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'''Piramalai Kallars''' is a sub-caste of the [[Kallar (caste)|Kallar]]s and thus are part of the [[Mukkulathor]] community that also includes the [[Maravar]] and [[Agamudayar]] castes.
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}}

'''Piramalai Kallars''' is a sub caste of the [[Kallar (caste)|Kallar]]s and thus are part of the [[Mukkulathor]] community that also includes the [[Maravar]] and [[Agamudayar]] castes. They belong to [[Other Backward Class|Other Backward class/Denotified class]] in Tamil nadu.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of |first=Tamil Nadu |title=List of Backward Classes approved by Government of Tamil Nadu |url=https://bcmbcmw.tn.gov.in/bclist.htm |website=www.bcmbcmw.tn.gov.in}}</ref>


==History==
==History==


Copper plate inscriptions dated 1645, 1652, 1655 and 1656 are the most important artefacts about the Piramalai Kallars. According to these, during the period of [[Thirumalai Nayak]], members of the community were appointed as guards (“kavalkarars”) of villages. Most importantly, they safeguarded cattle belonging to the [[Konar]]s. The Piramalai Kallar group responsible for a village had to compensate for any theft in that village.<ref name="DumontStern1986">{{cite book|author1=Louis Dumont|author2=A. Stern|author3=Michael Moffatt|title=A South Indian subcaste: social organization and religion of the Pramalai Kallar|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=eQduAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=21 March 2012|year=1986|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>
Copper plate inscriptions dated 1645, 1652, 1655 and 1656 are the most important artefacts about the Piramalai Kallars. According to these, during the period of [[Thirumalai Nayak]], members of the community were appointed as guards ("kavalkarars") of villages. The Piramalai Kallar group responsible for a village had to compensate for any theft in that village.<ref name="DumontStern1986">{{cite book|author1=Louis Dumont|author2=A. Stern|author3=Michael Moffatt|title=A South Indian subcaste: social organization and religion of the Pramalai Kallar|url=https://archive.org/details/southindiansubca0000dumo|url-access=registration|accessdate=21 March 2012|year=1986|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-561785-6}}</ref>


Piramalai Kallar local chieftains, such as Tirumal Pinna Thevar, also performed judicial duties by organising [[panchayat]]s. This is described in the 1655 inscription.<ref name="DumontStern1986"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/copper-plate-dating-back-to-1655-ce-found/article5951669.ece |title=Copper plate dating back to 1655 CE found |work=The Hindu |date=2014-04-27 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref>
Piramalai Kallar local chieftains, such as Tirumal Pinna Thevar, also performed judicial duties by organising [[Panchayati raj|panchayat]]s. This is described in the 1655 inscription.<ref name="DumontStern1986"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/copper-plate-dating-back-to-1655-ce-found/article5951669.ece |title=Copper plate dating back to 1655 CE found |work=The Hindu |date=2014-04-27 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref>


With a separate system of judiciary and policing, they refused to accede to British rule. In 1767, around 5000 Kallars were killed by British forces near [[Melur]] in a single day when they refused to pay tax.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/taking-the-road-less-travelled/article5268387.ece |title=Taking the road less travelled |work=The Hindu |date=2013-10-24 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref>
With a separate system of judiciary and policing, they refused to accede to British rule. In 1767, around 5000 Kallars were killed by British forces near [[Melur]] in a single day when they refused to pay tax.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/taking-the-road-less-travelled/article5268387.ece |title=Taking the road less travelled |work=The Hindu |date=2013-10-24 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref>


With the introduction of British rule and the fall of the [[Nayak dynasty]], the Piramalai Kallars began to lose their work as guards. They participated in the South Indian Rebellion of 1800-1801 that resulted in [[Madurai]] and the adjoining regions coming under the British rule. When the rebellious Kallars refused to pay tax, the British abolished the kavalkarar system.<ref>K. Gowri, Madurai under the English East India Company (1801 – 1857),Raj Publishers, Madurai, 1987, p.9.</ref>{{qn|reason=I think this applied to all Kallars and is not specific to the PK}}
With the introduction of British rule and the fall of the [[Nayak dynasty]], the Piramalai Kallars began to lose their work as guards. They participated in the South Indian Rebellion of 1800-1801 that resulted in [[Madurai]] and the adjoining regions coming under the British rule. When the rebellious Kallars refused to pay tax, the British abolished the kavalkarar system.<ref>K. Gowri, Madurai under the English East India Company (1801 – 1857),Raj Publishers, Madurai, 1987, p.9.</ref>{{qn|reason=I think this applied to all Kallars and is not specific to the PK|date=October 2016}}


Piramalai Kallars were reduced to poverty, reliant on dry land farming. This led to them rustling cattle and general thieving to survive, while continuing to oppose the British.{{cn}} They became classified as a [[criminal tribe]] and in 1911 were scheduled as such under the [[Criminal Tribes Act]] (CTA).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/the-grim-story-behind-a-small-settlement/article4669070.ece |title=The grim story behind a small settlement |work=The Hindu |date=2013-04-30 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref>
Piramalai Kallars were reduced to poverty, reliant on land farming. , while continuing to oppose the British.<ref>David Arnold ‘Dacoity and Rural Crime in Madras’, The Journal of
Peasant Studies, Vol.6, No.2, January 1979, p.158</ref> They became classified as a [[Denotified tribes of India|criminal tribe]] under the [[Criminal Tribes Act]] (CTA).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/the-grim-story-behind-a-small-settlement/article4669070.ece |title=The grim story behind a small settlement |work=The Hindu |date=2013-04-30 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref>{{Efn|Although the Criminal Tribes Act was introduced in 1871, its provisions were not generally applied in [[South India]] until the amended Act of 1911.<ref>{{cite book |title=George Joseph, the Life and Times of a Kerala Christian Nationalist |first=George Gheverghese |last=Joseph |publisher=Orient Blackswan |year=2003 |isbn=978-8-12502-495-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A6MfPh-9DiEC&pg=PA70 |page=70}}</ref>}}


On 3 April 1920 a group of Piramalai Kallars at [[Perungamanallur]] village battled against the British in protest against the CTA. A memorial pillar at the village names 16 inhabitants who were shot dead during the incident.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/namma-madurai-massacre-in-a-village/article2319054.ece |title=Namma Madurai - Massacre in a village |work=The Hindu |date=2011-08-03 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref> The Act, which had originally been introduced in 1871 and then amended in 1911, was repealed in 1948.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/colonial-act-still-haunts-denotified-tribes-expert/article1227400.ece |title=Colonial Act still haunts denotified tribes: expert |work=The Hindu |date=2008-03-27 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref>
On 3 April 1920 a group of Piramalai Kallars at [[Perungamanallur]] village battled against the British in protest against the CTA. A memorial pillar at the village names 16 inhabitants who were shot dead during the incident.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/namma-madurai-massacre-in-a-village/article2319054.ece |title=Namma Madurai - Massacre in a village |work=The Hindu |date=2011-08-03 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref> The Act, which had originally been introduced in 1871 and then amended in 1911, was repealed in 1948.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/colonial-act-still-haunts-denotified-tribes-expert/article1227400.ece |title=Colonial Act still haunts denotified tribes: expert |work=The Hindu |date=2008-03-27 |accessdate=2016-10-07}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
*[[P.K. Mookiah Thevar]]
*[[Maya Thevar]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/elections/elections-2016/2016/may/10/aifb-and-other-rag-tag-thevar-outfits-cant-dent-aiadmks-traditional-vote-bank-934882.html|title=AIADMK's traditional vote bank|work=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref>
*[[O. A. K. Thevar]]
*[[Periya Karuppu Thevar]]
*[[Bharathiraja]]
*[[Vairamuthu]]

== Elected representatives ==
2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
*[[A. Maharajan]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2019/Mar/19/brothers-to-fight-it-out-in-andipatti-by-election-1952837.html|title=Brothers to fight it out in andipatti by election|work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>
*[[P. Ayyappan]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/development-remains-a-distant-dream-for-usilampatti/article34068297.ece/amp/|title=Development remains a distant dream for usilampatti|work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>
*[[Sellur K. Raju]]
*[[V. V. Rajan Chellappa]]
*[[Dindigul C. Sreenivasan]]




==References==
==References==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Portal|Tamils|India|Hinduism}}
*{{cite book |title=Deep Ancestry: The Landmark DNA Quest to Decipher Our Distant Past |first=Spencer |last=Wells |date=20 November 2007 |publisher=National Geographic Books |isbn=9781426202117 |authorlink=Spencer Wells |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NWgDAQAAQBAJ&pg=PT93}}


[[Category:Denotified tribes of India]]
[[Category:Denotified tribes of India]]
[[Category:Mukkulathor]]
[[Category:Mukkulathor]]
[[Category:Social groups of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Other Backward Classes]]
[[Category:South Indian communities]]

Latest revision as of 02:51, 12 November 2024

Piramalai Kallars is a sub caste of the Kallars and thus are part of the Mukkulathor community that also includes the Maravar and Agamudayar castes. They belong to Other Backward class/Denotified class in Tamil nadu.[1]

History

[edit]

Copper plate inscriptions dated 1645, 1652, 1655 and 1656 are the most important artefacts about the Piramalai Kallars. According to these, during the period of Thirumalai Nayak, members of the community were appointed as guards ("kavalkarars") of villages. The Piramalai Kallar group responsible for a village had to compensate for any theft in that village.[2]

Piramalai Kallar local chieftains, such as Tirumal Pinna Thevar, also performed judicial duties by organising panchayats. This is described in the 1655 inscription.[2][3]

With a separate system of judiciary and policing, they refused to accede to British rule. In 1767, around 5000 Kallars were killed by British forces near Melur in a single day when they refused to pay tax.[4]

With the introduction of British rule and the fall of the Nayak dynasty, the Piramalai Kallars began to lose their work as guards. They participated in the South Indian Rebellion of 1800-1801 that resulted in Madurai and the adjoining regions coming under the British rule. When the rebellious Kallars refused to pay tax, the British abolished the kavalkarar system.[5][need quotation to verify]

Piramalai Kallars were reduced to poverty, reliant on land farming. , while continuing to oppose the British.[6] They became classified as a criminal tribe under the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA).[7][a]

On 3 April 1920 a group of Piramalai Kallars at Perungamanallur village battled against the British in protest against the CTA. A memorial pillar at the village names 16 inhabitants who were shot dead during the incident.[9] The Act, which had originally been introduced in 1871 and then amended in 1911, was repealed in 1948.[10]

Notable people

[edit]

Elected representatives

[edit]

2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election


References

[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ Although the Criminal Tribes Act was introduced in 1871, its provisions were not generally applied in South India until the amended Act of 1911.[8]

Citations

  1. ^ Government of, Tamil Nadu. "List of Backward Classes approved by Government of Tamil Nadu". www.bcmbcmw.tn.gov.in.
  2. ^ a b Louis Dumont; A. Stern; Michael Moffatt (1986). A South Indian subcaste: social organization and religion of the Pramalai Kallar. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-561785-6. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Copper plate dating back to 1655 CE found". The Hindu. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Taking the road less travelled". The Hindu. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  5. ^ K. Gowri, Madurai under the English East India Company (1801 – 1857),Raj Publishers, Madurai, 1987, p.9.
  6. ^ David Arnold ‘Dacoity and Rural Crime in Madras’, The Journal of Peasant Studies, Vol.6, No.2, January 1979, p.158
  7. ^ "The grim story behind a small settlement". The Hindu. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  8. ^ Joseph, George Gheverghese (2003). George Joseph, the Life and Times of a Kerala Christian Nationalist. Orient Blackswan. p. 70. ISBN 978-8-12502-495-8.
  9. ^ "Namma Madurai - Massacre in a village". The Hindu. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Colonial Act still haunts denotified tribes: expert". The Hindu. 27 March 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  11. ^ "AIADMK's traditional vote bank". The New Indian Express.
  12. ^ "Brothers to fight it out in andipatti by election". The Hindu.
  13. ^ "Development remains a distant dream for usilampatti". The Hindu.

Further reading

[edit]