Dīkṣitars or Thillai Vazh Anthaanar are a Vedic Shaiva Brahmin servitor community of Tamil Nadu who are based mainly in the town of Chidambaram.

[1] They are an exclusive group of Brahmins learned in the Vedas and yagnas (sacrifices) who also serve as the hereditary trustees of the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram.

A practice unique to the community is that the priests wear the tuft of hair in front of the head similar to the Nambuthiri Brahmans of Kerala.

[3] The Dikshithars might be traced back to the first line of Brahmanas who migrated to South India from the north, this migration happened as the result of the increasing spread of Jainism and Buddhism in the North.The establishment of Mauryan, Satavahana and Kadamba rule in South India also necessitated the movement of Brahmans into the new regions because these kingdom required trained ritualists.

When Kutruva Nayanar, a chieftain of Kalandai became very powerful as a result of his conquests, he requested the 3000 of Tillai to crown him as king of the Chola country but they declined saying that they would only crown a Chola and instead fled to the Chera country to escape his wrath.