South Indian communities

ethnic group of Tamil Nadu, India

ethnic group

muslim community

Paraiyar, Parayar or Maraiyar (, formerly anglicised as Pariah and Paree) is a caste group found in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and in Sri Lanka.

thumb|Badagas celebrating the festival of Hetha Habba. The Badagas are an ethno-linguistic community living in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, India. Throughout the district the Badugas live in nearly 400 villages, called Hattis. The Badagas speak a language called Badaga.

Small Telugu Jewish community of Andhra Pradesh, India

ethnic group

community native to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka

thumb|Chettiars in traditional dress, 1920s

Indian community in the state of Karanataka

Iyers () (also spelt as Ayyar, Aiyar, Ayer, or Aiyer) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil Brahmins. Most Iyers are followers of the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara and adhere to the Smarta tradition. This is in contrast to the Iyengar community, who are adherents of Sri Vaishnavism. The Iyers and the Iyengars are together referred to as Tamil Brahmins. The majority of Iyers reside in Tamil Nadu, India.

Reddy (also transliterated as Reddi or Raddi; also known as Reddiar or Reddappa) is a Telugu Hindu caste predominantly found in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in South India. They are classified as a forward caste.

Iyengars (also spelt Ayyangar, Aiyengar, or Aiyangar, pronounced ) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Iyengars are divided into two denominations, the Vadakalai and the Tenkalai and live mostly in the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The community belongs to the Pancha Dravida Brahmana classification of Brahmins in India.

10 Kutumba 18 Bari

The Labbays (Tamil : லப்பை , Urdu : لبابین ,ﻟﺐ ﺑﮯ, also Labbai, Labbei, Labba, Labbabeen, Lababeen, Lababin, Lababīn, Lebbay, Lebbai, Lubbye, Lubbee, Lubbe, Lubbay; ), are a Tamil Muslim trading community in southern India found throughout the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The Labbay are a subgroup within the Tamil Muslim community.

South Indian Tamil community

The Ezhavas, () also known as Thiyya or Tiyyar () in the Malabar region, and Chegavar/Chovar () 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.

tribal community in Karnataka

The Rowther (, also known as Irauttar, Rawther, Ravuttar, Ravutta, Ravuthar, Ravuthamar) are a distinct Muslim community living largely in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are a native warrior clan population who converted to Islam under the influence of saints like Nathar Shah (Nathar Wali) in 10th–11th centuries. Even after conversion they retained their Ravuttar caste name. they were one of the earliest Muslim communities in India. They were elite cavalrymen of the Chola and Pandya kingdoms. They were traditionally a martial clan like the Maravars, and constitute large

The Paliyan, or Pulliyar, Palaiyar or Pazhaiyarare, are a group of around 9,500 formerly nomadic Dravidian tribals living in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are traditional nomadic hunter-gatherers, honey hunters and foragers. Yams are their major food source. In the early part of the 20th century the Paliyans dressed scantily and lived in rock crevices and caves. Most have now transformed into traders of forest products, food cultivators and beekeepers. Some work intermittently as wage laborers, mostly on plantations. They

Madiga is a Telugu caste from southern India. They mainly live in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, with a small minority in Tamil Nadu. Madigas are historically associated with the work of tannery, leatherwork and small handicrafts. Today, most are agricultural labourers. They are categorized as a Scheduled Caste by the Government of India. Within the Madiga community, there are various sub-castes include Bindla, Chindu, Dakkali, Mashti, Sangaris and the priestly class is known as Madiga Dasu.

thumb|Jewish copper plates of Cochin (c. 1000 CE)|421x421px Anjuvannam (in Malayalam, from the Persian anjuman, and hanjama or hanjamana in Telugu or Kannada or hamyamana) typically refers to a medieval merchant guild consisting of non-Indian traders — principally ethnic Persians and Arabs' — who were primarily active in south India. Along with manigramam and ainurruvar (the Ayyavole Five Hundred), the anjuvannam merchant guild played a major role in the commercial activities of southern India during the medieval period.'

ethnic group in India

The Balija are a Telugu-speaking mercantile community primarily living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and in smaller numbers in Telangana and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, they are known as Gavarais.

The Narikkuṟava are an indigenous group from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The Marakkars or Chonaka Mappila or Chonakar (; Arwi: ) are a mercantile, Tamil Muslim group inhabiting the southern coast of India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.

Kurichiya or Kurichiyar also known as Hill Brahmins or Malai Brahmins are a matrilineal tribe of Kerala distributed mainly in Wayanad and Kannur districts of Kerala, India. Kurichiyans are one of the Scheduled Tribes of Kerala practicing agriculture.

Naidu (also spelled as Nayudu, Naidoo) is a Telugu title commonly used by various Telugu castes. 'Nayudu/Naidu' is a contraction of the Telugu word 'Nayakudu' meaning leader, chief, headman. Telugu castes such as the Kapu/Balija, Kamma, Gavara, Golla, Turpu Kapu, Velama, Boya among others use the title.

caste of India

socio economically forward caste of Tamil Nadu

Saliya (also known as Saliyar, Chaliyan) is a South Indian Hindu caste. Their traditional occupation was that of weaving and they are found mostly in the regions of northern Kerala, southern coastal Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu as well as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Reddiar (also spelt as Reddiyar) is an ethnic-Telugu Warrior,landowning, merchantile, agricultural social group in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in India.

Hindu Caste which was migrated from North India to South India

Indian Caste

Hindu community

hindu Brahmin community of Karnataka, India

The Kudumbi, also referred to as the Kunubis, the Kurumbi, or the Kunbi (), are traditionally a Konkani-speaking farming community residing in Kerala, India. They are a branch of the kudumban/kudumbiyar (Devendra Kula velalar) of Tamilnadu.

Padmashali (Telugu: పద్మశాలి) is a Telugu-speaking Hindu endogamous caste of weavers predominantly residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Kaniyar (Ganaka) is a caste from the Indian state of Kerala. There are regional variations in the name used to define them. They are listed under the Other Backward Class (OBC) by the Kerala Government.

Velama are a Hindu caste found mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The term "Velama" was first recorded for the community in a 17th century inscription. The text "Velugoti Vari Vamsavali" documents the medieval military history of Velama rulers.

The Cholanaikkans are an ethnic group or indigenous community from India. They primarily inhabit the southern Kerala State, especially Silent Valley National Park, and are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes of the region. The Cholanaikkans speak the Cholanaikkan language, which belongs to the Dravidian family.