An Agraharam or Agrahara is the name given to the Brahmin

Brahmin

Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

 quarter

Quarter (country subdivision)

A quarter is a section of an urban settlement.Its borders can be administratively chosen , and it may have its own administrative structure...

 of a heterogenous village or to any village inhabited by Brahmins. Agraharams were also known as Chaturvedimangalams is ancient times.

The name originates from the fact that the agraharams have lines of houses on either side of the road and the temple to the village god at the centre, thus resembling a garland around the temple. According to the traditional Hindu practice of architecture and town-planning, an agraharam is held to be two rows of houses running north-south on either side of a road at one end of which would be a temple to Shiva and at the other end, a temple to Vishnu

Vishnu

Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

. An example is Vadiveeswaram

Vadiveeswaram

Vadiveeswaram is a village, now part of the town of Nagercoil, in Kanyakumari district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The village was originally an agraharam, or a traditional double line of houses occupied by Brahmins and flanking a temple or pair of temples...

 in Tamil Nadu.

With Brahmins taking up professions in urban areas and some migrating abroad agraharams are vanishing fast. Many of the traditional houses are giving way to concrete structures and commercial buildings.

History

The earliest existing description of an agraharam has been found in a 3rd century AD Sangam Age work called Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai

Perumpanarruppatai

Perumpanarruppatai, is a Tamil poetic work in the Pathinenmaelkanakku anthology of Tamil literature, belonging to the Sangam period corresponding to between 100 BCE – 100 CE. Perumpanarruppatai contains 500 lines of poetry in the Achiriyappa meter. The poems were written by the poet Kadiyalur...

.

Karnataka

There are a number of places in Southern Karnataka named agrahara. These places might have have, probably, originated as Brahmin villages.

• Agrahara, Arkalgud
  Agrahara, Arkalgud
  Agrahara is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Hassan.nic.in/...
  
  , in Hassan district of Karnataka state, India
• Agrahara, Arsikere
  Agrahara, Arsikere
  Agrahara, Arsikere is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Arsikere taluk of Hassan district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Hassan.nic.in/...
  
  , in Hassan district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Channarayapatna
  Agrahara, Channarayapatna
  Agrahara, Channarayapatna is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Channarayapatna taluk of Hassan district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Hassan.nic.in/...
  
  , in Hassan district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Chiknayakanhalli
  Agrahara, Chiknayakanhalli
  Agrahara, Chiknayakanhalli is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Chiknayakanhalli taluk of Tumkur district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Tumkur.nic.in/...
  
  , in Tumkur district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Chintamani
  Agrahara, Chintamani
  Agrahara, Chintamani is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Chintamani taluk of Kolar district in Karnataka....
  
  , in Kolar district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Holalkere
  Agrahara, Holalkere
  Agrahara is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Holalkere taluk of Chitradurga district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Chitradurga.nic.in/...
  
  , in Chitradurga district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Hosadurga
  Agrahara, Hosadurga
  Agrahara is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Hosadurga taluk of Chitradurga district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Chitradurga.nic.in/...
  
  , in Chitradurga district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Hunsur
  Agrahara, Hunsur
  Agrahara is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Hunsur taluk of Mysore district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Mysore.nic.in/...
  
  , in Mysore district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Kadur
  Agrahara, Kadur
  Agrahara, Kadur is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Kadur taluk of Chikmagalur district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Chikmagalur.nic.in/...
  
  , in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Kanakapura
  Agrahara, Kanakapura
  Agrahara, Kanakapura is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Kanakapura taluk of Bangalore Rural district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Bangalore Rural.nic.in/...
  
  , in Bangalore Rural district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Koratagere
  Agrahara, Koratagere
  Agrahara is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Koratagere taluk of Tumkur district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Tumkur.nic.in/...
  
  , in Tumkur district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Malur
  Agrahara, Malur
  Agrahara, Malur is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Malur taluk of Kolar district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Kolar.nic.in/...
  
  , in Kolar district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Sandur
  Agrahara, Sandur
  Agrahara is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Sandur taluk of Bellary district in Karnataka....
  
  , in Bellary district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Shrirangapattana
  Agrahara, Shrirangapattana
  Agrahara is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Shrirangapattana taluk of Mandya district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Mandya.nic.in/...
  
  , in Mandya district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Sira
  Agrahara, Sira
  Agrahara, Sira is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Sira taluk of Tumkur district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Tumkur.nic.in/...
  
  , in Tumkur district of Karnataka
• Agrahara, Srinivaspur, in Kolar district of Karnataka
• Agrahara Bachahalli
  Agrahara Bachahalli
  Agrahara Bachahalli is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Krishnarajpet taluk of Mandya district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Mandya.nic.in/...
  
  , in Krishnarajpet taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka
• Agrahara Palya
  Agrahara Palya
  Agrahara Palya is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Bangalore North taluk of Bangalore district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Bangalore.nic.in/...
  
  , in Bangalore North taluk of Bangalore district, Karnataka
• Agrahara Somarasanahalli
  Agrahara Somarasanahalli
  Agrahara Somarasanahalli is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Kolar taluk of Kolar district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Kolar.nic.in/...
  
  , in Kola taluk of Kolar district, Karnataka
• Agrahara Vaddahalli
  Agrahara Vaddahalli
  Agrahara Vaddahalli is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Hosakote taluk of Bangalore Rural district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Bangalore Rural.nic.in/...
  
  , in Hosakote taluk of Bangalore Rural district, Karnataka
• Agrahara Valagerehalli
  Agrahara Valagerehalli
  Agrahara Valagerehalli is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Channapatna taluk of Bangalore Rural district in Karnataka.-External links:* http://Bangalore Rural.nic.in/...
  
  , in Channapatna taluk of Bangalore Rural district, Karnataka
• Konappana Agrahara
  Konappana Agrahara
  Konappana Agrahara is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Bangalore South taluk of Bangalore Urban district in Karnataka.-Demographics:...
  
  , town in Anekal taluk adjoining Electronics City.
• Rupena Agrahara

Tamil Nadu

• Annalagraharam
  Annalagraharam
  Annalagraharam is a village in the Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu.- Demographics :As per the 2001 census, Annalagraharam had a total population of 6266 with 3172 males and 3094 females. The sex ratio was 975. The literacy rate was 77.76....
  
  , village in Kumbakonam taluk
  Kumbakonam taluk
  Kumbakonam taluk is a taluk of Thanjavur district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Kumbakonam.- Population :...
  
   of Thanjavur district
  Thanjavur District
  Thanjavur District is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur.-Geography:...
  
  .
• Ganapathi Agraharam, village in Thanjavur district
  Thanjavur District
  Thanjavur District is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur.-Geography:...
  
  
• Kondayyampettai Agraharam, a locality in Thiruvanaikaval
  Thiruvanaikaval
  Thiruvanaikaval is a famous Shiva temple in Tiruchirapalli , located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was built by Kocengannan , one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago...
  
  
• Pallipalayam Agraharam
  Pallipalayam Agraharam
  Pallipalayam Agraharam is a selection Grade census town in Namakkal district or in near Erode District, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu....
  
  , village in Namakkal district
  Namakkal District
  Namakkal District is an administrative district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The district was bifurcated from Salem District with Namakkal town as Head Quarters on 25-07-1996 and started to function independently from 01-01-1997...
  
  
• Pudupalaiyam Agraharam, village in Kanniyakumari district.

External links

• http://www.kuzhalmannamagraharam.info/Kuzhalmannam Agraharam, one among agraharams of Palakkad
  Palakkad
  Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
  
   where Kerala
  Kerala
  or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
  
   Iyers live.]