Iyer

Iyers (Tamil : ஐயர்) are a group of Tamil Brahmins (a priestly Hindu caste from India) who for the most part profess the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara.

Entity and origins

Iyers are South Indian Brahmins primarily settled in the state of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andra Pradesh and Karnataka. Iyers are predominantly Smarthas or followers of the Smriti texts.

Iyers — like all other Brahmins — trace their paternal ancestors to one of eight rishis or sages. Accordingly they classify themselves into eight gotras, based upon the ancestor rishi.

The term Iyer derives from the term Ayya used by the people of the Tamil regions to denote a respected person and are seen as representatives of Vedic Culture. The term is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word 'Arya' which means a 'noble person'.

Iyers have many sub-sects among them, such as Vadama, Brahacharanam, Vathima, Sholiyar or Chozhiar and Ashtasahasram. Each sub-sect is further subdivided according to the village or region of origin. Iyers do not have a single origin, as they have come to Tamil lands at different periods of time, for different reasons and from different parts of India, even though it has become common for them to intermarry in modern times. They also maintain a similar culture regardless of specific origin, due to cultural interaction for more than a millennium.

Iyers follow one of the four Vedas - Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. In Yajur Veda they are the followers of Krishna Yajur Veda] The Veda that an Iyer follows forms an important part of his identity, another being the gotra that he belongs to. The gotra recital gives the names of the rishi who founded the clan one is born and the name of the Sutra [Like Apaasthamba, Kashyapa etc.] A woman belongs to gotra of her father until marriage, and then during kanyadaan changes to that of her husband.

In later times, when many Vaishnava sects proclaimed themselves Iyengars, the word Iyer was used to usually refer to either Smarthas or to Saivaites. Contemporary Iyers are mostly Smarthas and follow Adi Shankara's teachings.

Though initially divided into distinct groups, they have slowly evolved into a single community with similar culture and habits, the members of which take pride in being called Iyers. They have preserved their unique common identity, even after migrating to other places.

Most of the Iyers have stopped using the surname Iyer following Gandhiji's advice to give up caste surnames. Some of them have adapted the name of the Gotra like Athreya, Srivatsa et al. as surnames

Iyers in Kerala

For example, a few centuries back, some of them migrated and settled down in various parts of Kerala. They integrated themselves into their new homeland and built up an identity of their own.

There were two streams of migration.

1. From Thirunelveli and Ramnad disticts of Tamil Nadu to the erstwhile princely states of Travancore and Cochin. Strictly speaking this can not be called a migration to a different state as most of south Kerala and the present Kanyakumari district (Tamil Nadu), were part of Venad and referred to by historians as South Pandi Nad.

In later years they migrated to Palakkad and Kozhikode also. The migration was mainly due to the repeated droughts in Thirunelveli and Ramnad districts.

In Kerala now they are known as Pandi Iyers. (Iyers from the Pandya kingdom.)

These Brahmins were not allowed to officiate as priests in the temple of Kerala except Nanjilnad. ( Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu which was formerly part of Travancore.) The Rajas erected huge Uttupuras ( common free feeding place) to feed these poor Brahmins.

They were skilled in Commerce and the culinary art. They were employed as cooks and accountants (Karyakars) to the Royal family.

The community started looking up with Ramayyan_Dalawa who rose to the position of Commander in chief of the forces of Marthanda Varma.

This community used their commercial skills to progress in society. At one point of time all the money lenders in Kerala belonged to this community. They also founded Banking institutions. Only one of them Dhanalakshmai Bank Ltd survives today.

They also took to English education in a big way. The came to occupy high administrative position in Travancore and Cochin. Sankarasubbier and V. S. Subramania Iyer were Dewans of Travancore. Sankaranarayana Ayyan was the Sarvadhikar of Cochin.

The Tamil Brahmins have integrated into the Kerala society. Since there were not many schools teaching Tamil in Travancore and Cochin they have been learning Malyalam for generations. They have also contributed to the Malayalam language. Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer was one of leading Malyalam poets. In recent years Malayattur Ramakrishnan was one of leading Malayalam literary figures.

Most of them speak a mixture of Malayalam and Tamil at home. They retain the Tamil cultural heritage.

The basic difference between the Palakkad Iyers and this community is that whereas the Palakkad Iyers came at the invitation of the Raja of Palakkad, these Brahmins came in as refugees. The Brahmins of Palakkad were given lands by the Raja and asked to officiate in the temples. They were the land owning class. The Pandi brahmins were dependent on Uttupuras for survival. The Palakkad Iyers stayed in Agraharams ( villages of Brahmins) whereas (except in Southern Travancore), the Pandi Brahmins did not stay in Agraharams.

The Pandi Brahmins came to Kerala as refugees and by sheer dint of hard work rose to high positions. They consider themselves to be from Kerala.

2. From Tamil Nadu (mostly Tanjore district) to Palakkad.

The people of Tamil Nadu easily identified them as Palakkad Tamil Brahmins or Palakkad Iyers while the Malayalam-speaking people of Kerala referred to them as Pattars. ( This is derived from Bhattar an old surname of the Tamil Brahmins.) The term Kerala Iyers is also popular because of their presence all over Kerala. They are known as Palakkad Iyers only because many of them settled down in the Palakkad district of Kerala which is close to Tamil Nadu. Palakkad was a part of Madras state till 1956.

The mother tongue of all Iyers is Tamil but the form of Tamil that a common Palakkad Iyer speaks is influenced by Malayalam vocabulary and grammar to some extent. Their slang is highly influenced by Sanskrit as well. This might have resulted partially due to the absence of sufficient number of Tamil language schools in Kerala, where Iyers are a linguistic minority group.

Iyers place great importance in learning and knowledge and unsurprisingly they are scholars in many languages including Tamil, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Kannada and Telugu.

A number of Palakkad Iyers migrated to Mumbai in the early part of this century. They form the majority of Tamil Brahmins in Mumbai.

Similarly sizable numbers of Iyers have migrated to London and are known as Thames Iyers. Thus the term Iyer continues to be applicable, even after their emigration from Tamil regions.

Rituals, ceremonies and festivals

The Iyer rituals comprise rites as described in Hindu scriptures such as Apastamba Sutra attributed to Apastamba.

The most important rites are the shodasa samskaras or the 17 essential Saṃskāra.

Although many rites and rituals that were practiced in ancient times are no longer followed, some traditions are continued to this day.

Iyers are initiated into rituals at the time of birth. In ancient times Iyers performed rituals when the baby was being separated from mother's umbilical cord. However, this practice is no longer observed. At the time of birth, a horoscope is made for the child based on the position of the stars. Then Iyers undergo the naming ceremony. This affair is important as the name given during this ceremony is the individual's religious name, and is used whenever prayers or ceremonies are conducted, where that individual has to be mentioned by name. Families might also conduct homas on the birthday of an individual, to invoke God's blessings, or perform prayers. This birthday however is unrelated to the child's birth date as per the calendar, rather it corresponds to the nakshatra, or star, corresponding to the time at which the individual is born. The child's first birthday is the most important, and it is when both Iyer boys and girls have their ears pierced. From that day onwards a girl is expected to wear earrings. The ceremony is only a formality for Iyer boys of modern families.

After his seventh birthday, a male child is eligible for the thread ceremony known as Upanayanam. From that day on, he becomes an official member of his caste, and is known as a twice-born. In ancient times, the boy was sent to a gurukul to study the Vedas and scriptures. He then practiced extreme discipline during the period known as Brahmacharya. He lived a celibate life, living on alms, and surviving on selected vegetarian saatvic food and observing considerable austerity in behaviour and deeds. The individual had to perform daily fire worship, and perform prayers without fail. Though such practices are not followed in modern times by a majority of Iyers, all Iyer boys undergo the sacred thread ceremony at some point in time before their marriage. Many Iyers continue to follow the daily worship of the sun and the goddess Gayatri. This daily worship is also known as sandhyavandanam. This worship is necessary to be performed at dawn, mid-day, and dusk. The mid-day worship is called madhyahnikam. Besides this, all twice-born Iyers need to perform annual ceremonies such as Upakarma, when they replace their sacred threads with new ones. They also recite 1008 Gayatri japas on a certain day every year. This is one practice very few twice-born Iyers neglect. The Gayatri Mantra is in pre-classical, Vedic Sanskrit, which is even more difficult to pronounce than the classical Sanskrit. Iyer women have their own ceremonies such as the one at the time of attaining puberty (mostly a private family affair) and regular prayers that they organize for the welfare of their family. They learn shlokas and devotional hymns, and regularly worship various deities. However, there are no texts in the Vedas that are held to be suitable for study by women. The Gayatri Mantra(m) is particularly held as to be studied by men only.

Iyer marriage

A typical Iyer marriage consists of Sumangali Prarthanai, Naandi, Nischayadhaartham and Mangalyadharanam. This is a highly ritualistic affair and finally the bridegroom and the bride walk around the sacred fire seven times to complete the marriage. The main ritualistic events of an Iyer marriage include Vratam, Kasi Yatra, Oonjal (Swing), Kanyadanam, Mangalyadharanam, Paanigrahanam and Saptapathi. This is usually followed by Nalangu, which is a casual and informal event.

An Iyer marriage is usually concluded on the basis of the matching of horoscopes (of bride and groom). Like most Indian Hindus, Iyers are strong believers in horoscopes, and consult astrologers for marriages, events like the commencement of a business, financial prosperity and physical health. Sometimes the astrologers point out defects in horoscopes and corresponding remedial measures.

Other events and festivals

The other extremely important rituals for the Iyers are the death ceremonies. All Iyers are cremated according to Vedic rites, usually within a day of the individual's death. The death rites include a 13-day ceremony, and regular Tarpanam (performed every month thereafter, on Amavasya day, or New Moon Day), for the ancestors. There is also a yearly shraarddha, 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.

There are other rituals for different occasions like Grihapravesam (entering a new house), performing yagnas for the welfare of world, etc.

In traditional families any food is first offered to God as naivedhya, before being consumed. Food is not to be consumed before this religious offering.

Iyers celebrate different festivals where they worship God. They offer different kinds of sweets to God unique to that festival. These offerings usually include fruits and sweets. Worship of the divine is done by reciting Sanskrit hymns and by the offering of special flowers are offered. Some of the many festivals celebrated by Iyers are:

Deepavali - the festival of lights, commemorating the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon Narakasura. The Iyers celebrate this in their unique style by waking up early in the morning and having an oil bath. The Deepavali medicine is a herbal preparation, that is believed to increase an individual's appetite for sweets. These sweets are prepared unfailingly every year (nowadays, more likely bought). People light their houses with lamps, and burst fire crackers on this day.

Navratri or more famously known as Dasara - the nine-day festival of Durga which culminates in a Saraswathy Puja and then Vijayadasami. During this festival in which women actively participate, they get dressed in their best attire and keep an exhibition of dolls in their homes. This practice is also known as golu. On the day of the Saraswathy puja, Iyers place books, such as for instance school books or books of accounts, before the deity, to be included in the puja. These books are removed and read on Vijayadasami - the tenth day. Any other new work is also started on Vijayadasami. The food offered to God during Navaratri is shundal.

Pongal - the yearly festival for the Sun. The Sakkarai Pongal is a sweet dish made of rice and jaggery for this occasion. Sugarcane is also offered to God on this day.

Vinayaka Chaturthi - Birthday of Lord Ganesha. Kozhakattai (steamed rice dumpling usually with a jaggery/coconut filling) is a sweet prepared for this occasion, and is considered the favourite of Lord Ganesha.

Janmaashtami - Birthday of Lord Krishna. Cheedai (deep-fried rice balls, with various spices, sometimes jaggery), "thattai" (rice flour with pulses and chilly powder fried in oil), "murukku" (rice flour fried in oil) are special food items prepared for this festival.

Tamil New Year- New Year[[according to the Tamil calendar. A neem paste is the main dish for this day. Payasam(sweetened milk) is another famous dish and is usually prepared with vadai (rice and yellow gram flour deep fried in oil)

Sivarathri - Worship day of Lord Shiva. The Lord Shiva is pleased with austerities, so no sweets are prepared. Instead, people are expected to fast the whole day, and worship Lord Shiva throughout the night. Fruits are permissible for those who cannot follow the intense devotion expected.

Karthika deepam - Day celebrating the victory of Lord Muruga over evil. Pori (sweetened puffed rice, sweetened with jaggery), is prepared on this day. The house is also lit with lamps to celebrate the victory over darkness.

Avani avittam - Upakarma day for the Iyers. On this day, Iyers change the sacred thread and recite vedas.

Iyers set aside certain days for fasting. Some of the days Iyers fast are, Amavasya, Ekadasi, and Sivarathri.

Residence of Iyers

Agraharam

Iyers nowadays live mostly in urban centres, although they are found in certain rural areas as well. In the past, they lived in colonies known as Agraharams (in Sanskrit Agram means tip or end and Haram means garland). Generally, Shiva and Vishnu temples are situated at the ends of an agraharam with other temples being situated nearby. Also, most agraharams are situated beside a river. These are streets where only Brahmins were allowed to live. A typical agraharam consists of a temple and a street adjacent to it. Iyers used to live as joint families in these exclusive streets. The houses were simple and had a design of their own. The design was the same in all houses, only the dimensions were different.

From the late 1800s, Iyers started moving out of their agraharams and began living in cities. However, there are still some agraharams left where traditional or old Iyers continue to reside. In an Iyer residence, people wash their feet first with water on entering their house before going further into the house. This is not possible in flats in cities due to the layout of the same. But in houses in villages, the layout permits this and is still practiced.

Social and political issues

During the medieval periods, Iyers (and Brahmins in general) rose in prominence in Indian society, primarily due to their emphasis on spiritual life and scholarship, particularly in terms of their expertise in the Vedas and the attendant religious rituals. Later, during the colonial period they also acquired English education and served as officials in the British rule in India. Such a situation led to resentment from the other castes in Tamil Nadu; an upshot of this atmosphere was an "anti-Brahmin" movement and the formation of the Justice Party. Though formed on a principled high-ground, the movement soon led to a power struggle between the Brahmins and other castes like the Mudaliars, Pillais and Chettiars. 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.

Iyer Women

DK Pattammal (right) ,tradition bound Classical Music Singer, in concert with her brother, DK Jayaraman; circa early 1940s.

The Iyer woman is often portrayed as woman draped in a nine yard saree, also known as madisar in Tamil. Though such dress is worn regularly only by the older women, on festivals and other religious occasions it is worn by young women as well. Traditional Iyer women, both married and unmarried wear a "pottu" (red dot, also known as kumkum/sindoor/bindi) on their forehead and married women always wear the mangalsutra or "Thaali" as it is called in Tamil. This is a sacred cord tied by the bridegroom around the bride's neck and is the chief part of the marriage as it unites them in matrimony, while the officiating Brahmin priests chant vedic hymns.

An Iyer woman becomes a part of her husband's family after marriage and adopts the gotra/lineage as well as the traditions of her husband's family.

Until recently, an Iyer widow (but not a widower) was never allowed to remarry. Divorces were considered a "great evil". Once a widow, an Iyer woman had to shave her head and lead the life of Sanyasin. She had to stop wearing the kumkum/bindi on her forehead, and was recommended to smear her forehead with sacred ashes. All of these practices have diminished over the last few decades, and modern Iyer widows lead less orthodox lives.

There is also a restriction on Iyer women during menstruation. During this time, the Iyer women are prohibited from touching any person in the house and are not permitted to enter the worship or prayer room. She does not visit temples and does not partake any holy offerings such as prasadam. These practices are now being discarded among the younger generation.

Traditional Iyer Ethics

Iyers are an orthodox community that adhered steadfastly to their customs and traditions till the turn of the 20th century, when they started leaving their traditional priestly duties for more secular vocations, causing contemporary Iyers to be more flexible than their parents and grandparents. They followed the Manusmriti (Hindu Code of Laws or The Institutes of Manu) and the Grihya Sutras of Apastamba and Baudhayana. Some modern Iyers, however, consider these books impracticable in modern times. The society is patriarchal but not feudal.

Nevertheless, a Brahmin woman has always been found to be more educated (either an expert at arts or science) as compared to those of other communities. An example of this is the 20th century (Rukmini Devi Arundale) where many Brahmin women acquired an undergraduate degree.

Iyers observed many rules in the past when they used to live and marry only within their community; many continue to adhere to their roots. Their dietary habits can be considered to be strict, consuming only vegetarian food which excludes fish and fowl, eggs and egg products. Some abjure onion and garlic on the grounds that they activate certain base senses. Milk and milk products, preferably from the cow, were approved. They were mandated to avoid the consumption of intoxicants, including alcohol and tobacco.

Iyers follow elaborate purification rituals, both of self and the house. The women of the household cook food only after a bath, while the males perform religious rites after a purificatory bath. An Iyer does not visit a temple without taking bath. Food is partaken of only after it is offered to the deity/deities in a prescribed manner. Like any other brahmin community, bathing everyday is mandatory, and is, strictly speaking, the first thing to be carried out, before beginning any work of the day or before the start of any ritual or prayer. So much importance was given to this, that it was not unusual to see Iyers bathe many times during the day (before performing any important ritual).

The bathing was considered sufficiently purifying only if it confirmed to the rules of "madi". The word "madi" is a term 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. This practice of madi is followed by Iyers even in modern times, before participating in any kind of religious ceremony .

Traditional Attire

Iyer men traditionally wear veshtis, which cover them from waist to foot. These are made of cotton and sometimes silk. Veshtis are worn in different styles, the veshtis are worn in a typical brahminical style during religious ceremonies, the style is popularly known as panchakacham They sometimes wrap their shoulders with a single piece of cloth known as angavastram (body-garment), but mostly keep their chests bare. They also wear the sacred thread across their shoulders. This is worn by them from the time of their initiation into the Vedic order, which usually takes place when the boys reach the age of seven. Many centuries ago, Iyers involved in the most sacred rituals also draped their waist or chests with deer skin or grass.

Even though only priests wear such traditional attire on a daily basis, many Iyers continue to dress themselves in this manner on religious occasions. Women, as discussed earlier wear a nine yard saree. The sarees are made of either cotton or silk. In modern times synthetic materials are used, albeit rarely. They also wear earrings, necklaces and other ornaments and decorate their hair with sweet-smelling flowers such as jasmine.

Slippers were traditionally made of wood or leather among the richer Iyers, but now rubber and plastic based footwear are also used.

Iyers today

Akin to Bengal, the Brahmins in South India were one of the first communities to be anglicized. However, this was restricted to their outlook on the material world. They have retained their Vedic Hindu traditions despite almost two centuries of western influence.

This newly created elite became the dominant social and cultural stratum in South Indian society producing a plethora of British style academicians, industrialists and political leaders. They also played an active role in the Indian independence movement. Prominent leaders from the Iyer community included Subramanya Bharathy. Bharathy fought against the caste system which was widely in vogue during his times.

In addition to their earlier occupations, Iyers today have diversified into a variety of fields — their strengths particularly evident in the fields of Mass Media, science, mathematics and computer science. It is a small percentage of Iyers who voluntarily choose, in this era, to pursue the traditional vocation of priesthood, though all Hindu temple priests are Brahmins. Some Iyers today have even married outside of their caste in Europe and therefore produced children of mixed-race. Iyers have been prominent in the field of literature too, especially in English and Tamil. Iyers have been active in the cultural field also. Music has always been integral to the Iyer community; Carnatic music forms an ancient classical tradition, and includes, apart from vocal music, instruments such as violin, mridangam, naadaswaram, veena, ghatam, etc. Bharatanatyam has been ardently pursued by female members of the Iyer community from the time of its reinvention in early 20th century. These classical art forms, Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam, enjoy public patronage during the Chennai cultural season in the months of December and January.

Language of Iyers

The people who call themselves Iyers are predominantly South Indian Tamilians. Most Iyers speak Tamil fluently. Iyers in Karnataka speak speak Kannada as well. The Sankheti Iyers speak a dialect of Tamil called Sankheti. Palakkad Iyers speak both Tamil and Malayalam fluently. In addition to Tamil, many Iyers are well-versed in Sanskrit. Iyers who have lived in other parts of India know other Indian languages too. There are different dialects of the Iyer language depending on the place they descend from. Thanjavur, Tirunelveli (which has given rise to the Tamil Brahmin dialects of Trivandrum and South Kerala), Palakkad are the three most popular dialects of the Iyer language.

All educated Iyers speak English fluently and often have a tendency to discuss among themselves on any subject in English alone. However, the colloquial usage of Tamil by Iyers (read it as Brahmin Tamil or Braahmik) is called 'Iyer baashai', literally meaning 'Iyer language'. It is also understood as the language of the Brahmins because 'Iyer' is the word that is generally used to refer to any Brahmins in Tamil Nadu whether the person is an Iyer or an Iyengar or from any other Brahmin community.

Examples of Iyer Baashai:

Pure Tamil	How Iyers say it	How other Tamils say it	English Meaning
Varugireergala?	Varela?	Vareengala?	Are you coming?
Pogireergala?	Porela?	Poreengala?	Are you going?
Engal veetil, Engal Agathil	Enga athilae	Enga veetla	In our house
Avargal	Ava	Avanga	They
Sollungal	Chollungo	Sollunga	Tell
Sirithu Nazhigai	Setha Nazhi	Konja Neram	For some time

Iyers and Art

A few centuries ago, Iyer men took keen interest in learning and propagating various art forms including carnatic music and literary plays.

They wrote works on poetry and dance. The famous work Bharata Natya Shastra was preserved by them. This work describes the technique of dance. It includes many aspects of dance such as kama, bhakti etc. The work has influenced dance form in south India, especially the dance performed by devadasis in temples, today more popularly known as Bharatanatyam. The Iyer women were not allowed to learn dance or acting. In modern times however, it is they who have actually taken up the task of preserving the dance form which was dying out due to the abolition of the devadasi system by the Indian Government.

But more than dance, the Iyers were interested in music. They patronized the music of South India also known as Carnatic music. Shyama Sastri and Muthuswamy Dikshitar are two of the greatest composers of Carnatic Music. They belong to the Trinity of Carnatic Music.

The musical instruments that are used in Carnatic music include Veena, Mridangam, Nadaswaram, and Ghatam. In modern times they have also adapted instruments such as violin and flute to Carnatic music. Their interest in Carnatic music stems from their belief that music is an art patronized by the goddess Saraswati and originated from the Vedas.

Iyers have also played an important role in writing works on temple architecture. They have written works on the rules to be followed in building temples and creating idols which are worshipped in them. All these rules are mentioned in the Agamashastra.

They have also authored innumerable plays centered around Hindu mythologies. These plays were usually performed in the temples.

Perhaps most importantly they have also contributed significantly to Tamil Literature. The works are mostly about Bhakti and religion. There are innumerable hymns composed on different deities worshipped in the South such as Meenakshi, Amman, Shiva, Murugan, Vishnu, etc. The style of these poems are indeed unique and beautiful. Besides Tamil, they have also written a number of works in Sanskrit which is the language used in rituals.

Iyer Food

Traditional Iyers eat only vegetarian food and avoid intoxicants such as wine or alcohol in their food. The staple food of Iyers is rice. Rice is usually mixed with a typical soup or curd. Rasam, Sambar, Kozhambu are some of the different types of soup. The soups are prepared by mixing vegetables, water, dal, tamarind extract and different kinds of spices. Curd rice is a must in the daily menu (due to which Iyers are sometimes teasingly called thayir). Vegetables, dal or vegetable salads (which might be fried or roasted) are used as side dishes which are eaten along with the main course. They also like to eat appalams which are crispy wafers usually fried in oil or roasted dry. Sometimes the food is also eaten along with potato or banana chips.

Kerala Iyers like to fry their food in coconut oil which is plentiful in Kerala.

During festivals food is served on banana leaves.

An Iyer day starts with coffee. Coffee is taken along with milk and sugar. Occasionally plain milk is also drunk. Breakfast could be idli, dosa, upma, pongal or Poori. Tea is not a popular drink among Iyers.

Famous Iyers

See Distinguished Iyers.

See also

• Forward Castes
• Anti-Brahmanism
• Palakkad Iyers
• Agastya
• Smartha
• Aryan Invasion Theory (history and controversies)

External links

• http://www.keralaiyers.com/
• http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/
• sankethi.com, information on Sankethis, a sub group of Iyers from Karnataka.
• Thummagunta Dravida Iyers, Information on Thummagunta Dravida Brahmins, a sub-sect of Vadama Iyers from Thummagunta in Nellore District, AP.
• brahmin migrations in south India
• Kuzhalmannam Agraharam - a Kerala Iyer Palakkad gramam.
• http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/047.htm
• An article on Saivaite and Vedic Iyers who lived before 1000 AD in Tamil Nadu
• An article on Dikshitars of Chidambaram
• [1] An Article which argues that the Tamil Brahmins have been closely associated with Tamil Culture since the earliest period of recorded history.
• Iyer matrimony gives a brief idea about Iyer marriages
• Advaita Vedanta research centre, and hosts articles and mailing-lists on the subject; see also Advaita.
• Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, a religious establishment tracing its roots to Adi Sankara.
• Sringeri Sharada Peetham
• http://www.anikode.com/ Anikode Agraharam is about 15 km from Palakkad. Mahakumbhabisekam was performed there on May 4th 2006.
• [2], a complete description of a typical Iyer marriage
• http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/articles/aid/aryanpolitics.html , Politics of the Aryan Debate
• http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/dec252005/2174.pdf , Interesting information on Agastya and his association with Tamil Land
• http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/fall97/adra-pin.htm, brief discussion on brahmins within caste system
• http://www.icsi.berkeley.edu/~snarayan/anthro-pap/subsection3_4_1.html , interesting perspective on madi, as practiced by brahmins
• http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050123/society.htm#2, an article on madisar, the ancient-style saree worn by women
• http://www.commsp.ee.ic.ac.uk/~pancham/Articles/The%20Sixteen%20Samskaras.pdf
• http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part16/chap8.htm