Iyer: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Hindu priestly caste}}

{{short description|Hindu Brahmin caste}}

 

{{POV|date=April 2020}}{{infobox caste

| family_names          = Iyer, [[Sastri]], [[Bhattar]]

| related                = [[Kerala Iyers]] [[Iyengars]] [[Vaidiki Brahmins]] [[Vaidiki Velanadu]] [[Havyaka Brahmin]] [[Hoysala Karnataka Brahmins]]

'''Iyers''' (also spelt as '''Ayyar''', '''Aiyar''', '''Ayer,''' or '''Aiyer''') are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking [[Brahmin|Hindu Brahmins.]] Most Iyers are followers of the ''[[Advaita Vedanta|Advaita]]'' philosophy propounded by [[Adi Shankara]] and adhere to the [[Smarta tradition]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Béteille |first=André |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1525/9780520317864/html |title=Caste, Class, and Power |date=2020-10-26 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-31786-4 |language=en |doi=10.1525/9780520317864/html}}</ref> This is in contrast to the [[Iyengar]] community, who are adherents of [[Sri Vaishnavism]]. The Iyers and the Iyengars are together referred to as [[Tamil Brahmin|Tamil Brahmins]]. The majority of Iyers reside in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]].

Iyers are further divided into various denominations based on traditional and regional differences. Like all Brahmins, they are also classified based on their [[gotra]], or patrilineal descent, and the Veda that they follow. They fall under the [[Pancha-Dravida|Pancha Dravida Brahmana]] classification of Brahmins in India.

Apart from the prevalent practice of using the title "Iyer" as surname, Iyers also commonly use other surnames, such as '''Sāstri'''<ref name="britannica">{{cite book | title=Encyclopædia Britannica, śāstrī | url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/524792/sastri#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=%C5%9B%C4%81str%C4%AB%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia}}</ref> or '''Bhattar'''.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

Iyer ({{Lang-ta|ஐயர்}}, {{IPA-ta|aɪjəɾ|pron}}) has several meanings in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and other [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]] languages, often referring to a respectable person. The ''Dravidian Etymological Dictionary'' lists various meanings for the term such as "father, sage, priest, teacher, brahman, superior person, master, king" with cognates such as ''tamayan'' meaning "elder brother" and simply ''ai'' "lord, master, husband, king, guru, priest, teacher, father".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Burrow, T., and M. B. Emeneau|title=A Dravidian etymological dictionary|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=19}}</ref> Linguistic sources often derive the words Ayya, Ayira/Ayyira as [[Prakrit]] versions of the Sanskrit word ''[[Arya|Aryā]]'' which means '[[wiktionary:noble|noble]]'.<ref name="hinduism_encyclopedia_898">{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Hinduism, Volume 7|page=898|author=Nagendra Kumar Singh|publisher=Anmol Publications PVT LTD|year=1999|isbn=978-81-7488-168-7}}</ref><ref name="paligrammarp49">{{cite book|title=A Simplified grammar of the Pali language|first=Edward|last=Miller|page=49|publisher=BiblioBazaar|year=2009|isbn=978-1-103-26738-5}}</ref>

Iyers have also been resident of the princely state of [[Travancore]] from ancient times. The Venad state (present [[Kanyakumari district]]) and the southern parts of Kerala was part of the [[Pandyan kingdom]] known as Then Pandi Nadu. There were also many Iyers in  [[Venad]] which later on grew to be the Travancore state. The old capital of [[Travancore]] was [[Padmanabhapuram]] which is at present in Kanyakumari district. There has also been a continuous inflow from [[Tirunelveli]] and [[Ramnad]] [[districts]] of Tamil Nadu which are contiguous to the erstwhile [[princely state]] of Travancore. Many parts of the present Tirunelveli district were even part of the old [[Travancore]] state.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} These Iyers are known today as [[Trivandrum Iyers]]. Some of these people migrated to [[Cochin]] and later to [[Palakkad]] and [[Kozhikode]] districts. There were also migrations from [[Tanjore]] district of Tamil Nadu to Palakkad. Their descendants are known today as [[Kerala Iyer#Palakkad Iyers|Palakkad Iyer]]s.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} These Iyers are collectively now called as ''[[Kerala Iyer]]s''. In [[Coimbatore]], there are many such Iyers due to its proximity to Kerala.<ref name="colorful_festival_hindu">{{cite news|last=Prabhakaran |first=G. |title=A colourful festival from a hoary past |date=12 November 2005 |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2005/11/12/stories/2005111200510400.htm |work=The Hindu Metro Plus:Coimbatore |access-date=2008-08-27 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805062343/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2005/11/12/stories/2005111200510400.htm |archive-date=5 August 2007 }}</ref> According to the Buddhist scripture [[Mahavamsa]], the presence of Brahmins have been recorded in [[Sri Lanka]] as early as 500BC when the first migrations from the Indian mainland supposedly took place. Currently, Brahmins are an important constituent of the [[Sri Lankan Tamil]] minority.<ref name="civattampip3">{{cite book | title=Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics| last=Civattampi| first=K.| year=1995| page=3| publisher=New Century Book House| location=Madras| isbn=81-234-0395-X }}</ref><ref name="ritualizingontheboundariesp3">[[#Ritualizing on the Boundaries|Ritualizing on the Boundaries]], Pg 3</ref> Tamil Brahmins are believed to have played a historic role in the formation of the [[Jaffna Kingdom]].<ref name="ritualizingontheboundariesp3" /><ref name="criticalhistoryofjaffna">{{cite book | title=A critical history of Jaffna| last=Gnanaprakasar| first=S.|year=1928|page=96| publisher=Gnanaprakasa Yantra Salai|isbn=978-81-206-1686-8}}</ref><ref name="pathmanathan">[[#Pathmanathan|Pathmanathan]], Pg 1-13</ref>

Iyers have many sub-sects among them, such as [[Vadama]], Brahacharnam or [[Brahatcharanam]], [[Vadhima|Vāthima]], [[Sholiyar]] or [[Sholiyar|Chozhiar]], Ashtasahasram, Mukkāni, [[Gurukkal Brahmins|Gurukkal]], Kāniyālar and Prathamasāki.<ref name="Leach">{{cite book | title=Aspects of caste in south India, Ceylon, and north-west Pakistan. Cambridge [Eng.]| last=Leach| first=E. R.| year=1960| page=368|publisher=Published for the Dept. of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University Press| location=Madras}}</ref> Each sub-sect is further subdivided according to the village or region of origin.

{| class=wikitable

Iyers celebrate almost all Hindu festivals like [[Deepavali]], [[Navratri]], [[Pongal (festival)|Pongal]], [[Vinayaka Chathurthi]], [[Janmaashtami]], [[Tamil New Year]], [[Sivarathri]] and Karthika Deepam.

However, the most important festival which is exclusive to Brahmins of South India is the ''Āvani Avittam'' festival.<ref name="Avani_Avittam">{{cite web|url=http://www.panchangam.com/avani.htm|title=Avani Avittam|access-date=2008-08-27|publisher=K.G.Corporate Consultants|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914061750/http://www.panchangam.com/avani.htm|archive-date=14 September 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Iyers are generally [[vegetarian]]. Some abjure onion and garlic on the grounds that they activate certain base senses.<ref name="Madi">{{cite web|url=http://www.icsi.berkeley.edu/~snarayan/anthro-pap/subsection3_4_1.html|title=The Practice of ''madi''|access-date=2008-08-27|publisher=ICSI Berkeley}}</ref> Cow milk and milk products were approved.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} They were required to avoid alcohol and tobacco.<ref name="Manusmriti">{{cite book | title=The Laws of Manu| last=Doniger| first=Wendy|first2=Brian K.|last2=Smith| year=1991| publisher=Penguin Books | isbn=0-14-044540-4}}</ref>

Iyer men traditionally wear ''veshtis'' or ''[[dhoti]]s'' which cover them from waist to foot. These are made of [[cotton]] and sometimes [[silk]]. ''Veshtis'' are worn in different styles. Those worn in typical brahminical style are known as ''panchakacham'' (from the [[sanskrit]] terms ''pancha'' and  ''gajam'' meaning "five yards" as the length of the ''panchakacham'' is five yards in contrast to the ''veshtis'' used in daily life which are four or eight cubits long). They sometimes wrap their shoulders with a single piece of cloth known as ''angavastram'' (body-garment). In earlier times, Iyer men who performed austerities also draped their waist or chests with deer skin or grass.

</ref> The ensuing [[anti-Brahminism]] and the rising unpopularity of the [[Rajaji]] Government left an indelible mark on the Tamil Brahmin community ending their political aspirations. In the 1960s the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (roughly translated as "Organisation for Progress of Dravidians") and its subgroups gained political ground on this platform forming state ministries, thereby wrenching control from the [[Indian National Congress]], in which Iyers at that time were holding important party positions. Today, apart from a few exceptions{{Clarify|reason=|date=May 2020}}, Iyers have virtually disappeared from the political arena.<ref name="iyothee_thass">{{cite book | title=Towards a Non-Brahmin Millennium: From Iyothee Thass to Periyar | last=Geetha| first=V.| year=2001| publisher=Bhatkal & Sen| isbn=978-81-85604-37-4}}</ref><ref name="Dalit_visions">{{cite book | title=Dalit Visions: The Anti-caste Movement and the Construction of an Indian Identity| last=Omvedt| first=Gail| year=2006| page=95| publisher=Orient Longman| isbn= 978-81-250-2895-6}}</ref><ref name="dravidian_politics_in_madras">{{cite journal | doi=10.2307/2050816 | first=Lloyd I.| last=Rudolph| title=Urban Life and Populist Radicalism: Dravidian Politics in Madras | jstor=2050816| journal=The Journal of Asian Studies| year=1961| volume=20| issue=3| pages=283–297}}</ref><ref name="modernity_of_tradition">{{cite book | title=The Modernity of Tradition: political development in India| url=https://archive.org/details/modernityoftradi00rudo| url-access=registration| last=I. Rudolph| first=Lloyd| year=1969| page=[https://archive.org/details/modernityoftradi00rudo/page/78 78]| publisher=University of Chicago| isbn=0-226-73137-5 | author2=Suzanne Hoeber Rudolph}}</ref><ref name="renewal_of_priesthood">{{cite book | title=The Renewal of the Priesthood: Modernity and Traditionalism in a South Indian Temple| last=Fuller| first=C. J.| year=2003| page=117| publisher=Princeton University Press| isbn=0-691-11657-1}}</ref>

{{See also|Criticism of Tamil Brahmins}}

The concept of "Brahmin atrocities" is refuted by some Tamil Brahmin historians. They argue that allegations of casteism against Tamil Brahmins have been exaggerated and that even prior to the rise of the Dravida Kazhagam, a significant section of Tamil Brahmin society was liberal and anti-casteist. They cite the example of the [[Temple Entry Proclamation]] passed by the princely state of Travancore which gave people of all castes the right to enter Hindu temples in the princely state was due to the efforts of the Dewan of Travancore, [[C. P. Ramaswami Iyer|Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer]] who was an Iyer.<ref name="cp_templeentry">{{cite book | title=RSS and Hindu Nationalism | last=Jayaprasad| first=K.| year=1991| page=138| publisher=Deep & Deep Publications}}</ref>

[[Dalit]] leader and founder of political party Pudiya Tamizhagam, Dr.Krishnasamy admits that the Anti-Brahmin Movement had not succeeded up to the expectations and that there continues to be as much discrimination of Dalits as had been before.

{{quote|So many movements have failed. In Tamil Nadu there was a movement in the name of anti-Brahmanism under the leadership of Periyar. It attracted Dalits, but after 30 years of power, the Dalits understand that they are as badly-off - or worse-off - as they were under the Brahmans. Under Dravidian rule, they have been attacked and killed, their due share in government service is not given, they are not allowed to rise.<ref name="krishnasamy_quote">{{cite web|url=http://www.ambedkar.org/gail/Dravidianmovement.htm|title=The Dravidian movement|access-date=2008-08-19|publisher=ambedkar.org|first=Gail|last=Omvedt}}</ref>}}

Iyers have been called Sanskritists who entertained a distorted and contemptuous attitude towards Tamil language, culture and civilization.<ref name="Zvelebilp197">[[#Zvelebil|Zvelebil]], Pg 197</ref> The [[Dravidologist]] [[Kamil Zvelebil]] says that the Brahmin was chosen as a scapegoat to answer for the decline of Tamil civilization and culture in the medieval and post-medieval periods.<ref name="zvelebil_companionp212">[[#Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature|Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature]], Pg 212</ref><ref name="zvelebil_companionp213">[[#Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature|Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature]], Pg 213</ref> Agathiar, usually identified with the legendary Vedic sage [[Agastya]] is credited with compiling the first rules of grammar of the Tamil language.<ref name="zvelebil_companion_agathiar">[[#Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature|Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature]], Appendix III, The Case of Akattiyam; Sanskrit and Tamil; Kankam, Pg 235&ndash;260</ref> Moreover, individuals like [[U. V. Swaminatha Iyer]] and [[Subramanya Bharathi]] have made invaluable contributions to the Dravidian Movement.<ref name="dravidianmovement_brahmincontrib1">{{cite book | title=Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OacVAwJsSAC&pg=PA143| last=B. Dirks| first=Nicholas| year=1996| page=143| publisher=Orient Longman| isbn=81-7824-072-6}}</ref><ref name="dravidianmovement_brahmincontrib2">{{cite book | title=Conversion to Modernities: The Globalization of Christianity | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P6BhSU8DbMcC&pg=PA131| last=van der Veer| first=Peter| year=1996| page=131| publisher=Routledge| isbn=0-415-91274-1}}</ref> [[Parithimar Kalaignar]] was the first to campaign for the recognition of Tamil as a classical language.<ref name="parithimar_kalaignar">{{cite news | last= Saravanan | first= T. | title= Tamil scholar's house to be made a memorial  | date=12 September 2006 | url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/12/stories/2006091207860200.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216121119/http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/12/stories/2006091207860200.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=16 December 2008 | location=Tamil Nadu | work= [[The Hindu]] | access-date = 2008-08-10}}

Brahmins are mentioned for the first time in the works of [[Sangam literature|Sangam poets]].{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} During the early Christian era, Brahmin saints have been frequently praised for their efforts in combating [[Buddhism]].{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} In modern times, when Iyers and Iyengars control a significant percentage of the print and visual media, there has been significant coverage of Brahmins and Brahmin culture in magazines and [[periodicals]] and a number of Brahmin characters in novels, TV serials and films.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

The first known literary work in Tamil to heap criticism on Brahmins was the ''[[Tirumantiram|Tirumanthiram]]'', a treatise on Yoga from the 13th century.<ref name="Zvelebilp226">[[#Zvelebil|Zvelebil]], Pg 226</ref><ref name="missionaries">{{cite book | title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature | year=1992| page=3899| publisher=Sahitya akademi| isbn=978-81-260-1221-3 }}</ref> The writings and speeches of [[Iyothee Thass]], [[Maraimalai Adigal]], [[Periyar E. V. Ramasamy|Periyar]], [[Bharatidasan]], [[C. N. Annadurai]] and the leaders of [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]] in the early 20th century and of the [[Dravidar Kazhagam]] in more modern times constitute much of modern anti-Brahmin rhetoric.<ref name="vellalars_tamil_militarism">{{cite web|url=http://www.tamilnation.org/forum/sivaram/920901lg.htm|title= Part 8: The Twin Narratives of Tamil Nationalism|access-date=2008-09-03|year=1992|author=Sachi Sri Kantha|work=Selected Writings by Dharmeratnam Sivaram (Taraki)}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref name="aryamayai">{{cite book | title=Polyethnicity in India and Canada: Possibilities for Exploration| last=Palanithurai| first=Ganapathy| year=1997| page=107| publisher=M. D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.| isbn= 978-81-7533-039-9}}</ref><ref name="a_survey_of_hinduism">{{cite book | title=A survey of Hinduism| last=K. Klostermaier| year=1994| page=300| publisher=SUNY Press| isbn= 978-0-7914-2109-3}}</ref>

Starting from the 1940s onwards, Annadurai and the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] have been using films and the [[mass media]] for the propagation of their political ideology.<ref name="DMK_massmedia">{{cite book | title=Competitive Elections in Developing Countries| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x6RgvJ1ni3wC&pg=PA62| last=Özbudun| first=Ergun|first2=Myron|last2=Weiner| year=1987| page=62| publisher=Duke University Press| isbn=0-8223-0766-9}}</ref> Most of the films made, including the 1952-blockbuster ''[[Parasakthi (film)|Parasakthi]]'', are anti-Brahminical in character.<ref name="Parasakthi">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/12/stories/2006061206151100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613192240/http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/12/stories/2006061206151100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2006-06-13|title=Films and the politics of convenience |access-date=2008-07-20|author=A. Srivathsan|location=Chennai, India|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=2006-06-12}}</ref>

*[[Shankar Mahadevan]], Music director<ref>{{cite interview |last=Mahadevan |first=Shankar |interviewer=John Brittas |title=I am a Malayali grew up in Mumbai: Shankar Mahadevan |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPcyXZgW8EA |publisher=Kairali TV |date=8 September 2013 |at=0:38 |access-date=4 January 2010 |quote=Interviewer: You have some connection with Kerala in fact, your family migrated from Palakkad or something like that. Shankar Mahadevan: Yes, I am an Iyer from Palakkad actually |via=Kairali Archive on YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref>

{{Portal|Society}}

*{{cite book | title=From Landlords to Software Engineers: Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans | url=http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=1631996| last=Fuller| first=C. J.|first2=Haripriya|last2=Narasimhan| year=2008| publisher=London School of Economics and Political Science|ref=Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans}}

* {{cite book | title=Brahmin Women| last=Ghosh| first=G. K.|first2=Shukla|last2=Ghosh| year=2003| publisher=Firma KLM| isbn=9788171021079|ref=Brahmin Women}}

*{{cite book  | last = Pathmanathan  | first = Sivasubramaniam  | title = The Kingdom of Jaffna:Origins and early affiliations  | publisher = Ceylon Institute of Tamil Studies | year=  1974 | location = Colombo | pages = 171–173 }}