View source for Iyer

{{Short description|Tamil Brahmin caste}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}}
{{More sources|date=March 2025}}
{{infobox caste
| caste_name             = Iyer
| image                  = VadamaIyerpriestsintamilnadu.jpg
| caption                = Vadama Iyer priests
| varna                  = Brahmin
| jati                   =
| classification         = 
| gotra                  =
| veda                   =
| kula_daivat            =
| kula_devi              =
| guru                   = [[Ādi Śaṅkarā]]
| mantra                 =
| nishan                 =
| devak                  =
| religions              = [[Hinduism]]
| languages              = [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Sanskrit]]
| country                = [[India]]
| state                  = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| populated_states       = Tamil Nadu, [[Kerala]], [[Karnataka]]
| region                 = 
| India_migration        = 
| population             =
| family_names           = Iyer, [[Sastri]], Bhattar
| feudal_title           = 
| heraldic_title         = 
| lineage                =
| color                  =
| throne                 =
| victory_weapon         =
| endogamous             =
| notable_members        = 
| subdivisions           = [[Vadama]]<br />[[Brahacharanam|Brahacaraṇam]]<br />[[Dikshitar|Dīkṣitar]]<br />[[Ashtasahasram|Aṣṭasāhasram]]<br />[[Sholiyar|Śōḻiya]]
| related                = [[Kerala Iyers]] [[Iyengars]] Vaidiki Brahmins [[Vaidiki Velanadu]] [[Havyaka Brahmin]] [[Hoysala Karnataka Brahmins]]
[[Sthanika Brahmins]] [[Babburkamme]]
| historical_grouping    =
| disputed_grouping      =
| status                 =
| education_reservation  =
| employment_reservation =
| other_reservation      =
| original_kingdom       =
| other_kingdom          =
| official_website       = 
| footnotes              = 
}}
{{Hinduism}}

'''Iyers''' ({{IPA|ta|ajːɐr}}) (also spelt as '''Ayyar''', '''Aiyar''', '''Ayer''', or '''Aiyer''') are an ethnoreligious community of [[Tamils|Tamil]] [[Brahmin]]s. 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}}</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]]s. The majority of Iyers reside in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]].{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

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=https://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}}

== Etymology ==
Iyer ({{Langx|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|author1=Burrow, T.|author2= 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|Ārya]]'' 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>

In ancient times, Iyers were also called ''Anthanar''<ref name="anthanar_meaning1">{{cite book | title=Educational System of the Ancient Tamils| last=Pillai| first=Jaya Kothai| year=1972| page=54| publisher=South India Saiva Siddhanta Works Pub. Society| location=Tinnevelly}}</ref> or ''Pārppān'',<ref name="parppan_meaning1">{{cite book | title=Naccinarkkiniyar's Conception of Phonology| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=moUOAAAAYAAJ| last=Caṇmukam| first=Ce. Vai.| year=1967| page=212| publisher=Annamalai University}}</ref><ref name="parppan_meaning3">{{cite book | title=The Eight Anthologies: A Study in Early Tamil Literature| last=Marr| first=John Ralston| year=1985| page=114| publisher=Institute of Asian Studies}}</ref> though the usage of the word ''Pārppān'' is considered derogatory in modern times.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} Until recent times, Kerala Iyers were called ''Pattars''.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} Like the term ''pārppān'', the  word ''Pattar'' too is considered derogatory.<ref name="communism_in_kerala">{{cite book | title=Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation| last=Nossiter| first=Thomas Johnson| year=1982| page=27| publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers| isbn=978-0-905838-40-3}}</ref>

== Population and distribution ==
Today, Iyers live all over [[South India]], but an overwhelming majority of Iyers continue to thrive in [[Tamil Nadu]]. Tamil Brahmins form an estimated less than 3 per cent of the state's total population and are distributed all over the state. However, accurate statistics on the population of the Iyer community are unavailable.<ref>{{cite journal | first=Sreenivasarao| last=Vepachedu| title=Brahmins| journal=Mana Sanskriti (Our Culture)| year=2003| issue=69| url=http://www.vedah.net/manasanskriti/Brahmins.html#Brahmin_Population}}</ref>

Iyers are also found in fairly appreciable number{{Vague|reason=Would be more straight forward and also mean something to the reader than "fairly appreciable", which is a exceedingly vague|date=September 2025}} in Western and Southern districts of Tamil Nadu.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} Iyers of the far south are called [[Tirunelveli]] Iyers and speak the Tirunelveli Brahmin dialect.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

=== Migration ===
[[File:RGIyerbrothersgroup.jpg|thumb|right|First-generation descendants of Mysore S. Ramaswamy Iyer. Ramaswamy Iyer migrated from Ganapathy Agraharam to Mysore in the 19th century and served as the first Advocate-General of Mysore]]

Over the last few centuries, many Iyers have migrated and settled in parts of [[Karnataka]]. During the rule of the Mysore Maharajahs, many Iyers from the then [[Madras Presidency|Madras province]] migrated to Mysore. The Ashtagrama Iyers are also a prominent group of Iyers in Karnataka.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

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 |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>

Apart from [[South India]], Iyers have also migrated to and settled in places in [[North India]]. There are significantly large Iyer communities in [[Mumbai]],<ref name="ritualizingontheboundariesp86">[[#Ritualizing on the Boundaries|Ritualizing on the Boundaries]], Pg 86</ref><ref name="ritualizingontheboundariesp12">[[#Ritualizing on the Boundaries|Ritualizing on the Boundaries]], Pg 12</ref> and [[Delhi]].<ref name="migrationp15">[[#Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans|Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans]], pp. 15-17</ref> These migrations, which commenced during the British rule, were often undertaken in search of better prospects and contributed to the prosperity of the community.<ref name="Tambram">{{cite news |last=Vishwanath |first=Rohit |title=BRIEF CASE: Tambram's Grouse |date=23 June 2007 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/BRIEF-CASE-Tambrams-Grouse/articleshow/2142389.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025083019/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-06-23/edit-page/27955862_1_tambrams-tamil-brahmin-mallika |url-status=live |archive-date=25 October 2012 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2008-08-19}}</ref>

Much earlier, Iyers have also came to [[Sri Lanka]]. According to the Buddhist scripture [[Mahavamsa]], the presence of Brahmins have been recorded in Sri Lanka as early as {{BCE|500}} when the first migrations from the Indian mainland supposedly took place. Brahmins used to be an influent constituent of the [[Sri Lankan Tamil]] minority,<ref name="civattampip3">{{cite book |last=Civattampi |first=K. |title=Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics |publisher=New Century Book House |year=1995 |isbn=81-234-0395-X |location=Madras |page=3}}</ref><ref name="ritualizingontheboundariesp3">[[#Ritualizing on the Boundaries|Ritualizing on the Boundaries]], Pg 3</ref> despite their negligible demography.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Sivapathasuntharam |first=A. |date=2016 |title=The Brahmins: A Study on the Traditional Elite in Jaffna with Reference to their Dialect |url=http://repository.kln.ac.lk/items/dae1b235-7609-4f2a-985a-bc2055fdcb9c |journal=Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka |language=en |publisher=[[University of Kelaniya]] |pages=102 |issn=2513-2954}}</ref> It is also believed that they have played a historic role in the formation of the [[Jaffna Kingdom]].<ref name="ritualizingontheboundariesp3" /><ref name="criticalhistoryofjaffna">{{cite book |last=Gnanaprakasar |first=S. |title=A critical history of Jaffna |publisher=Gnanaprakasa Yantra Salai |year=1928 |isbn=978-81-206-1686-8 |page=96}}</ref><ref name="pathmanathan">[[#Pathmanathan|Pathmanathan]], Pg 1-13</ref> The current Tamil Brahmin population of Ceylon, which belongs exclusively to the Iyer caste, is however relatively recent. Most of its members are of Indian origin, settled on the island since the second half of the 18th century, with the rise of the Hindu revival movement in the northern region.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Muthiah |first=Subbiah |author-link=S. Muthiah |date=2016-10-22 |title=Madras Miscellany: The Aiyar from Jaffna |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Madras-Miscellany-The-Aiyar-from-Jaffna/article16078721.ece |access-date=2025-03-03 |work=[[The Hindu]] |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Balachandran |first=P.K. |date=2018-11-17 |title=The Brahmin footprint in Sri Lankan history |url=https://www.ft.lk/Columnists/The-Brahmin-footprint-in-Sri-Lankan-history/4-667051 |access-date=2025-03-03 |work=[[Daily FT]]}}</ref> They are almost solely committed to the [[priesthood]] (as officiants or assistants in worship).<ref name=":0" />

In recent times Iyers have also migrated in significant numbers to the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States<ref name="ritualizingontheboundariesp12" /> in search of better fortune.<ref name="migrationp18">[[#Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans|Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans]], pp. 180-21</ref>

== Subsects ==
Iyers have many sub-sects among them, such as [[Vadama]], Brahacharnam or [[Brahatcharanam]], [[Vadhima|Vāthima]], [[Sholiyar]] or [[Sholiyar|Chozhiar]], Ashtasahasram, Mukkāni, 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.
	
[[File:Brahacharnam holy man 1909.jpg|thumb|left|A Tamil Smartha Brahmin holy man engaged in Siva-worship. His body is covered by coat and chains made of ''Rudrāksha'' beads]]

[[File:Gopichandanam1.jpg|thumb|Caste-mark of the Vadamas]]Iyers, like all other Brahmins, trace their paternal ancestry to one of the eight ''[[rishi]]s'' or sages.<ref name="gotra_def">{{cite web|url=http://vedabase.net/g/gotra|title=Definition of the word ''gotra''|access-date=2008-08-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216105800/http://vedabase.net/g/gotra|archive-date=2008-12-16}}</ref><ref name="gotra_description">{{cite web|url=http://www.gurjari.net/ico/Mystica/html/gotra.htm|title=Gotra|access-date=2008-08-19|publisher=gurjari.net}}</ref> Accordingly, they are classified into eight ''[[gotra]]s'' based on the rishi they have descended from. A maiden in the family belongs to gotra of her father, but upon marriage takes the gotra of her husband.

The Vedas are further sub-divided into ''shakhas'' or "branches" and followers of each Veda are further sub-divided based on the shakha they adhere to. However, only a few of the shakhas are extant, the vast majority of them having disappeared. The different Vedas and the corresponding shakhas that exist today in Tamil Nadu are:<ref name="shaka_tamilnadu">{{cite web|url=http://www.dharmicscriptures.org/Vedic_SB_Intro.doc|title=Shakha|access-date=2008-09-10|publisher=www.dharmicscriptures.org}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable style="margin:1em auto;"
|- valign=bottom
! Veda !! ''shākhā''
|- style="text-align:center;"
|| [[Rig Veda]] || style="text-align:center;"| Shakala and Paingi
|- style="text-align:center;"
|| [[Yajur Veda]]|| style="text-align:center;"| Kanva and Taittiriya
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|  [[Sama Veda]] || Kauthuma, Jaiminiya/Talavakara, Shatyayaniya and Gautama
|- style="text-align:center;"
|| [[Atharva Veda]] || style="text-align:center;"| Shaunakiya and Paippalada
|}

== Culture ==

=== Rituals ===
Iyer rituals comprise rites as described in [[Hindu scripture]]s such as [[Apastamba|Apastamba Sutra]] attributed to the Hindu sage [[Apastamba]]. The most important rites are the ''Shodasa Samaskāras'' or the 16 [[Saṃskāra|duties]]. Although many of the rites and rituals followed in antiquity are no longer practised, some have been retained.<ref name="16Samskaras">{{cite web|date=8 August 2003|url=http://www.commsp.ee.ic.ac.uk/~pancham/Articles/The%20Sixteen%20Samskaras.pdf|title=The Sixteen Samskaras Part-I|access-date=2008-08-27}}</ref><ref name="samskaras_names">{{cite web|url=http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part16/chap8.htm|title=Names of Samskaras|access-date=2008-08-27|publisher=kamakoti.org}}</ref>

[[File:Brahmins ablution.gif|thumb|Iyers from [[South India]] performing the Sandhya Vandhanam, 1913]]

[[File:Shaivaite priest.jpg|thumb|Iyer priest from [[Tamil Nadu]] carrying out a small ritual with his grandson.]]

Iyers are initiated into rituals at the time of birth. In ancient times, rituals used to be performed when the baby was being separated from mother's umbilical cord. This ceremony is known as ''Jātakarma''. However, this practice is no longer observed. At birth, a [[horoscope]] is made for the child based on the position of the stars. The child is then given a ritual name.<ref name="Ayush Homam">{{cite news | last=Austin | first=Lisette | title=Welcoming baby; Birth rituals provide children with a sense of community, culture | date=21 May 2005 | url=http://www.parentmap.com/content/view/498/276/ | work=Parentmap | access-date=2008-08-27 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708180805/http://www.parentmap.com/content/view/498/276/ | archive-date=8 July 2008 }}</ref> On the child's birthday, a ritual is performed to ensure longevity. This ritual is known as ''[[homas|Ayushya Homam]]''.  This ceremony is held on the child's birthday reckoned as per the Tamil calendar based on the position of the  ''[[nakshatra]]s'' or stars and not the [[Gregorian calendar]].<ref name="Ayush Homam" /> The child's first birthday is the most important and is the time when the baby is formally initiated by piercing the ears of the boy or girl. From that day onwards a girl is expected to wear earrings.

A second initiation (for the male child in particular) follows when the child crosses the age of seven. This is the ''[[Upanayana]]'' ceremony during which a [[Brahmin|Brahmana]] is said to be reborn. A three-piece cotton thread is installed around the [[torso]] of the child encompassing the whole length of his body from the left [[shoulder]] to the right [[hip]]. The Upanayana ceremony of initiation is solely performed for the members of the ''[[dvija]]'' or twice-born [[castes]], generally when the individual is between 7 and 16 years of age.<ref name="upanayanam">{{cite web|url=http://www.gurjari.net/ico/Mystica/html/upanayanam.htm|title=Upanayanam|access-date=2008-09-02|publisher=gurjari.net}}</ref><ref name="iyer_ritesandrituals">{{cite web|url=http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/047.htm|title=Customs and Classes of Hinduism|date=2 March 2003|access-date=2008-09-02|publisher=Boloji Media Inc.|author=Neria Harish Hebbar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203104805/http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/047.htm|archive-date=2007-02-03|url-status=dead}}</ref>  In ancient times, the Upanayana was often considered as the ritual which marked the commencement of a boy's education, which in those days consisted mostly of the study of the Vedas. However, with the Brahmins taking to other [[vocations]] than [[priesthood]], this initiation has become more of a symbolic ritual. The [[wikt:neophyte|neophyte]] was expected to perform the ''[[Sandhya Vandana]]m'' on a regular basis and utter a prescribed set of prayers, three times a day: dawn, mid-day, and dusk. The most sacred and prominent of the prescribed set of prayers is the [[Gayatri Mantra]], which is as sacred to the Hindus as the [[Six Kalimas]] to the [[Muslims]] and [[Ahuna Vairya|Ahunwar]] to the [[Zoroastrians]]. Once a year, Iyers change their sacred thread. This ritual is exclusive to South Indian Brahmins and the day is commemorated in Tamil Nadu as ''Āvani Avittam''.<ref name="south_indian_festivals">{{cite book | title=South Indian Hindu festivals and traditions| last=Jagannathan| first=Maithily| year=2005| page=93| publisher=Abhinav Publications| isbn= 9788170174158}}</ref><ref name="fasts_and_festivals">{{cite book | title=Fasts and Festivals of India| last=Verma| first=Manish| year=2002| page=41| publisher=Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.| isbn=978-81-7182-076-4}}</ref>

[[File:Agraharam house door.JPG|thumb|Brahmin house with hand marks to ward off the evil eye|left]]

Other important ceremonies for Iyers include the rites for the deceased. All Iyers are cremated according to [[Vedic period|Vedic]] rites, usually within a day of the individual's death.<ref name="deathrites_majorreligions">{{cite web|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/story/78/story_7894_2.html|title=Transition Rituals|access-date=2008-09-02|publisher=Beliefnet Inc.}}</ref> The death rites include a 13-day ceremony, and regular ''[[Tarpanam]]''<ref name="Tharpanam">{{cite web|url=http://www.vadhyar.com/Tarpanam.php|title=Tharpanam|access-date=2008-09-02|publisher=vadhyar.com}}</ref> (performed every month thereafter, on [[Amavasya]] day, or New Moon Day), for the ancestors. There is also a yearly ''[[Shraadh|shrārddha]]'', that must be performed. These rituals are expected to be performed only by male descendants of the deceased.  Married men who perform this ritual must be accompanied by their wives. The women are symbolically important in the ritual to give a "consent" to all the proceedings in it.<ref name="journey_of_a_lifebody">{{cite web|url=http://www.hindugateway.com/library/rituals/ |title=The Journey of a Lifebody |access-date=2008-08-27 |publisher=Hindu Gateway |first=David M. |last=Knipe |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930232759/http://www.hindugateway.com/library/rituals/ |archive-date=2008-09-30 }}</ref>

=== Festivals ===
{{See also|Hindu festivals}}

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

=== Weddings ===
A typical Iyer wedding consists of ''Sumangali Prārthanai'' (Hindu prayers for prosperous married life), ''Nāndi'' (homage to ancestors), ''Nischayadhārtham'' (Engagement) and ''Mangalyadharanam'' (tying the knot). The main events of an Iyer marriage include ''Vratam'' (fasting), ''Kasi Yatra'' (pilgrimage to Kasi), ''Oonjal'' (Swing), ''Kanyadanam'' (placing the bride in the groom's care), ''Mangalyadharanam'', ''Pānigrahanam'' and ''Saptapathi'' (or ''seven steps'' - the final and most important stage wherein the bride takes seven steps supported by the groom's palms thereby finalizing their union). This is usually followed by ''Nalangu'', which is a casual and informal event.<ref name="Iyer_marriage">{{cite web|url=http://www.sawnet.org/weddings/tamil_vedic.html |title=A South Indian Wedding – The Rituals and the Rationale |access-date=2008-08-27 |publisher=Sawnet |first=Padma |last=Vaidyanath |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512152857/http://sawnet.org/weddings/tamil_vedic.html |archive-date=2008-05-12 }}</ref>{{See also|Culture of Tamil Nadu}}

=== Traditional ethics ===
Iyers generally lead orthodox lives and adhere steadfastly to their customs and traditions. Iyers follow the Grihya Sutras of [[Apastamba]] and [[Baudhayana]]. The society is patriarchal but not feudal.<ref name="apastamba_sutra">{{cite book | title=Yajur-Veda: Apastamba-Grhya-Sutra| last=Pandey| first=U. C. | year=1971}}</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| last1=Doniger| first1=Wendy|first2=Brian K.|last2=Smith| year=1991| publisher=Penguin Books | isbn=0-14-044540-4}}</ref>

Iyers follow elaborate purification rituals, both of self and the house. Men are forbidden from performing their "sixteen duties"  while women are forbidden from cooking food without having a purificatory bath in the morning.<ref name="Madi" /> Food is to be consumed only after making an offering to the deities.
	
The bathing was considered sufficiently purifying only if it conformed to the rules of ''madi''.<ref name="Madi" /> The word ''madi'' is used by Tamil Brahmins to indicate that a person is bodily pure. In order to practice madi, the Brahmin had to wear only clothes which had been recently washed and dried, and the clothes should remain untouched by any person who was not ''madi''. Only after taking bath in cold water, and after wearing such clothes, would the person be in a state of ''madi''.<ref name="madiinkarnataka">{{cite book | title=Living Traditions in Contemporary Contexts: The Madhva Matha of Udipi| last=Rao| first=Vasudeva| page=66| publisher=Orient Longman}}</ref>
This practice of ''madi'' is followed by Iyers even in modern times, before participating in any kind of religious ceremony.<ref name="Madi" />

[[File:Madras Kappi.jpg|thumb|left|The Iyers have taken a special liking for filter coffee<ref name="oasis_vegetarian">{{cite news | last= Lakshmi| first=S. | title= An oasis of vegetarian calm | date=23 February 2008 | url=http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=way&autono=314701 | work =Business Standard | access-date = 2008-08-27}}</ref>]].

=== Clothing ===
[[File:MylaiTamizhSangam.jpg|thumb|right|Tamil Brahmins (Iyers and Iyengars) in traditional ''veshti'' and ''[[angvastra|angavastram]]'' at a convention of the Mylai Tamil Sangam, circa 1930s]]

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.

The traditional Iyer woman is draped in a nine-yard saree, also known as ''[[madisar|madisār]]''.<ref name="'madisar">{{cite news | title= A saree caught in a time wrap | date=23 January 2005 | url =http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050123/society.htm#2 | work =The Tribune | access-date = 2008-09-03}}</ref>

=== Patronage of art ===
For centuries, Iyers have taken a keen interest in preserving the arts and sciences. They undertook the responsibility of preserving the [[Natya Shastra]], a monumental work on [[Bharatanatyam]], the classical dance form of Tamil Nadu. During the early 20th century, dance was usually regarded as a [[degenerate art]] associated with [[devadasi]]s. [[Rukmini Devi Arundale]], however, revived the dying art of [[Sadir (dance)|Sadir]] into the more "respectable" art form of Bharatanatyam, thereby breaking social and caste taboos about Brahmins taking part in the study and practice of dance.<ref name="roles_and_rituals">''Roles and Rituals for Hindu Women'' by Julia Leslie, Pg. 154</ref><ref name="natyam_academy">{{cite news | last=Vishwanathan | first= Lakshmi | title= How Natyam danced its way into the Academy  | date=1 December 2006 | url=http://www.hindu.com/ms/2006/12/01/stories/2006120100180600.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216122454/http://www.hindu.com/ms/2006/12/01/stories/2006120100180600.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=16 December 2008 | access-date = 2008-08-27 | work=[[The Hindu]] | location=Chennai, India}}</ref> However many have claimed that, rather than becoming more open to other communities, the practice of Bharatanatyam was then restricted specifically to the middle and upper classes of Tamil society.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How the art of Devadasis was appropriated to create the world of Bharatanatyam|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/how-art-devadasis-was-appropriated-create-world-bharatanatyam-38808|date=2016-02-10|website=The News Minute|access-date=2020-04-28}}</ref>

[[File:DKPattammal-DKJayaraman-young.jpg|thumb|left|DK Pattammal (right), Classical Music Singer, in concert with her brother, DK Jayaraman; ''circa'' early 1940s.]]

However, compared to dance, the contribution of Iyers in field of music has been considerably noteworthy.<ref>''From the Tanjore Court to the Madras Music Academy: A Social History of Music in South India'' by Lakshmi Subramanian {{ISBN|0-19-567835-4}}</ref><ref name="carnaticmusic_popularity">{{cite web|url=http://www.karnatik.com/article001.shtml|title=Popularity of Carnatic music|access-date=2008-08-27|publisher=karnatik.com|first=Raghavan|last=Jayakumar}}</ref>

=== Food ===
{{See also|History of Brahmin diet|Tamil cuisine}}

The main diet of Iyers is composed of vegetarian food,<ref name="hindu_attitude_vegetarianism">{{cite web|url=http://www.ivu.org/congress/wvc57/souvenir/raghunathan.html|title=The Hindu Attitude Towards Vegetarianism|access-date=2008-08-27|publisher=International Vegetarian Union|author=N. Raghunathan}}</ref> mostly rice which is the staple diet for millions of South Indians. Vegetarian side dishes are frequently made in Iyer households apart from compulsory additions as rasam, sambar, etc. Home-made [[ghee]] is a staple addition to the diet, and traditional meals do not begin until ghee is poured over a heap of rice and lentils. The cuisine eschews the extent of spices and heat traditionally found in south Indian cuisine. Iyers are mostly known for their love for curd. Other South Indian delicacies such as dosas, idli, etc. are also relished by Iyers. Coffee amongst beverages and curd amongst food items form an indispensable part of the Iyer food menu.

[[File:Tamil Sappadu.jpg|thumb|left|The diet of Iyers consists mainly of Tamil vegetarian cuisine, comprising rice]]

=== Housing ===
[[File:Agraharam house.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A house in a [[Tanjore]] ''agrahāram'']]
	
In ancient times, Iyers, along with [[Iyengars]] and other [[Tamil Brahmins]], lived in exclusive Brahmin [[Quarter (country subdivision)|quarters]] of their village known as an ''[[agraharam|agrahāram]]''. [[Shiva]] and [[Vishnu]] [[temples]] were usually situated at the ends of an ''agrahāram''. In most cases, there would also be a fast-flowing stream or river nearby.<ref name="quaint_charm">{{cite news | last=Sashibhushan | first= M. G. | title= Quaint charm  | date=23 February 2004 | url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/02/23/stories/2004022301910300.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040705215837/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/02/23/stories/2004022301910300.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=5 July 2004| access-date = 2008-08-27 | work=[[The Hindu]] | location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

A typical ''agrahāram'' consisted of a temple and a street adjacent to it. The houses on either side of the street were exclusively peopled by Brahmins who followed a joint family system. All the houses were identical in design and architecture though not in size.<ref name="migrationp12">[[#Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans|Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans]], pp. 12-13</ref>

With the arrival of the British and commencement of the Industrial Revolution, Iyers started moving to cities for their sustenance. Starting from the late 19th century, the ''agrahārams'' were gradually discarded as more and more Iyers moved to towns and cities to take up lucrative jobs in the provincial and judicial administration.<ref name="migrationp6">[[#Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans|Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans]], pp. 6-14</ref>

However, there are still some agrahārams left where traditional Iyers continue to reside. In an Iyer residence, people wash their feet first with water on entering the house.<ref name="life_in_an_agrharam">{{cite web|url=http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/goalguide/goalguide03.htm|title=The Goal and the Guide, Petal 3:Fire Walking|access-date=2008-08-27|publisher=Sri Satya Sai Baba Website|first=Bombai|last=Srinivasan}}</ref><ref name="agraharam_description">{{cite news | last=Sridhar | first=Lalitha | title=Simply South | date=6 August 2001 | url=http://www.blonnet.com/2001/08/06/stories/100672a4.htm | work=Business Line | access-date=2008-08-27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223230150/http://www.blonnet.com/2001/08/06/stories/100672a4.htm | archive-date=23 February 2008 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Language ===
{{See also|Manipravalam|Brahmin Tamil}}
[[Tamil language|Tamil]] is the [[mother tongue]] of most Iyers residing in India and elsewhere. However, Iyers speak a distinct dialect of Tamil unique to their community.<ref name="ethnologue">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/14/show_language.asp?code=TCV|title=TAMIL: a language of India|access-date=2008-09-03|year=2000|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 14th Edition|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914105053/http://www.ethnologue.com/14/show_language.asp?code=TCV|archive-date=2008-09-14}}</ref><ref name="international_conference_on_dialects">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifpindia.org/ecrire/upload/dialects_conference_note.pdf|title=Streams of Language: Tamil Dialects in History and Literature|access-date=2008-09-03|publisher=french Institute of Pondicherry|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911173641/http://www.ifpindia.org/ecrire/upload/dialects_conference_note.pdf|archive-date=2008-09-11}}</ref><ref name="Tamil_dialects3">{{cite book | title=Negotiating multiculturalism: Disciplining Difference in Singapore | last=Purushotam| first=Nirmala Srirekham| page=37| year=2000| publisher=Walter de Gruyter}}</ref> This [[dialect]] of Tamil is known as [[Braahmik|Brāhmik]] or [[Brahmin Tamil]]. Brahmin Tamil is highly [[Sanskritized]] and has often invited ridicule from [[Tanittamil Iyakkam|Tamil]] purists due to its extensive usage of the Sanskrit [[vocabulary]].<ref name="Brahmin_Tamil_Sanskritized">{{cite news | last= Hebbar | first= Neria Harish | title= Tulu Language: Its Script and Dialects | date= 2 February 2003 | url= http://www.boloji.com/places/0020.htm | work= Boloji Media Inc. | access-date= 2008-09-10 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100504135656/http://www.boloji.com/places/0020.htm | archive-date= 2010-05-04 | url-status= dead }}</ref> While Brahmin Tamil used to be the [[lingua franca]] for inter-caste communication between different Tamil communities during pre-independence times, it has been gradually discarded by Brahmin themselves in favour of regional dialects.<ref name="standardization">{{cite web|title=Standardization or Restandardization: the case for 'Standard' Spoken Tamil|first=Harold F.|last=Schiffman|url=http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/public/stantam/STANTAM.HTM}}</ref>

== Iyers today ==

[[File:Tamil brahmin couple circa 1945.jpg|thumb|left|A Tamil Brahmin couple, circa 1945]]

In addition to their earlier occupations, Iyers today have diversified into a variety of fields.<ref name="migrationp1">[[#Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans|Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans]], Pg 1</ref> Three of India's Nobel laureates, [[Sir C. V. Raman]], [[Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar]] and [[Venkatraman Ramakrishnan]] hail from the community.<ref name="rediffnews">{{cite news|url=http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/oct/12/slide-show-1-brahmins-dominate-all-modern-professions.htm|date=12 October 2009|title=Brahmins dominate all modern professions|work=Rediff News}}</ref>

Since ancient times, Iyers, as members of the privileged priestly class, exercised a near-complete domination over educational, religious and literary institutions in the Tamil country.<ref name="Vivekananda">{{cite book | title=The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda| last=Vivekananda| first=Swami| year=1955| page=296| publisher=Advaita Ashrama | isbn=81-85301-46-8}}</ref> Their domination continued throughout the [[British Raj]] as they used their knowledge of the English language and education to dominate politics, administration, the courts and intelligentsia. Upon India's independence in 1947, they tried to consolidate their hold on the administrative and judicial machinery. Such a situation led to resentment from the other castes in Tamil Nadu, the result of this atmosphere was a "non-Brahmin" movement and the formation of the [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]].<ref name="Non-Brahmin Movement">{{cite web|url=http://www.tamilnation.org/caste/nambi.htm|title=Caste & the Tamil Nation:The Origin of the Non-Brahmin Movement, 1905-1920|access-date=2008-09-03|publisher=Koodal Publishers|year=1980|author=K. Nambi Arooran|work=Tamil renaissance and Dravidian nationalism 1905-1944}} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> [[Periyar]], who took over as Justice Party President in the 1940s, changed its name to [[Dravidar Kazhagam|Dravida Kazhagam]], and formulated the view that [[Tamil Brahmins]] were [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Aryans]] as opposed to non-Brahmin Tamils who were [[Dravidian peoples|Dravidian]].<ref name="periyar_antibrahminism">{{cite news | last= Selvaraj| first= Sreeram | title= Periyar was against Brahminism, not Brahmins | date=30 April 2007 | work =Rediff News}}
</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| s2cid=145124008}}</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>

In 2006, the Tamil Nadu government took the decision to appoint non-Brahmin priests in Hindu temples in order to curb Brahmin ecclesiastical domination.<ref name="tamil_nadu_caste_barrier">{{cite news | title= Tamil Nadu breaks caste barrier  | date=16 May 2006 | url =https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4986616.stm | work =BBC News | access-date = 2008-09-06}}</ref> This created a huge controversy. Violence broke out in March 2008 when a non-Brahmin ''oduvar'' or reciter of Tamil idylls, empowered by the Government of Tamil Nadu, tried to make his way into the ''sanctum sanctorum'' of the Nataraja temple at Chidambaram.<ref name="tension_at_chidambaram_temple">{{cite news | title =Tension at Chidambaram temple | date =2 March 2008 | url =http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20080302/899005.html | work =Web India 123 | access-date =2008-09-06 | archive-date =11 December 2008 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081211112859/http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20080302/899005.html | url-status =dead }}</ref>

== Criticism ==
{{See also|Anti-Brahmanism}}

=== Relations with other communities ===
The legacy of Iyers have often been marred by accusations of [[racism]] and counter-racism against them by non-Brahmins and vice versa.

Grievances and instances of [[discrimination]] by Brahmins are believed to be the main factors which fuelled the [[Self-Respect Movement|Dravidian Movement]].<ref name="Non-Brahmin Movement" /> With the dawn of the 20th century, and the rapid penetration of western education and western ideas, there was a rise in consciousness amongst the lower castes who felt that [[rights]] which were legitimately theirs were being denied to them.<ref name="Non-Brahmin Movement" />  This led the non-Brahmins to agitate and form the [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]] in 1916, which later became the [[Dravidar Kazhagam]]. The Justice Party banked on vehement anti-Hindu and anti-Brahmin propaganda to ease Brahmins out of their privileged positions. Gradually, the non-Brahmin replaced the Brahmin in every sphere and destroyed the [[monopoly]] over [[education]] and the [[Public Administration|administrative services]] which the Brahmin had previously held.<ref name="education-meansofsocialmobility">{{cite news|last=Warrier |first=Shobha |title=Education is the means of social mobility |date=30 May 2006 |url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/may/30spec.htm |work=Rediff News |access-date=2008-08-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504051207/http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/may/30spec.htm |archive-date=4 May 2008 }}</ref>

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, for example 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 in improving the rights of Dalits and that there continues to be as much discrimination of Dalits as had been before.

{{blockquote|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>}}

=== Alleged negative attitude towards Tamil language and culture ===
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 by the Dravidian parties 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>  Despite these allegations many Iyers were great contributors to the Tamil language. 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 [[Tamil literature]].<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}}
</ref>

== Portrayal in popular media ==
Brahmins are mentioned for the first time in the works of [[Sangam literature|Sangam poets]].{{citation needed|date=September 2016}} During the post sangam 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}}

Their portrayal in media started to become more negative with the rise of Dravidian political movements. The writings and speeches of many Dravidian political activists such as [[Iyothee Thass]], [[Maraimalai Adigal]], [[Periyar]], [[Bharatidasan]], [[C. N. Annadurai]], 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| last1=Özbudun| first1=Ergun|first2=Myron|last2=Weiner| year=1987| page=62| publisher=Duke University Press| isbn=0-8223-0766-9}}</ref> Most of the films made, such as the 1952-blockbuster ''[[Parasakthi (1952 film)|Parasakthi]]'' written by future Chief minister [[M. Karunanidhi]], 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>

== Notable people ==
Some of the early members of the community to gain prominence were sages and religious scholars like [[Agastya|Agatthiar]], [[Tholkappiyar]] (Tirunadumakini), [[Parimelalhagar]] and [[Naccinarkiniyar]].<ref name="zvelebil_companion_agathiar" /> Prior to the 19th century, almost all prominent members of this community hailed from religious or literary spheres.<ref name="history_of_south_india">{{cite book | title=A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar: from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar| last=Sastri| first=K. A. Nilakanta| year=1966| page=289| publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=0-19-560686-8}}</ref> Tyagaraja, Syama Sastri and Muthuswamy Dīkshitar, who constitute the "Trinity of Carnatic music" were probably the first verified historical personages from the community, as the accounts or biographies of  those who lived earlier appear semi-legendary in character.<ref name="tyagaraja_cult_historicity">{{cite book | title=The Tyāgarāja cult in Tamilnāḍu: A Study in Conflict and Accommodation| last=Ghose| first=Rajeshwari| year=1996| page=10| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ| isbn=978-81-208-1391-5}}</ref> Most of the ''Dewans''  of the princely state of Travancore during the 19th century were Tamil Brahmins (Iyers and Iyengars).<ref name="fragments_of_a_life">{{cite book | title=Fragments of a Life: A Family Archive| last=Sivaraman| first=Mythily| year=2006| page=4| publisher=Zubaan| isbn= 978-81-89013-11-0}}</ref>

* [[Nethra Raghuraman|Nethra Raghuram]], Indian model who won [[Femina (India)|Femina Magazine]] Look of the Year contest 1997<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rediff On The Net, Movies: Meet Nethra Raghuraman, Supermodel and Bollywood wannabe|url=https://m.rediff.com/movies/1999/nov/12nethra.htm|access-date=2021-11-30|website=m.rediff.com}}</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 link|date=February 2022}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Tamils|India|Hinduism|Society}}
* [[Forward Castes]]
*[[Tamil Brahmin]]s

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* {{cite book | title=Caste and Race in India| last= Ghurye| first= G. S. | year=1991| publisher= Popular Prakashan| location=Bombay | isbn=0-8364-1837-9|ref=G. S. Ghurye}}
* {{cite book | title=Ritualizing on the Boundaries: Continuity and Innovation in the Tamil Diaspora| last=W. Clothey| first=Fred| year=2006| publisher=University of South Carolina|isbn=978-1-57003-647-7|ref=Ritualizing on the Boundaries}}
*{{cite book | title=The Kingdom of Jaffna| last=Pathmanathan| author-link=S. Pathmanathan | publisher=Arul M. Rajendran| year=1978|ref=Pathmanathan}}
*{{cite book | title=From Landlords to Software Engineers: Migration and Urbanization among Tamil Brahmans | url=http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=1631996| last1=Fuller| first1=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=The Smile of Murugan on Tamil Literature of South India| last=Zvelebil | first=Kamil| author-link=Kamil Zvelebil| year=1973| publisher=BRILL| isbn=90-04-03591-5|ref=Zvelebil}}
* {{cite book | title=Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature | last=Zvelebil| first=Kamil V.|year=1992| publisher=BRILL| isbn=90-04-09365-6 | author-link=Kamil Zvelebil|ref=Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature}}
* {{cite book | title=Brahmin Women| last1=Ghosh| first1=G. K.|first2=Shukla|last2=Ghosh| year=2003| publisher=Firma KLM| isbn=9788171021079|ref=Brahmin Women}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book | title=Brahmin & Non-Brahmin : genealogies of the Tamil political present| last=Pandian| first=M. S. S. Pandian| year=2007| isbn= 978-8178241623}}
* {{cite book | title=Play, Symbolism, and Ritual: A Study of Tamil Brahmin Women's Rites of Passage (American University Studies Series XI, Anthropology and Sociology) (Hardcover)| last=K. Duvvury| first=Vasumathi| year=1991| publisher=Peter Lang Pub Inc| isbn=978-0-8204-1108-8}}
* {{cite book | title=Aryans, Jews, Brahmins: Theorizing Authority Through Myths of Identity| last=Figueira| first=Dorothy Matilda|year=2002| publisher=SUNY Press| isbn= 978-0-7914-5531-9}}
* {{cite book | title=Brahmins Through the Ages: Their Social, Religious, Cultural, Political, and Economic Life| last=Sharma| first=Rajendra Nath|year=1977| publisher=Ajanta Publications}}
* {{cite book | title=Brahmin Priest of Tamil Nadu| last=Subramaniam| first=Kuppu|year=1974| publisher=Wiley | isbn=0-470-83535-4}}
* {{Cite book|title=A Century of Change: Caste and Irrigated Lands in Tamilnadu, 1860s-1970s|year=1996|publisher=Manohar|first=Haruka|last=Yanagisawa|isbn= 978-81-7304-159-4}}
* {{Cite book|title=Caste, Nationalism and Ethnicity: An Interpretation of Tamil Cultural History and Social Order|year=1987|publisher=Popular Prakashan|first=Jacob|last=Pandian|isbn=978-0-86132-136-0}}
*{{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}}

{{wikibooks|Brahmin Tamil}}{{Brahmin communities}}

[[Category:Tamil Brahmins]]
[[Category:Surnames of Hindu origin]]
[[Category:Social groups of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian castes]]
[[Category:Tamil-language surnames]]
[[Category:Social groups of Kerala]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:South Indian communities]]