The town consists mainly of Hindus of many communities such as Bunts, Vokkaligas, Namadhari Naiks, Mogaveeras, Billavas, Kota Brahmins, Havyaka Brahmins, Shivalli Brahmins, Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Daivajnas, Kunabis, Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins, Christians, Ganigas, and Muslims.

Karnataka: Common surname among Shivalli Brahmins, Havyaka Brahmins, Karada Brahmins, Kota Brahmins, Panchagrama Brahmins and Goud Saraswat Brahmins of coastal Karnataka

# REDIRECT Kota Brahmins

Kota Brahmins hail from the Kundapur and surrounding areas of Udupi district in Karnataka, Bantwal and Puttur Taluk in Mangalore District and Kasargod District in Kerala.

Kota Brahmins who had been originally concentrated in the villages of Kota, Saligrama Koteshwara and Kundapura of Udupi district have apparently spread to other areas also mentioned above.

One of the famous Kota Brahmins is Dr. Shivarama Karantha ( Jnanapeetha award winner ) who hailed from Kota, of Udupi Taluk.

The origin of Dakshina Kannada Brahmins, which includes Kota Brahmins, is given by Mr. Neria Harish Hebbar, MD in his Article.

The Kota Brahmins come originally from a village near Udupi, and did not convert to Vaishnavism ; they remained as bhasma ( ash )- dharis and followers of the Smarta sampradaya.

Kota or Koota Brahmins do not believe in any sort of human guru or religious heads.

A large number of Kota Brahmins migrated to Kerala and took up the temple priesthood there in the twntieth century.

Today, Bangalore has a significant share of Kota Brahmins, where the community thrives in such sectors as hotel / catering business, banking, medicine, life insurance, software and related engineering professions etc.

** Kota, Karnataka, an area in Karnataka state

Most of the Kota Brahmin community hail from 14 villages situated in Udupi district in Karnataka State in India.

The incidence of wedding alliances being arranged, even in orthodox Smartha brahmin families, in defiance of traditional norms that precluded marriage outside the specific sub-caste, are on the rise.

Born into a pious but impoverished Telugu speaking smarta brahmin family belonging to the Mulukanadu sub-caste, Giriraja Kavi rose to occupy a place of eminence in the court of the Maharaja of Thanjavur, which in that era was a fountainhead of cultural talent.

Awasthi is a surname of a particular sub-caste of Brahmins of Nepal and India.

Hebbar Iyengars were formerly an endogamous group and constitute a part of the Iyengar sub-caste of the Karnataka Brahmins.

Consequently, many sub-caste names overlap with those of other communities of northern India like the Khatris, Rajputs, Tarkhans, Jats, Brahmins, Arains and others.

Deshastha Brahmins, ) ( are a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and Northern area of the state of Karnataka.

These are further subdivided into the following castes: Babbur Kamme Brahmins, Badaganadu Brahmins, Deshastha Brahmin, Hale naadu Karnataka Brahmins, Havyaka Brahmin, Hasan Iyengars, Hebbar Iyengars, Hoysala Karnataka Brahmins, Jangam Brahmins, Karhade Brahmin, Koota Brahmins, Madhva Brahmins, Mandyam Iyengars, Mysore Iyengars, Vishwabrahmin, Niyogi Brahmins, Panchagrama Brahmins, Sankethi Brahmins, Sattada vaishnava Brahmins, Shukla Yajurveda Brahmins, Smartha Brahmins, Srivaishnava Brahmins, Sthanika Brahmins, Ulucha Kamme Brahmins