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In India and Nepal, Brahmins, being members of the highest caste, historically enjoyed high social status - notwithstanding the degree of their economic affluence. Culturally, most Brahmins are known for practicing strict vegetarianism, though the practice is today based more on region; Brahmans acting as actual priests, but for few exceptions, are vegetarian. According to certain adherents of the Aryan invasion theory, Brahmins are descendants of the AryanThis article is about the term "Aryan". For "Arian", a follower of the ancient Christian sect, See Arianism. Aryan is an English word derived from the Vedic Sanskrit and Avestan term arya meaning noble . One of the meanings of this term in modern Englishs, who displaced the DravidianDravidian may refer to: in the spiritualistic interpretations: the people who serve the dark, anti-divine forces (as opposed to the Aryan people) in the materialistic interpretations: A large family of languages spoken especially in southern India and nors from the northern areas of India. The religion practiced by the early Aryans derived from the Vedas and what scholars know as Brahminism laid part of the societal foundation for Classical Hinduism as witnessed with the advent of the Upanishads, the RamayanaThe Ramayana ( Sanskrit: vehicle of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki (c. This epic of 24,000 verses tells of a Raghuvamsa prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the rakshasa, or demon, Ravana. The Ramayana had an impo and MahabharataThe Mahabharata ( Devanagari: , phonetically Mahbhrata see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is the great religious, philosophical and mythological epic of India. It is a keystone text of Hinduism. It is the second longest literary work in the world (. Brahmins, the holders of the mantle in Hindu religious affairs, are then said to have dispersed throughout the sub-continent, forming a number of sects and sub-sects. Others feel that Brahmins were not necessarily racially distinct but formed in a socially mobile atmosphere, later concretizing their roles in stricter feudal systems.

The traditional dominance of the Brahmins in the religious and administrative affairs in the Indian polity has been a cause for deep social fissures in Indian society. Since the 1950Events January January 5 US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 The United Kingdom recognizes the People's Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations withs, there has flourished a popular anti-Brahministic movement, especially in the Southern states. The suppression of the so called lower-caste people ( dalits) by the Brahmins, led to a massive social revolution, which pressed for "self-respect" and "dignity". In the mid 20th century, many rationalists under the leadership of Thanthai Periyar rose up against the Brahministic hegemony and what they considered to be "meaningless rituals" like caste-hierarchy and untouchability. The movement also professed "active agnosticism". The huge success of the movement led to more equitable conditions, at least in the southern (the so-called Dravidian) states in the society among various castes. The northern states, however are still deeply divided among these lines, with many organizations claiming to assert the superiority of the Brahmin caste and its deservedness for gaining exclusive access to higher echelons of the social hierarchy.

See also: Brahmanas, pandit, Hinduism, Varnas, Caste, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, Untouchability, Aryan invasion theory