The Tamil Brahmin Culture
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James Gunaseelan
May 3, 2013, 6:50:02 PM5/3/13
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Article Title: The Tamil Brahmin Culture
Author: James Gunaseelan
Word Count: 696
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=530345&ca=Culture
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=530345
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Tamil Brahmin is not just a language or a group of people, it is a culture on its own. The name �Tamil� derives from �Damila� which refers to an ancient non-Aryan people, as documented in early Buddhist records. Their roots come from Pakistan, western India, and other western areas. The culture itself started to form in the early centuries before Christ, out of a particular form of speech and set of cultural traits.
Where They Can Be Found
A lot of the Tamil people were settlers of North Sri Lanka because of the British. When they took control of Ceylon and India, they moved a lot of these people to become workers in Ceylon, for the plantations. Ceylon, it must be noted, is the old name for Sri Lanka. A minority of them, about 18 percent, still take up residence there.
Some of them live in parts of Asia, Africa, Fiji, Europe, the USA and the West Indies. But the majority of them, about 67 million in total, live in India today.
Language
The Tamil Brahmin language comes from the Dravidian family and can be subdivided into several dialects. Some of these are Kangu, Chola, and Pandya. In written form, there is the traditional script called Grantha, and the roundish Vattelluttu for daily use.
Religion and Beliefs
The Hindu religion is dominant among the people. They worship Shiva, Vishnu, Vinayaka and a number of other major gods. They have minor deities too. They also worship the Mother Goddess traditionally and through honoring local or minor goddesses called ammans. They do this through daily prayer known as puja. They believe largely in superstitious practices. Only a minority are Christian or Muslim.
Sages are highly thought of among the people. Ancient folklore speaks of Agastya, the heaviest sage, who had to move south in order to balance the weight of the earth. It had been sinking due to the weight of wisdom of the gathered sages. During his travels, it is said that he brought water taken from the Ganges River, which is considered sacred. But a crow tipped over the pot of water that he was bringing and it formed the Kaveri River, which is now also considered sacred in India.
These Brahmin people also have a lot of superstitions that affect their daily lives and rites of passage. For example, pregnant women are not allowed to cross rivers or climb hills. They receive gifts of bangles from the family of their husband when they reach their seventh month of pregnancy. There are also elaborate ceremonies for shaving the head of and naming the baby, once he is born. Women at the point of puberty are celebrated through a fest.
When it comes to death, they also have a unique set of beliefs. They are not allowed to refer to dead people as dead. Instead, they are believed to have moved into Shiva�s realm, or to wherever it is that they go when they die. Burial is not practiced among those of higher social standing. Instead, they prefer cremation. Before the funeral, a corpse is washed, perfumed and dressed in smart or brand-new clothes. Every anniversary of the death of a family member, the relatives are required to gather, feed the poor, and give gifts to priests.
Community Life
Matrilineal ties are given importance. Marriage between cousins is permitted and often practiced. They marry within their caste, and the bride�s family pays for a dowry and all the wedding expenses. Wedding rites usually included a sacred fire, throwing rice, blowing conch shells, and colored water.
Their hello and goodbye greetings are patterned after the Hindu namaskar. This involves joining palms. They are hospitable people who entertain guests with food and coffee and tell them to return once they say goodbye.
The Tamil Brahmin people today are typically behind-the-scenes folk, who have a sangfroid and non-descript manner. They are commonly characterized by a cynical sense of wit and have been said to be the �best second-rate men in the world�.
About The Author: James Gunaseelan is an expert on tamil brahmin marriages. To find out more about the topic, check out his articles online at http://www.brahminsmatrimony.com/agebrowse/all/Iyer/all .
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=530345
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
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Message delivered directly to members of the group:
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*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
James Gunaseelan
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=530345
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=530345
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: The Tamil Brahmin Culture
Author: James Gunaseelan
Word Count: 696
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=530345&ca=Culture
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=530345
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=530345
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
Tamil Brahmin is not just a language or a group of people, it is a culture on its own. The name �Tamil� derives from �Damila� which refers to an ancient non-Aryan people, as documented in early Buddhist records. Their roots come from Pakistan, western India, and other western areas. The culture itself started to form in the early centuries before Christ, out of a particular form of speech and set of cultural traits.
Where They Can Be Found
A lot of the Tamil people were settlers of North Sri Lanka because of the British. When they took control of Ceylon and India, they moved a lot of these people to become workers in Ceylon, for the plantations. Ceylon, it must be noted, is the old name for Sri Lanka. A minority of them, about 18 percent, still take up residence there.
Some of them live in parts of Asia, Africa, Fiji, Europe, the USA and the West Indies. But the majority of them, about 67 million in total, live in India today.
Language
The Tamil Brahmin language comes from the Dravidian family and can be subdivided into several dialects. Some of these are Kangu, Chola, and Pandya. In written form, there is the traditional script called Grantha, and the roundish Vattelluttu for daily use.
Religion and Beliefs
The Hindu religion is dominant among the people. They worship Shiva, Vishnu, Vinayaka and a number of other major gods. They have minor deities too. They also worship the Mother Goddess traditionally and through honoring local or minor goddesses called ammans. They do this through daily prayer known as puja. They believe largely in superstitious practices. Only a minority are Christian or Muslim.
Sages are highly thought of among the people. Ancient folklore speaks of Agastya, the heaviest sage, who had to move south in order to balance the weight of the earth. It had been sinking due to the weight of wisdom of the gathered sages. During his travels, it is said that he brought water taken from the Ganges River, which is considered sacred. But a crow tipped over the pot of water that he was bringing and it formed the Kaveri River, which is now also considered sacred in India.
These Brahmin people also have a lot of superstitions that affect their daily lives and rites of passage. For example, pregnant women are not allowed to cross rivers or climb hills. They receive gifts of bangles from the family of their husband when they reach their seventh month of pregnancy. There are also elaborate ceremonies for shaving the head of and naming the baby, once he is born. Women at the point of puberty are celebrated through a fest.
When it comes to death, they also have a unique set of beliefs. They are not allowed to refer to dead people as dead. Instead, they are believed to have moved into Shiva�s realm, or to wherever it is that they go when they die. Burial is not practiced among those of higher social standing. Instead, they prefer cremation. Before the funeral, a corpse is washed, perfumed and dressed in smart or brand-new clothes. Every anniversary of the death of a family member, the relatives are required to gather, feed the poor, and give gifts to priests.
Community Life
Matrilineal ties are given importance. Marriage between cousins is permitted and often practiced. They marry within their caste, and the bride�s family pays for a dowry and all the wedding expenses. Wedding rites usually included a sacred fire, throwing rice, blowing conch shells, and colored water.
Their hello and goodbye greetings are patterned after the Hindu namaskar. This involves joining palms. They are hospitable people who entertain guests with food and coffee and tell them to return once they say goodbye.
The Tamil Brahmin people today are typically behind-the-scenes folk, who have a sangfroid and non-descript manner. They are commonly characterized by a cynical sense of wit and have been said to be the �best second-rate men in the world�.
About The Author: James Gunaseelan is an expert on tamil brahmin marriages. To find out more about the topic, check out his articles online at http://www.brahminsmatrimony.com/agebrowse/all/Iyer/all .
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=530345
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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