The Shivalli Brahmins are a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

community mainly in Tulunad region of South West India. They are divided into two groups, the first of who follow the

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST: ''Tattvavāda''), is a sub-school in the Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') trad ...

philosophy founded by the

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

saint

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; 1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva called his philosophy ...

Udupi Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...

are called Shivalli Madhva Brahmins, and the second of who follow the Advaita philosophy of

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...

are known as Shivalli Smartha Brahmins. Majority of Shivalli Brahmins (Shivalli Brahmana's) are

Madhvas Madhva Vaishnavas or Sadh Vaishnavas or Madhvas (also spelled as Madhwas) are Hindu communities in India, who follow Sadh Vaishnavism and Dvaita Vedanta, Dvaita philosophy propounded by Madhvacharya. They are found mostly in the Indian states of Ka ...

and only a few of them are Smarthas.

Udupi cuisine

Shivalli Brahmins are famous for ''Udupi hotels'' (vegetarian restaurants) known for serving typical south Indian dishes like

idli Idli, iddena, iddali or idly (; plural: idlis) is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from South India, popular as a breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-h ...

, vada,

dosa Dosa may refer to: Belief * Dosa or dvesha, a Buddhist concept of hate or aversion People * Bogoljub Mitić Đoša (1968 - 2017), Serbian actor * Csaba Dosa (born 1951), Romanian athlete * Dosa ben Harkinas, Jewish Tanna sage * Dosa ben S ...

, shira and

upma Upma, uppumavu, or uppittu is a dish of thick porridge from dry-roasted semolina or coarse rice flour. Upma originated from Southern India, is most common in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana. Of ...

etc. Shivalli Brahmins have a unique style of cooking, serving and eating meals. The meal is served on a plantain (banana) leaf and is usually eaten by hand, seated with padmasana like position on the floor.

Rituals and customs

Rituals

Shivalli Brahmin males undergo the

Upanayana ''Upanayana'' () is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor, such as a ''guru'' or ''acharya'', and an individual's initiation into a school in ...

when they turn seven years old to initiate them into Vedic studies. It is also known as Brahmopadesham. The key ritual during the Upanayana is that of putting a sacred thread consisting of three cotton strands across the left shoulder of the boy, called Janivara. The initiate is called a ''

dvija Dvija (Sanskrit: द्विज) means "twice-born". The concept is premised on the belief that a person is first born physically and at a later date is born for a second time spiritually, usually when he undergoes the rite of passage that initiat ...

'' "twice-born" and is expected to perform the

sandhyavandanam Sandhyavandanam (, or 'salutation during the twilight') is a mandatory religious ritual centring around the recitation of the Gayatri mantra, traditionally supposed to be performed three times a day by ''Dvija'' communities of Hindus, particula ...

at least twice daily. Dvija has a special knot in it which is called as "Brahma Gantu". Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins also undergo the Upakarma, where the sacred thread is changed once a year and mudradharana is performed. Mudradharana is a ritual where Vaishnavite

symbols A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise different concep ...

like the

conch Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ...

or the wheel are etched on bodies as a ritual of purification.

Marriage

Present day marriages of Shivalli Madhva Brahmins are a four-day ceremony, sometimes condensed to a single day due to the fast pace of today's life. On the occasion of wedding, three more strands are added to the sacred thread Janivara.

Festivals

Shivalli Brahmins celebrate all major Hindu festivals such as

Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: ), also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi () or Vinayaka Chavithi () or Vinayagar Chaturthi (), is a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Hindu deity Ganesh. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's ''m ...

Deepavali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual ...

Navaratri Navaratri () is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and aga ...

Sankranti Sankranti () refers to the transmigration of the sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy. In ''Saurmana'' ''varsha'' (Hindu Solar year), there are twelve Sankrantis corresponding with twelve months of a year. The Sankrantis can be broa ...

, Madhwanavami,

Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami (), also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In certain Hindu texts, such as the ''Gita Govinda' ...

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

, Bisu Parba(Tulu New Year), Ramanavami, Hanuman Jayanthi etc. They also believe in Nagaradhane and rituals of

Bhuta Kola Būta Kōlā,/buːt̪ʌ/ is the local pronunciation while the standardised Sanskrit+Tulu pronunciation is /bʱuːt̪ʌ koːlɑː/ also referred to as Daiva Kōlā or Daiva Nēmā, is a shamanistic Hindu dance performance practised, believed a ...

Eminent Shivalli Madhva Brahmana's

* Bannanje Govindacharya * V.S.Acharya * K. K. Hebbar * S. U. Paniyadi * H.V.K. Udupa * K. N. Udupa * B.Vittalacharya *

Harini (Kannada actress) Harini is a former actress in the Kannada cinema. She was active during the 1950s and 1960s, retiring at the peak of her career. As of 2006 she lived in Bangalore. Early life Harini was born to tulu speaking Shivalli Madhva Brahmins Paniyadi S ...

* Uliyar Padmanabha Upadhyaya * P.Gururaja Bhat * B.V.Acharya * Vyasaraya Ballal

Notes

References

*Gururaja Bhat, P., ''Studies in Tuluva History and Culture'', 1975.
Gururaja Bhat, P., ''Tuḷunāḍu'', 1963
*Hebbar, Neria H.,

, 2 March 2003. *Hebbar, Neria H.,

, p. 2, 12 January 2003. *Rajalakshmi, U.B., ''Udupi Cuisine'', Bangalore: Prism Books, {{ISBN, 978-81-7286-175-9

External links

Shivalli Brahmins
Tulu Brahmins Karnataka society Udupi Mangalorean society Kerala society Social groups of Karnataka Social groups of Kerala Ethnic groups in India Indian castes South Indian communities Brahmin communities of India