Ancient Tamil Sangam poetry suggests a civilization which was well established in southern India at the time of Christ. Between A.D. 600-1600, rival dynasties - Chera, Pallava, Chola, Pandya - backed literature, art, and the building of Hindu temples. During this period, peaceful migrations and military invasions, led Tamils to become well established in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The Tamil language belongs to the Dravidian family of languages, which is possibly the earliest surviving language group in the South Asian subcontinent. Tamils are a large minority in Sri Lanka. Brahmins make up a small percentage of these Tamil speakers. The Tamil Brahmins are located in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka in southern India. Many Tamils have also settled in various countries including, Europe, Canada, the United States, Malaysia and Singapore, and especially the northeastern part of Sri Lanka.
Brahmins are a privileged caste in Hinduism, known as a "forward" caste. Though some of them still are Hindu priests like their ancestors, the situation is much more complicated in today's world. Though many of them have royal blood, they usually hold prestigious and lucrative jobs, both in India and Sri Lanka. Most of the Tamil Brahmins are from the Lyer subgroup, which is also prominent in southern India. Lyer Brahmins participate in the Avani Avittam festival, which celebrates the day the sacred Vedas were brought back from a thief named Asuras. They celebrate it in late August or early September. This festival is unique to Brahmins in this part of the world.
They see themselves as the preservers and teachers of Hinduism.
The majority of Tamil Brahmins follow the Hindu religion, but during medieval times there were also Buddhists and Jains. There are Tamil-speaking Christians and Muslims. Tamil beliefs are based on Hindu concepts. The Tamils believe the different genders help give form and consciousness to the cosmos (male) and are given energy and substance (female). The Tamils call the pairing of the male (passive and cool) and female (active and hot) Siva-Sakti (the pairing of the male god Siva and the female aspect Sakti).
The Tamil Brahmins need to submit to Jesus Christ so they can experience the abundant life He offers them in John 10:10.
Pray for a Disciple Making Movement among them to begin this decade.
Scripture Prayers for the Brahmin unspecified in Sri Lanka.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Brahmin of India profile for Children and Family Missions Activities |
People Name General | Brahmin |
People Name in Country | Brahmin unspecified |
Pronunciation |
BRAH-min
|
Alternate Names | Aruva; Asomiya Brahman; Asomiya Brahmin; Assmese Brahman; Assmese Brahmin; Bahrani; Bahun; Bajey; Baman; Bhagavathulu; Brahman-Khatri; Brahmin-Khatri; Dravidulu Brahman; Dravidulu Brahmin; Gaur; Gorkha; Nepali; Pandit; Peshin; Sharma; Smartha Brahman; Smartha Brahmin; Sourashtra; Swangla; ब्रामिन |
Population this Country | 4,400 |
Population all Countries | 35,268,000 |
Total Countries | 6 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 16521 |
ROP3 Code | 111696 |
Country | Sri Lanka | |||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked | |||||||||
Total States on file | 9 | |||||||||
Largest States |
|
Country | Sri Lanka |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Total States | 9 |
Northern 31,000 | |
Central 23,000 | |
Eastern 19,000 | |
Western 14,000 | |
Uva 7,300 | |
Sabaragamuwa 6,400 | |
North Western 2,400 | |
Southern 1,500 | |
North Central 500 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.22 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.78 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest Sri Lanka census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Tamil | ||||||
Language Code | tam Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 7 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Tamil |
Language Code | tam Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 7 |
Secondary Languages | |
Bengali | |
Gujarati | |
Hindi | |
Kannada | |
Punjabi, Eastern | |
Telugu | |
People Groups | Speaking Tamil |
Primary Language: Tamil
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1714-1956) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1715-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1727-2021) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Anonymous |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |