Ezhava
An ancient Ezhava temple in 19th Century near Trivandrum. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Approx. 8,000,000 (2018) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Kerala | |
| Languages | |
| Malayalam | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Billava, Sinhalese |
The Ezhavas, (Malayalam: [iːɻɐʋɐ]) also known as Thiyya or Tiyyar (Malayalam: [t̪ijːɐ]) in the Malabar region, and Chegavar/Chovar (Malayalam: [tʃeɡɐʋɐr, tʃoːʋɐr]) in the south, 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.
Ezhava dynasties such as the Mannanar existed in Kerala. The British also formed a separate regiment in the British Indian Army called the Thiyyar Regiment in Malabar, which was one of the oldest army regiments in India. The British deployed this unit in various military operations.
The Ezhavas are classified as an Other Backward Class by the Government of India under its system of positive discrimination.