How many types of Brahmin are there?

There are five principal categories of Brahmins in UP – Kanyakubj, Gaud, Saraswat, Maithil, and Utkal. Each of these is further subdivided, arranged in a hierarchy primarily based on claims to ritual purity but also on other social determinants.

Who are highest caste Brahmins?

Traditionally, the Brahmins are accorded the highest ritual status of the four social classes. Their livelihood is prescribed to be one of strict austerity and voluntary poverty (“A Brahmin should acquire what just suffices for the time, what he earns he should spend all that the same day”).

Which is the highest gotra in Brahmins?

They are (1) Atri, (2) Bharadvaja, (3) Gautama Maharishi, (4) Jamadagni, (5) Kashyapa, (6) Vasishta and (7) Vishvamitra. To this list, Agastya is also sometimes added.

What are the 5 levels of caste?

Indian society was divided into five castes:
  • Brahmins: the priestly caste. After their religious role decreased they became the caste of officialdom.
  • Kshatriya: warrior caste. …
  • Vaisya: the commoner caste. …
  • Sudras: represented the great bulk of the Indian population. …
  • Untouchables: descendants of slaves or prisoners.

Who is a true Brahmin?

A TRUE Brahmin is one who has acquired brahminhood not by birth but through his noble actions. He who has gained Supreme Self-knowledge is a Brahmin. Vedas and Epics proclaim that there is no caste differentiation in the Brahminic State.

How many castes are there in Brahmin?

The Brahmans are divided into 10 main territorial divisions, five of which are associated with the north and five with the south. The northern group consists of Sarasvati, Gauda, Kannauj, Maithil, and Utkal Brahmans, and the southern group comprises Maharashtra, Andhra, Dravida, Karnata, and Malabar Brahmans.

Which is highest caste in India?

A hierarchical system wherein generally the Brahmins were at the head of the hierarchy, but this hierarchy was disputed in some cases. In various linguistic areas, hundreds of castes had a gradation generally acknowledged by everyone.

Which surnames are Brahmins?

Mishra, Pandey, Bharadwaj, Deshmukh, Deshpande, Kulkarni, Desai, Patil, Jothi, Kaul, Trivedi, Chaturvedi, Agnihotri, Mukherjee, Chatterjee, Acharya, Goswami, Desai, Bhat, Rao, Hegde, Sharma, Shastri, Tiwari, Shukla, Namboothiri, Iyer, Iyengar and what not. Brahmins use their caste names as surnames with much pride.

Is Saraswat Brahmin high caste?

The Saraswat Brahmins originating in Balochistan were called sindhur and were considered a low caste. They have a legend of origin related to Lord Ramachandra(not the same as Parashurama), who could not find a priest in Balochistan and applied a Tilaka on the head of some Mleccha.

Which caste is very rich in India?

50.3 percent of Brahmins are in the wealthy class, 13 percent are in the lower category, and the rest are in the middle class, as per the National Health survey. One significant observation about Brahmins is that the Brahmin community can practice any occupation or source of livehood.

Do Brahmins have different DNA?

The results showed that Brahmins had genetic affinities with several foreign populations and also shared their genetic heritage with several domestic non-Brahmin groups.

Is Jha a Brahmin?

But jha is the surname of brahmins from mithla . They are maithil gaud brahmins .

What caste is Sharma?

Sharma is a Brahmin Hindu surname in India and Nepal.

Who are ancestors of Brahmins?

The Rigveda states that the Brahmin community is descended from the first seven Brahmin saints (Saptarishi) of the Vedic age, who, according to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, were, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishta and Kashyapa.

What is the race of Brahmins?

The Brahmins were Aryan invaders from the North and therefore brought their own language—Sanskrit—with them.

Are Dravidians Brahmins?

Classification. They fall under the Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in India.

What are the 7 Gotras?

Gotra originally referred to the seven lineage segments of the Brahmans (priests), who trace their derivation from seven ancient seers: Atri, Bharadvaja, Bhrigu, Gotama, Kashyapa, Vasishtha, and Vishvamitra.

Can I change my caste to Brahmin?

Cast cannot be changed once applied. There is no provision for changing the Caste. The only way that people adopt is to change the religion from HINDU and after some time return to the HINDUism again and accept a caste of your choice at that time…