this is a matter of restricted interest to a microscopic minority of brahmins who migrated from Tamilnadu to Kerala

of course, this is a matter of restricted interest to a microscopic minority of brahmins who migrated from Tamilnadu to Kerala.. and were referred to by others as Pattars.. in praise and in derision too..

I posted this as my views in response to some post by a very learned elder..

Just for my own archives, I am posting it here too...

Basically every brahmin is a smartha... because Smrithi means are primary derivatives of Vedas, and brahmins definitely are the followers of Vedas..and their essential religious existence is based on Vedas..

But if we look into the earlier phases of Vedas we would find that deities like Indra, Marut, Agni, Vayu, Varuna, Tarkshya Brihaspati, Ashwins,, Brahma, Prajapati were all predominant even though mention about Rudra.. the prototype of Shiva and sometimes about Krishna ( not exactly the cowherd god Krishna ) and Vishnu could also be seen.. However, Vishnu and Shiva were at best, just equal to other Gods..

And with the advent of later literature like Itihasas (epics) and puranas, the two deities Shiva and Vishnu gained prominence and the mode of their propitiation was predominantly through temple worship although they too had some share in the offerings in Yajnas..

The vedic deities other than Shiva and Vishnu and their prime positions as in Vedas got eroded and then the brahmins, who were really clever, and sensed the pulse of the society switched over their allegiance to Vishnu and Shiva, while not giving up the dependence on vedic rites fully..

And the Smartha brahmins too became attached to Vishnu or Shiva.. and they started wearing the religious marks attached to the two competing deities..

But as the Agamic culture and bhakthi cult took predominance obliterating he Vedic primacy, some brahmins, though basically Smarthas, took up practices of Agamas--Vaikhanasa, Pancharatra etc for Vaishnavas, Shiva, and many other Kashmira texts tantric and agamic for Shaivas-- and they even took upon themselves ancillary special initiation to the respective sets like Vaishnavas performing the five special vows as prescribed by Ramanuja Acharya, Lingayatas wearing Shivalingams, Shivacharyas taking their own class vows etc..

So the Kurukkal, Alwar or Bhattacharyal etc are just branching from the smartha faith..

When there were migrations from TN to Kerala, the groups settled in various places retaining their religious variations.. that is all..

Perhaps, after entering Kerala, the Tantric culture of Nambudiris in worship in temples also influenced the Paradeshi brahmins..

And definitely there was a shakthi cult among brahmins of tamil nadu too.. as we could see from the presence of great Vidya Upasakas like Bhaskara Raya..