Tamil Brahmins
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
(2015: 2,359,000 2.75% of population of Tamil Nadu) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Pancha-Dravida Brahmins, Tamil people |
(2015: 2,359,000
Tamil Brahmins are Tamil-speaking Brahmins primarily living in Tamil Nadu , although a few of them have settled in other states like, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. They can be broadly divided into three religious groups, Gurukkals who follow Saivism, Iyers who follow the Srauta and Smarthas tradition and Iyengars who follow Sri Vaishnavism. Today Brahmins form 2.75% of Tamil Nadu's population.
Tamil Brahmins are divided into three groups -- Iyers, Iyengars and Gurukkal. Iyers form the majority of the Tamil Brahmin population and are Smarthas, while Iyengars are Vaishnavas and Gurukkals are Saivas.
Iyers are Srauta-Smartha Brahmins, most of whom follow the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara. Advaita Vedanta has been in existence from way before Adi Sankara. In fact, Vedanta refers to itself as Anadi, meaning without beginning and are concentrated mainly along the Cauvery Delta districts of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Tiruchirapalli where they form almost 10% of the total population. However the largest population reside in Nagercoil, making up to 13% of the city's population They are also found in significant numbers in Chennai,Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Ambasamudram, Palakkad and Trivandrum.
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