- Vadama
Vadama (Tamil "Northerners") are a sub-section of the
Iyer group of TamilBrahmin s.Etymology of the term
The term Vadama may have originated from the Tamil term 'Vadakku' meaning North, indicating the Northern origin of the Vadama Brahmins ["South Indian Studies", Harogadde Manappa Nayak, Balakrishnan Raja Gopal, T. V. Mahalingam, Geetha Book House, 1990] . This claim is supported by the fact that, unlike other subsects of
Iyers , some Vadama pay oblations in their dailySandhyavandanam to the riverNarmada in Central India. ["Journal of the Asiatic Society", India Asiatic Society, 1832] . It is not certain is whether 'North' refers to northern Tamil Nadu/Southern Deccan, or regions further north. Other scholars are of the opinion that rather than the superficial indication of a northern origin for the people, the term "vadama" would rather refer to proficiency inSanskrit andVedic ritual, associated with the north prior to the first millennium. ["Peasant state and society in medieval South India", Burton Stein, Oxford University Press, 1980] [http://www.dlshq.org/download/hinduismbk.htm#_VPID_74 All About Hinduism ] ]ub-categories
They have further sub-categories among themselves based on the region or place of origin. They are:
* Vadadesa Vadama ("Vadamas of the northern country")
* Choladesa Vadama ["Caste in Indian Politics", R. Kothari, Orient Longman, 2004] ["Inequality and Its Perpetuation: A Theory of Social Stratification", Victor Salvadore D' Souza, University of California Press, 1981] ("Vadamas of the Chola country")
* Sabhaiyar("member of the conference (Sabha))"
* Injee and
* Thummagunta Dravida.Intermarriage with other Iyer sects has been increasing in recent times, while earlier, most marriages were arranged only within the same subsect of Vadama. Such a degree of exclusion has become rather uncommon now. Exceptions did exist, such as the marriage of Kurratalwan's sons, which took place outside the Iyer fold. http://www.srivaishnavan.com/tomcat/visnu.html Srivaishnavism ] ]Origins
Some historians hold that all Brahmins who migrated to the far-south during and after the age of the Gupta Emperors, came to be classified as Vadama. ["History of Tamilnad", N. Subrahmanian, Koodal Publishers, Tamil Nadu, 1977]
There is a perception that some Kashmir-linked Vadama settled in
Tirunelveli between 750 and 800 AD. This has been suggested based on an inscription at the temple ofTiruvalishvaram one of the earliestNataraja temples in South IndiaFact|date=June 2008. An interesting fact corroborating this migration may be had from the treatise called "Natyashastra " written by Bharata Muni, held by some to have been from Kashmir and by others to be from the south, formed the basis of the dance-formBharatanatyam which is particularly associated with Tamil Nadu [http://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/wonder.pdf Art and Culture in Ancient Kashmir ] ] .Art Historians such as Vasundhara Filliozat claim that there are inscriptional evidences to prove the continuous migration of teachers from Kashmir to South. Such scholars also state that some other South Indian Saivaite and Tantric traditions were also introduced by teachers from Kashmir.Instability prevailed in Peninsular India in the aftermath of the establishment of the Moslem sultanates in the
Deccan and theMogul invasion of Peninsular India in the reign of Aurangzeb. It must also be remembered that it was early in the reign ofAurangzeb that the depredations of the Deccan by the Mahrattas underShivaji began. A combination of these belligerent powers and the desolation they helped create may have made the relative peace offered in the far south of the country under the Hindu kings ofTravancore , Madurai, Tanjore and Mysore, far more desirable and could have induced many Hindus to migrate there. A fact supporting this idea, we have from English chroniclers in the 1600s, is that their procurement of goods along the west coast of India, along the Concan andCanara coasts, suffered severely after the Mogul invasions and the mass depopulation of the peninsula they caused "A New Account of the East Indies", Captain Alexander Hamilton, published 1739, A. Bettesworth and C. Hitch, London ] . Another statement often encountered in their annals is that the economic growth of the factory atFort St. George ,Madras was in a large measure attributable to the fact that many people chose to settle there to escape the chaotic conditions farther north . When we consider, in conjunction with these two facts, Fort St. George's position as a newly-established, well-fortified and growing settlement in Aurangzeb's time, and therefore a secure refuge, a mass exodus southwards seems to have occurred in the period in question.An interesting point which provides an insight into Vadama origins, is that the Vadama who migrated to what are today
Maharashtra andAndhra Pradesh in the 17th century called themselves Dravida Brahmins. ["Rahul Dravid - A Biography", Vedam Jaishankar (ISBN 817476481X). Publisher: UBSPD Publications, January 2004]Other Communities
It is also not uncommon for many
Iyengar s even to this day, especially Vadakalai Iyengars, to claim this community as their origin. ["Rural Society in Southeast India", Kathleen Gough, Cambridge University Press, 1982] Also, Some of theGurukkal in temples in Tamil Nadu, are Vadama, though not recognised as such by the community, since they have certain practices that are prohibited for the Vadama.There is also evidence that some South Indian brahmins settled in Kashmir. The actual sect of their origin is not known. http://vitasta.org/2001/1.6.html This website references
Kalhana 'sRajatarangini which says that some Dravid Brahmins were settled at Sempora when RajaJaya Simha (1128-1149) ruled over Kashmir]There is a perception that some Aarama Dravida Brahmins of
Andhra Pradesh hold that their ancestors migrated in the 13th and 14th centuries, fromSaurashtra to the banks of the RiverCauvery inTamil Nadu , whence some of them migrated to Andhra Pradesh, by all accounts before the 18th century. [http://www.vepachedu.org/manasanskriti/aaraamadraavida.html This reference quotes "Aaraamadraavida Vamsacharitra," written (1935) by Anantapadmanaabham Dvivedula (1888-1947), published by Venkataramarao Dvivedula, Samkhavaram, Andhra Pradesh - 533446.] If the ancestors of the Aaraama Dravida, were indeed Vadama, it would appear that a section of the Vadama came to the Tamil lands from Saurashtra in the 13th-14th centuries.Traditional occupation
They are held to have been the land-lords and head-men of the Brahmin villages called "
agraharams ""Journal of the Andhra Historical Society", Andhra Historical Research Society, Rajahmundry, Madras Presidency, 1929] . They may also have organised the agraharams' defence in turbulent times. A proverb still prevalent amongst the Aiyers indicating the supposed short-temper of Vadama Brahmins, may be indicative of their martial past.Facts|date=June 2008 They were among the Brahmin nobles and administrators under the Nayaka, Travancore and Vijayanagar rulers. Administrative practices adopted by them were strictly in accordance with those prescribed in the Hindu Dharma-Shastras, as may be observed from the records of the kings themselves and the writings of travellers, most prominentlyIbn Battuta andJean-Baptiste Tavernier .But, as with other Brahmins, their primary duties were to study the Vedas, teach them and perform the ceremonies they entailed. The vast majority of them, until the nineteenth century, were household priests with some even being temple-priests, particularly in Travancore.
Many were great scholars and served in the courts of kings. Nilakanta Dikshitar was a minister to Thirumalai Naick of Madurai. Sri Visakam Thirunal Rama Varma of Travancore had several Vadama in his court as Tharka Sastrys, whose duty was to advise the king.Facts|date=September 2008
In the nineteenth century, as with other
Iyers , many of the Vadama joined, the judiciary ofBritish India as lawyers and judges, or served in the Indian Civil and Revenue Services. Many others continued in the service of the kings of the princely states ofTravancore , Mysore,Pudukottai , and Ramnad. ["From Landlords to Software Engineers: Migration and Urbanization amongTamil Brahmans", C. J. Fuller and Haripriya Narasimhan, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2008]Religious practices
While the religious rituals of the Vadama are, in almost all respects, identical with those of other
Iyers , there are a few minor deviations from them. One of these lies in the practice of some men applying "Gopi Chandanam", an yellow pigment of mineral origin similar in appearance to that obtained from sandalwood, on the forehead, instead of "Vibhuthi". However, there were some others likeAppayya Dikshitar 's family who applied only Vibhuti, being staunch devotees ofShiva . While it was more common in former times, the use of Gopi Chandanam continues, being replaced by Vibhuthi otherwise.The Vadama traditionally claim to be superior to other classes of Iyers ["Tanjore District Handbook", Madras Record Office, Madras, India, 1957] . However it was not uncommon for other brahmin sects to talk proudly about their own superiority.One ritualistic difference from other Iyers, arises in their having to recite the following verse in honour of the River
Narmada , and to ward of serpents, as part of theirSandhyavandanam :"Narmadayai namah pratah Narmadayai namo nisi" "Namostu Narmade tubhyam pahi mam visa-sarpatah" [ [http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part6/chap11.htm Vedic Vocalisation and the Regional Languages from the Chapter "Siksa", in Hindu Dharma : kamakoti.org: ] ]
Also, in some parts of Kerala, as
Nambudiri Brahmachari s were not commonly found [ [http://www.namboothiri.com/articles/faq/index.htm Frequently Asked Questions ] ] , a Brahmachari belonging to the Vadadesa Vadama was required to pour water into the hands of a Nambudirisanyasi as part of the rituals connected with the latter's breakfast. ["Castes and Tribes of South India", Edgar Thurston and K. Rangachari, Government Press, 1909]Eminent Vadama
*
Syama Sastri , one of the doyens of Carnatic Music, a descendant of a group of Vadadesa Vadama who fled Conjeeveram in the wake of a Muslim attack. ["Indian Music", Bigamudre Chaitanya Deva, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, 1974] ["Facets of Indian Culture", Ramanuja Srinivasan, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1962]
*Sundara Swamigal , a Hindu religious exponent of the mid 19th century and philosophical mentor of the famed Carnatic musicianMaha Vaidyanatha Iyer ["A Dictionary of South Indian Music and Musicians", P. Sambamoorthy, Indian Publishing House, 1952]
*Gopalakrishna Bharathi , his father Ramaswami Bharathi and grandfather Kothandarama Bharathi, a family of eminent Carnatic musicians ["Studies in Arts and Sciences", S. Thiruvenkatachari, Ram Bros., 1978] ["Bharati and the Fine Arts", T. S. Parthasarathy, publ. in "Shanmukha", 1982]
*Ramaswamy Dikshitar (1735-1817?) and his sonMuthuswamy Dikshitar , eminent Carnatic musicians ["Sri Krishna Leela Tarangini" by Nārāyaṇatīrtha, Balasubrahmanya Natarajan, Balasubrahmanyam Venkataraman, Balasubrahmanyan Ramachandran, Mudgala Trust, 1990]
*Avadayakkal , a Saivite saint [ [http://chennaionline.com/music/devotional/aavadai.asp A Kali Yuga woman saint ] ]
*Appayya Dikshitar and nephewNeelakanta Deekshitar legendary scholars who re-establishedAdvaita philosophy's predominance in the South belonged to the Vadadesa Vadama sect and migrated from places nearNasik . They were especially patronised by the rulers ofVellore andMadurai ,Chinnabomma Nayak andTirumalai Nayak , respectively. ['Sri Appayya Dikshita', N. Ramesan, Srimad Appayya Dikshitendra Granthavaliu Prakashana Samithi, Hyderabad, India, 1972]
* Srinivasa Dikshitar of Thoopil (near Conjeeveram), father-in-law of Appayya Dikshitar of Adayapalam.
*The Vaishnava saintsRamanuja [ [http://www.stephen-knapp.com/ramanuja.htm Ramanuja ] ] ,Tirumalai Nambi "History of Sri Vaishnavism in the Tamil Country: Post-Ramanuja", N. Jagadeesan, Koodal Publishers, 1977] andMudaliyandan were born Vadama.
*Swami Sivananda of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, a direct descendant of Neelakanta Deekshitar [ [http://www.dlshq.org/download/autobio.htm#_VPID_21 Autobiography of Swami Sivananda ] ]
*Sir S. Subramania Aiyer, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Facts|date=September 2008References
ee also
* http://www.thummagunta.org/ contact for thummagunta dravida also part of vadama
* http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/r/a/m/Radha-Ramesh/ODT4-0001.html a link to appaiah deekshitar's family tree
* http://www.saranagathi.org/acharyas/ramanuja/life.htm life history of ramanuja
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