The Sathatha Sri Vaishnavas also known as Chattada Sri Vaishnavas or Sattada Sri Vaishnavas widely in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are a distinctive community of about thirteen hundred thousand people[clarification needed] living throughout Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. For several centuries, they have rendered a variety of services in Sri Vaishnava temples as archakas, dharmakartas, guardians of temple properties and suppliers of flowers such as garlands for worship. Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 Origin 3 History 4 Recent history and present day 5 Sources 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References Etymology[edit] Originally, known just as Satani or Sattada or Chattada, the request for the name to be changed to Sattada Sri Vaishnava could not be accepted by the Brahmins as Sri Vaishnava is the distinct name of a subgroup of Brahmins, whereas Chattadas were a non-brahmin community. However, the community is currently referred to as Chattada Sri Vaishnavas. [1] Origin[edit] Originally from the North and South Arcots and Southern districts of Circars of the Madras Presidency where the Chattada schools were established from the times of Sri Ramanujacharya. Mass migration of the Chattada caste members to the Hyderabad State happened since the time when Secunderabad was administered by the Madras Presidency. Trimulgherry and Alwal in Secunderabad have significant population of Tamil-Telugu Satanis. History[edit] There are several sub-sects among the Sathatha Sri Vaishnava. Many follow a lifestyle like that of the Sri Vaishanava (Iyengars). Their names have the honorary suffix Ayyangar and the title acharya, swamy. They especially revere the Sankha, the Chakra, the Naamam, Hanuman and Garuda. Above all, they honour the Aazhvaars, especially Nammaazhvaar. They recite and use only the Aazhvaar’s hymns for domestic rituals. Most are disciples of Koil Annan-and Acharya Purusha of Sri Rangam. Some follow the Vaanamaamalai Math and others the Para Vastu Math at Tirupati. The term Sathatha may be a corruption of Sat-taada (Sanskrit Sat and Tamil Taada), meaning pure or true servant. The Srirangam koil Olugu records that this community served in the Srirangam temple at the time of Śrī Ramanujacharya (11th century AD) and that this Acharya assigned them special duties and services in his reorganisation of the temple. They were also prominent in Srirangam and Kanchipuram (15th and 16th centuries) under the leadership of Kanudaadi Ramanujuayyangar, who was a disciple of both Koil Annan at Srirangam and Azhagiyamanaavala Jeeyar at Kancheepuram Varadarajaswami temple. They were in charge of Ramanuja Kootams. The distinctiveness of Srivaisnava Hinduism lies not only in the fact that it gives special attention to the female mode of the godhead (sri), but also in its claim to inspiration by both the Sanskrit Veda and the devotional poems of the twelve devotees known as Alvars (650-850 C.E.) - considered to be the Tamil Veda. The two vedas are not of equal weight for all Srivaisnavas - Vatakalai (northern branch) Srivaisnavism gives precedence to the Sanskrit and Tenkalai (southern branch) Srivaisnavism to the Tamil. Nonetheless, both lineages of theologians came to speak of their theology as ubhaya vedanta - the wisdom of both the Tamil Veda and the Sanskrit Veda. Among the Alvars - one female and eleven males – at least five are non-Brahmin and it is the works of one of these, Nammalvar, that are most revered. The literature of both the northern and southern lineages stipulates that moksa is by the grace of the supreme Lord through rituals open to both male and female members of all castes. At the same time, it appears that the entire lineage of theologians, on both the Tenkalai and Vatakalai sides, is Brahmin from the beginning (Nathamuni, c. 900) to the present. Sociological and ritual studies show that both Tenkalai and Vatakalai Brahmins consider the maintenance of caste purity important and continue to perform the prescribed Vedic rituals. Those who administer initiatory rites (diksa), as well as the Srivaisnava temple priests, are invariably Brahmin. Indeed, the rather extensive scholarly literature describing and interpreting Srivaisnavism represents it as essentially a Brahmin tradition. Some surnames of Sattadas include Kandadai, Govardhanam, Nambi, Mudumbai, Alwar, Vanamamalai , Ayyangar, Karpuram, Tiruvaimudi, Paravastu, Thirunagari, Janardhanam, Karpuram, Sriparamkusham, Yadugiri, Nagunoori, Ayyawar, Vakulabaranam. Pullakhandam, Sribashyam, Shrirangam, Garmilla, Ranganayakula, Bukkapatanam, Tirunahari, Boinepally, Paramkusam, Dasaradhi, Vadigepalli, Perambuduri, Madhuranthakam, Kesavapatnam, Kesavamattam, Ayyavari, Kandukuri, Nimbagiri, Korukonda, Dasyam, Pujari, Machavaram, Sriperambuduru, Tirukkovalluru, Archakam, Sreedasyam, Sudarsanam, Thirunagaru, Stothrabasham, Madhurakavi, Muktavarapu Recent history and present day[edit] [icon] This section requires expansion. (May 2012) Sattada Srivaisnavism has a long history and Sattadas enjoyed greater status in Srivaisnava temples in the past than they do today. The number of temples served by Sattadas and the number of Sattada families serving where services continue have significantly declined over the last fifty years. The number of Sattadas at Srirangam was much larger in the past; some of those who left Srirangam went to serve other temples and some sought a livelihood outside of temple service. Privileges have been cancelled or eroded. Srirangam Sattadas recited Prabandhams alongside other Srivaisnavas in the Iyal Gosthi (hymn-singing group) until 1942 when the privilege was cut off by legal action. Present-day Sattadas say that their ancestors were in charge of the major Srivaisnava temples of South India, as dharmakartr or srikaryakartr (Tamil srikariyakarttan) and that, in a few of these temples, they served as archakas. There is substantial inscriptional evidence for Sattada prominence at Srirangam, Tirupati-Tirumalai and Kancipuram (Varadarajasvami temple) during the 15th and 16th centuries, under the leadership of one Kandadai Ramanuja Dasar (c. 1430-1496), alias Kandadai Ramanuja Ayyangar or Kandadai Ayodhya Ramanuja Ayyangar. The earliest example is found in a Tirumalai inscription dated 1456, in which it is said that Kandadai Ramanujayyan, the disciple of Alakiyamanavala Jiyar, is the trustee (kartr) of ramanujakutams (feeding houses for pilgrims, in commemoration of Ramanujacharya) constructed by the Vijayanagara ruler, Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya, at Tirumala and Tirupati. Numerous inscriptions from 1456 to 1495 refer to him as Kantatai Ramanujayyangar, disciple of Alakiyamanavala Jiyar and manager of the Tirumalai-Tirupati ramanujakutams. These texts indicate that, as the agent of Saluva Narasimha, he constructed and managed feeding houses at Srirangam and Varadarajasvami temple, Kancipuram, as well as Tirumalai-Tirupati. In Tirumala, there is a sprawling expansion of 460 acres of ornamental, flower and landscape gardens known as Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, or TTD gardens. These gardens supply 500 kilograms of flowers daily to temples in and around Tirumala. The gardens are also responsible for the beautification of the temples on special occasions. It is believed that Ramanuja and his disciple Sri Anandalwar paved the way for these gardens in the 14th century. Another legend is that Sattada Sri Vaishnavas cultivated the Tirumala flower gardens under the name of Dasa Nambis. Now the gardens have four nurseries in the Travellers Bungalow area, Gogarbham Dam area, Sri Padmavathi Guest House area and Divyaramam area where ten lakh plants are produced annually. One can see mixed assortments of crotons, bougainvillea and hibiscus, named after great personalities like N.T. Ramarao, S.D. Sarma and Ramanuja. The gardens are also complemented by various streams and ponds, which are full of lotus flowers. Over the past fifty years, the Sathatha Sri Vaishnava have formed local, regional and national associations for the education and improvement of their community. Sources[edit] Nammalvar : Hymns for the drowning translations by AK Ramanujan Thrikodithanam Mahavishnu Temple - Temple associated with Nammalvar Kovil olugu Araiyar Sevai araiyar en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telugu_castes See also[edit] Divya Prabhandham Alvars Ramanuja Manavala Mamunigal Hindu reform movements Notes[edit] Migration of brahmins THENKALAI Thenkalai comment Thenkalai References[edit] Jump up ^ https://books.google/books?id=GAS8TN50bJcC&pg=PA168&dq=sattada&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PWbAVKbHKIqpNvyagdAD&ved=0CE0Q6AEwCTge#v=onepage&q=sattada&f=false Ghurye, G. S. (1991). Caste and Race in India. Bombay: Popular Prakashan. ISBN 0-8364-1837-9. T. Osborne, C. Hitch, A. Millar, John Rivington, S. Crowder, B. Law & Co, T. Longman, C. Ware (1765). The Modern part of an universal history from the Earliest Account of Time, Vol XLIII. London: Oxford University. E. Gover, Charles (1871). The Folk songs of Southern India. Madras: Higginbotham & Co. Thurston, Edgar; K. Rangachari (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India Volume I - A and B. Madras: Government Press.-Source WIKIPEDIA
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 06:47:00 +0000
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