Brahmin Presence in Kerala

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Radhakrishna Warrier

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Sep 5, 2020, 11:56:03 PM9/5/20
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I have seen people argue in online forums that Brahmins (Namboodiris) came to Kerala only in the 8th century CE.   

Kerala was a part of the Cēra-Cōẓa-Pāṇḍya cultural sphere.  I know that Brahmins are mentioned in the Sangam classics. I also know that the performance of yajñas for ancient kings is also mentioned in these classics.  Not just that, the Vedas, and stories from itihāsas also find mention in the earliest Tamil literature.  

Could someone well versed in ancient Tamil classics explain where (in which works) and in what contexts are these mentioned?  Also, are there other words than vēḷvi (வேள்வி) used for yajna and maṟai (மறை) used for Vedas?  What was the word used for Brahmins? Was it the tadbhava word pārppāṉ (பார்ப்பான்)? 

Coming back to the theory that Brahmins came to Kerala only in the 8th century CE, if ancient Tamil classics mention Brahmins and the performance of yajna, Brahmin presence should have been there in the Cēra-Cōẓa-Pāṇḍya cultural sphere of which Kerala was a part.  In other words, there should have been Brahmins in Kerala during the time of the composition of the Tamil classics.  Namboodiri Brahmins might have come in the 8th century CE and by their own aitihyas, from Ahicchatra (modern Bareilly district in UP - the same Bareilly of "Jhumkā girā re barelī ke bāzār meṃ”).  The original Brahmins of Kerala might have merged, over a period of time, with the more numerous immigrant Namboodiri Brahmins. 

Regards, 

Radhakrishna Warrier 


Aravinda Rao

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Sep 6, 2020, 12:37:56 AM9/6/20
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Such migration seems to have happened in Andhra also. A sect of Brahmins, puduru-dravidas, migrated to the coastal Andhra districts on the request of a local king supposedly to improve standards. This happened about 400 years ago. They maintain their uniqueness even now though there is some mix up with the locals.
Aravinda Rao

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Ramaratnam S.

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Sep 6, 2020, 1:00:08 AM9/6/20
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In ancient Tamil literature, the word used to represent brahmins was 'andanar'. One may refer to Tirukkural - andanan enbon aravon'
Ramaratnam

Megh Kalyanasundaram

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Sep 6, 2020, 1:17:10 AM9/6/20
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Tolkāppiyam Volume 1 Eluttatikāram [P.S. Subrahmanya Sastri (2nd edition 1999), Chennai: KSRI] page 15 verse 102 line 5  contains 'antaṇar' [அந்தணர்: Project Madurai TolkAppiyam Part I (தொல்காப்பியம் - முதல் பாகம் - எழுத்ததிகாரம்), Section 3 (பிறப்பியல்), Verse 20]. 

Best,
Megh


Nagaraj Paturi

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Sep 6, 2020, 1:33:27 AM9/6/20
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 Brahmin presence in the Tamil country is attested from the Sangam period onward. Based on the fact that Nambudiris are Pūrvaśikhā Brahmins wearing the traditional hair tuft on the front, T.P Mahadevan proposes that they are the descendants of these Sangam age Brahmins who moved west into the region of Malabar during the Kalabhra interregnum.[7][8] This sets them apart from the later Aparaśikhā Brahmin (wearing their hair tufts on the back) migrants to South India such as the Tamil Iyers. According to T.P Mahadevan, the Nambudiris brought with them a very early recension of the Mahabharata which became the basis of the Malayalam language version of the epic.[9][10] 

Mahadevan, Thennilapuram P. (29 January 2016). "On the Southern Recension of the Mahābhārata, Brahman Migrations, and Brāhmī Paleography"Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies15 (2): 4. doi:10.11588/ejvs.2008.2.327ISSN 1084-7561.

Anthropologists Heike Moser and Paul Younger note that the Nambudiri Brahmin presence predates the 9th century, as attested by grants of land given to them by ruling families.[11] 

Moser, Heike; Younger, Paul (2013). "Kerala: Plurality and Consensus". In Berger, Peter; Heidemann, Frank (eds.). The Modern Anthropology of India: Ethnography, Themes and Theory. Routledge. pp. 172–178. ISBN 978-1-13406-118-1. 



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Nagaraj Paturi
 
Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.


Director,  Inter-Gurukula-University Centre , Indic Academy
BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra
BoS, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Veliyanad, Kerala
BoS Veda Vijnana Gurukula, Bengaluru.
Member, Advisory Council, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam, Bengaluru
Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies, 
FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education, 
Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.
 
 
 

Nagaraj Paturi

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Sep 6, 2020, 1:52:29 AM9/6/20
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> T.P Mahadevan proposes that they are the descendants of these Sangam age Brahmins who moved west into the region of Malabar during the Kalabhra interregnum


According to Kulke and Rothermund, "nothing is known about the origins or tribal affiliations" of the Kalabhras, and their rule is called the "Kalabhra Interregnum"

The Kalabhra dynasty, also called KalabraKalappirarKallupura or Kalvar[2] were rulers of all or parts of Tamil region sometime between the 3rd century and 6th century CE

According to Burton Stein, the Kalabhra interregnum may represent a strong bid by non-peasant (tribal) warriors for power over the fertile plains of Tamil region with support from the heterodox Indian religious tradition (Buddhism and Jainism).[13] This may have led to persecution of the peasants and urban elites of the Brahmanical religious traditions (Hinduism), who then worked to remove the Kalabhras and retaliated against their persecutors after returning to power.[13] In contrast, R.S. Sharma states the opposite theory and considers "Kalabhras as an example for peasant revolt to the state" – with tribal elements, albeit around the 6th century.[14][15] All these theories are hampered by the fact that there is a "profound lack of evidence for the events or nature of Kalabhra rule", states Rebecca Darley.[14] 

Megh Kalyanasundaram

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Sep 6, 2020, 3:25:12 AM9/6/20
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श्रीकृष्ण बालक्रीड episode [reg. playing with fruits (भागवत पुराण 10.18.14; Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Critical edition of श्रीमद्भगवतपुराणाम दशमः स्कंधः प्रथमो भाग: page 357)] alluded to in Canto 17 [ஆய்ச்சியர் குரவை (Āycciyar kuravai)] of the classic சிலப்பதிகாரம் (Cilappatikāram) ?

கன்று குணிலாக் கனியுதிர்த்த மாயவன் 1
இன்றுநம் ஆனுள் வருமேல் அவன்வாயில்
கொன்றையந் தீங்குழல் கேளாமோ தோழீ;

பாம்பு கயிறாக் கடல்கடைந்த மாயவன் 2
ஈங்குநம் ஆனுள் வருமேல் அவன்வாயில்
ஆம்பலந் தீங்குழல் கேளாமோ தோழீ;

கொல்லையஞ் சாரற் குருந்தொசித்த மாயவன் 3
எல்லைநம் ஆனுள் வருமேல் அவன்வாயில்
முல்லையந் தீங்குழல் கேளாமோ தோழீ;
தொழுனைத் துறைவனோ டாடிய பின்னை
அணிநிறம் பாடுகேம் யாம்;


kaṉṟu kuṇilāk kaṉiyutirtta māyavaṉ 1
iṉṟunam āṉuḷ varumēl avaṉvāyil
koṉṟaiyan tīṅkuḻal kēḷāmō tōḻī;
pāmpu kayiṟāk kaṭalkaṭainta māyavaṉ 2
īṅkunam āṉuḷ varumēl avaṉvāyil
āmpalan tīṅkuḻal kēḷāmō tōḻī;
kollaiyañ cāraṟ kuruntocitta māyavaṉ 3
ellainam āṉuḷ varumēl avaṉvāyil
mullaiyan tīṅkuḻal kēḷāmō tōḻī;
toḻuṉait tuṟaivaṉō ṭāṭiya piṉṉai
aṇiniṟam pāṭukēm yām;

Tamil text courtesy Project Madurai.

Megh Kalyanasundaram

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Oct 12, 2020, 1:21:33 AM10/12/20
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It might be interesting to know where you are (in terms of answers/resolution) vis-a-vis questions you posed on Sep 6th (in trail below), Śrī Warrier. 

Best,
Megh

On Sun, Sep 6, 2020 at 9:26 AM Radhakrishna Warrier <radwa...@hotmail.com> wrote:

L Srinivas

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Oct 12, 2020, 9:17:51 AM10/12/20
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Cilappatikāram is a post Classical work. The earliest Tamil anthologies do make references to one or two villages in modern Kerala e.g., cellūr (peruñcellūr aka taliparamba) which later become nucleus of Nampūtiri mana's. They also make reference to Tulunādu in a Vedic context.

Ancient Ceras ruled from Karūr (between Trichy and Coimbatore). They also seem to have had control over central parts of Kerala contiguous with the Palghat Gap. Ancient Pandyas had control over southern parts of Kerala all the way upto at least Kollam. As the West Asian trade increased, there has certainly been more impetus to assert control over the hinterland which produced both pepper and over which trade routes passed. I'm sure a majority of the cotton cloth and wootz steel produced in Kodumanal (a Cera town in Erode dt, Tamilnadu) went out to west Asia thru west coast ports.

The process of brahmins moving thru the Palghat Gap to Central parts of Kerala seems to have been a continuous one throughout written history i.e., from maybe 1st Century BC onward. Clearly it may have been a trickle initially for a long time. Brahmins moving from southern Pandya country also seems to have been fairly continuous since the most ancient times. But both movements were  accompanied by military movements clearly to secure trade. In the 8th/9th centuries, both Karur and Mahodayapuram were seats of Cera power. With the rise of the Imperial Colas, Ceras were chased out of Karur and their traditional territory in what's now Tamilnadu.

Likewise, it is also logical to assume that there was migration into northern Kerala from the Tulu country.

But the Kerala brahmins have a vedic branch, gotra and other affiliations that strongly point to cultural and genetic affinities with certain communities of Tamil brahmins, not to Tulu brahmins. Also their i.e., Kerala brahmins' home territory is central and southern Kerala, not northern Kerala. As said earlier, central Kerala is contiguous to the Palghat Gap and ancient Cera country.

Thennilapuram Mahadevan's (TM) work is an Indological work inspired by the Harvard professor, Michael Witzel. He uses classical Indological method - divide the subject into two parts and posit a conflict between the two and see where that takes you - thus, the pūrvaśikhā and aparaśikhā brahmins. There is not historical evidence - literary or inscriptional evidence for Tamil brahmins having been divided into two parts. He also says pūrvaśikhās were the original Tamil Brahmins - I see echoes of the classic who came first (original homeland) theory here!! He also says that the aparaśikhās came later - more Indology for you. There's actually no evidence whatsoever that the Krishna Yajurveda Apastamba sutra affiliated Tamil Brahmins were not there in the earliest period. Besides TM resorts to considerable text torturing to show that most references to the hair of the Brahmins in ancient Tamil texts are indeed references to forelocks.It might also be mentioned that he  seems to cite Tamil texts from translations.

It seems reasonable to assume that Brahmins had always been there in Kerala from early historical times i.e., at least 1st century BC. They have a strong affiliation in terms of veda śākhā and gotra markers to certain communities of Tamil brahmins. There might also been ongoing infusions of Brahmins from other parts like Tulunadu and to a much lesser extent, from the antarvedi. There are also cases of Brahmins in later centuries immigrating from northern Tamilnadu and lower Andhra and becoming unrecognizable  from Kerala brahmins in due course.

Texts will not give incontrovertible evidence. Archeology might. There's not been a proper study of west Asian trade from the Indian point of view. For example, it's clear that during the times of Vasco Da Gama, the ports which were most active were Kollam, Cochin, Calicut a little to its north and also Cannanore, the seat of the Kolathiri raja. But a few centuries before that i.e., 10th to 14th/15th centuries, Kollam was much more important -this is  known from middle Eastern sources. But according to the most ancient Tamil sources, most west Asia trade was conducted from Musiri and the ports in the south coast of Tamilnadu. Archaeology is also bearing this out. Following trade, settlements would have sprouted and Brahmin settlement would have accompanied that.

Inscriptions and archeology might move our knowledge base forward, not some daft Sanskrit texts  or Indological analysis. Kerala scholars might also have to use original Tamil sources, since there are no Malayalam sources prior to 825 AD.

Hope this helps,

Srini

Megh Kalyanasundaram

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Oct 12, 2020, 9:43:41 AM10/12/20
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---
One of the questions in the initial note: "What was the word used for Brahmins?" 

Some other points in the original note that appear related to the above question: "Coming back to the theory that Brahmins came to Kerala only in the 8th century CE, if ancient Tamil classics mention Brahmins and the performance of yajna, Brahmin presence should have been there in the Cēra-Cōẓa-Pāṇḍya cultural sphere of which Kerala was a part.  In other words, there should have been Brahmins in Kerala during the time of the composition of the Tamil classics."

One of the responses received (by Dr Ramaratnam): "In ancient Tamil literature, the word used to represent brahmins was 'andanar'. One may refer to Tirukkural - andanan enbon aravon'" https://groups.google.com/g/bvparishat/c/6KCSZ-Bo5ag/m/FJstZH7wCgAJ

A subsequent response specified one of the places where a pre-Cilappatikāram attestation of 'antaṇar' can be found: in the Tolkāppiyamhttps://groups.google.com/g/bvparishat/c/6KCSZ-Bo5ag/m/SHi-U2zxCgAJ

---
   

Megh Kalyanasundaram

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Oct 12, 2020, 10:03:34 AM10/12/20
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One can, though, understand why that particular attestation in the Tolkāppiyam might be very inconvenient to certain agendas/narratives but I found the context in which it occurs thoroughly fascinating and thought-provoking. For a flavor, P.S. Subrahmaya Sastri’s English translation of the concerned verse is the following: 


“The nature of the origin of the air which starts from navel and the modifications which it undergoes before it comes out as an articulated sound and of its quantity therein is clearly discussed in the scriptures of Brahmans.” [Sastry, 1999 (2nd ed.), p. 15, verse 102]


Best,
Megh

Madhav Deshpande

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Oct 12, 2020, 10:04:31 AM10/12/20
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Is there an English translation of Keralotpatti? PDF? I have only seen a Malayalam publication.

Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies

[Residence: Campbell, California, USA]


Srinivasakrishnan ln

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Oct 12, 2020, 10:04:49 AM10/12/20
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ajit.gargeshwari

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Oct 12, 2020, 10:51:46 PM10/12/20
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Namaste  Prof Deshpande
I can recollect These Three books
Gundert Kerala Pazhama Anatiquity of Kerlaa En. Tr. Madhava Menon T. Published by Dravidian Linguistic Association
Gundert Keralotpatti En Tr. Madhava Menon T.  Published by Dravidian Linguistic Association 
Vanjikanda Shared Heritage An Early History of Kerala Ravindran K.  Published by Dravidian Linguistic Association  

Any One Interested please let me know of the list 
Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari

Ajit Gargeshwari

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Oct 12, 2020, 11:21:24 PM10/12/20
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On Legendary accounts
Aitihya Mala Of Kottarathil Sankunni Srikumari The Great Legends of Kerala En. Tr. Ramachandran In two Volumes
Kerala Udaya (Keralodaya) An Epic Kavya On Kerla History Dharma Raja Adat
Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।2.20।।


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Ajit Gargeshwari

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Oct 12, 2020, 11:50:57 PM10/12/20
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Brahman Settlements in Kerala: Historical Studies Kesavan Veluthat Sandhya Publications, Calicut University

The New Brahmans D.D. Karve  University of California

The thirty-two original settlements, as given in the Keralolpathi, are :

a) Between rivers Perumpuzha and Karumanpuzha:
1) Payyannur, 2) Perumchellur, 3) Alathur, 4) Kaaranthola, 5) Chokiram alias Sukapuram, 6) Panniyur, 7) Karikkat, 8) Isanamangalam, 9) Thrssivaperur and 10) Peruvanam;b) Between rivers Karumanpuzha and Churni:
11) Chaamunda, 12) Irungatikkutal, 13) Avattiputhur, 14) Paravur, 15) Airanikkalam, 16) Muzhikulam, 17) Kulavur, 18) Atavur, 19) Chenganatu, 20) Ilibhyam, 21) Uliyannur, 22) Kalutanatu;c) Between river Churni and Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari):
23) Ettumanur, 24) Kumaaranallur, 25) Katamaruku, 26) Aranmula, 27) Thiruvalla, 28) Kitangur, 29) Chengannur, 30) Kaviyur, 31) Venmani, 32) Neermanna.

Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।2.20।।

Madhav Deshpande

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Oct 12, 2020, 11:58:45 PM10/12/20
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Thank you, Ajit Ji, for this valuable resource.

Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies

[Residence: Campbell, California, USA]

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L Srinivas

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Oct 13, 2020, 1:04:33 AM10/13/20
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Keralolpatti is attributed to the 17th century at best. How can it be considered probative for early Brahman settlements in Kerala? It is interesting that Veluthat even quotes Keralolpatti in his chapter on Cellur settlement for which the earliest evidence is only from the Tamil classics. In any case he doesnt cite any hard evidence like an inscription which antedates 11th century. Even in his chapter on the 'Original Settlements', he hardly cites any source  before the 10th century. It's all mostly 'Keralolpatti', vague references to traditions esp., Parasurama traditions, 15th/ 16th century Malayalam sources, Namputiri myths etc.

This work by Veluthat, which seems to be an outgrowth of his M Phil thesis, is sometimes cited as *the* source on Brahman settlements in Kerala. This author  even has a chapter in Staal's Agni. In terms of rigor however, the present work leaves much to be desired.

Hope this helps,

Srini

Shoba Narayan

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Oct 13, 2020, 1:25:48 AM10/13/20
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Perhaps tangential but on the topic of migration. This lecture tonight.


Migrations and the Making of Cultures in Early India


Prof. Romila Thapar delivers the Prof. Satish Chandra Memorial Lecture
 Historians in earlier years had tended to neglect the subject of migration but now it is receiving attention. Migrations are being differentiated from the other forms of the movement of people, such as invasions and settlers. The questions we now ask are, what are the differences between these various categories, and which are the social categories that migrate, and what impact do migrants  have on the host society – the society in which they come and settle ?


The lecture will discuss two categories of migrants, the pastoralists and the traders and will be confined to the early period of Indian history, namely up to about the fourteenth century. The geographical areas will be migrations from Central Asia to northern India in the first case and from west Asia to the west coast of India in the second. A fundamental difference between the two categories is that pastoral migrants tend to come to a new area, set up scattered settlements and tend to return to their homelands. Traders tend to do the reverse since they stay in the cities where they have their trading partners. Even when they settle in the host societies there is a minimum connection between their homeland and where they have settled. 

The interface between the host society and the migrant settlement frequently results in elements of new cultures. These can be changed versions of a language, new social customs and new deities or forms of worship.  → Read More



TUESDAY13 Oct5:00PM – 6:30PM

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murali raghavan

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Oct 13, 2020, 1:25:48 AM10/13/20
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There is a research work on the subject by Dr.Keshavan Veluthatt-Brahmin settlements in Kerala.

Dr.K.Murali


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Ajit Gargeshwari

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Oct 13, 2020, 1:27:36 AM10/13/20
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Yes These are legendary accounts so one has to see how much Historical Information on can get from works like these
Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।2.20।।

Ajit Gargeshwari

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Oct 13, 2020, 1:55:38 AM10/13/20
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Here is an article Burden of being Kesavan Veluthat
Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।2.20।।

Bandhavi Brahma

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Oct 13, 2020, 6:44:15 PM10/13/20
to भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्
This is only mildly related, but this talk may be interesting to this thread as the speaker mentions some things about brahmin settlements and migrations in Kerala:

Vanishing traditions of Vedic Chanting of Kerala

Many of the terms the speaker introduces seem to be in malayalam not sanskrit, so it would be great if Radhakrishna ji or some of the other members of the group can give a translation or glossary of some of the words, like in the nice summary thread of युक्तिभाषा made by Radhakrishna ji.

Radhakrishna Warrier

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Oct 16, 2020, 11:19:56 PM10/16/20
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Bandhavi ji,

He uses mostly Sanskrit terms.  The pure Malayalam terms that I could catch in the video are the following.  I am not very knowledgeable on the technicalities of Vedic chanting.  So, I have given the most general meaning of the terms.

Anyōnyam – competition (of Vedic recital) 

Kaṭavallūr Anyōnyam – Competition of Vedic recital held at the main temple in the village of Kadavalloor  

Tāṇṭam (pronounced tāṇḍam) – a padya composed for those studying the Vedas from tāṇṭŭ meaning to cross, to overcome – to cross the ocean of doubt 

Paṭṭaru tāṇṭam - Tāṇṭam for Tamil Brahmins  

Malayala tāṇṭam - Tāṇṭam for Malayala Brahmins (Namboodiris) 

Samhitā tāṇṭam - Tāṇṭam for the Samhita 

Muṟa Japam – a satram that used to be conducted by the kings of Travancore at the Padmanabhaswamy temple.  Muṟa is the Malayalam equivalent of Sanskrit “krama” meaning an orderly sequence. http://vsktelangana.org/murajapam-vedic-chanting-rituals-begin-in-sree-padmanabhaswamy-temple 

Muṟa hōmam – a type of homa:  Muṟa hōmam at śabarimala Sannidhānam https://www.facebook.com/sabarimaladevaswom/posts/rig-veda-mura-homam-at-sanndhanam/1600174653577888/ 

Vāram – a ritual performed at temples;  a term also used for Brāhmaṇa bhōjanam 

ōṭṭūttŭ, ūha, ūṣāṇi, koṭṭŭ – all these are associated with different types of Vedic recitals  

Mumpil (pronounced mumbil) irikkal – sit at the front 

Kaṭannirikkal (pronounced kaḍannirikkal) – sit closer, sit inside 

Valiya kadannirikkal – big “sit closer” 


Regards,

Radhakrishna Warrier



From: bvpar...@googlegroups.com <bvpar...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Bandhavi Brahma <bband...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2020 10:08 AM
To: भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत् <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Re: Brahmin Presence in Kerala
 
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Bandhavi Brahma

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Oct 21, 2020, 11:43:28 PM10/21/20
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Many thanks Radhakrishna ji, it's a useful glossary!

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