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 Chovar (Malayalam: [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. Thiyya 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.
Ezhava dynasties such as the Mannanar existed in Kerala.