Ashtasahasram Explained

Group:	Ashtasahasram
Popplace:	Tamil Nadu
Langs:	Brahmin Tamil
Rels:	Hinduism
Related:	Iyer, Tamil people

Ashtasahasram is a sub-sect of the Iyer community of Tamil Brahmins from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Culture

The Ashtasahasrams as Iyers belong to the Smarta (Shaivite) tradition, along with the Vadamas, Brahacharanams, Vadyamans/Madhyamans, and the Kanials/Kaniyalars. However, the Ashtasahasrams are smaller in numbers and are considered inferior to the first two Brahmin groups.^[1]

The Ashtasahasrams follow the Taittirīya śākhā of the Kr̥ṣṇa Yajurveda.

They are Aparaśikhā Brahmins, who wear their traditional hair tuft towards the back of their head.

Divisions

The Ashtasahasram community is further sub-divided into four groups:^[2]

• Āttiyūr
• Arivarpede
• Nandivādi
• Satkulam

Notes and References

1. Book: Fuller, C. J.. Tamil Brahmans: The Making of a Middle-Class Caste. Narasimhan. Haripriya. University of Chicago Press. 2014. 6.
2. Mahadevan. Thennilapuram P.. 2008. On the Southern Recension of the Mahābhārata, Brahman Migrations, and Brāhmī Paleography (For Frits Staal). Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies. 15. 2. 143. 10.11588/ejvs.2008.2.327. 1084-7561.