We Iyers have an origin that reaches back several hundreds of years. It is believed that we are descendants of Indo-Aryan migrants from North India, but we are essentially natives of the Dravidian state. Our community is sub-divided into various sub-sects based on cultural and regional differences.

It is said that the name of our caste is derived from the title Ayya which is used by Tamils to denote respectable people.

Culture and lifestyle :

The Tamil that we speak is a distinct dialect and unique to our community. Our dialect consists of intonations and words which are from old Tamil literature and are laced with Sanskrit.

Rituals and traditions are infused with our daily lives. We are initiated into rituals at the time of birth and there are many distinct rituals that are intended for a healthy and righteous life.
The Grihya Sutras form the central pillar of our lifestyle. Following elaborate purification rituals and strictly following the rules of madi are some of the rituals that are followed in every Iyer household.

For centuries, we have taken a keen interest in preserving the arts and sciences. Our ancestors undertook the responsibility of preserving the Bharata Natya Shastra, a monumental work on Bharatanatyam, the classical dance form of Tamil Nadu. Even today we stand as the proud artistes of the Carnatic arts.

Basically strict vegetarians there are many in our community who abstain from onion and garlic in the base of madi.

The traditional occupation of our community involved ministering in temples or performing Hindu religious rites. However, since ancient times, we were never prohibited from taking to secular occupations. There are many amongst us who have ventured into many fields and have gained a noteworthy place in that particular field.

Iyers were frequently employed as administrators by ancient Tamil kings such as the rule of the Medieval Cholas.

A small percentage of our brethren voluntarily choose, to pursue the traditional vocation of priesthood.