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Anti-Brahminism, also spelled as Anti-Brahmanism, is, people's revolt directed against the Brahmin caste, as opposed to Anti-Hinduism which rejects Hinduism as a whole. Anti-Hindus have however taken the stance against Brahmins because they were the traditional priestly class.
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In Mughal times Sheikh Ahmad (Mujaddid) of Sirhind wrote a letter to Mirza Darab:
The Brahmins were also the target in South India from the Delhi Sultanate and that is why at the time of the Vijayanagar Empire, King Prolaya Vema of the Reddy dynasty gave protection to them.[1]
Firoz Shah Bahmani (in about 1398-99), according to the Tawarikh Firishtah, kidnapped 2,000 Brahmin women, who were later freed by Raja Dev Rai of Vijayanagar.[2]
The anti-brahmin hate group Sambhaji Brigade attacked Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute of Maharashtra in January 2004, claiming that the Institute had defamed Shivaji. Later the Sambhaji Brigade issued statements reflecting anti-Brahmin sentiments. The Maratha Seva Sangh is an extremely anti-Brahmin organization.[3]
Tamil Nadu is home to one of the oldest anti-Brahmin movements in India. Tamil Brahmins (Iyers and Iyengars) are held responsible by some sections of the Tamil politicians and media for direct or indirect oppression of lower-caste people. The self-respect movement, a Dravidian Nationalist movement, was started by Periyar on the canard of "Brahmin oppression" and resulted in innumerable verbal hate attacks on Brahmins . The canard of "Brahmin oppression" rationalized conspiracy theories and pointed to Brahmins as enemies against whom the radical movements pitted themselves.[4] The legacy of the anti-Brahmanism of the self-respect movement was taken over by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Growing anti-Brahmanism in Chennai provided a rationale for polarization of the lower castes in the DMK movement.[5] Eventually, the virulent anti-Brahmanism subsided somewhat with the replacement of the DMK party by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).[6] Jayalalitha,[7] a Brahmin, is now the leader of the AIADMK party.
Some Buddhist groups blame the downfall of Buddhism in India on the Brahmins. However, many persons of Brahmin origin made contributions to Buddhism. A few of them include Nagarjuna, Asanga and Ksitigarbha.There are conspiracy theories spread that Brahmins destroyed Buddhism by corrupting it from within and changing Buddhism from high value teachings of Buddha to a idolatrous superstitious cult.[8]