Ashta Sahasram Brahmins
Compiled by
P.R,Ramachander
(There is saying in Tamil
vadama settu,vathima kattu,ashtasahasram chakrai, which indicates that Ashtasahasraam Brahmins be have sweetly as if they are sugar .. There is
another saying that Ashtasahasram
Achupichu(fools)., I do not know much
about them .Whatever I got is from on line)
Ashtasahasram (Sanskrit : अष्टसहश्रम) meaning 8000 is a sub group of Iyer community.It is
believed that they were from a village called Ennayiram(meaning 8000) of
Vikra Vandi Taluq of Viluupuram district
Tamil Nadu, It is believed that
the village was called Raja
Raja Chaturvedi Mangalam .There was an ancient Vedic University there
with 10 teachers and 340
students 800 years ago . Recently a 1000
year old inscription was found in the temple
, It records that 1000 years
back , this university for teaching 4 vedas with ten professors teaching Veda as well as Vyakarana, There is a belief that a Chola king established a college teaching four Vedas here and brought Brahmins from north to teach
in them
At present there are four Siva temples and one Narasimha
SWamy swamy. “These temples seemed like
community gathering places apart from being places of worship. There were
stages for artists to perform, small homes for probably the temple priests to
live in and a series of nearby structures as opposed to a central structure
dominating the scene. The Vishnu temple in the village of Ennayiram actually
was a 2 storied temple! The local villagers told us that there were 500 brahmin
families living there and that there were vedic schools for all 4 vedas
there. There were writings on the walls of all temples in Grantham script
several thousands of lines long.”
There is also
a theory that Once upon a time
Brahmins living in this village called
PAruthikollai, and they were
converted to jains by Pallavas . Later
it seems Saint Ramanuja
converted them back to Smartha Brahmins. He also it seems consecrated the Narasimha temple in the village .
Ashtasaharaam
group is further divided
in to based on the village where they settled later
Anthiyur
(close to Ennayiram village)
Nandivadi(Next to Ennayiram village)
Shatkulam
Arivarpade
Like Vadamas and Brahacharanam, they are
also a Smartha community who were worshipping all gods but they had special affinity to worship
Lord Narasimha . It is believed that
the Narasimha Jayanthi in Melattur Village of THanjavur
is organised by mostly
Ashta SAhasram Bra
They were Vedic Brahmins but records of Chola period
mention that they were engaged
in trade and commerce also. Some
of them worked as temple priests also,
Some of the great personalities of Ashta sahasram Brahmins were (I do not know how far it is
true)
Sri S.Balachander , the great film director ,
Madurai Mani Iyer, G,N.Balasubramanya iyer ,
both famed Carnatic musicians
Dr.T SAnkar
Biological control specialist
Padmasri Narasimhan
T.P.Rajalaksmi Cine actress,
Kavi Kunjara Bharathy ( 12 th grand father of Koteeswara
Iyer - Poet ),
U.V.SWaminatha Iyer , Tamil Thatha
Koteeswara Iyer (
Music )
S Rajam Iyer
music,
SG Kittappa Drama Husband of KB Sundarambal,
B Rajam Iyer Music
S Balachander Veena,
Pyramid Natarajan Cine producer
Justice TL Venkatarama Iyer Music critic and some more .
Madan Babu,Comedian,
Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavather Music,
M.S,SWaminthan ,
Great Agricultural scientist
My friend and scholar Vasu Iyengar adds as comment
Ennayiram mentioned by Sir is a interesting architectural
beauty, with more and more details being dug each day. . Right next to this
village is another village called Nandivadi and another village closeby called
Attiyur.We can find 5 temples - 4 Shiva temples and one Vishnu temple. The 4
Shiva temples point to the 4 different directions (Brahmadesam, Ennayiram,
Esalam and one more) and are age old - different from the usual temples of
Tamil Nadu which has a Gopuram.The local villagers tell that there were 500
brahmin families living there and that there were vedic schools for all 4 vedas
there. There arewritings on the walls of all temples in Grantham script several
thousands of lines long .other villages - Arivarpade and Shatkulam are yet to
be located, and might even have been lost in timewww.hindu.com/2003/11/07/stories/2003110701571300.htm inscription
in ennayiram .Aruvapadi is a village near Mayavaram. This is also connected to
origins of Ashtasahasram
6 comments:
Hey Raja, get in touch, I would like to share some family history of mine, I am one of those AshtaSahasram brahmins you speak of. My email is khan.naufal@gmail.com.
Nice write up on ashtashastra Brahmins
Happy to see my father s name
Please correct the spelling to Dr T Sankaran Entomologist and father of Biocontrol in india
https://m.timesofindia.com/city/bengaluru/insect-named-after-bengaluru-scientist-family-sees-proof-39-years-later/amp_articleshow/65157382.cms
Loved it. Please post more.
Very informative..
One pandiya king by name Koon Pandiyan was suffering from stomach illness which could not be cured by the medicining jain saints but Thirugnanasambandar cured him.Dissatisfied with the jains, the king ordered execution of all jains. There were eight thousand jains in madurai at that time.To escape death all of them converted to saivites and saved themselves. Thus they are called ashta sahasram. They are absorbed into brahmin community. But I have my own doubt. The jains in tamilnadu are digambars and were concentrated in Kanchipuram. There was no execution and that is spun of someone's imagination. Brahmins were blamed for the execution order.The right to order punishment rests only with the king and not delegated to brahmins
We hail from Nandhivadi and our Kula deivam is SRI SEMMENERI ANDAVAN near Bramhadesam. I was told by my elders that lands were given by the rajas for practising Vedas those days. Now only one Brahmin family is there doing Purohit job there.
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