The Sathatha Sri Vaishnavas also known as Chattada Sri Vaishnavas or Sattada Sri Vaishnavas widely in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu are a distinctive community living throughout Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. For several centuries, they have rendered a variety of services in Sri Vaishnava temples as Archakas, Dharmakartas, Progithar,guardians of temple properties and suppliers of flowers such as garlands for worship.
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Request for name change
Originally, known just as Satani or Sattada or Chattada or Chatadi, the 1932 Census Report of Mysore stated that the request that the name 'Satani' to be changed to Sattada Sri Vaishnava could not be accepted because Sri Vaishnava is the name of a distinctive group of Brahmins and Satani community is not generally treated as a Brahmin community. The adoption of the new name could be misleading.
Origin
A Telugu Chola era caste originally from the Chola-ruled North (Chittoor, Kadapa, North Arcot districts of Tamil Nadu) and South Arcot regions and Southern districts of Circars (Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna and parts of Godavari districts) of the Madras Presidency where the Chattada schools were established from the times of Sri Ramanujacharya. Migration of the Chattada caste members to the Hyderabad State happened since the time when Hyderabad State was under the supervision of British resident (of Madras Presidency) at Secunderabad. Trimulgherry and Alwal in Secunderabad have significant population of Tamil-Telugu Satanis. Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor, Kadapa, Nellore, Guntur, Krishna districts and Telangana's Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nalgonda and Khammam have significant populations. Tamil Nadu's North and South Arcot regions have significant number of them.
History
There are several sub-sects among the Sathatha Sri Vaishnava. Many follow a lifestyle like that of the Sri Vaishanava (Iyengars). Their names have the honorary suffix Ayyangar and the title acharya, swamy. They especially revere the Sankha, the Chakra, the Naamam, Hanuman and Garuda. Above all, they honour the Aazhvaars, especially Nammaazhvaar. They recite and use only the Aazhvaar’s hymns for domestic rituals. Most are disciples of Koil Annan-and Acharya Purusha of Sri Rangam. Some follow the Vaanamaamalai Math and others the Para Vastu Math at Tirupati.
The term "Sathatha" may be a corruption of Sat-taada (Sanskrit "Sat" and Tamil "Taada"), meaning pure.
The Srirangam koil Olugu records that this community served in the Srirangam temple at the time of Śrī Ramanujacharya (11th century AD) and that this Acharya assigned them special duties and services in his reorganisation of the temple.
They were also prominent in Srirangam and Kanchipuram (15th and 16th centuries) under the leadership of Kanudaadi Ramanujuayyangar, who was a disciple of both Koil Annan at Srirangam and Azhagiyamanaavala Jeeyar at Kancheepuram Varadarajaswami temple. They were in charge of Ramanuja Kootams.
Recent history and present day
It is believed that Ramanuja and his disciple Sri Anandalwar paved the way for these gardens in the 14th century. Another legend is that Sattada Sri Vaishnavas cultivated the Tirumala flower gardens under the name of Dasa Nambis.
Over the past fifty years, the Sathatha Sri Vaishnava have formed local, regional and national associations for the education and improvement of their community.