Iyothee Thass

Tamil philosopher who founded the Dalit Buddhist movement in colonial India

Paiyya Iyothee Thass (1845-1919) was a visionary social reformer from Tamil Nadu who challenged caste injustices by leading India's first organized Dalit empowerment movement. A self-taught scholar, he synthesized Tamil Siddha medicine with Buddhist philosophy to create the Dalit Buddhist movement, converting thousands of Paraiyar (Dalit) communities to Buddhism between 1898-1910. His seminal work 《The Tamil Buddhism》 (1898) argued that Tamil people were originally Buddhist, countering Brahminical historical narratives. Thass organized the historic Madurai Buddhist Conference in 1907, which declared Buddhism as the 'true religion of Tamil Dravidians'. His establishment of the Tamil Buddhist Association in 1910 provided education and healthcare to marginalized communities, and his journal articles in Tamil newspapers exposed caste atrocities. Though overshadowed by Gandhi's movement, Thass' ideas influenced modern Dalit leaders like Dr. Ambedkar. His legacy is commemorated at the Thass Memorial Hall in Chennai and the annual Tamil Buddhist Festival.