Ashtagrama Iyer
Encyclopedia
The Ashtagrama Iyers are a group of Vadama
Iyers or South Indian Brahmins with their roots in the Ashtagrama villages situated in the Kolar
district of Karnataka
.
, which flows through the Kolar district into Tamil Nadu. The 10 villages on the North side of the river are Cholagunte, Doddiganahalli, Devarayasamudra, Gangigunte, Honnagaanahalli, Kothamangala, Minijenahalli, Thattangunte, Vijalapura and Yelagundanahalli. The remainder of the villages, Aralakunte, Chamarahalli, Gangapura, Hunkunda and Shillangeri are on the southern side of the river. Though the Iyers form the majority of the population all these villages show communal diversity.
Main business of Ashtagram Iyers is hotel business, many of them scattered across southern karnataka and established their hotels.
Major population of Ashtagram Iyers stay in Kolar, Bangalore and USA.
counterparts elsewhere but some of them are derived from the Brahmin
customs of Karnataka. Most Iyers follow both the solar calendar
of Tamil Nadu
and the lunar calendar
of Karnataka. For example, the lunar tithi
s are followed for celebrating festivals while the solar day is taken into account for Shraddh or death ceremonies. Similarly, on 14/15 January both Sankranthi
and Pongal
are celebrated.
Ashtagrama Iyers worship both Lord Shiva and Lord Mahavishnu, celebrating all Hindu festivals.
and sometimes Telugu
(Kolar being on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border). Also a dialect of Tamil
is spoken which varies significantly from the way the other Iyers speak.
Not necessarily all Ashtagrama Iyers speak Tamil
. Kannada
and English are now the predominant languages of the new generation and many have no knowledge of Tamil.
Some examples are:
Vadama
Vadama meaning "Northerners" are a sub-sect of the Iyer community of Tamil Brahmins. While some believe that their name is an indication of the fact that they were the most recent Brahmin migrants to the Tamil country others interpret the usage of the term "Vadama" as a reference to their strict...
Iyers or South Indian Brahmins with their roots in the Ashtagrama villages situated in the Kolar
Kolar
Kolara is a city in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar District. It is known for being one of the gold mining sites in India....
district of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
.
History
The Ancient history of this sect is not clearly known but it is believed that in the early 16th century a few of the Iyers from the North Arcot and the Tanjavur districts of Tamil Nadu migrated to the Ashtagrama group of villages, at the request of the existing government, as learned Priests, Vedic Scholars and Agriculturists. They soon transformed it from a once poor community, into a well-educated and prosperous one.Ashtagrama
Ashtagrama (literally,'eight villages') consists of several villages which are located in the Valley of the Palar RiverPalar River
Palar is a river of southern India. It rises in Nandi Hills, India in Kolar district of Karnataka state, and flows 93 km in Karnataka, 33 km in Andhra Pradesh and 222 km in Tamil Nadu before its confluence into the Bay of Bengal at Vayalur about 100 km south of Chennai...
, which flows through the Kolar district into Tamil Nadu. The 10 villages on the North side of the river are Cholagunte, Doddiganahalli, Devarayasamudra, Gangigunte, Honnagaanahalli, Kothamangala, Minijenahalli, Thattangunte, Vijalapura and Yelagundanahalli. The remainder of the villages, Aralakunte, Chamarahalli, Gangapura, Hunkunda and Shillangeri are on the southern side of the river. Though the Iyers form the majority of the population all these villages show communal diversity.
Main business of Ashtagram Iyers is hotel business, many of them scattered across southern karnataka and established their hotels.
Major population of Ashtagram Iyers stay in Kolar, Bangalore and USA.
Customs and beliefs
Most of the customs of the Ashtagrama Iyers remain the same as that of their IyerIyer
Iyer is the title given to the caste of Hindu Brahmin communities of Tamil origin. Most Iyers are followers of the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara...
counterparts elsewhere but some of them are derived from the Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
customs of Karnataka. Most Iyers follow both the solar calendar
Solar calendar
A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun .-Tropical solar calendars:...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and the lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
of Karnataka. For example, the lunar tithi
Tithi
In vedic timekeeping, a tithi is a lunar day, or the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the moon and the sun to increase by 12°. Tithis begin at varying times of day and vary in duration from approximately 19 to approximately 26 hours. There are 30 tithis in each lunar month, named...
s are followed for celebrating festivals while the solar day is taken into account for Shraddh or death ceremonies. Similarly, on 14/15 January both Sankranthi
Sankranthi
Makar Sankranti or Sankranti or Sankranthi marks the transition of the Sun into Makara rashi on its celestial path...
and Pongal
Pongal
Thai Ponggal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry and in Sri Lanka. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over" or "spill over". The boiling...
are celebrated.
Ashtagrama Iyers worship both Lord Shiva and Lord Mahavishnu, celebrating all Hindu festivals.
Language
Ashtagrama Iyers have a good knowledge of Kannada, TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
and sometimes Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
(Kolar being on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border). Also a dialect of Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
is spoken which varies significantly from the way the other Iyers speak.
Not necessarily all Ashtagrama Iyers speak Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
. Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
and English are now the predominant languages of the new generation and many have no knowledge of Tamil.
Some examples are:
| Pure Tamil | How Ashtagrama Iyers say it | How other Iyers say it | How other Tamils say it | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varugireergala? | Vareengla? | Varela? | Vareengala? | Are you coming? |
| Pogireergala? | Poreengla? | Porela? | Poreengala? | Are you going? |
| Engal veetil, Engal Agathil | Enga ullale | Enga athilae | Enga veetla | In our house |
| Engey poreer | Oonga pora | Engey porel | Engey poringo | Where are you going? |
| Sirithu Nazhigai | Konchu Pod | Setha Nazhi | Konja Neram | For some time |
List of Ashtagrama Iyers
- V. S. Krishna IyerV. S. Krishna IyerV. S. Krishna Iyer was an Indian politician and independence movement activist from the state of Karnataka. He had served as a Member of Parliament of 8th Lok Sabha for Bangalore South from 1984 to 1989.- Career :...
, Indian politician and freedom-fighter. Member of Lok Sabha from Bangalore South (1984–1989) - SoundaryaSoundaryaSoundarya was a film actress who appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She acted in more than 90 films, most of them in Telugu. She was killed in a plane crash near Bangalore.-Film career:...
(1971–2004), South Indian film actress. - Ramachandra GuhaRamachandra GuhaRamachandra Guha is an Indian writer whose research interests have included environmental, social, political and cricket history. He is also a columnist for the newspapers The Telegraph , and The Hindustan Times.-Early life and education:Born in Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand, India in 1958, Guha studied...
, Writer, historian and thinker.
External links
- http://www.ashtagrama.com
- http://kolariyers.com/index.htm
- Prof K V Iyer, information on legendary Prof. K V Iyer