Shivalli brahmins are also known as Udupi Brahmins or Thoulava Brahmins or Tulu Brahmins. Shivalli is a place near Udupi, which was known much earlier to setting of Sri Krishna Temple at Udupi and Udupi became well known. The Smartha sect of these Thoulava/Shivalli/Udupi/Tulu brahmins migrated towards north of South Kanara and to parts of Shimoga districts during the time when Madhvaism peaked in the region and resulted in a Smartha-Madhva sect in-fight. These migrated population adopted Kannada as their language. Vijayanagara Dynasty was associated with Thoulava sect.