Dikshitar
| Dīkṣitar | |
|---|---|
| தீக்ஷிதர் | |
Śōḻiya Brahmin | |
| Kingdom (original) | Chola Empire |
Dīkṣitars (Tamil: தீக்ஷிதர்) or Thillai Vazh Anthaanar are a Vedic Shaiva Brahmin servitor community of
They are an exclusive group of Brahmins learned in the Vedas and Yagnas (sacrifices) who also serve as the hereditary trustees of the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram. They are also called Thillai Muvayiravar or the Three Thousand of Thillai[2] Every Dikshitar once he is married becomes as of right a trustee and archaka of the Nataraja temple. A practice unique to the community is that the priests wear the tuft of hair in front of the head similar to the Nambuthiri Brahmans of Kerala.[3]
History
The Dikshithars might be traced back to the first line of Brahmanas who migrated to South India from the north, this migration happened as the result of the increasing spread of
In order that he who conquered the world (Kutruvar) may not be bereft of a royal crown he requested the crowning services of the ancient three thousand servitor priests at Chidambaram (Thillai). Thereupon the priests refused the same saying that they are entitled to perform the ceremony only to the most deserving of the ancient clan of Sembiyars (Cholas). Having said this, they quit their dwelling to reach the hill country (Kerala) of the ancient Chera king.- Periyapuranam
It is also of interest to note that
See also
- Dikshit, a Hindu family name
References
- ^ Mahadevan, T. P. (2016). On the Southern Recension of the Mahābhārata, Brahman Migrations, and Brāhmī Paleography. Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies, 15(2), 1-146.
- ^ B. Natarajan (1974). The city of the cosmic dance: Chidambaram, Volume 2 of Southern art series. Orient Longman. p. 128.
- ^ Viravanallur Gopalier Ramakrishna Ayyar (1946). The Economy of a South Indian Temple: (Sankara Parvati Prize Essay of the Madras University). Annamalai University. p. 50.
- ^ N. Subrahmanian, Shu Hikosaka, G. John Samuel, P. Thiagarajan, Institute of Asian Studies (Madras, India). Tamil social history, Volume 1. Institute of Asian Studies, 1997. p. 299.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Rajeshwari Ghose (1996). The Tyagaraja Cult in Tamilnadu: A Study in Conflict and Accommodation. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited. p. 288.
See also
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