Gayawal Brahmin

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. ISBN   978-1-351-35609-1. 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. ISBN   978-81-7154-013-6. 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): 279–283. doi:10.1525/aa.1952.54.2.02a00340. ISSN   0002-7294. JSTOR   663940.