CHAPTER-VII

CONCLUSION

Iyer belongs to Pancha Dravida group of Smartha Brahmin community of

Tamil origin and followed Advaitha philosophy propounded by Adi Sankara. The
word ‘Iyer’ was used as a designation for all Tamil Smartha Brahmins during the
medieval period. They were organised as a single community during this period.
The Iyers were divided into various sects and sub-sects but they all strictly follow
the concept of Gotra. Initially, the Iyers were confined to the Tamil region and
mainly concentrated on the religious affairs of the place, especially Kaveri region.
However, in due course of time, the Iyers moved from their homeland to other
places due to several reasons but followed their own pattern in the new region
also.

The internal migration of the Iyers certainly created a new outlook to the
community as a whole. In the initial stages, the Iyers mainly depended on the land
granted by the chiefs and other local communities. Thus, most of the Iyers took to
agriculture as their profession along with priestly duties. However, these migrants
fought hard to reach a dignified position in the society. The profile of Iyers in
Bharathapuzha region began to change during the 20th century AD, which finally
led to a further migration of Iyers from this land.

The present study, ’Mapping Iyer settlements along Bharathapuzha region -

15th century to 20th century AD’ deals with the history of the Iyers on the
Bharathapuzha region mainly based on historical and sociological aspects. Both
descriptive method and socio-cultural data were used for the study of the
migration of an endogamous Brahmin group and efforts have been taken to
maintain objectivity in the study. It attempts to analyse the culture of the Iyers in
Bharathapuzha region. Through personal interviews and field investigations, the
researcher was able to understand the rich tradition of the Iyers, their policies of
continuity and change, the adaptation of new rules, the major causes for their
migration and the impact of modernity on Iyers. Various sources of information
ranging from published to unpublished works, primary sources ranging from
 188

inscriptions to Government records have been used to develop the history of the
Iyers.

The main objective of the thesis is to find out the real cause for the
migration of Iyers from Kaveri region to the Bharathapuzha region and the nature
of transformations they had in their life in this region. The settlement of the Iyers
along the Bharathapuzha region reflects the mapping pattern of Iyers as a
settlement and their interaction with the socio-cultural activities of the
contemporary society, created a vibration among them. One of the peculiarities of
the Iyer culture is the ‘fission-fusion concept’, which created new subgroups
among the community.

Findings and Analysis

According to physics, inertia is a property of matter by which it continues
in its existing state of rest, unless that state is changed by an external force.
Likewise, people residing in a particular region like to continue to be there unless
and until some external forces compel them to do so. The researcher closely
analysed the cause of the migration of Iyers from their native land to
Bharatahpuzha region in Palakkad district of Kerala and found that the hypotheses
made at the commencement of the study was right. The push-pull factors were
analysed in detail.

The Push Factors

The ingression of Muhammadans into India changes the perspective of
Islamic imperialism. The intension of Mahmud Gazni’s invasion was to plunder
and amass wealth. The Hindu rulers of the 12 th century AD had to fight against
Muslim invasion for their survival. After defeating most of the north Indian
regions, towards the end of the 12th century AD Muslim invaders reached south
India. Alauddin Khilji conducted the first expedition to Deccan region in 1294 AD,
followed by an expedition sent by the Delhi Sultan under the leadership of Malik
Kafur who swept over the whole of Deccan region. Malik Kafur subjugated the
Yadav rulers of Devagiri and the Kakatiya of Warangal before entering into
Madurai and Srirangam. During the time, king Maravarman’s power was declined
 189

and a war of succession was going on between Sundara Pandya, the heir apparent
and Vira Pandya, an ambitious son of a concubine. This eased the entry of Malik
Kafur into the region in 1310 AD. Vira Pandyan negotiated with Malik Kafur by
giving all the wealth in the treasuries in place of Meenakshi Temple. Two more
invasions in 1314 AD by Khusrav Khan and in 1323 AD Ulugh Khan devastated
the economy of the land. This had far reaching socio-political problems in the
region. During these invasions, the fear of confiscation or heavy taxes forced
many Hindus to join and donated their properties to the temples. Muslim invaders
devastated the famous Srirangam temple in 1311 AD and 1327 AD and these
invaders took away much of the wealth of the temple along with idol. The
Brahmins around Srirangam temple shifted from their homeland along with the
image of Lord Ranganatha and travelled through various places to escape from
this invasion. Some of them decided to move to other places in search of better
living space. These people moved towards the Chera region through the Palghat
Gap and also through Pollachi and Dindigul routes.

During the Muslim invasion, several people were slain on the banks of
River Kaveri. According to Vedic tradition, such a place is cursed and it is not
condusive for the performance of any religious rites and rituals. Hence, it became
impossible for Brahmins, who have devoted their life as a service to God, to
continue in that region. They had no option before them other than finding fresh
woods and pastures.

As has happened around the globe, civilisations flourish on the banks of

rivers due to the availability of water and wet lands for agriculture. River Kaveri
had been the cradle of several cultures and Brahmin community flourished there.
The river flowed soft and smooth during the early days providing the needy and
wiping the tears of those trusted her for livelihood. However, as days passed, the
character of the river underwent several changes. At times, it overflowed causing
flood in the region and without much delay it went dry leading to draught causing
great difficulty to inhabitants around her. Many people started migrating to other
places where the climatic conditions were better, especially to places where water
supply was abundant.
 190

When the war between Cheras and Cholas that lasted for a century came to
an end in 1102 AD, Kerala became completely independent. During Chera-Chola
war, Vedic studies in Kerala were distorted and Namboodiris began to move to
Mutts in Kumbakonam region for Sanskrit and other Vedic studies. Thus, the
relation between Brahmins in Kerala and Tamil Nadu began to improve. A
number of Iyers began to travel to Kerala for different purposes during this period.
When the Iyers came under pressure to move away, they chose Palakkad, a place
they already knew.

Yet another reason was that the acute heat in Tamil Nadu region forced
Iyers to move to more comfortable place.

The Pull Factors

One of the pull factors for the migration of Iyers was that the rulers of
Kerala maintained a peaceful atmosphere and welcomed almost all religions and
sects to their land. The Zamorins of Calicut and their feudatories paid special
attention to the Brahmins and welcomed them with land and privileges. The
Namboodiris who followed Tantric rituals in Kerala temples did not accept the
Vedic purohitas, Tamil Brahmins, who followed Agama rituals wholeheartedly.
Therefore, these Brahmins served as astrologer, cook, messenger, administrator,
military official and teacher. By hard work and dedication, these Brahmins soon
rose to higher positions in the administrative sector. The Malabar region had trade
relations with the cotton textile from Madurai region and Iyers were the mediators
of this business. They were drawn towards the Malabar port due to the
encouragement given by the Zamorin.

Another reason for the mass migration of Tamil Brahmins to Malabar was
the invitation of the Palakkad Raja. The Palakkad Raja fell in love with a tribal girl
and wanted to marry her. But the Namboodiris, who were in charge of performing
poojas and other activities disapproved this demand by the Raja and left Palakkad.
In order to performing poojas and other activities, the Palakkad Raja invited the
Iyer immigrants and gave them lands to establish Agraharams. These groups of
people got recognition from the Nairs as well as Ezhavas. The system of
untouchability which prevailed among the Namboodiris was absent among the
 191

Iyers mainly because their absolutism was formidable in the mother country. The
concept of pollution was less and most of the artisanal groups were allowed to
occupy the nearby places of Agraharam. The lower class people bowed with
respect to Brahmins and were addressed as ‘Swami.’ For Ezhavas whoever
crossing their place with sacrificial grass, Mun Kudumi, the Vedic knowledge,
Poonul and sectarian mark with traditional dhoti were considered as Swami. Due
to the absence of Namboodiris, Tamil Brahmins were employed in minor temples
and the natives donated lands to them

Palakkad region was abundant in natural resources including valleys, thick

jungles, paddy fields and arable lands along the Bharathapuzha region. The
peculiarities of Bharathapuzha River attracted many of the Iyers and they
established their settlement in this region.

Other Reasons
The Brahmins in the Vedic and Sutra period were Hindu priests who
acquired and imparted knowledge. Later on, these people served as administrators
and military leaders under several kings. The qualification of a Brahmin was based
on two aspects - dvija and vepra. However, the identity of a Brahmin was mainly
based on Gotra, Pravara, Sutra and Shakha. The Later Vedic period witnessed the
movements of people in the Indo-Gangetic plains to other places due to excessive
population and other internal disturbances. The migration of the Brahmins from
North-Western region with an established caste hierarchy towards the Southern
region was a turning point in the history of Southern India as they differed in their
action and attitude.

The Brahmins at first reached Telugu region and from there moved towards
Tamil Nadu and Tulu region thus breaking up into various sects and sub-sects. The
phenomenon of the migration of the Brahmins towards Southern region started in
the 8th century AD. The Brahmins in South India were homogeneous in nature, but
diversity happened in their cultural tradition mainly due to the adaptive policy. In
theory, the Brahmins continued to occupy the highest position in the social
hierarchy. However, the internal migration and adaptation policy of Brahmins
created a change in the physical outlook in Tamil and Tulu region. This was
 192

mainly due to inter-marriage of the Brahmins with the native women. The
historical records prove that the Brahmins in Tamil Nadu first settled on the banks
of River Kaveri as it was a major centre for the cultural activities. With the arrival
of Brahmins in Tamil Nadu, the Vedic culture began to get practised and soon the
rulers of Tamil region accepted them as advisors and priests in the region. The
Pallava and Chola rulers granted lands to them generously and thus most of the
lands came under their control in the form of Brahmaswom and Devaswom.
However, in course of time, the split among the Brahmins in Tamil Nadu
happened due to ideological and philosophical conflict. The Brahmins who were
the followers of Shiva and Vishnu become Smarthas or otherwise known as Iyers
and the followers of Vishnu known as Vaishnavites or Iyyengars in Tamil Nadu.

The Iyers chose Bharathapuzha region mainly due to the knowledge about
the region. During the period of Cheras itself, the Iyers used to travel extensively
in the Bharathapuzha region for trading purpose and went back to Tanjore with
pepper and other natural products. These people were given permission to enter
into the houses in the region without much restriction and Ottupuras were
constructed for the sole purpose of Iyers in the Chera region during this time. In
the 12th century AD after the Chera-Chola war, most of the Vedic scholars in
Chera region moved towards Kumbakonam region for Vedic studies due to
distortation of Vedic centres in Chera region. Moreover, several Iyer scholars from
Kumbakonam used to participate in the scholarly debate known as Revathi
Pattathanam, which was conducted in the court of Zamorin during the medieval
period. Due to these reasons, the Iyers knew the region from very early days. That
is why the Iyers chose the Bharathapuzha region as their settlement area.

In Kerala, the Iyers were known as ‘Pattars’ which came from the Sanskrit
word ‘Bhattar’. Like their ancestors, the new settlers followed their basic culture
but at the same time accepted the new region and move their lives in a smooth
way.The Iyers are not mere wanderers in Kerala as they had specific aim to
continue their culture in the region. Though they had a tough time with the
Namboodiris in the beginning, the other native communities especially the Nairs
and the Ezhavas of Palakkad region welcomed Iyers which helped to establish
 193

their foot on the coast and thus the Iyers never felt a sense of alienation in the
region. Moreover, the Iyers never had a conflicting idea with the local
communities and they enjoyed the hospitality of the natives.

A community, whether small or large, implies an involvement of some

kind of identity among the members, which further increased a sense of
belonging between them. The settlement pattern of Iyers in the form of clustered
pattern or Agraharam system became a key factor for their identity. Agraharam -
Brahmin community living space, which is almost on the verge of decline in the
modern period, has its own beauty and a good model community living in which
civic activities, temple festivals are shared in common. These settlements are
mainly built near the river banks for ritual purpose. Earlier, these Agraharams
are not simply a dwelling place for the Iyers. The Agraharam provides all the
amenities and an identity of the Iyers in general and thus it was considered as
‘microcosm within the macrocosm’. Generally, it is a transforming and moulding
place not only for an individual but also for a community as a whole. The people
in Agraharams followed same Gotras and sometimes even the same sub-sects.
They maintained their relationship with other villages even through matrimonial
alliance. In order to maintain the community living, the Iyers who migrated to
Bharathapuzha region also followed the same Agraharam pattern entirely
different from that of Tharavad, the existing dwelling places of local
communities.

The Iyers of Palakkad had less influence in the court of Kings in the early
centuries as most of them were agriculturists. Some of them entered into
administrative department as clerks and accountants. During the time of
Portuguese and the Dutch period in the 16th and 17th centuries AD, the influence
of Iyers in Kochi royal family increased. In order to curb the power of the Iyers,
the Madambis, the ministers of Kochi royal family with the help of the Dutch
East India Company tried to curtail the power of the Iyers. Thus, the Union of
Mouton in 1673 AD once again curbed the power of the Iyers in the political
field. The Mysorean attack in the Malabar region forced some of the Iyers to
move towards Kochi territories in the 18 th century AD. However, with the
 194

coming of British in the 19 th century AD some of the Iyers from Palakkad

entered into the administrative as well as the political field mainly due to English
education among the Iyers. After the coming of the British, English education
became the official language of the administration. The Iyer community accepted
this language and thus they were one among the first people to take the
advantage of the English education. They were readily available for all types of
Government service. Moreover, the cultural performance of the Palakkad Iyers
led to the introduction of new art form like Carnatic music and dance in the
Kerala society.

It was a transforming stage for the Iyers in Kerala especially in the field
of socio-economic activities in the 18 th and 19th centuries AD. In course of time
due to the mingling of the natives, various new procedures took place in their
social and cultural activities through ‘fission-fusion’ process, especially in
culinary habits and language. However, their identity, that is, Agraharam that
was the hallmark of their culture continued to be retained in the early 19 th and
20th centuries AD. During the time of European intervention, the migrants
continued their age-old practices but at the same time ready to accept more
challenges in their public life. Thus, slowly a process of compartmentalisation
gained in their life, which made a clear demarcation between the private and
public life of the Iyers.

When the Iyers came to Bharathapuzha region, they tried to retain their
own culture and custom at any cost. They strictly followed it. However, when
the urban migration started in 1960’s the situation changed. One of the pull
factors for the migration to the cities is mainly new employment and educational
opportunities. The push factors include indebtedness and land sales due to Land
Reforms by the newly formed democratic Government. The revised policies
affected the Agraharams and slowly the Iyers began to move to other urban areas
for better opportunities.

The condition of Iyers in Kerala is dwindling in modern days. Like Jews,

the Brahmins have a very small population in India. Due to the mingling and
inter-caste marriages and dilution of religious and cultural manifestations, most
 195

of the Iyer families are disappearing from the Agraharams and their cultural
practices here become standstill due to this. Now a day’s most of the daily
practices of Iyers decline as the members of the younger generation are not ready
to follow their ancestors’ tradition. The biggest challenge, that the community
now facing is the breakup of a traditional family system due to an increase in the
number of divorce and remarriage among the youngsters. Now the dowry system
is a past thing and people never give much importance to this age-old system,
which is a good sign for the development of the community. Earlier the trend to
marry within the family circles or at least within the same sect was strong among
the Iyers like the Jews. Now the trend is gradually changing and people are ready
to marry even from outside their own sect. Thus, the traditional arranged
marriage system is losing its dignity and divinity among the Iyers. The Iyers who
migrated to other parts of the world found it difficult to follow their tradition
system and are not ready to communicate with their parent land. Most of the
temple festivals are now organised with the help of the non - Iyers and thus the
participation of other communities in the activities of the Agraharams increased.
Even the culinary habits of the Iyers in the Palakkad Agraharams are changing
due to this inter-mingling and creating a new mark in the dietary habits different
from that of their ancestors. Most of the Iyers of Kerala do not know to read and
write in their own mother tongue, that is, Tamil. The security in the employment
field is now questioned due to the reservation policy in their native land, most of
them are migrating from the region, and the members of next generations are not
willing to relocate to their parent region.

Most of the Agraharams are left ruined due to the immigration of the
dwellers to the urban areas for better opportunities. The buildings that are almost
abandoned in the Agraharams are not conducive to both the inhabitants and the
environment. The Government of Kerala has conferred the status of Heritage
Village to most of the Agraharams in Palakkad District. Still, most of the
Agraharams are on the verge of decline. As most of the youngsters are moving
to other areas, many of the houses in Agraharams are left barren, or have
become old age homes as most of them are occupied by senior citizens. Many of
 196

the houses are either sold or rented to other communities. Some other houses in
the Agraharams are unoccupied or in distorted condition. In the beginning, the
Agraharams stood for the community wellbeing and the Iyers succeeded in this
by retaining their customs and rituals. Nevertheless, the same Agraharams
produced some repercussion to the Iyers, as most of the families mainly depend
on the village especially people from lower income. When the land policies are
introduced, these people are badly affected, as the income to the village becomes
a standstill because of the fragmentation of the land. Thus, most of the land
became barren and it severely affected the village economy in general, which in
turn ruined Agraharam temples also. Most of the temples were closed down due
to this. Thus in a way, the Agraharams became both the cause and the
consequence for the movement of Iyers of Palakkad to various other places.

Vedapatasalas, which is one of the prestigious institutions of Iyers,

declined in the 20th century AD. Several scholarly debates used to be held and
scholars from various places used to participate in this debate. Most of the
Brahmin boys after Upanayanam used to attend the classes in Vedas in this
Vedapatasalas. Even after the introduction of English education, the boys used
to attend the classes. When the Linguistic Act was passed in 1956 AD and
amended several times in 1960’s, the scholars were given the option either to
give admission to the children from other communities or to disband the
Vedapatasalas. Thus, the position of Vedic Purohitas became more miserable.
Measures are taken to revive these Vedapatasalas in some of the Palakkad
villages, but the problem lay in the fact that there are no sufficient students for
learning this literature. The result is that there is an acute shortage of Purohitas
to perform the religious ceremonies. Due to the land policies and migration,
there is an acute shortage of income of Purohitas and most of the youngsters are
not willing to carry on this profession.

Revolutionary changes have occurred in modern Iyer community. By the

early 20th century AD itself, the Iyers had lost much of their prerogatives.
Several of their customs are being outdated and there is an intermixture in the
development of the community. Most of the ruined temples in Agraharams have
 197

been opened mainly due to the contribution made by members of all sections of
the society and thus losing the identity of the Iyers. During the field visit, it was
found out that the Iyer dominance is confined only to some of the villages
especially in and around Kalpathy village in Palakkad. The only cultural festival,
which still attracts the people is the Sasthapreethi festival, which is celebrated in
grand style in almost all Agraharams. The festival is largely funded by the non-
resident Iyers and this is the only festival, which links with the past.

In recent times, the Brahmana Sabha has been in the forefront to unify
their members through various programmes. Their main aim is to maintain unity
and solidarity among the members all over the place. Several social and cultural
activities have been introduced for the welfare of the people. Like any other
organisation, the Sabha also strive hard to bring the people belonging to
economically weaker section to the forefront by introducing various measures.
Several remedial measures like pension scheme for the poor and old Purohitas,
educational assistance to the students belonging to economically weaker section
and conducting various cultural activities have been implemented for the
development of the Iyer community.

In the present situation, it is not possible for any community to return to

their age-old beliefs and practices due to globalisation and urbanisation.
Globalisation affects the people’s idea, culture and preference as a whole due to
the idea of non-territory social activities. Migration is the major aspect of these
changes in life. The influence of Globalisation and Urbanisation is high in the
society and most of the members of the Iyer community have taken to various
other professions. Due to this, most of the traditional customs and cultures of the
community could not be followed easily. However, certain elements of
community discipline, culture and traditional values could be retained at all level
among the members by focusing on integration and community well-being. The
members of Iyer community in the Bharathapuzha region should imply a strong
sense of connectivity with each other, which could be a factor for the
development of the community. In short, the Iyer community has transformed
from rural elite class to a multispectral community.
 198

Analysis
The main reasons for migration are Environmental, Economic, Cultural and
Socio-political. Everett S Lee theory states that there are mainly four factors that
lead to the process of migration: Factors associated with the area of origin; Factors
associated with the area of destination; Intervening obstacles; and Personal factors.

The researcher made a thorough study about the reasons for migration of
Tamil Brahmin communities, leaving their native place of residence and arriving
and settling on the banks of Bharathapuzha in Palakkad district of Kerala. The
push-pull factors related to migration could be seen on evaluating the reasons for
migration. Strong push factors for migration may include conflict, famine,
drought, extreme religious activity, hostility from others, poor economic activity,
lack of job opportunities, racial and cultural discrimination, political intolerance
and persecution of people who question the status quo. Likewise major pull factors
are better economic and job opportunities and the promise of a better life often
pull people into new locations, warm weather, peaceful and comfortable locations,
and better cultural, political, climatic and general terrain.

It could be seen that that after the attack of Malik Kafur and conquest of
Srirangam temple the push factors started acting on Brahmins. During Muslim
invasion, several people were slain on the banks of River Kaveri and as per Hindu
tradition the land became cursed and not conductive for the performance of any
religious rites and rituals.

At times Kaveri overflowed causing flood in the region and without much
delay it went dry leading to draught causing great difficulty to inhabitants around
her. Many people started migrating to other places where the climatic conditions
were better, especially to places where water supply was abundant.

Yet another reason was that the acute heat in Tamil Nadu region forced
Iyers to move to more comfortable place.

The pull factors are: the Zamorins of Calicut and their feudatories paid
special attention to the Brahmins and welcomed them with land and privileges.
The Malabar region had trade relations with the cotton textile from Madurai region
 199

and Iyers were the mediators of this business. They were drawn towards the
Malabar port due to the encouragement given by the Zamorin.

The Palakkad Raja fell in love with a tribal girl and wanted to marry her.
But the Namboodiris, who were in charge of performing poojas, disapproved and
left Palakkad. Hence, the Palakkad Raja invited the Iyers to fill the gap.

Palakkad region was abundant in natural resources including valleys, thick

jungles, paddy fields and arable lands along the Bharathapuzha region. The
peculiarities of Bharathapuzha River attracted many of the Iyers and they
established their settlement in this region.

Analysing the Hypotheses

The first hypothesis was that the breakdown of political statuesque at the
resident place of Iyers. It is seen that with the Muslim invasion their political
statuesque was toppled. The people who had a prominent role to play in the
society lost their identity in the home land with the capture of their temple. Hence
the first hypothesis is proved correct.

The second hypothesis was that unexpected climatic changes which could
not be overcome by the community made them leave the native land. The sudden
change in the nature of River Kaveri was a major factor that made them leave their
inhabitation and find a better place. This shows that the second hypothesis is also
proved correct.

The third one was favourable socio-economic and political climate of the
land in which the community sought accommodation. The Zamorins had a
favourable attitude towards Tamil Brahmins and that was an attractive or pull
factor for them. The Palakkad Raja invited them to do rituals at temple as
Namboodiris who were performing it quarrelled with the Raja on personal matters
and left. Hence, the third hypothesis is also proved right.

The last hypothesis was that the adaptive temperament of the community to
transform their cultural tradition and infuse them to the new system prevailed in
the region where they happened to set. Ezhavas and Nairs gave due recognition to
 200

Iyers and they employed them in their temples. This proved that the last
hypothesis is also right.

It is proved beyond doubt that the Brahmins had a tough time in their
native land before they started to settle on the banks of Bharathapuzha. The
conditions at Palakkad were favourable for them to settle there. The push pull
factors of migration were at work and that led to the migration of Iyer community
leave the banks of river Kaveri and travel to a better location and settle there.
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Ancient and Medieval Kerala Map

Source: Descriptive Memoir of Malabar

 202

2. Bharathapuzha and its tributaries

Source: Nilayude Theeranglilude by Alankode Leelakrishnan

3. Palakkad District and taluks

Source: www.mapsofinidia.com/maps/kerala/palakkad-map
 203

4. Some of the Major Iyer Settlements at Palakkad

Courtesy: Johny Antony, Software Developer