TUFT-KUDUMI

TUFT- KUDUMMI

It was in December 1980 I got a transfer as   Divisional Engineer to Tirupur from Coimbatore. When I got relieved the Director, a Brahmin told me- My brother in law is at Tirupur and he owns a Lodge. It is safe and good for you to stay there. He gave me the lodge name, his brother in law's name and spoke to him.

On reaching the Lodge at Triupur I found a Brahmin of above 50 with tuft sitting in reception. I enquired the name told by my director and he welcomed me telling he is the person and comfortably I got accommodated. Days passed and he became closer to me.

I could not resist asking him why he was having tuft.. He answered. He has studied Vedas. Once he went to see Kanchi Sankaracharya (Periyaval) and was waiting. Suddenly he called him and asked – nee vedam ellam padichirukai allava-Pinne ean Kudumi veikkallai (You have learnt Vedas- Why don't you have tuft.) From then onwards he was having tuft.  I had no knowledge that Brahmins learnt Vedas must have tuft.  

In my home sasthrikal coming for various functions from distant places had tufts. A local officiating sasthrikal too had tuft. An aged iyer belonging to samaveda and senior nampoothiries were having tufts. Tulu potties working as temples priests had tufts.  A panikkar who used to read bhagavatham was having good tuft.  These things never made me to think other than by custom and the function they perform, people having Vedic knowledge too must have tuft.

Now it comes to my recollection a Pulaya person used to assist post men also had tuft. Also Kottarathil Sankunni variar   (Eithya mala writer) had tuft in the photo I had seen.

In later days while seeing films with themes from Northen songs (Vadakkan pattukal) of Kerala, I could see Nairs, Ezhavas too wearing tufts on those days. Still later while I went to Gazhibad some north Indian Brahmins naming Dwivedi, trivedi and chathurvedi  were taking classes,  I could see bunch of  lengthy hairs at the back grown more and tied. It did not take more time for me to understand why they were having small tufts after the Tirupur incident.

After reading and seeing Chanakya in tele series, I got a clear picture of tuft he had- A small one at back with lengthy hairs. Tele-serials were taken in North; I could think he would have been born in North India only. He never tied his tuft after taking an oath till it got achieved.

Though for fashion some keep tuft now a day, in a recent tele serial- Acharankulam Anushtanagalum (Customs and procedures) in Amirtha TV about Lord Dharma sastha, I could see a well learnt young person having Tuft. He might be a Veda known person.  

Without more preludes I will go to some information I collected about tufts which I think may be interesting to you. The subject is vast and limited information I could gather are furnished.

Sincerely,

Gopala Krishnan 29-3-2020

What is the meaning of 'Kudumi'?

 From Vedic times, a bunch of hair deliberately is left uncut at the head, a little behind the centre. In English, it is called a "tuft". A tuft means "a bunch or collection of threads, grass, hair, etc., held or growing together at the base

Sikha-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The sikha or shikha means flame, powerful, ray of light, peak of a mountain. It is a name of Hindu / Indian origin, and is commonly used for females. It also means long tuft, or lock of hair, left on top or on the back of the shaven head of a male Orthodox Hindu. Though traditionally all Hindus were required to wear a śikhā, today it is seen mainly among Brahmins and temple priests. In West Bengal it is called Tiki.

Procedure

Traditionally, Hindu men shave off all their hair as a child in a samskāra or ritual known as the chudakarama. A lock of hair is left at the crown (sahasrara).Unlike most other eastern cultures (including ancient Egypt) where a coming-of-age ceremony removed childhood locks of hair similar to the śikhā in India this prepubescent hairstyle is left to grow throughout the man's life, though usually only the most orthodox religious men will continue this hairstyle. 

The śikhā is tied back or knotted to perform religious rites. Only funerals and death anniversaries are performed with the śikhā untied or with dishevelled hair. Dishevelled hair is considered inauspicious, and represents times of great sorrow or calamity.

My note- Why after the Pinda is taken by crow and bhokthas left the sasthrikal ask the women to tie their head is clear now.  

In Hindu scripture, Draupadi took an oath in the assembly of the Kurus after she was molested by Dushasana that she would remain with dishevelled hair until the enemies were properly revenged.

 Similarly, Chanakya is said to have taken an oath to leave his śikhā untied until he humbles the Nanda kings who insulted him.

Tamil Nadu and Kerala

The Tamil word for śikhā is kudumi and traditionally it is represented in two styles. The most common kudumi (called Pin Kudumi) is identical to the śikhā, with a knotted lock of hair on the crown of the head and the rest of the hair shaved off.

Mun-Kudumi is a style where the hair is grown long in the front and knotted to the forehead. This hairstyle was popular among some Brahmin groups of South India, such as the Chozhiya, Dikshitar, and Namboothiris of Kerala.

 The prominent communities in Kerala including the, Thiyyars, Nairs and temple servants (Ambalavasi), though not Brahmins, also sported this style.

The technique used to tie the hair into a Kudumi is simple and not detailed here

Hinduism

The śikhā reportedly signifies one-pointed (ekanta) focus on a spiritual goal, and devotion to God. It is also an indication of cleanliness, as well as personal sacrifice to God. According to Smriti Shastras, it is mandatory for all Hindus to keep śikhā and the first three twice-born or dvija castes (Brahmins, kshatriyas and vaishyas) to wear yajnopavita (sacred thread), also called janeu, punool, or paita.

 It has been said that the śikhā allows God to pull one to heaven, or at least from this material world of maya (illusion).

In his autobiography, Mohandas K. Gandhi writes about his encounter with an orthodox Hindu:

  He was pained to miss the shikha (tuft of hair) on my head and the sacred thread about my neck and said: 'It pains me to see you, a believing Hindu, going without a sacred thread and the shikha. These are the two external symbols of Hinduism and every Hindu ought to wear them.'... The shikha was considered obligatory by elders. On the eve of my going to England, however, I got rid of the shikha, lest when I was bareheaded it should expose me to ridicule and make me look, as I then thought, a barbarian in the eyes of the Englishmen. In fact this cowardly feeling carried me so far that in South Africa I got my cousin Chhaganlal Gandhi, who was religiously wearing the shikha, to do away with it. I feared that it might come in the way of his public work and so, even at the risk of paining him, I made him get rid of it. WikiSource

The śikhā was one of the few symbols of Hindus that transcended caste, language or regional barriers. Although there were variations of the style of sikha amongst communities, it was obligatory for all males.

Similar hairstyles

Hindus have a common belief that the śikhā "allows God to easily pull one to his abode". While the śikhā has been known to exist in India for from as far back as Chanakya, some scholars have argued that this is an Islamic, or at least an Arabian superstition, as the following passages may illustrate:

Sir Thomas Herbert, 1st Baronet (1606–1682) described a similar hairstyle worn by Persians in his book Travels in Persia:

The Persians allow no part of their body hair except the upper lip, which they wear long and thick and turning downwards; as also a lock upon the crown of the head, by which they are made to believe their Prophet will at Resurrection lift them into paradise. Elsewhere their head is shaven or made incapable of hair by the oil dowae (daway) being thrice anointed. This had been made the mode of the Oriental people since the promulgation of the alcoran (Al Quran), introduced and first imposed by the Arabians. — [5]

Similar quotes are told about western communities in earlier years having tuft not included here.

A stone head discovered at the Neolithic site of Nevalı Çori in Anatolia features what some have interpreted as an early example of a śikhā, perhaps the mark of a priest or shaman.

The śikhā may also be referred to as 'choti', 'kudumi' or 'chuda'. It should not be confused with the rattail (haircut) or the mullet hairstyle, both popularized in the 1980s in the West.

In Hinduism though, the Sikha has been worn by the temple priests of Jagannath Puri and Tirumala Balaji temples for 2000 years and therefore predate Islam. It is more believable that this belief of the sikha was taken from India along the silk road by Mohammedan followers. Muslims now do not wear a sikha but a Mohammedan beard instead.

Dikshitar-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1909 photograph depicting the traditional Dīkṣitar munkuḍumi, alternately known as pūrvaśikhā, and in English, a forelock

Veda         Ṛgveda (Āśvalāyana recension)

Yajurveda (Baudhāyana recension)

Religions Srouta Shaiva Siddhanta ,Vedic Shaivism

Languages        Sanskrit (scriptural) , Tamil (vernacular)

Related groups         Iyer Brahmin, Nambūdiri Brahmin, Śōḻiya Brahmin

My note- I have read elsewhere the nampoothiri Brahmins copied Poorva sika from Deekshitars.

Dīkṣitars (Tamil: தீக்ஷிதர்) or Thillai Vazh Anthaanar are a Vedic Shaiva Brahmin servitor community of Tamil Nadu who are based mainly in the town of Chidambaram. Smartha (especially the Vadamas), Sri Vaishnava and other brahmins in South India also carry the surname Dikshitars, but are different from the Chidambaram Dishitar.

They are an exclusive group of Brahmins learned in the Vedas and Yagnas (sacrifices) who also serve as the hereditary trustees of the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram. They are also called Thillai Muvayiravar or the Three Thousand of Thillai.  Every Dikshitar once he is married becomes as of right a trustee and archaka of the Nataraja temple. A practice unique to the community is that the priests wear the tuft of hair in front of the head similar to the Nambuthiri Brahmans of Kerala

History

They are mentioned in the 12th century work, the Periyapuranam of Sekkizhar. They were originally the ritual arbiters of imperial legitimacy in the Chola Empire, ritually crowning successive monarchs. This honour was reserved only for rulers belonging to the Chola dynasty. When Kutruva Nayanar, a chieftain of Kalandai became very powerful as a result of his conquests, he requested the 3000 of Tillai to crown him as king of the Chola country but they declined saying that they would only crown a Chola and instead fled to the Chera country to escape his wrath.

In order that he who conquered the world (Kutruvar) may not be bereft of a royal crown he requested the crowning services of the ancient three thousand servitor priests at Chidambaram (Thillai). Thereupon the priests refused the same saying that they are entitled to perform the ceremony only to the most deserving of the ancient clan of Sembiyars (Cholas). Having said this, they quit their dwelling to reach the hill country (Kerala) of the ancient Tamil Chera king.

Nambudiri - Wikipedia

Attire. Traditionally, they wore a simple cloth around the waist called a thorthu (or thortumundu), in domestic settings. When they had to travel, they wore two sets of cloth in addition known as a vasthram. Nambudiris wore their traditional hair tufts (kuṭumi or śikhā) on the front like the Dikshitars of Tamil Nadu. nampoothiri, thirumulapadu, nedungadi, battathiri, battathirppad, parayan, mulayan sported kudumies but different style

Who were/are required to wear purvashikha?

(1) What is the significance of "purvashikha"?

 (2) Has this practice now died out?

Sanskrit word of sikha refers to a long tuft, or lock of hair left in the front, on top or on the back of the shaven head of a Hindu male.. The injunction comes from Manu Smriti (2.27)

    "By oblations to fire… by the tonsure of his head with a lock of hair left on it, by the wearing of the sacrificial thread are the birth characteristics of the three classes"

The position of the tuft varied according to the caste, profession, social standing etc. of the wearer. The side knot was kept by Ksharitya class such as Raja Raja Chola.

Purva sikha (Mun kudumi in Tamil) is a style where the hair is grown long in the front and knotted to the forehead. This hairstyle was practiced by three sects predominantly

 Chozhiyas, comes under the class of Munkudimi Marayavars 

 Dikshitars (who worship in Chidambaram temple), comes under class of Adi Marayavars

  Namboothiris (of Kerala).

In yester years, Nairs of Kerala also sported this style.

Based on the Deivathin Kural Part 5 (of Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, Kanchi Paramcharya)

One can classify the advaitic brahmins (Smarthas) in tamilnadu as follows

Adi Marayavars : They are the most orthodox. They claim to have descended directly from Kailash and sport purvasikha. They manage five temples in Tamilnadu

1)Chidambaram - Dikshitar 2)Thiruvanaikoil (Trichy) - Pandithar 3)Avadaiyarkoil - Nambiyar 4)Woraiyur 5)Tiruvarur

Uchikudimi Marayavars : They have urvat sikha

Munkudimi Marayavars: They have Purvasikha

Chozhiyas believe themselves to be the kind of Chanakya, the legendary minister of Chandragupta Maurya. Adi Shankara's forefathers are also said to have been chozhiyas.

In addition, there are currently Sama veda chozhiyas, who are settled in the banks of Cauvery. Some of them had adopted Srivaishnavism (famous among those are Periyavachan Pillai, Vyakhyana Charavarti) while others continue to be smarthas.

venkat raman venkatpmna@gmail.com Sat, 28 Mar at 9:10 pm

Nampoothiri, thirumulapadu, nedungadi, battathiri, battathirppad, parayan, mulayan sported kudumies but different style

I could see on browsing about Sikha[ sanskrit], choti[ hindi]. But it does say anything about the right, left and middle kudumi of the malayalees. Earlier Iyers had to keep kudumi[ tuft]. I had seen many Iyers who sported kudumi. 

Compiled and posted by R. Gopala Krishnan, 76 on 29-3-2020