<P> Other medieval era Brahmins who led spiritual movement without social or gender discrimination included Andal (9th - century female poet), Basava (12th - century Lingayatism), Dnyaneshwar (13th - century Bhakti poet), Vallabha Acharya (16th - century Vaishnava poet), among others . </P> <P> Many 18th and 19th century Brahmins are credited with religious movements that criticised idolatry . For example, the Brahmins Raja Ram Mohan Roy led Brahmo Samaj and Dayananda Saraswati led the Arya Samaj . </P> <P> According to 2007 reports, Brahmins in India are about five percent of its total population . The Himalayan states of Uttarakhand (20%) and Himachal Pradesh (14%) have the highest percentage of Brahmin population relative to respective state's total Hindus . Also, the participation of Brahmins in present government is very high . </P> <P> According to a Wall Street Journal report, an estimated 65 percent of the Brahmin households in India, with about 40 million people, lived on less than $100 a month in 2004; this number dropped to about 50% in 2007 . Brahmins have also included wealthier and politically successful members . </P>

What is the percentage of brahmans in india