Chekavar I see some similarities between Thiyyas and Ezhavas interms of the title Chekavar Initially I thought it was a surname used only by Thiyyas of Malabar But I see many examples of Ezhavas of south having the same surname in the past Please take a look at wiki page Chekavar    chekavar means slaves of warrior nair  Ezhavas and Tiyyas by K K Kusaumam httpwwwnewindpresscomsundaysundayItemsaspidSETeTitleThinkPiecerLink   Ezhava and thiyya pls anzr me  Some say Ezhavas and thiyyas are different racesBut this is hidden agenda by some vetsed interest to divide the communityThe word Ezhava have derived from izham and Thiyya derived from dweep both pointing to island If so why are there no ezhavas in north kerala but in karnataka with the names billava and idiga which echos similar to word ezhava Why idigas is karnataka also called deevaru  Why edigas is AndhraPradesh also called Dhiyaramakkalu name resembling ezhava and thiyya How come both have same surname like thandan thandar chekavar Why both have same traditional resposibilitiesJobs in the society like toddy shopping Ayurvedic business martial art If one set of people from Europe then their mother tongue might be completely different from those in kerala Then why those people not using that language now Atleast they should have still using some of the words of that language Its also remember that keralas current populations history doest go back beyond  years Konkani community who started settlement in kerala around  years back still using their mother tongue There is a place called Ezhavathuruthi in Malappuram Ditrict of kerala Still ezhavas are called thiyyas there why In maladives history it says the original inhabitants of islands were theevarus and they left the islands to cape camrin in india when outsiders attacked the island   Also there is shocking refence in old British travalogue which calls Thiyya as shanan Actually shanans are old name nadars in tamil nadu see a link here  httpkrpcdsorgreportGaneshpdf   How can you compare wrt complexion how can you say ezhavas are darker than thiyya couterparts Both have fair and darker people  one of the most beatiful malayali actress Ranichandra was born in south So the case Kr vijaya Mukesh Rathish devan chippi etc If yopu have seen Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran few years back you might have exclaimed he was born in Mullakkarakollam httpwwwkeralagovingovernmentmullakahtm  I am not telling all are fair in south but there both dark and fair skinned people in north awa south not just in thiyyaezhava but in vast majority communities    Daya anjali    I think the problem here is with the wrong perception of some Thiyyas about Ezhavas that Ezhavas were merely toddy tappers and laborers But thats not the fact Ezhavas too have martial Ayurvedic traditions Aristocratic families landlords etc My family had acres of agricultural land in the th   I have also seen comments saying dont allign with us for glory What glory I dont know if that was written by a thiyyan or an outsider Whatever it be I personally know people who think both E n T are two different castes and someothers my thiyya relatives think both are the same  Regarding skin color its a fact that thiyyas are fairer on an average That doesnt mean they migrated from Tiyan mountian Some famous Thiyyas like Srinivasan Azheekode Pappu doesnt look caucasian as stated in the book Lanka Parvam by Damu I think the book was written out of imagination and lack proper study Someone commented above We just dont have that paandi look Please understand we all are descendands of dravidians Tamilians are darker because there were no race mixing They are purer than us   I have seen Ezhavathiyya differences only in these forums If you are outiside kerala like Bangalore chennai Mumbaicoorg Gulf etc u wont notice differences Marriage between from ezhavas of SOUTH KERALA AND PLACES LIKE KANNUR  are very common in these areas and its very difficult identify them as by their local names    Ezhava Follows Patriarchal family systems  A tottally wrong articulation  The upper class ezhavas in south kerala always followed Matriarchal family systems while lower class followed Patriarchal family systems  All channar Chekavar panicker vaidyar thampiezhava Thandar families followed Matriarchal family systems only Some families which follows are listed here httpwwwalummoottilcomHeritageRadhakrishnan