Audichya Brahmins are a Hindu

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. They are the most numerous Brahmin community in Gujarat. A minority of them reside in the Indian state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

. The word "Audichya" means Northern in Sanskrit. This became the caste name because they claim ancestry from the gangetic planes of the present state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

(UP) and moved to Gujarat during the rule of Patan's king Siddharaj Jayasinh in 11th century AD. They were invited by the king for priestly duties at Rudramahal in Patan.

Classification

The caste is divided into two endogamous groups, the Sahasra and the Tolakia. In a census in 1883, the sahasra were numerically a much bigger community than the Tolakia. The sahasra are further subdivided into the Zalawadi, Sihora and Sidhpora groups. The community is at times also differentiated by their geographical location they came from, for example, Marwadi audichya, Kutch audichya or Wagadia audichya. Other differentiation is by the caste that retains them as

purohit Purohita ( sa, पुरोहित), in the Hindu context, means ''chaplain'' or ''family priest'' within the Vedic priesthood. In Thailand and Cambodia, it refers to the royal chaplains. Etymology The word ''purohita'' derives from the S ...

(family priest) for rituals, for example Darji-gor, Mochi-gor, Kanbi-gor, Koli-gor, Charan- gor, Raj-gor in Saurashtra and northern Gujarat. The Parajia sub-group of Audichya Brahmins worked as hereditory purohitas of Charanas around Junagarh.

Society and culture

In the past, since the Sidhpora sub-caste was considered higher in social ranking, other audichya groups considered it a point of honor to offer their daughters in marriage to Sidhpora men. In the past this custom led to polygamy amongst the Sidhpora group. During the British colonial rule, the caste was one of the first Gujarati community to take up western education. The community along with the Bhatia also were the first to form a caste association. The caste association's aim was mutual help and support for members in the cities and to promote education.Shah, Ghanshyam. “Middle Class Politics: Case of Anti-Reservation Agitations in Gujarat.” Economic and Political Weekly 22, no. 19/21 (1987): AN155–72. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4377019.

References

Brahmins Priestly castes Gujarati people Social groups of Gujarat Brahmin communities of Gujarat {{Social groups of Gujarat