Pancha-Dravida
One of the two major groupings of Brahmins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pancha Dravida (lit. 'Five Dravida' from Sanskrit: पंच pancha) is one of the two major groupings of Brahmins in Hinduism, of which the other is Pancha-Gauda.
In Rajatarangini
Kalhana, in his Rajatarangini (c. 12th century CE), classifies the following five Brahmin communities as Pancha Dravida, stating that they reside to the south of the Vindhyas:[1][2]
- Karnataka (Karnataka Brahmins)
- Tailanga (Telugu Brahmins)
- Dravida (Brahmins of Tamil Nadu and Kerala)
- Maharashtraka (Maharashtrian Brahmins)
- Gurjara (Gujarati, Marwari and Mewari Brahmins[3])
In the Sahyādrikhaṇḍa
A fragment of the Sahyādrikhaṇḍa, featured in Hemadri's Chatur-varga-chintamani (13th century), quotes Shiva to name the following divisions of the Pancha Dravidas:[4][5]
- Drāviḍa
- Tailaṅga
- Karnāṭa
- Madhyadeśa (identified with Mahārāṣṭra in variant readings)
- Gurjara
In the kaifiyats
The Maratha-era kaifiyats (bureaucratic records) of Deccan, which give an account of the society in the southern Maratha country, mention the following Brahmin communities as Pancha Dravida:[6]
- Andhra-Purva Desastha
- Dravida Desastha
- Karnataka Brahmins
- Desastha
The kafiyats classify the Gurjara Brahmins as Pancha Gauda. They also mention the following 16 sub-castes of the Pancha-Dravidas:[6]
- Smarta
- Konkanastha
- Karhade
- Varkari
- Madhyandin
- Vanas
- Karnataka
- Shashtika
- Nandavamshika
- Srivaishnava Telanga
- Srivaishnava
- Pratham-Shakhikanva
- Kirvant
- Sihavasai
- Nurcher
- Shenavi
- Govalkonde
