Channar, or Chandor was a surname used in Kerala until the early 20th century by reputed families of the Ezhava community. [1] [2] The same surname is also being used by Jatt clans. [3] [ citation needed ]Channar families, along with the families with the surnames such as Panicker, Thandar and Vaidyar were similarly high status Ezhavas with caste privileges. [4]
Sree Narayana Guru was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual enlightenment and social equality. A quote of his that defined his movement was "one caste, one religion, and one god for all human beings." He is the author of the Advaita poem Daiva Dasakam, which is one of the most used poem in Kerala for community prayer.
Pillai or Pillay, meaning "Child of King" (Prince) or "Child", is a surname found among the Malayalam and Tamil-speaking people of India and Sri Lanka.
Mahatma Ayyankali was an Indian politician, prominent social reformer, educator, economist, lawmaker, and revolutionary leader. He worked for the advancement of the oppressed people in the princely state of Travancore. His struggle resulted in many changes that improved the socio-political structure of Kerala. His determined and relentless efforts changed the lives of Dalits. He is known as the King of Pulaya.
The caste system in Kerala differed from that found in the rest of India. While the Indian caste system generally divided the four-fold Varna division of the society into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, in Kerala, that system was absent. The Malayali Brahmins formed the priestly class, and they considered all other castes to be either shudra or avarna. The exception to this were the military elites among the Samantha Kshatriyas and the Nairs, who were ritually promoted to the status of Kshatriya by means of the Hiranyagarbha ceremony. This was done so that the Samanthans and Nairs could wield temporal ruling powers over the land, as they constituted the aristocratic class. Over time, the dominance of the "upper caste" Brahmin and Nair nobles gradually declined due to social and political changes.
Edigas or Idigas is a Hindu toddy tapper community in Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Padmanabhan Palpu was a physician from the Kingdom of Travancore who served as a chief medical officer of Mysore State.
Panicker was an honorary title conferred by the King of Travancore in Kerala to distinguished individuals. This title was given to prominent Nair, Saint Thomas Christians, Kaniyars and Ezhavas.
The Ezhavas, also known as Thiyya or Tiyyar in the Malabar region, 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. The Malabar Ezhava 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.
T. K. Madhavan, also known as Deshabhimani Madhavan, was an Indian social reformer, journalist and revolutionary, who was involved with the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam. He hailed from Alappuzha, Kerala and led the struggle against Social discrimination which was known as Vaikom Satyagraha.
Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker, also known as Kallisseril Velayudha Perumal, was a 19th-century social reformer and warrior, known for his fight against many social evils prevalent in the state of Kerala. He was born into an affluent Ezhava family known as Kallisseril, in the small independent province called Mangalam, near Haripad in Alappuzha district.
Madhu Muttom is an Indian screenwriter from Kerala.
Kuthiyottam, sometimes spelled Kutiyottam, is a ritual youth dance, and in some cases of mock blood sacrifice, found at annual Pongala festival celebrations at some Hindu temples in Kerala dedicated to Bhadrakali or Durga – a warrior goddess. This ritual features volunteer teenage or younger boys who live under austere conditions over the festival period in the Malayalam calendar month of Kumbham. They wear ascetic clothes, abstain from meat and eat simple food, participate in daily prayers in the temple. They also dress up in ceremonial clothes and perform as singers and dancers under the guidance of an asan (conductor). These dances are synchronized with the legends of the goddess. These dances are highly energetic, paced to the beat of drums, with singers and feature traditional costumes.
S. Shungrasoobyer (1836–1904), also known as Sankara Subha Iyer or Sankara Stibbaiyar, was an Indian administrator who served as the Diwan of Travancore State from 1892 to 1898.
Vaikom Satyagraha was a nonviolent agitation for access to the prohibited public environs of the Vaikom Temple in the Kingdom of Travancore that took place from 30 March 1924 to 23 November 1925. Kingdom of Travancore was known for its rigid and oppressive caste system. The campaign was conducted and led by Congress, leaders T. K. Madhavan, K. Kelappan, and K. P. Kesava Menon. Other notable leaders who participated in the campaign include Mannath Padmanabhan, George Joseph, and "Periyar" E. V. Ramasamy, and it was noted for the active support and participation offered by different communities and a variety of activists.
Koya is a Muslim community, predominantly found in the city of Calicut in southern India. The powerful Koyas held headmen position among mappila community in the medieval Calicut.
The Travancore Labour Association, which was established in 1922, was the first labour organisation formed in the princely state of Travancore, which now forms a part of the state of Kerala, India. Centred on the coir industry in the town of Alleppey, it grew from being a body intended to serve the needs of one particular factory to one which represented many workers in what was a substantial business sector in the town. It became notable for its involvement in affairs during the Great Depression and for its politicisation by communist activists.
The reformation movement in Kerala refers to a socio-cultural shift that began in the late 19th century, resulting in significant transformations in the social fabric of the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Alummoottil is an Indian aristocratic Ezhava family (Tharavad) in Karthikapally Thaluk of Alappuzha district in Kerala. The family was at its financial peak during the seventeenth to twentieth centuries.