Trikarmi brahmins?

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

Robert Zydenbos <zydenbos at BIGFOOT.DE> wrote:

>The colleagues suspect that this concept of trikarmi brahmins is a
>recent one, and it resembles the distinction between "vaidika" and
>"laukika" brahmins, which is particularly current in northern

Well, as far as the Saraswat Brahmins in the south are concerned, this issue
is at least three-four centuries old. V. N. Kudva (History of the
Dakshinatya Saraswats) and Frank Conlon (A Caste in a Changing World) give
details of how various Smarta and Madhva Mathadhipatis were asked to ratify
the Shatkarmi status of the Saraswats, between 1600 and 1700 CE. The issue
does seem to have been more important in areas of Marathi influence than
elsewhere.

Vidyasankar

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