Brahman

Brahman (Brahmin) refers to the priestly category of Hindus. Though only a small minority of the Indian population, Brahmans hold the highest position in the caste system because of their extreme purity and sacerdotal profession. Some also live outside India in Nepal, Sri Lanka, or in small Hindu enclaves in Bali, Lombok, and Thailand. In India there are several hundred Brahman castes, which recognize differences of status among themselves. They constitute a caste-block or varna. The various castes are distinguished from one another first in terms of mother tongue (e.g., Tamil Brahmans); then in terms of philosophical sect (e.g., Smarta Brahmans); and finally in terms of a locality that had long been their homeland (e.g., Kongudesa Brahmans, those from the Kongu kingdom in Tamil Nadu).

For at least 2,500 years Brahmans have served as temple priests or family priests (purohita). In modern times they have been teachers, scribes, landowners, or government officials. Because they are disproportionately influential in modern politics, some states have experienced an anti-Brahman backlash.

Brahmans' essential attributes are (1) their supreme level of purity, maintained by a vegetarian diet and by caste endogamy; (2) their literacy in Sanskrit and other languages; and (3) their knowledge of Hindu liturgy. Their services are still in great demand for weddings and other family ceremonies, and are essential conducting puja (worship and offerings) in many temples.

Paul Hockings

Madan, Triloki Nath. (1989) Family and Kinship: A Study of the Pandits of Rural Kashmir. 2d ed. Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Nanjundayya, H. V., and L .K. Ananthakrishna Iyer. (1928) "Brahman." In The Mysore Tribes and Castes. Vol. 2. Mysore, India: Mysore University, 297–549.