Indigenous Origin
Current linguistic research indicates that the word Eelam or Ezham [Thiyyar or dweepar might have derived from dweep means island again pointing to Sri Lanka]. Ezham has its roots in the archaic Tamil word iiZham for toddy. The Ezhavas most probably are an indigenous and not immigrant community. Iram or Ira in Kannada also means toddy. In Karnataka, the community engaged in this toddy tapping are called Idigas a name that resembles the word Ezhava. They are also called Deevaru perhaps hinting at that they are also from a Dweep meaning island.
Sociologically, Ezhava caste has never found a place in the four-tier caste system of the Hindu community. Speculations of a Buddhist origin and / or migration from the Sri Lanka could be sought as the reasoning behind this.
Today Ezhavas make up a major community in Kerala, comprising of about 29% of its population. Until the end of Royal rule, Ezhavas were considered a backward community, because of their position outside the Hindu four-fold caste hierarchy and their unwillingness to cater to the needs of upper caste Brahmins and royalty. Guruswamy, the greatest social reformer that Kerala has seen, was primarily responsible for the uplift of the Ezhava community.