![]() An ancient Ezhava temple in 19th Century near Trivandrum. | |
Total population | |
---|---|
Approx. 8,000,000 (2018)[1][1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Kerala | |
Languages | |
Malayalam | |
Religion | |
Hinduism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Billava, Sinhalese [citation needed] |
The Ezhavas, also known as Thiyya or Tiyyar in the Malabar region,[2][3] are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community.[4][5] The Malabar Ezhava[6] group has claimed a higher rank in the Hindu caste system than the other Ezhava groups but was considered to be of a similar rank by colonial and subsequent administrations.[7][8]
Ezhava dynasties such as the Mannanar existed in Kerala.[6]
Another strong caste association, but one formed at a different social level and cemented by religious appeal, is that of the Iravas of Kerala, who are also known as Ezhavas or Tiyyas and make up more than 40 per cent of Kerala Hindus
Throughout Kerala the Tiyyars (called Iravas in parts of Cochin and Travancore) ...
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