Vadama, meaning "Northerners", are a sub-sect of theIyer community ofTamil Brahmins. While some believe that their name is an indication of the fact that they were the most recentBrahmin migrants to theTamil country others interpret the usage of the term "Vadama" as a reference to their strict adherence to theSanskrit language and Vedic rituals which are of northerly origin.

The termVadama may have originated from theTamil termVadakku meaning North, indicating the Northern origin of the Vadama Brahmins.^{[1][page needed]} However, what is not certain is whether 'North' refers to northern Tamil Nadu/Southern Deccan, or regions farther north. Other scholars are of the opinion that rather than the superficial indication of a northern origin for the people, the term"vadama" would rather refer to proficiency inSanskrit andVedic ritual, generally associated with the north prior to the first millennium CE.^{[2][page needed]}

Vadamas are further sub-divided into five categories

• Vadadesa Vadama (Vadamas of the northern country)^{[citation needed]}
• Choladesa Vadama^{[3][page needed][4][page needed]} (Vadamas of theChola country)^{[citation needed]}
• Sabhaiyar(member of the conference (Sabha))^{[citation needed]}
• Injee^{[citation needed]} and
• Thummagunta Dravida.^{[citation needed]}

Some historians hold that all Brahmins who migrated to the far-south during and after the age of theGupta Emperors, came to be classified as Vadama.^{[5][page needed]}

Instability prevailed in Peninsular India in the aftermath of the defeat of theYadavas ofDeogiri andKakatiyas ofWarangal in the early 14th century by theTughlaqs. In response to the Moslem irruptions the Kingdom ofVijayanagar was founded in 1336, and came to be locked in an existential struggle with theBahmani Sultanate from 1347 to 1490, when the Moslem state broke up. This early period was marked by much strife, especially in thejihads ofTaj ud-Din Firuz Shah (1397–1422) and his brotherAhmad Shah I Wali (1422–1435), when thousands of Hindus, especially Brahmins, were enslaved and temples of the northern Deccan desecrated. The oppression was also felt in the eastern peninsula as far as theGajapati Kingdom where, for instance in 1478,Muhammad Shah III Lashkari (1463–1482) demolished the Great Temple ofKondavidu and was acclaimed as aghazi, for personally decapitating all the Brahmins. Such excesses induced Brahmins to seek refuge in the realms of Vijayanagar, where many were appointedkarnams (bailiffs) in preference to other castes, from the reign ofHarihara I (1336–1357) onward.^{[6][page needed]}

After the division of theBahmani Sultanate in 1490, into the Sultanates ofBijapur,Golconda,Ahmadnagar andBerar, the armies of Vijayanagar were successful in fending of invasions and restricting the Sultanates to Central India, especially in the reign ofKrishnadeva Raya (1509–1529), who also began the practice of appointing Brahmins commanders of strategically important forts.^[6]

Relative peace prevailed until theBattle of Talikota, in 1565, whenRama Raya of Vijayanagar was killed and the capital city razed to the ground. The land, in addition to being plundered by the combined armies of the Sultanates, came to be oppressed by renegadepolygars and bandits whose rise commenced with the destruction of the central power.^[6] TheMogul invasion of Peninsular India and the depredations of the Deccan by the Mahrattas underShivaji also began early in the 17th century.

The relatives and family members ofC. P. Ramaswami Iyer, a Vadadesa Vadama, believed that they were descended from Brahmins of theDesh region ofMaharashtra andMadhya Pradesh who migrated toChittoor district ofAndhra Pradesh from where they migrated to the northern part of Tamil Nadu in the 16th century where they were granted the village ofChetpet by a local chieftain.^[7]

During the 19th century, the Vadamas along with otherTamil Brahmins made ample use of the opportunities provided by British rule to dominate the civil services, legislature and the judiciary in theMadras Presidency. Throughout the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century there was intense political rivalry between the Vadamas and the Brahacharanams for the domination of Brahmin villages calledagraharams.^[8]

SociologistAndre Beteille, in his thesisCaste, class, and power: changing patterns of stratification in a Tanjore village, describes them as the biggestmirasidars among the Iyer community. They may also have organised the agraharams' defence in turbulent times for though there were not many who joined the army, they were not specifically forbidden to take to arms.^[9]

In the 19th century, as with otherIyers, many of the Vadama joined, the judiciary ofBritish India as lawyers and judges, or served in theIndian Civil andRevenue Services. Many others continued in the service of the kings of the princely states ofTravancore,Mysore,Pudukottai, andRamnad.^[10]

The crescent or U-mark applied with the Gopichandanam is mostly used ascaste mark by the Vadamas

The Vadama traditionally claim to be superior to other classes of Iyers.^{[11][page needed]}

Vadamas have also significantly contributed towards popularizing and propagating the worship of Shiva and Devi.^[12][13]

• Appayya Dikshitar and nephewNeelakanta Deekshitar legendary scholars who re-establishedAdvaita philosophy's predominance in the South belonged to the Vadadesa Vadama sect and migrated from places nearNasik. They were especially patronised by the rulers ofVellore andMadurai,Chinnabomma Nayak andTirumalai Nayak, respectively.^{[14][page needed][need quotation to verify]}

• Nilakanta Krishnan - Recipient of theDistinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) for his services to theRoyal Indian Navy during theSecond World War. Commanded theaircraft carrier,INS Vikrant in theBay of Bengal duringIndo-Pakistani War of 1971: was also the Flag officer commanding for theEastern Naval Command of theIndian Navy during this war.^{[15][page needed]}

• Syama Sastri, one of the doyens of Carnatic Music, a descendant of a group of Vadadesa Vadama who fledConjeeveram in the wake of a Muslim attack.^{[16][page needed][17][page needed]}
• Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Carnatic musician^{[18][page needed][need quotation to verify]}

• Gopalakrishna Bharathi, his father Ramaswami Bharathi and grandfather Kothandarama Bharathi, a family of eminent Carnatic musicians^{[19][page needed][20][page needed]}
• F.G. Natesa Iyer (1880–1963), founder of Rasika Ranjana Sabha, Trichy, talent scout, officer of the South Indian Railway Company, pioneered modern Tamil drama, Tamil cinema actor, also elected Mayor of Trichy in the 1920s^{[21][full citation needed]}

• Shakunthala Jagannathan (1999).Sir C. P. Remembered. Vakils, Feffer and Simmons Ltd.ISBN 81-87111-27-5.

• Tamil Brahmins
• Smarta tradition
• Social groups of Tamil Nadu
• South Indian communities

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