Dikshitar

Southern Indian brahmin (priest) subcommunity. The Dikshitars are an
extremely small community and are
found mainly in the temple-town of
Chidambaram in the state of Tamil
Nadu. They are the hereditary servants
at the temple of Nataraja—the god
Shiva in his form as the “Lord of
the Dance.” According to their own
mythic understanding, the Dikshitars
were members of Nataraja’s heavenly
host (gana) when he lived in heaven.
They accompanied Nataraja when
he came down to earth, where they still
serve him.