Vganeji, I agree with you. This list is worthless.
Bhumihar Brahmins:
They were Rajputs, but they did not accept that Brahmins were higher than them, so one fine day they declared themselves to be Brahmins. They are usually landlords and warrior clans. Other Brahmins of Bihar do not accept them as Brahmins. These bhumiars are meat eaters, and very aggressive chieftains.
As with many castes in India, there are numerous myths regarding the origins of the Bhumihar community. One legend claims that their ancestors were Brahmins who were set up to take the place of the
Kshatriyas slain by
Parashurama but some non-Bhumihars have implied that they are the mixed-race offspring of Brahmin men and Kshatriya women. Other legends state that they are the offspring of a union between
Rajput men and Brahmin women, or that they derive from
Brahman-
Buddhists who lost their high position in Hindu society. The Bhumihars themselves dislike these narratives involving "hybridity" or "fallen status", and claim to be pure Brahmins.
Bhumihars claim to be descendants of Brahmins who held land grants, a theory supported by scholars such as
Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya. However, other communities did not give them the ritual status of Brahmins, as most of them were cultivators during the British Raj.[SUP]
[4][/SUP] Some of the early censuses of British India categorised Bhumihars as
Shudras, the lowest of the four
varnas. This was considered insulting, especially since several
zamindars (land-owning aristocrats) were Bhumihars.
Nagar Brahmins:
Nagars claim themselves to be superior to Brahmins, they have brahmins as cooks. They trace their ancestry to Greeks. They are usually very fair, with blue eyes.
The eminent historian D. R. Bhandarkar was the first to point out that the surnames used by the Nagar Brahmins in the recent past are amongst the surnames of Brahmins in whose favour the Kings made grants, as found in early inscriptions between the 6th and 8th centuries AD. Dr. Bhandarkar has shown that the
Sapadalaksha Brahmins were the same as the Nagar Brahmins, who were undoubtedly of Alpine origin.
Alpine Aryans are believed to have entered India as part of Aryan immigration during the third millennium BC. It has been suggested that the Nagar Brahmins along with the present-day Bengali Kayasthas are amongst the purest forms of this type; they were originally the Brahmin priests of the Alpines, as evident from several early inscriptions, and that probably explains their comparative pure state till now.
Nambudris:
Would be insulted to be included in this list. They claim themselves to be superior to Brahmins. They too have brahmins as servants.
I think this list is wrong in so many instances. I think it should be authenticated otherwise it is a meaningless list.
May be this will increase the NUMBERS of brahmins. It might be better to include Brahmin Bulls
, Brahmin Bags
, and Boston Brahmins
.
