| Author | Message | ||
     Cocanada Comedian Username: Cocanada Post Number: 1394 Registered: 01-2008 Posted From: 136.181.195.17 Rating: N/A |
K. Viswanath is iyer Kamal Hasan is iyengar . :: Call me Coke :: | ||
| Orren Junior Artist Username: Orren Post Number: 348 Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 124.123.33.159 Rating: N/A |
Malayalam:അയ്യര) also called Sastri[4], Sarma or Bhattar is the name given to Hindu Brahmins of Tamil or Telugu origin who are followers of the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara[5]. They are found mostly in Tamil Nadu as they are generally native to the Tamil country. But they are also found in significant numbers in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. The name 'Iyer' originated in the medieval period when different sects of Brahmins residing in the then Tamil country organized themselves as a single community. A breakaway sect of Sri Vaishnavas later formed a new community called "Iyengars". Migration to West Bengal The oldest recorded migration of Tamil Brahmins is to West Bengal. They are known as Dākṣiṇātyas amongst Vaidika Brahmins. See Bengali Brahmins. Though the date of migration is being debated, the general opinion is that they migrated during the period of the Senas.[41] It is also possible that they arrived in the train of the Chola armies during Rajendra Chola's invasion which took place between 1021 and 1024 C.E. See Mahipala. Some historians have reported that the Adi Sura (Vira sena) who is supposed to have brought the five Brahmin families to Bengal was himself a Tamil Brahmin. [edit] Migration to Karanataka Over the last few centuries, a large number of Iyers have also migrated and settled in parts of Karnataka. The erstwhile Mysore state had been home to a significantly large Mulukanadu community. During the rule of the Mysore Maharajahs, a large number of Iyers from the then Madras province migrated to Mysore. The Ashtagrama Iyers are also a prominent group of Iyers in Karnataka[42]. [edit] Migrations to Kerala A series of large-scale migrations of Iyers from the Tamil country into Kerala over the past few centuries has created a 'Kerala Iyer' community[43][44]. According to anthropologists, two streams of migration actually took place: * A wave of migrations from Tirunelveli and Ramnad districts of Tamil Nadu first to the erstwhile princely states of Travancore and Cochin and later to Palakkad and Kozhikode districts have resulted in the origin of an Iyer community in the Travancore and Cochin regions. * There were also migrations rom Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu to Palakkad. Their descendants are known today as Palakkad Iyers. [edit] Iyers in Travancore and Cochin regions A majority of the Iyers living in the historic Travancore and Cochin regions of Kerala are the descendents of 18th century migrants from the former Pandya kingdom and the Madras Presidency[43][45]. However, Iyers were neither considered eligible nor allowed to officiate as priests in the temples of Kerala as the priests in these parts practised 'Tantra Vidhi'- a very complex system of Tantric rites monopolized by the Namboothris[10]. The only exception is the district of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu which was formerly a part of Travancore state. Due to their skill in culinary art, Iyers were initially employed mostly as cooks. They are generally credited with having introduced Tamil delicacies as idli, sambhar, dosa and vadai in Kerala. However, with the passage of time, Iyers entered administrative and commercial professions as well. The first prominent member of the Iyer community in Kerala was Ramayyan Dalawa, who was the Prime Minister (Dewan or Dalawa) of Travancore State during the reign of Raja Marthanda Varma. Other prominent Iyers from Kerala include C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer, Malayattoor Ramakrishnan, V. R. Krishna Iyer and T. N. Seshan. Tamil Brahmins have fully integrated into Kerala society even while retaining their ancestral traditions. Their mother tongue is a dialect of Tamil heavily influenced by Malayalam vocabulary. Recent Migrations Apart from South India, Iyers have also migrated to and settled in places in North India. There are significantly large Iyer communities in Mumbai, Kolkata, Orissa and Delhi. These migrations, which commenced during the British rule, were often undertaken in search of better prospects and contributed to the prosperity of the community[6]. In recent times Iyers have also migrated in large numbers to the United Kingdom, Europe and the USA in search of better fortune. They are one of the fastest growing Asian communities in the US. Entertainers * Arvind Swamy (1967-) Actor ••• entrepreneur. * G V Iyer (1916-2003), Internationally renowned Director-Producer of Sanskrit movies like Adi Shankaracharya,Ramanujacharya and Bhagawad Gita. * Gemini Ganesan (1920-2005), Tamil Actor. * Rekha Ganesan (1954-), Bollywood actress, daughter of Gemini Ganesan. * Jaishankar (1940-2000), Actor in the Tamil film industry. * K. Balachander (1930-) cinema director. * S.S.Vasan (1903-1969), Tamil and Hindi film director. Known as the Cecil DeMille of India. * Kalpana Iyer (b.1955-), Former Miss India and Bollywood actress. * "Cho" Ramaswamy - Actor, Stage Director, Lawyer, Journalist, Political Analyst * T.R.Mahalingam (1923-) - actor, singer,director in the 1950s-1960s. * K V Mahadevan - Music Director. * Mani Ratnam (1956-) Movie Director, full name: Subramanian Gopalaratnam Iyer. * Y. V. Rao (1903-1973) actor and director, who directed the first Kannada talkie, Sati Sulochana. * Lakshmi (b.1951) Kollywood and Bollywood actress and TV anchor. * S. Ve. Shekher Comedian and AIADMK MLA from Mylapore constituency * Ajith Kumar (1970-), Kollywood actor. A Palakkad Iyer. * Trisha Krishnan (1983-), Kollywood actress. A Palakkad Iyer. * P.C. Sreeram, Ace Cinematographer of "Nayakan" and "Agni Natchathiram" among several other famous films. Also director. * Ramya Krishnan (1964-), Tamil Actress, TV Hostess * Padma Lakshmi (1970-), Supermodel, hostess and ex-wife of Salman Rushdie * Vidya Balan (1978-), Bollywood Actress. * Siddharth Narayan (1979-), Upcoming Actor in the Telugu, Tamil and Hindi film industry, a Tanjore Iyer * Bhanupriya, Bharatanatyam dancer and Kollywood actress. * Priyamani (1984-), Tamil Actress * Swarnamalya - Bharatanatyam dancer and Kollywood actress * Suchitra Krishnamurthy, Bollywood actress and former wife of Shekhar Kapur |
