida Brahmins.[2]

Classification

They fall under the Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in India.[6] Dravida Brahmins are divided into several sub-sects, which are named after the places in which they have settled such Aaraama Dravidulu, Puduru Dravidulu, Konaseema Dravidulu, Peruru Dravidulu, Tummagunta Dravidulu and Dimili Dravidulu.[7][2][8]

Most of them speak Telugu as their native language, while Puduru Dravidulu (settled in Nellore district) speak Tamil at home.[9][10]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Kandavalli Balendu Sekaram (1973). The Andhras Through the Ages. Sri Saraswati Book Depot. p. 29. One of the very important sections among the Telugu Brahmins are Dravida Brahmins. Their very name indicates their South Indian or Tamil origin. A very large number of Brahmin families migrated from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh
  2. 1 2 3 Sri Venkateswara University Oriental Journal, Volume 48. Oriental Research Institute, Sri Venkateswara University. 2005. p. 64. The Tamil brahmanas who had settled in the Andradesa are known as the Dravida brahmanas and they are referred to after their native village as i) Peruru Dravidulu ii) Arama Dravidulu iii) Puduru Dravidulu iv) Tummagunta Dravidulu etc.
  3. ↑ G. V., Subrahmanyam (1997). Paniker, Ayyappa (ed.). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Sahitya Akademi. p. 537. ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5.
  4. ↑ Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). India's communities, Volume 1; Volume 5. Oxford University Press. p. 883. ISBN 9780195633542. DRAVIDULU The 'Dravidulu' a subcaste of Telugu Brahman are said to have originated from the Dravida Brahman of Southern India. They belong to the Pancha Dravida Brahmans. They were brought from Thanjavur by Raja Narendra in the tenth century A.D. Tamil is their mother tongue, but all are conversant in Telugu
  5. 1 2 Durga, P. S. Kanaka; Reddy, Y. A. Sudhakar (1992). "Kings, Temples and Legitimation of Autochthonous Communities. A Case Study of a South Indian Temple". Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. 35 (2): 160. doi:10.2307/3632407. ISSN 0022-4995. JSTOR 3632407.
  6. ↑ Kumar Suresh Singh (1992). People of India: Andhra Pradesh (3 pts.). Anthropological Survey of India. p. 565. ISBN 9788176710060.
  7. ↑ Chintamani Lakshmanna (1973). Caste Dynamics in Village India. Nachiketa Publications. p. 59. On the other hand those who settled in Aramam are known as Arama Dravidulu and those who settled in Dimila in Yelamanchili are called Dimila Dravidulu. These latter two sects are looked down upon by the former.
  8. ↑ "Puduru Dravida Brahmins - A Short History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Radhakrsnasarma, Challa (1978). Ramblings in Telugu Literature. Lakshminarayana Granthamala. p. 33. Among the Dravida families settled in the Telugu country, the following are worth mentioning: Aaraama Dravida; Timila Dravida and Puduru Dravida. Several of the Puduru Dravida families, even today speak Tamil at home though they ....
  10. ↑ Bh. Sivasankaranarayana (1967). Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: Kurnool. Director of Print. and Stationery at the Government Secretariat Press. p. 150. There are also a few Dravida Brahmin migrants especially from the Tamilnad speaking either Tamil or Telugu or both.
  11. ↑ Proceedings of Meetings. Vol. 12. Indian Historical Records Commission. 1930. p. 28. Avadhanum Paupiah belonged to a poor but learned Brahmin family in Nellore District. His community is known as the Tummagunta Dravida Community.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rao, P. Rajeswar (1991). The Great Indian Patriots. Mittal Publications. pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-81-7099-288-2.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Sekaram, Kandavalli Balendu (1973). The Andhras Through the Ages. Sri Saraswati Book Depot. p. 29.
  14. ↑ Narasiṃhārāvu, Vi Vi Yal (1993). Chilakamarti Lakshmi Narasimham. Sahitya Akademi. p. 10. ISBN 978-81-7201-499-5.
  15. ↑ Unilit. Vol. 30. Andhra Viswa Sahiti. 1991. p. 1. Professor Mamidipudi Venkata Rangayya has a cultured pedigree and he is the descendant of Puduru Dravidian Brahmin family reputed and recognized for Vedic lore.
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