History of Shivalli and Shivalli Brahmins (Tulu Brahmin)

🌟 The Shivalli Brahmins: Roots and Traditions

The Shivalli Brahmins are also known as Tulu Brahmins. The community of Brahmin people who initially stepped in Shivalli before being scattered into 31 different villages is termed as the Shivalli group. Shivalli (Tulu/Kannada:ಶಿವಳ್ಳಿ) is a place near Udupi, in the state of Karnataka in southern India. Shivalli Brahmins have been long famous for their proximity to the Sri Krishna Temple, located in Udupi and for Udupi itself. Shivalli is a village between Udupi and Manipal. The town of Manipal was earlier under Shivalli grama (village) panchayat and later came under Udupi municipality.

Shivalli takes its name from the words Shiva-Halli, which means the town of Shiva. Udupi has two Shiva temples: Chandramouleshwara temple and Ananteshwara temple, near the famous Sri Krishna temple/Krishna matha. Even today, all Swamijis of the Ashta mathas first enter Chandramouleshwara temple and then Ananteshwara temple before entering Krishna Matha on auspicious occasions. Another legend suggests that Shivalli has an origin in the old Sanskrit name Shivaroopya (where “roopya” is silver, or “Bolli” in Tulu). In later years, it came to be known as Shivabolli, Shibbolli, Shivolli, and the present name, Shivalli.

🕉️ Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins:

The Brahmins who follow Dvaita philosophy, founded by Vaishnava saint Sri Madhvacharya (Poornaprajna or Anandathirta) of Udupi, are known as Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins. The name helps distinguish them from other Brahmins and indicates their origins in and around Shivalli. They are concentrated in the districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka, and Kasaragod District in Kerala.

Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins speak Tulu language (with a strong influence of Sanskrit) that is slightly different from the Tulu spoken by other communities in this region. They are followers of the eight Ashta Mathas set up by Sri Madhvacharya. The Shivalli Madhwa Brahmin (Brahmana) community has now spread all over the world. Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins are known for their hospitality, sharp intellect, and good business acumen.

📚 Shivalli Smarta Brahmins:

Some Shivalli Brahmins follow Advaita philosophy and are known as Shivalli Smarta Brahmins. The Smartha sect of these Thoulava/Shivalli/Udupi/Tulu Brahmins migrated towards the north of South Kanara and to parts of Shimoga districts during the time when Madhvaism peaked in the region, leading to a Smartha-Madhva sect in-fight. This migrated population adopted Kannada as their language. They are followers of the Balekudru Math and are fewer in number compared to Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins.

🗿 Historical Roots:

It is believed that Mayura Varma, the Kadamba King who ruled vast areas of Southern and central India in the 4th Century A.D., brought Brahmins from Ahi Kshetra (or Ahichatra) and put them in charge of various temples in the Tulu Nadu.

The term Tulu Nadu is supposedly derived from the word Tula Bhara (Tula = Weighing Scale, Bhara = Weight), a custom in this region wherein commodities are weighed against the weight of the concerned person.

Mayura Varma appointed Brahmins to manage the affairs of these 32 units. Ballalas (unit heads), Agnihotris (priests), Tantris, Sabhapathis (ministers), Pandiths (scholars), Gramanis (executives), Jannis (temple trustees), etc. were all appointed to run the administration of these units.

🍽️ Culinary Heritage:

Shivalli Brahmins are pioneers of world-famous Udupi hotels (vegetarian restaurants) known for serving typical South Indian dishes and foods like idli, vada, dosa, shira, and upma, etc. This concept of restaurants has been copied by others all over the world. Shivalli Brahmins have a unique style of serving and eating meals. The meal is served on a plantain (banana) leaf, usually squatting on a clean floor. All dishes are served in a particular place, fashion, and sequence and eaten by hand. The meal is wholesome and very elaborate in preparation, serving, and eating.

👦 Brahmopadesham:

Shivalli Brahmin males have to undergo Brahmopadesham (Upanayana in Tulu) when they turn seven years old. It is a ceremony where young boys are initiated into Vedic studies (in ancient times, but the ceremony takes place even today). The key ritual during the Upanayana is that of putting a Janivaara or sacred thread across the left shoulder of the boy. The Janivaara consists of three threads made of cotton. The boy, once initiated, is called a Dwija or twice-born and is expected to perform Japa or sandhyavandana at least twice daily. Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins also follow the Upakarma ceremony where the janivaara is changed and mudradharana is done. Mudradharana is a ritual where signs of Lord Vishnu’s symbols (Mudra), like conch (Shanka) and chakra (wheel), are etched on bodies. This is done by placing hot metal moulds of these symbols mainly on the hand and stomach.

👩‍🦰 Role of Women in Shivalli Brahmin Society:

There are no equivalent ceremonies for Shivalli Brahmin girls. In fact, although North Indian Brahmin women take part significantly in the ritualistic process of Hinduism, Shivalli Brahmin women have no important role in these ceremonies. They have no religious education and no rite of passage into adult society other than their marriage arranged by their parents. The reasons for the marked difference between women’s roles in Brahmin culture among other groups (which is quite limited in itself) and the Shivalli Brahmins has been a source of much debate. It is currently thought that the lowly role among the latter was due to an attempt at maintaining line purity by the first Shivalli Brahmin men who migrated to the South and married local (non-Brahmin) fisherwomen.

🪔 Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins: Tradition, Rituals, and Legacy

💍 Marriage:

Present-day marriages of Shivalli Madhva Brahmins are a three-day ceremony, sometimes condensed to a single day due to the fast pace of today’s life. In the three-day ritual, the process of marriage starts with Naandi (literally meaning start). During Naandi, which takes place in the groom’s and bride’s homes separately, but at the same time, a ceremony is performed where the bride and groom have coconut oil and turmeric applied to them and are bathed in hot water followed by other rituals. Marriage (Madimae in Tulu) takes place at a temple, hall, or auditorium followed by lunch. All the ceremonies are held as per horoscopes of bride and groom at a particular time called muhurta. Generally, the day after marriage, a ceremony called the Bigara authana (a sort of reception) is held at the groom’s place and consists of the Satyanarayana puja and other rituals followed by lunch. The Bigara authana is an equivalent of the marriage reception.

🎉 Festivals:

Shivalli Brahmins celebrate all major Hindu festivals such as:

• Ganesh Chaturthi
• Deepavali
• Navaratri
• Sankranti
• Madhwanavami
• Janmashtami
• Ugadi
• Ramanavami
• Hanuman Jayanthi, etc.

They also believe in nagaradhane and rituals of Bhuta Kola.

👪 Gotras:

Every Shivalli Brahmin belongs to a particular gotra. Gotra can be roughly said to be a clan. The gotra are names of great sages or rishis of the Hindu religion. Hence, gotra indicates to the sage to which a Brahmin belongs. Marriage is not allowed between bride and groom if both belong to the same gotra (Sagotra in Tulu). This might be to avoid same blood group marriage, as it is believed in old days, people of the same gotra belong to the same family. Gotras in Tulu Brahmins are as follows:

• Atri
• Bhargava
• Jamadagni
• Vishwamitra
• Bhardwaja
• Vashista
• Aangirasa
• Kashyapa
• Koundanya
• Haritsa

🍽️ Restricted Diet:

Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins are expected to avoid eating the following vegetables and fruits in addition to avoiding non-vegetarian food completely:

• Tomato
• Onion
• Garlic
• Potato (Sweet potato or kelang is allowed)
• Papaya
• Brinjal (A variety of Brinjal called as the Matti Gulla, available around Udupi, is allowed)
• French beans (Cluster Beans or Alasande is permitted)
• Carrot
• Beet root
• Pineapple
• Radish
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Drumsticks
• Bottle gourd

Today, these restrictions are mostly followed only in the Ashta Mathas and some temples of South Canara. These vegetables and fruits are not considered to be the origin of Parashurama Kshetra and are Tamasic foods.

🌟 Famous Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins:

• Shri Madhvacharya – Chief proponent of Tattvavāda (Philosophy of the Truth), popularly known as Dvaita or dualistic school of Hindu philosophy
• Pejawar Swamiji Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji
• Bannanje Govindacharya – Sanskrit scholar
• Shri Lakshmisha Tholpady – Famous thinker, Vice President, Bharathiya Kisan Sangh, Southern Region
• Dr. U. R. Rao – Former ISRO Chairman
• Dr. K. N. Udupa – Award-winning physician
• P. Gururaja Bhat – Noted historian and Tulu scholar
• U. R. Bhat – Financial consultant and business columnist
• VidyaBhushana – Famous Singer
• Suresh Kalmadi – MP from Pune and president of the IOA
• Dr. V. S. Acharya – Home Minister, Government of Karnataka
• K. Raghupati Bhat – MLA from Udupi
• Justice U.L. Bhat – Former Chief Justice of Assam (1991-93) & Madhya Pradesh (1993-95) and Former President of Customs, Excise & Gold (Control) Appellate Tribunal (CEGAT – now called Customs, Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal – CESTAT), New Delhi (1995-97)
• Justice P. Subramonian Poti – Former Chief Justice of Gujarat
• Kiran Kedlaya – A mathematician, a juggler, a singer, a bicyclist, and a photographer and first and foremost a puzzler
• Archana Udupa – Highly talented Singer. The first South Indian to win TVS Sa Re Ga Ma (Zee TV) in the year 1999
• Late Shri K. Bhima Bhattar – The founder of Udupi Madhwa Brahmana Sabha (Kerala)
• H. Raghuram Somayaji – Former Director of Primary Education Karnataka
• Kattingeri Srinivas Hebbar – Founder, BSKB Association
• K. Krishna Rao – Founder Woodlands Group of Hotels. Pioneer of Udupi Cuisine. Attributed with the invention of the Masala Dosa.
• B. Vittalacharya – Famous Movie Director

📝 Surnames of Shivalli Madhwa Brahmins:

This is a list of surnames of Shivalli Brahmins. This list is incomplete. There are nearly 500 surnames.

The family houses of Shivalli Brahmins had a direct bearing on these 32 villages. Family names of Shivalli Brahmins itself is a fantastic story. The Shivalli Brahmin community, which lived in a compact geographical area measuring 100 km in width and 120 km in length, had more than 500 family names to its credit – is nothing but amazing… Perhaps, a small community like this may not have such a diversified order of family houses in the whole world. Most of the family names have a direct relationship with their respective names of their geographical location.

Here we have listed 520 Shivalli family names.