Ezhava
Ezhava or Thiyya is the name of a prominent
Hindu caste from India's southern state of
Kerala. They are also found amongst the
Malayalee diaspora around the world. Ezhavas form the majority of the Hindus and about 19% of the total population of the state.Total population of Kerala consists of 24.7% muslims,19% christians and 53.3% hindus as per 2001 sensus.Among hindus 9.8%SC ,1.1%ST,6%OBC, 4 % Dheevaras,4 % nadars ,12%nairs and also other forward castes. They are concentrated in southern and central regions that constituted the erst-while princely states of
Travancore and
Kochi. Ezhavas are known for their adherence to the teachings of the saint and social reformer
Sri Narayana Guru.
The origin of the word Ezhava is hotly disputed. According to one theory, the etymology of the word Ezhava is 'people of Ezham', Ezham(
Eelam) being an ancient Tamil name for
Sri Lanka. Ezhavas of north kerala are called Thiyyas. The word thiyya had come from the sanskrit word
dweep which again points to
Srilanka.One of the theories that is supported by the Vadakkan Paattu (Northern Ballad) of the legendary Thiyya warrior Aaromal Chekavar. Legend has it that his family were the descendants of one of the seven warriors sent to Kerala by the
Sri Lankan king .
Indigenous origin
Current linguistic research indicates that the word
Eelam or Eezham is derived from archaic
Tamil word
iiZham for
Toddy. As such Eezhavas most probably are an
indigenous and not
immigrant community.
There is also belief that the word
Eezham is old name of
Srilanka and ezhavas also came from srilanka. Ezhava is the name of a caste (religious sub-group) in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Sociologically, Ezhava caste has never found a place in the four-tier caste system of the Hindu community. Speculations of Buddhist origin and / or migration from the Sri lanka could be sought as the reasoning behind this.
Today Ezhavas make up a major community in Kerala, comprising of about 19% of its population.When the total minority population in the state which is 43.7%,SC/ST population is 10.9%,other castes like Nairs,Dheevaras,Viswakarma ,FCs are considered,Ezhavas canot be more than 19%. Until the end of Royal rule, Ezhavas were considered a backward community, because of their position outside the Hindu four-fold caste hierarchy and their unwillingness to cater to the needs of the upper caste Brahmins and royalty unlike the Nair community. Sree Narayana Guru, the greatest social reformer that Kerala has seen, was primarily responsible for the uplift of the Ezhava community.
The origin of the word Ezhava is often disputed. The most plausible explanation is that it means "people from Ezham (Sri Lanka)".
Although, traditionally agriculturists, many Ezhavas were notable as Ayurvedic physicians, warriors and traders. In fact the translation of Ashtanga Hridaya (Sanskrit Ayurvedic text) to Malayalam was done by none other than an Ezhava physician, Kayikkara Govindan Vaidyar.
Buddhist roots
Another popular theory is based on the belief that Kerala was predominantly Buddhist at the beginning of the Christian Era. The votaries of this theory claim that the legend of Onam marks the conversion of Buddhist Kerala to Hinduism. This theory posits that Ezhavas are the descendants of those Buddhists who refused to convert to Hinduism. They were systematically dispossessed of their status and wealth, until they reached the penury we find them in at the beginning of the last century. The vestiges of
Buddhism that existed in Ezhava religious practice and still persist in some temple rituals support this view.
Martial Arts
Ezhavas had their own Kalaris. A subset of Ezhavas were primarily into this profession. Due lack of documentation not much information is available now. The Cheerappanchira Tharavad (Muhamma, Alapuzha) who used to safe guard Pandalam and Valiya Mundakkal tharavadu of eastern kollam who were in the Army travancore kingdom need mention.
Now-a-days Ezhavas do not normally use any surnames. However surnames like
Panicker,
Ashan,
Channar,
Vaidyar fairly common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are still sporadically used. In olden days the Ezhavas with exceptional martial skills were conferred the Surname "Chekavar" Or "Chekoan", A Gladiator sect. This is the only Surname which is common between Ezhavas in South and Thiyyas in North.
Narayana Guru (1856-1928), who was born into a religious Ezhava family, was a great sage and social reformer of India. He transformed the social face of Kerala. He founded the
SNDP Yogam, a social movement in Kerala for the upliftment of the community.
However they emerged dramatically mainly due to the role played by
Sri Narayana Guru, a great saint and social reformer who preached a message of self-help, self-improvement, and self-esteem. A devout Saivite monk and
Sanskrit scholar, the Guru's goal was not to destroy Hinduism, but to purify it and improve it; he suggested to all that they appropriate Hinduism: that it was theirs, too --
Hinduism belongs to all.
During Guru's time, he exhorted people to educate themselves and to improve themselves through industry and thrift; but most of all, he preached the dignity of the individual: a universal message for our troubled times.
The Guru established his own temples. When challenged about His right to consecrate a Shiva image, he replied, that it was his
Shiva that he had consecrated! He established schools and colleges, open to any one. With the help of wealthy patrons, he encouraged the development of cottage industries.
But never once did the Guru attack Hinduism. He never advocated hatred for any faith or its priests.'No matter what the religion, man must improve,' he said. He personally believed the core of the
Vedanta teachings was eternal and truthful and universal. The social excrescences that had attached themselves to those sublime philosophies could and would be excised.
Within a single generation, the Guru's efforts helped transform all the less privileged of Kerala. Today, they are fully aware of their rights, and prepared to fight for them. In 1936 CE, the Maharaja of
Travancore, in the epoch-making Temple Entry Proclamation, threw open the doors of all Hindu temples to every Hindu in Travancore. Like the Buddha, and Martin Luther King later, Narayana Guru had at last reformed people.
An order of monks called the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) was established by Guru. The SNDP Yogam has gained immense popularity as one which nurtures the material and spiritual welfare of the community at large.
Due to their hard-work and sheer determination, Ezhavas are today fast improving, spiritual, gaining strength economically, culturally and politically. In the 19th and 20th centuries they were called
Aashan for Acharya,
Vaidyar for Ayurvedic physicians,
Chaanar for the martial traders, and
Panicker for the wealthy.
List of famous Ezhavas*
Malabar Manual by
William Logan*
The Decline of Nayar Dominance by Robin Jeffrey
*
Billava A
Tulu community
*
Thiyya A
Malayalam and
Tulu community.
Ezhavas of north
kerala*
Ediga A
Telugu community
*
Idiga A
kannada community
*
Nadar (caste) A
Tamil community
*
Official website of Sivagiri Mutt*
Thiyabillawa.com, a community site for Thiya Billawas around the globe.
*
SNDP.org *
Yahoo Group for Ezhavas*
Group for shrinarayanawomen*
Origin of Ezhavas*
Successes and failures of the Kerala Model*
Information on various Ezhava sites
