The Brahacharanams, along with the Vadamas, form the major portion of the Kerala Iyer[2][3] community.
Sastri notes that this could be taken as evidence of one of the earliest migrations of people from Karnataka into Tamil Nadu, especially given that many Brahacharanam sub-sects have names such as Satyamangalam, Mangudi etc.
- all names of villages hugging Western Ghats, and thereby denoting the route taken from North to South.
Their exact origins are not clear but their presence in the Tamil Kingdoms extends back at least to the reign of Parantaka Chola II, who is said to have brahmarayars as ministers.
During the Chola period, members of the community (especially the Pazhamaneri Brahacharanam) even served as army commanders.