Iyer
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| Iyer
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| Classification: | Ethnic group/ Caste/Community of South India | |
| Total population: | 2004: (approx) 2,000,000 (roughly 3% of Tamilians) | |
| Significant populations in: | Chennai: XXXX Mayavaram:XXXX Tirunelveli district: XXXX Thiruvananthapuram: XXXX Palghat: XXXX London: XXXX - Also known as 'Thames Iyers' | |
| Language | Mother tongue is Tamil with unique Iyer accent. Knowledge in Sanskrit for religious/traditional reasons. | |
| Religion | Advaita Hinduism | |
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Iyer is the name given to a community of Brahmins (members of the priestly class / caste) of India whose members profess the advaita philosophy propounded by sri Shankaracharya and who hail from Tamil Nadu. Iyers are therefore Tamil-speaking Smartha Brahmins. Though Iyer is used as a suffix to names, it does not strictly constitute a family name, but rather denotes the sect of the person.
The term Iyer derives from the term Ayya, an honorific in the Tamil language. Ayya in turn is possibly derived from the word Arya as in Aryans. A prevalent notion is that the Tamil Brahmin is of Aryan origin as opposed to the original inhabitants of South India who are Dravidian in origin. This is not a confirmed or proven historical fact as such, and is a controversial and sensitive topic that relates to the formation of castes and the Aryan invasion theory.
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Spiritual and philosophical beliefs
Strictly speaking, all Iyers define themselves as "Srauta-Smarta", ie. followers of the Sruti (veda), and Smriti texts. Since the 8th century, a vast majority of Iyers have followed Sri Adi Sankara's advaita philosophy, a branch of Hinduism that believes that the human soul is liberated from the cycle of rebirths through the acquisition of knowledge of its true nature (See external links). Important in the advaitic philosophy is the tenet that Brahman, the Supreme Being is nirguna, or devoid of attributes. However, humans postulate attributes to God to facilitate worship, thus create various deities. As followers of this philosophy, Iyers are indiscriminate in their worship of the ENTIRE pantheon of Hindu deities: Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Ganesha, Karttikeya, etc. However, inasmuch as Advaita is one expression of the Uttara-Mimamsa school of philosophy, it is noteworthy that other schools (including agnostic and atheistic ones), such as Nyaya-Vaisesika, Samkhya, Yoga, and Purva-Mimamsa have, over the centuries, found prominent adherents among the Iyers.
Origins
The Iyers have occupied the top position in the caste hierarchy of the Tamil-speaking country since time immemorial. However, the process of caste formation in India is one of surpassing complexity, and it is impossible to establish the original provanance of a community with any certitude. It may be noted in this connection that the Iyers are Smartha brahmins, and differ in from other Smartha brahmin communities mainly in having Tamil for their mother-tongue. In other words: Iyers are Smartha Brahmins whose mother tongue is Tamil; those Smarthas whose mother tongue is not Tamil are not deemed Iyers. Thus, the Iyer community is strongly rooted in the Tamil country, and it has consistently defined itself in terms of that Tamil identity atleast since the period, in the very remote past, when the caste-formation process by which it differentiated itself from other Brahmin communities, including its closest smartha co-religionists, was going on.
There is also however a “Migratory view” which, it must be strongly emphasized, is a view on the origin of ALL brahmins and not only Iyers. According to the migratory view, many members of the Brahmin community, originally based in the Northern part of India, migrated to the rich kingdoms in the South, particularly that of the Cholas in the Tamil country, in the first millennium AD. This migration is presumed to have been in response to the invitations of the rulers who needed them to perform various rituals, specially yajnas or fire-sacrifices. In return for their services, the Brahmins were given agricultural land and other gifts. The Iyers later diversified into agriculture and other trades. There was thus a consolidation of both wealth and education in the Iyers. The Chola territory of Thanjavur, a fertile land watered by the Cauvery river, became their home. Proponents of this view aver that a migration to the South is indicated by the legend of the sage Agastya, which goes thus: once upon a time, the Vindhya mountain range that separates North and South India began growing higher and higher, in defiance of the established ‘world order’. Desirous of halting this growth, Sage Agastya approached the mountain, conveyed his desire to travel to the south, and requested the mountain to facilitate his journey by not growing further until his return to the north. The ruse worked; the Vindhya bowed its head to Agastya and promised to comply with his request. Agastya travelled to the south, but never returned, and the Vindhyas, true to its word, never grew further. While this puranic legend affirms to the emigration of atleast one brahmin family, that of the sage Agastya, it also makes mention of various brahmin rishis already in residence in the south at the time of sage Agastya’s migration.
While the deeper implications of such legends are debatable, it is certainly possible that many brahmins emigrated to the south during various periods of political turmoil in northern India. Such periods of anarchy had always been common in the north; however, the period of muslim rule may have been particularly onerous for north Indian brahmins, and may have resulted in emigrations to the south. The names of certain Iyer sub-castes, such as “Vadama” [Northener], may possibly be indicative of northern origin.
All the Iyers trace their origin to one of eight major rishis or sages. Iyers classify themselves under different Gotras, those of the same Gotra share common ancestors. Marriage among people of the same Gotra is prohibited. Iyers are also divided into subgroups such as Vadama, Brahacharanam, etc., based on details such as emigration and association with certain areas - Palakkad Iyers are those who migrated to Kerala and are settled in the Palakkad district. The superiority/inferiority of the various gotras and subgroups with reference to each other and their stereotyping is the subject of many debates, often amusing to the current generation. Iyers today are found all over the world.
Social and political issues
During the mediaeval ages and later, Iyers (and Brahmins in general) rose in prominence in society, primarily due to their emphasis on education, particularly in terms of their expertise in the Vedas and the attendant complex rituals. This was further strengthened by the British rule in India when they secured, with their good educational background, a disproportionate number of jobs such as lawyers, government employees, teachers, etc. Many Tamil Brahmins were later also active in the freedom movement. Such a situation led to resentment from the other castes in Tamilnadu, particularly the educated and elite. 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 the other dominant castes like the Mudaliars, Pillais and Chettiars, which was aggravated with the introduction of the reservation system (affirmative actions for the under-privileged castes.) Some time after independence, in the 1960's, 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 Congress party, where Iyers at that time occupied important party positions. However, with the progressive empowerment of the suppressed castes, and changing socio-economic conditions, this platform has lost some of its steam as a political gambit.
Iyers today
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 minuscule percentage of Iyers who choose, in this era, to pursue the traditional vocation of priesthood, though nearly all Hindu priests are Brahmins. Iyers have been active in the cultural field also. Music has always been integral to the Iyer community; Carnatic music forms a sacred tradition, and includes, apart from vocal music, instruments such as mridangam, naadaswaram, veena, ghatam, etc., Bharatanatyam, though a dance form originally considered unrespectable by caste Hindus, has been ardently pursued by female members of the Iyer community from the time of its reinvention in early 20th century. Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam together enjoy a rich patronage during the Chennai cultural season in the months of December and January.
Due to their elite position in the caste-based hierarchy, and their orthopraxy, the Iyers were generally an insular community, strictly following traditions in their private realm. However, in the public realm, they were very progressive. Though today the situation has changed a lot, the way of life of an Iyer retains a considerable amount of continuity with the past. The unique culture of the Iyers is easily identifiable and is sometimes open to parody, especially in movies and television today. It has been the general trend for such portrayals not to be met with stiff resistance from the Iyer community. One vivid image which is parody and truth at the same time is the picture of an Iyer priest complete in traditional dhoti, hair knot and sacred thread (poonool) riding a motorbike rushing to conduct a ritual.
Some notable Iyers
- Sir CV Raman (Nobel laureate and physicist)
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (Nobel laureate and physicist)
- G. N. Ramachandran http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1809/18091210.htm] (Biochemist who solved the three-dimensional x-ray diffraction structure of collagen, and whose "Ramachandran plot" describing the stearic freedom available to amino acids in proteins is described in nearly every basic Biochemistry text book)
- R.S. Krishnan Scientist Emeritus, Ex-Head of Physics. Dept. IISc, Ex-Vice Chancellor of Trivandrum University, a favorite protégé of Sir C.V.Raman & also has an effect to his name - Krishnan Effect
- Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), 1st post-independence Vice-President of India (1952-1962), 2nd President of India (1962-1967), and the first Indian to hold a Philosophy Chair at Oxford. He was also Chairman, UNESCO, and was the recepient of the Bharat Ratna (1954) and the Templeton Prize (1975).
- Pico Iyer (noted author)
- V.R. Krishna Iyer (Judicial expert and Justice, Supreme Court of India)
- Satyamurthy (Indian freedom fighter)
- M S Swaminathan (b. 1925) was the father of the Green Revolution in Indian agriculture in the 1960s. As a result of his efforts, India became a net exporter of food by the mid 1970s. He has been Director General, International Rice Research Institute (Manila), and has received the Magsaysay Award (1971).
- Vishwanathan Anand (Chess grandmaster)
- R.K. Narayan (Indian author of great fame)
- R.K. Laxman (Indian cartoonist and humorist)
- S.R. Ranganathan (Father of Library Science)
- Hariharan (Singer (Colonial Cousins))
- T.N. Seshan 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India, a Palakkad Iyer
- R. Venkataraman 8th President of India (1987-1992); Vice-President of India (1984-1987)
- Ulloor Parameswara Iyer Famous Malayalam poet
- Gitanjali Aiyer Famous Indian news reader
- Soundarya Famous Telugu actress (late)
- Mani Rathnam Famous Movie Director.
- Rekha Famous Hindi Film Actress.
Carnatic musicians
Since the mid-20th century, Carnatic music has been dominated by Iyers. As a result, below is only a selection of the most popular Carnatic musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries.
- vocalist Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar
- vocalist Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
- composer/vocalist G N Balasubramaniam
- vocalist Madurai Mani Iyer
- mridangist Palakkad Mani Iyer
- composer/vocalist Papanasam Sivan
- violinist T N Krishnan
- composer/violinist Lalgudi G Jayaraman
- vocalist K V Narayanaswamy
- composer/vocalist Maharajapuram Santhanam
- violinist M S Gopalakrishnan
- vocalist Sanjay Subrahmaniam
Social Activists
The following are renowned social activists, who were born Iyers but denied their casteist identity later in life. In some cases, it may even be debatable whether it is appropriate to mention their names here.
- Subramanya Bharathy (Indian freedom fighter and noted Tamil poet and social reformer.)
External links
- http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/ is the website of the Advaita Vedanta research centre, and hosts articles and mailing-lists on the subject.
- http://www.kamakoti.org/ is the website of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, a religious establishment tracing its roots to Adi Sankara.
- http://www.bharatavarsha.com/iyer.html is the home of the Iyer Heritage Site, an "information resource about the history, socio-anthropology, genetics and traditions of the Iyer community of Southern India"sv:Iyer