Gurukkal brahmins/Sivacharyas

Gurukkal or Sivacharya or Adisaiva Brahmins are a sub-sect of Vadamas not recognized as one amongst them and whose duties are to worship at temples of Shiva. Gurukkal is Tamil plural form of the Sanskrit word "Guru" - Spiritual Teacher.

While many Tamil brahmins follow the Shanmatha system, gurukkals are strictly Saivite. More than the Vedas, they adhere to the Saiva Agamaa (ritual practices). Both the Vedas and Agamas are considered "shruti", meaning "that which is heard," or revealed scripture.

Etymology

Gurukkal is Tamil plural form of the Sanskrit word "Guru" - Spiritual Teacher. These are the brahmins who acted as gurus to medieval king like Rajaraja I and brought many kings in to the fold of saivism.They are believed to be early brahmin migrants to the Tamil country.

Migration of Brahmins

Tamil Nadu welcomed these new migrants with open hands. The stories of the migration of Agasthya and his being the founder of the river Cauvery are chronicled in ancient Tamil myth. His disciple Tholkappiyar, who is definitely a historical figure wrote the first book in Tamil viz. Tholkappiyam. This book clearly mentions the existence of Brahmins in Tamil Nadu. There is some evidence pointing out to Tholkappiyar himself being a Brahmin. They were initially called Anthanars or Parpanars or aravor or vediyars. Tholkappiyam also mentions the word Aiyar in one place.

The kings of Tamil Nadu were attracted by these learned pundits and made them their Asans or teachers. These teachers also were given several powers by them. Apart from this, several villages were given to them as grants, free of cost and free of tax. These were called Brahmodayams or Chadurvedimangalams. Possibly in a much later period they were renamed Agraharams. Though new to the culture and language, these new migrants learned the language of the country and the ancient books mention many great poets among them in the courts of some very famous kings. These early migrants also brought the concept of Gothras. Bharadwaja, Koundinya, Kasyapa, Kaushika and Atreya Gothras are mentioned in the early sangam literature. They initially did not name themselves as they do in modern times after the Gods they worship but tended to use their Gothra in their names. Some of the examples of the early names were Kauniyan Vinnantayan (Kaundinya), Palai Gautamanar (Gautama), Ilankausikanar (Kausika), Kallil Athreyanar (Atreya), and Bharadwaji Nachinarkiniyanar (Bharadwaja) and so on.

They were strict vegetarians, teetotalers and spoke a specialized dialect of Tamil among themselves. Their houses had a “well-washed-scrubbed-courtyard” and mostly a cow and a calf were tied to a post in front of their houses and dog and fowls were assiduously kept out. The Brahmin of those times had sixfold duties viz. learning of Vedic texts, teaching of Vedas, performing yagnas (called velvi in Tamil), helping others perform yagnas, giving of gifts and taking of gifts. Among the earliest schools of Vedas started by them were the Ghatika in Kanchi and the Vedic School in a village called Ennayiram. The sangam literature mentions about a famous Brahmin named Punjarurkavunian Vinnandayan who is supposed to have performed many Vedic sacrifices during those times.

The next big wave of migrants were the Vadamas, so called by others who have already settled as Northerners. There were other smaller sub groups like Vathimas also. Many of these migrants whose main occupation was learning Vedas and performing Yagnas took to Temple worship in Tamil Nadu by gaining proficiency in agama Sastras. These were called Gurukkal (gurukuls) in general and some of these prominent groups were again grouped in to Sholiyars. Since the initial migrants felt that these people have committed a big mistake by taking up Temple Worship, they were looked down by the other groups. Another prominent and well recognized group of learned Brahmins were the Chidambaram Dikshitars

History

Some scholars opine that Sivacharyas were settlers from North India and Rajendra I who conquered Western Bengal and North India. V.S.Pathak says in his book, "Saivism in Early medieval India as known from archaeological sources: Rajendra Chola saw the best of the Saivas in Northern India when he came to take a bath in the Ganges and carried them to settle in his own country in Kanchi and elsewhere in the chola land."

Jnanasambandhar is said to have been a brahmin from the Kaundinya gotra. Again Thirumular is said to come from the North and he was said to an associate of Agastya. Thirumular was one of the eight foremost disciples of Rishi Nandinatha some 4,500 years ago. Thirumular taught the monistic school of Saiva Siddhanta, known as Advaita Isvaravada Saiva Siddhanta. This is the original Saiva Siddhanta, which Meykandar later broke away from and formed the now more well-known Dualistic Saiva Siddhanta school.

Rajaraja – I and the later Kings were given diksha by the Madhya Gouda desa Sivacaryas (Adisaiva Gurus - originally immigrants from Kashmir). Rajaraja's Guru Isanasivadeva donated the swarna kalasam to Sri Brihadeeswara temple, Tanjore. Srikantasiva was the Guru of Vikarama Chola. He wrote the famous Saiva Bhashya on the Sutras of Badarayana. Isvarasiva, author of Siddhantaratnakaram was the Rajaguru of Kulotunga III.

The Acaryas of the various ati-margas like, Kapalika, Lakukisa- Pasupata, Somasiddhanta and Kalamukha were also called as Sivacaryas.