[Advaita-l] New member introduction: Venkatesh Murthy (Some questions on Brahmin-sects)

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 6:16 PM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmurthy36 at gmail.com>wrote:

>
>
> Summary of sub sects of Smarthas in South India-
>
> Iyers, Nambudiris,Mulukanadu,Badagunadu, Deshasthas, Chitpavan,
> Havyaka, Kota,Gauda Saraswat, Shivalli, Babbur Kamme, Seeranadu,
> Hoysala Karnataka, Kanva Shakha.
>
> Is this complete? request your help in completing the list of sub
> sects of Smarthas in South India.
>
> -Venkatesh
> _______________________________________________
>

Here are some more:

There is one VelanADu (Telugu speaking smarthas).  In the Tamil Iyer group:
AshTasahasram, vAdimA, Brahacharanam, VaDama, Chozhiyan (Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagavathar). Some others like GuruKKaL, Dikshitar (of Chidambaram), etc.
In Kamme group: Karnataka kamme, Huluchu kamme.  Then another group in
Kannada smartha:  koota brAhmaNa (there is a Kalyana Mantapa of these people
on the Bull Temple Road, Bangalore).  The list seems to be ever growing!!

Someone told me that 'Iyer' and 'Aiya' (Narasimhaiya, etc.) are corrupted
versions of the Sanskrit 'Aarya'.

You will be surprised to see several sects within Nambudiris.  See Wikipedia
article.

Subbu