04-29-2004, 07:22 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-29-2004, 10:43 AM by Hauma Hamiddha.)
<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+Apr 27 2004, 01:06 PM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ Apr 27 2004, 01:06 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> If it can be confirmed then it would be a good example of mobility between varnas. <!--emo&:thumbsup--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbup.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbup.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
There has been some male mobility between varNas. They are usually of the following type:
1)people of the shudra varNa or indigenous tribals or foreign settlers like various mideaval Iranian tribes (eg. Saka, Parthian and Pahallavan) have becom kshatriyas. A notable case was the ceremony of lalitAditya the kashmirian emperor, where he had brAhmaNas elevate many tribes to the Rajput status. These became the agnikula Rajputs. Some Maharatta families are also kshatriyas of this type, while others claim a more ancient kshatriya origin.
2) Tribal and local priests occasionally gained access to the brAhmaNa varNa. The gurukal sect in TN may in part comprise of such upwardly mobile individuals. There is a certain rule of manu by which over several generations such mobility may happen.
3)The kshatriya/vaishya families of the Saurashtrians have undergone elevation to the purogidar status (considered equivalent to brAhmaNa). Some of them assume titles typical of brAhmaNas like Ayyar or Ayyangar.
4)Iranian priest of the aforementioned tribes, were absorbed in North India as shAkadvIpi brAhmaNa (usually assigned to kAshyapa gotra).
5) brAhmaNas have been down-graded in the North forming part of the Bumihar section.
.........
1) In ancient vedic times such transformations, usually involving marriage relationships with famous brahmin family resulted in kshatriyas becoming brAhmaNas: maudgalya (descendents of king bhR^imyAshva), shaDmarShaNas (descendents of great ikshvAku king trasadasyu), vAdhulas (descendents of king vItayhavya, the haihaya yadu) etc became brahmins.
2) vishvAmitra's clan a famous kshatriya clan became a brahmin clan- the kaushika gotra.
3) In more later times many brahmins assumed kshatriya-hood. The bharadvAja family gave rise to the shunga kings, kANva family to the kANva dynasty, the maitreya family to the maitraka kings, the bhArgava family to the famous ga~nga dynasty of south India.
..........
choLians are an early branch of south Indian brahmins. Along with the dIkShitas of Chidambaram, they are more closely related to the nambuthiris than the other Iyer groups.
The bR^ihat charaNaM means the great sect (not great step). They were the next large sect of brahmins to populate the tamil regions.
The vaDamas are the last and came from the north as their name indicates. They are not a uniform group. The bulk of them have a famous mantra for Narmada in the saMdhya indicating that they came from the banks of the Narmada, via Andhra. Other small groups from even further north such as Himachal and Nepal, Maharashtra or just a little north from Andhra. However, many of them have homogenzied a lot in recent time. Most people these days do not recall their ancestory and the knowledge of one's precise group is being lost.
There has been some male mobility between varNas. They are usually of the following type:
1)people of the shudra varNa or indigenous tribals or foreign settlers like various mideaval Iranian tribes (eg. Saka, Parthian and Pahallavan) have becom kshatriyas. A notable case was the ceremony of lalitAditya the kashmirian emperor, where he had brAhmaNas elevate many tribes to the Rajput status. These became the agnikula Rajputs. Some Maharatta families are also kshatriyas of this type, while others claim a more ancient kshatriya origin.
2) Tribal and local priests occasionally gained access to the brAhmaNa varNa. The gurukal sect in TN may in part comprise of such upwardly mobile individuals. There is a certain rule of manu by which over several generations such mobility may happen.
3)The kshatriya/vaishya families of the Saurashtrians have undergone elevation to the purogidar status (considered equivalent to brAhmaNa). Some of them assume titles typical of brAhmaNas like Ayyar or Ayyangar.
4)Iranian priest of the aforementioned tribes, were absorbed in North India as shAkadvIpi brAhmaNa (usually assigned to kAshyapa gotra).
5) brAhmaNas have been down-graded in the North forming part of the Bumihar section.
.........
1) In ancient vedic times such transformations, usually involving marriage relationships with famous brahmin family resulted in kshatriyas becoming brAhmaNas: maudgalya (descendents of king bhR^imyAshva), shaDmarShaNas (descendents of great ikshvAku king trasadasyu), vAdhulas (descendents of king vItayhavya, the haihaya yadu) etc became brahmins.
2) vishvAmitra's clan a famous kshatriya clan became a brahmin clan- the kaushika gotra.
3) In more later times many brahmins assumed kshatriya-hood. The bharadvAja family gave rise to the shunga kings, kANva family to the kANva dynasty, the maitreya family to the maitraka kings, the bhArgava family to the famous ga~nga dynasty of south India.
..........
choLians are an early branch of south Indian brahmins. Along with the dIkShitas of Chidambaram, they are more closely related to the nambuthiris than the other Iyer groups.
The bR^ihat charaNaM means the great sect (not great step). They were the next large sect of brahmins to populate the tamil regions.
The vaDamas are the last and came from the north as their name indicates. They are not a uniform group. The bulk of them have a famous mantra for Narmada in the saMdhya indicating that they came from the banks of the Narmada, via Andhra. Other small groups from even further north such as Himachal and Nepal, Maharashtra or just a little north from Andhra. However, many of them have homogenzied a lot in recent time. Most people these days do not recall their ancestory and the knowledge of one's precise group is being lost.