Vadama Brahmins

Vadama Brahmins

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

(Most of the material is taken   from on line  .I have also consulted books on Brahmin history  )

   Among the iyers this sub class  is the largest .Vadamas   could be taken as those  belonging  to  the  North( Or those  who came from north)  or those   who were  expert in Sanskrit   a language  of the north.Historians believe   they  were the second group of  Brahmins to reach Tamil Nadu   and came  via the   river banks  of the sacred Narmadha . The family  of Sri C.P.Ramasawami iyer  were vada  desathu Vadamas  and they believed  that  Vadamas   were  migrants from the Desh  Region of Maharashtra   and Madhya Pradesh    who migrated to Chithur   of Andhra Pradesh   and from   there  they migrated   to Tamil Nadu

They believe  that   in the earlier daus Vadamas   were   more of Vaishvaites   than Smarthas .Unlike   the saiva sect   they   used to wear “Keethu Namam”   as well   as Gobichandanam. The proverb   that “Vadamas  matured  in to Vaishnavas  “  and the fact   the saint  Ramanuja   was  a Vadama   Brahmin indicates   that  they   were  one of the major   followers  of Sri Vaishnavism

   There   are  5 sub groups   among   Vadamas:-

1.Vada  Desathu Vadaman

2,Chola  Desathu Vadaman’

3.SAbhayar(People  who organised  the  society of iyers. There  is Reference  to their existence in 9th centuary)

4. Injee(Ginger)-Do not know  much about them

 5.Thammagunta  DRavida (who migrated  to Andhra)

Vadamas  in large numbers  have migrated to Kerala . Karnataka   and Andhra  Pradesh also 

  There   is a common belief   among Vadamas   that they are  the most superior   among Brahmins  .They say that  once a king asked   all Brahmin    groups  as to who is the  most superior   and all groups    except Vadamas   said Vadama    was second to them and Vadamas   claimed   themselves   as the greatest . It seems   the king   based on this decided   that   Vadamas    were  indeed the greatest.

   There were  large number  of rich land owners  from the  Vadama  Community ,. Writings about  Tamil Nadu indicated   that  they  were  also administrators and ministers  , when the  kings were  ruling Tamil Nadu. A Vadama called  Nilakanta  Deekshithar  is supposed  to have been the minisister  of Thirumala  Nayaks  of Madurai.  Large number  of them were priests   in  different places   of Tamil Nadu. There   are references to show   that  the Namudiris  of Kerala  needed  the service of a  Vada desathu Vadama  when he took Sanyasa

   In every  section  of the great  people  in Tamil Nadu  , we   can find Vadamas.Here  are are  few great names:-

Religion

Appayya Dikshitar and nephew Neelakanta Deekshitar legendary scholars who re-established Advaita philosophy's predominance in the South belonged to the Vadadesa Vadama sect and migrated from places near Nasik. They were especially patronised by the rulers of Vellore and Madurai, Chinnabomma Nayak and Tirumalai Nayak, respectively.[32]

Srinivasa Dikshitar of Thoopil (near Conjeeveram), father-in-law of Appayya Dikshitar of Adayapalam.

Sundara Swamigal, a Hindu religious exponent of the mid-19th century and philosophical mentor of the famed Carnatic musician Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer[33]

Avadayakkal, a Saivite saint [34]

The Vaishnava saints Ramanuja,[35] Tirumalai Nambi[36] and Mudaliyandan [36] were born Vadama.

Swami Sivananda of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, a direct descendant of Neelakanta Deekshitar [37]

Government

Govinda Dikshitar, Prime Minister of the Madurai Nayak kingdom. Served under Sevappa Nayak, Achutha Nayak and Raghunatha Nayak.

Ramayyan Dalawa, Dewan of Travancore State, in the reign of Maharajah Marthanda Varma Kulasekhara Perumal[38]

Sir T. Muthuswamy Iyer (1832–1895), Indian lawyer, first Indian Judge of the Madras High Court

Sir S. Subramania Aiyer (1842–1924), Jurist, first Indian Chief Justice of the Madras High Court

C. P. Ramaswami Iyer (1879–1966), Advocate General of Madras Presidency in the 1920s, penultimate Dewan of Travancore

Ramesh Kallidai, Former Secretary General Hindu Forum of Britain and Advisor to the British Government

C. V. Runganada Sastri (1819–1881), Indian interpreter, civil servant and polyglot who was known for his mastery over Indian and foreign languages. Maternal great-grandfather of C. R. Pattabhiraman.

V. Venkayya (1864–1912), Indian epigraphist. Chief Epigraphist to the Government of India 1908-12.

Politics

S. A. Swaminatha Iyer (d. 1899), Indian lawyer and freedom-fighter

V. V. S. Iyer (1881–1925) Tamil scholar and freedom fighter

Dr V Hariharan (1899-1975), Indian Freedom FIghter and Social Reformer.

C. R. Pattabhiraman (1906–2001), Indian lawyer and politician; Indian M.P. (1967–1977). Eldest son of Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer

V. S. Krishna Iyer, Indian politician and freedom-fighter; Indian M.P. (1984–1989)

Rama Ramanathan (b. 1964), Member of Legislative Assembly, Tamil Nadu, India (1991–1996).[39]

Military

Ramaiyan (c. 17th century AD), general in the service of Thirumalai Nayak. Led the Madurai Nayak troops in the 1639 war against the Sethupathi of Ramnad. Subject of the ballad Ramayyan Ammanai.

Nilakanta Krishnan - Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) for his services to the Royal Indian Navy during the Second world war. Commanded the aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant in the Bay of Bengal during Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: was also the Flag officer commanding for the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy during this war.

Arts

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.

Ramaswamy Dikshitar (1735-1817?) and his son Muthuswamy Dikshitar, eminent Carnatic musicians

Gopalakrishna Bharathi , his father Ramaswami Bharathi and grandfather Kothandarama Bharathi, a family of eminent Carnatic musicians

F.G. Natesa Iyer (1880–1963), founder of Rasika Ranjana Sabha, Trichy, talent scout,officer of the South Indian Railway Company,pioneered modern Tamil drama, Tamil cinema actor, also elected Mayor of Trichy in the 1920s 

M. D. Ramanathan(1923–1984), composer/vocalist

Jayaram (b. 1964) Tamil and Malayalam film actor

Arvind Swamy(b. 1967) Tamil and Hindi actor and entrepreneur.

Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (b. 1935), Carnatic musician and mridangist

Delhi Kumar, Tamil television and film actor.