Agraharam is a name given to the dwelling place of Brahmins in India.
This term is unique especially in South India.
The term Agrahara means Primary Garland.
Agraharam, Brahmins’ Dwelling Place, India,
This might denote the social status accorded to Brahmins because of their character.
Agrahara also means the primary Garland because of the lay out of the ancient indian villages/towns.
Every town /Village had, at its center,a Temple.
The streets were surrounding it in the form of a Garland..
The First street was the Agrahara, inhabited by Brahmins.
Aerial View of Madurai.see the structure of the streets now changed.
This comes after the Sannidhi Street,which contains more Small temples, other than the primary one,.
Then the Mada Veedhis.
This ,again is peculiar to South India.
Madam in Tamil means Balcony.
In ancient days the Mada Veedihs were the prerogative of the Kings.
Exception was Brahmins’ Dwelling Area.
After Mada Veedis came the Agrahara.
Then Mettukudi.
Other names were also used.
This as occupied by people of the other Varnas, loosely defined now as Caste,Kshatriyas, Vaisyas.
Outer most area was occupied by the Sudras.
Shudras were the off springs of Inter caste marriages and those who failed to follow The Vedic Dharma.
This was determined by disposition as well.
With the change in Brahmins vocation and their seeking their livelihood in other professions, this Agrahara has changed, the houses having been sold to other communities.
Curiously enough, it is the Tamil, which is portrayed as anti Sanatana Dharam, which is untrue,that describes the Agrahara in details, not Sanskrit!
‘The houses had in front of them, a shed with short legs to which were tied fat calves; the houses were washed with cowdung and had idols (inside them). Domestic fowl and dogs did not approach them. It was the village of the guardians of the Veda who teach its sounds to the parrots with the bent mouth. If you (bard) reach (the place), fair faced bangled ladies who are as chaste as (Arundhathi) the little star which shines in the north of the bright, broad sky, will after sunset feed you on the well-cooked rice named after the bird (explained by the commentator as the rice called irasanam) along with slices of citron boiled in butter taken, from the buttermilk derived from red cows and scented with the leaves of the karuvembu, and mixed with pepper-powder, and the sweet-smelling tender fruit plucked from the tall mango tree and pickled.’
Agrahara List.
There are a number of places in Southern Karnataka named agrahara. These places might have, probably, originated as Brahmin villages.
- Agrahara,(near Baragur) Handikunte post, Sira taluk, Tumkur dist, Karnataka
- Agrahara, Arkalgud, in Hassan district of Karnataka state, India
- Agrahara, Arsikere, in Hassan district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Channarayapatna, in Hassan district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Chiknayakanhalli, in Tumkur district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Chintamani, in Kolar district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Holalkere, in Chitradurga district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Hosadurga, in Chitradurga district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Hunsur, in Mysore district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Kadur, in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Kanakapura, in Bangalore Rural district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Koratagere, in Tumkur district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Malur, in Kolar district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Sandur, in Bellary district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Shrirangapattana, in Mandya district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Sira, in Tumkur district of Karnataka
- Agrahara, Srinivaspur, in Kolar district of Karnataka
- Agrahara Bachahalli, in Krishnarajpet taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka
- Agrahara Palya, in Bangalore North taluk of Bangalore district, Karnataka
- Agrahara Somarasanahalli, in Kola taluk of Kolar district, Karnataka
- Agrahara Vaddahalli, in Hosakote taluk of Bangalore Rural district, Karnataka
- Agrahara Valagerehalli, in Channapatna taluk of Bangalore Rural district, Karnataka
- Konappana Agrahara, town in Anekal taluk adjoining Electronics City.
- Rupena Agrahara
- Agrahara,(near Baragur) Handikunte post, Sira taluk, Tumkur dist, Karnataka
Tamil Nadu[edit]
- Annalagraharam, village in Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district.
- Ganapathi Agraharam, village in Thanjavur district
- Kondayyampettai Agraharam, a locality in Thiruvanaikaval
- Pallipalayam Agraharam, village in Namakkal district
- Pudupalaiyam Agraharam, village in Kanniyakumari district.
- Kolinjivadi Agraharam, village in Dharapuram taluk of Tiruppur district
- Agraharam, village in Vellore district
- Thuvariman Agraharam, village in Madurai district
- Malaipattu Agraharam, Proposed Agraharam concept approved layout, in Sriperumbudur Taluk, Kanchipuram District.
- Sannidhi Street, Ravanasamudram, Tirunelveli district.
- Agraharam, village in Denkanikottai Taluk of Krishnagiri District
Kerala
- There is a famous Agraharam in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala called Valiya Sala which is the lengthiest Agraharam in India.
- Agraharams in Palakkad district are around 96. When the count of villages in the municipal area, they are around 18 of them. The concept is similar with houses in row on both sides and a temple at one end. They may differ in shapes – some are in straight line, some are T shaped and few have multiple temples within the village.
- There are two main cluster Agraharams in Kottakkakam (Fort) and Karamana in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala State, India. The cluster in Fort is a string of several streets outside the four entrances of the Temple of the presiding deity of Thiruvananthapuram i.e. Sri Padmanabha Swami (Mahavishnu reclining on a serpent floating on ocean (Ksheerasaagaram). South Street, West Street, Ramaswami Kovil Street(North entrance), Pazhavangadi Street(East entrance), Thamman Street, First Puthen Street, Second Puthen Street, Third Puthen Street, Deekshidar Street, Edachery Kotta Street, Chottupura Street, Otta Street etc. are the main Agraharams in Fort cluster. Similarly there are several streets in Karamana Agraharam cluster also.
- List of Kerla Agraharams.
The agraharams were constructed according to its own principles of architecture. Each house opened out into the street and each had a vasal-thinnai, which led to the ul-thinnai, rezhi, thazhvaram, adukkalai and kottil. Many of the agraharams had small inner courtyards, which provided adequate daylight to the rooms. Some of the agraharams are;
- Kizhakkencherry Gramam, Palakkad
- Vadakkencherry Gramam, Palakkad
- Thekke Gramam (Southern Village), Chittur, Palakkad
- Padinjare Gramam, Thathamangalam, Palakkad
- Kizhakkencherry Gramam, Palakkad
- Kuzhalmannam Agraharam, Palakkad
- Agraharam in Thiruvananthapuram
Citations.
http://www.karmakerala.com/guide/kerala-agraharams.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agraharam
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