Gayawal Brahmin

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Wikipedia

Gayawal Brahmins (also known as Brahma Kalpit Brahmins or Gayawal Pandas or Pandas of Gaya or Gayawal Tirth Purohits) are a Hindu caste, mainly concentrated in the Gaya district of Bihar, which is their native place. Gayawal Brahmins follow the Dvaita philosophy propounded by Madhvacharya and are followers of Uttaradi Matha.[1][2][3]

The Gayawal Brahmins are the traditional priests at Vishnupad Temple.[4] The Gayawal community serves as the principal temple priesthood at the major Hindu pilgrimage site of Gaya.[5][6][7]

Etymology

“Gayawal” literally means “a resident of Gaya,” but in practice the term refers specifically to a distinct Brahmin community known as the Gayawal Brahmins.[8]

References

  1. ↑ A. M. Shah (6 December 2012). The Structure of Indian Society: Then and Now. Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-136-19771-0. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  2. ↑ L. P. Vidyarthi (1992). "Gaya Priests and Their Social Networks". In T. N. Madan (ed.). Religion in India. Oxford University Press. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-19-563092-3. A third religious leader who has had a tremendous influence on the Gayawal is Madhvacharya who flourished during the twelfth-century AD. The Gayawal caste as a whole is a follower of the Madhva Vaishnava sect, and, as we have noted earlier, the Madhva math is a living religious centre that wields a powerful influence on Gayawal.
  3. ↑ Sharma, B. N. Krishnamurti (2000). A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Vol 1. 3rd Edition. Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint). p. 886. ISBN 978-8120815759. The Gayawalas, as the Brahmins of the place are called, are disciples of the Uttaradi Mutt.
  4. ↑ Salila Kulshreshtha (5 October 2017). From Temple to Museum Colonial Collections and Umā Maheśvara Icons in the Middle Ganga Valley. Taylor & Francis. p. 171. The courtyard of the temple contains baradari or accommodations for the Gayawal priests, the main priests for the Vishnupad shrine.
  5. ↑ A.R. Desai (1975). State and Society in India. Popular Prakashan. p. 438. The Gayawal are the main temple priests at the great pilgrimage center of Gaya.
  6. ↑ Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi (1978). The Sacred Complex in Hindu Gaya. Concept Publication Company. p. 58.
  7. ↑ Journal of Social Research, Volume 17. Council of Social and Cultural Research, Bihar. 1974. p. 3.
  8. ↑ Prasad, Narbadeshwar (1952). "The Gayawals of Bihar". American Anthropologist. 54 (2): 279. ISSN 0002-7294.