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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>
==Sub-Divisions==

There are eight sub-divisions of piramalai kallars. These are based on eight temples of eight provinces or “ettu naadus.” The order of precedence of the first two "naadus" Tidyen and Valandur is debated till date. Michilynn Eva Dubeau has quoted, "According to the court judgement dated 30 July 1992, it was decided that the numbers 1-8 are of the serial number type, and do not imply the primacy of the naadu."<ref>https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/10772/1/NQ27914.pdf</ref>

(1) Tidyen

(2) Valandur

(3) Puttur

(4) Karumattur

(5) Pappapatti

(6) Kokkulam

(7) Veppanuttu and

(8) Tummakkundu.

Each province includes a cluster of villages. These "Ettu naadus" are explained in the following theses:

"The Piramalai Kallar of Valantur natu, Madurai district, Tamil nadu: village women in local politics and the non-traditional work force by researcher Michilynn Eva Dubeau to Centre for South Asian Studies,University of Toronto, pg.43",

“Spread of Christianity among The Piramalai Kallars of Madurai District, Pg.75,” by Researcher P.M. Jothi To Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and <ref>https://www.scribd.com/doc/248266859/Spread-of-Christianity-Among-the-Piramalai-Kallars-of-Madurai-District</ref>

"Folk Rituals of Piramalai Kallar of Madurai District by researcher Lositha.M to Mother Teresa Womens University,pg.130-132." <ref>http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/87676</ref>

==Origin==

A genographic research led by Dr.[[Spencer Wells]] was carried out from 2005 to 2015 regarding [[early human migrations]] out of [[Africa]]. There was a search for human populations with [[Haplogroup C-M130]] gene marker all over the world. In India, the DNA of Mr. Virumandi Andi Thevar, a piramalai kallar matched with C-M130. The 13 members of his family, a nine generation clan have the same gene marker. This makes Piramalai Kallars,the direct descendants of the first migrants from the Africa who migrated to India around 50,000 years ago,making them the oldest known inhabitants of India.

The haplogroup CM-130 has remained unchanged in the DNA of piramalai kallars across numerous generations for thousands of years. This means that caste endogamy has been practised among piramalai kallars.

Dr.[[Spencer Wells]] quotes in his book "Deep Ancestry: The Landmark DNA Quest to Decipher Our Distant Past",“ Approximately 50,000 years ago…A man was born in Southern Asia carrying marker M130…the first major wave of migration out of Africa.” “Humans migrating from Africa may have passed through India en route to…South Asia and Australia…The genetic link between Virumandi’s Y chromosome and Australia came in the form of a marker…M130…The Piramalai Kallars carry a piece of the genetic trail-a link to the aboriginal Australians-in the same way the Chukchi carry a genetic link to Phil and other Native Americans.”

<ref>https://books.google.co.in/books?id=NWgDAQAAQBAJ&pg=PT17&lpg=PT17&dq=Deep+Ancestry:+The+Landmark+DNA+Quest+to+Decipher+Our+Distant+Past%22&source=bl&ots=yg32v1ne0X&sig=jxGeJpU9LxUQx1PRIWItLVga1Dk&hl=gu&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjL9_aPqc7PAhWIqo8KHZmEArwQ6AEIKTAC#v=snippet&q=m130&f=false</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>
Line 49: Line 14:
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}}
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.<ref>David Arnold ‘Dacoity and Rural Crime in Madras’, The Journal of
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.co.uk/books?id=A6MfPh-9DiEC&pg=PA70 |page=70}}</ref>}}
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 ==
==Temples==
*[[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 ==
The chief deities of the piramalai kallars of the eight sub-divisions are:
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]]


1. Sonai Muthaiah and Nalluthu Karuppasami, Tideyan


2. Angaleshwari , Valandur,

The four sub-clan temples of Valandur are:
* Kalyana Karuppusami, Cinniveerathevar lineage of Ariyapatti,
* Tiruvetta Ayyanar, Kattakkitathevar lineage of Chokkathevanpatti,
* Pettannasami, Vellaiyantithevar lineage of Chakkiliyankulam,
* Kamatchiyamman, Cinnakkamathevar lineage of Kanniyampatti

3. Moonusami and Ochchandamman, Karumathur

4. Valagurunathar,Nalluthevanpatti Durgai,Perumal Malairaman, Puthur

5. Mayandisamy and Ochchandamman, Pappapatti

6. Pekama Karuppasamy and Chinnasamy, Kokkulam

7. Malaichami alias Perumal, Veppanuthu

8. Ochchandamman, Tummakkundu

Though these temples are the clan deities for piramalai kallars, the temples are open to public. These temples and clan-deities are explained in the following theses:

"The Piramalai Kallar of Valantur natu, Madurai district, Tamil nadu: village women in local politics and the non-traditional work force by researcher Michilynn Eva Dubeau to Centre for South Asian Studies, pg.56,pg.70-82",<ref>https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/10772/1/NQ27914.pdf</ref>

“Spread of Christianity among The Piramalai Kallars of Madurai District, Pg.103,” by Researcher P.M. Jothi To Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and <ref>https://www.scribd.com/doc/248266859/Spread-of-Christianity-Among-the-Piramalai-Kallars-of-Madurai-District</ref>

"Folk Rituals of Piramalai Kallar of Madurai District by researcher Lositha.M to Mother Teresa Womens University,pg.130-132."
<ref>http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/87676</ref>

==Books==

In the following books,the origin,life,social organisation and history of the Piramalai Kallars is explained.

1.“South Indian Sub-Caste: Social Organisation and Religion of the Piramalai Kallar, by Louis Dumont, Oxford University Press, New York, 1986.”

2."Kaval Kottam" by [[S. Venkatesan]],a [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] winning novel,<ref>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13519018-kaval-kottam</ref>

3."Piramalai Kallar Vaazhvum Varalaarum" by Sundaravanthiyathevan,<ref>http://www.amazon.in/Piramalai-Kallar-Vaazhvum-Varalaarum-Sundaravanthiya/dp/9381319847/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476035960&sr=1-1&keywords=piramalai+kallar</ref>

4."Martial races of undivided India" by Vidya Prakash Tyagi<ref>https://books.google.co.in/books?id=vRwS6FmS2g0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=martial+races+of+india&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjbyYmjns7PAhWHMI8KHd3jA2cQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=piramalai%20kallars&f=false</ref>

5."Deep Ancestry: The Landmark DNA Quest to Decipher Our Distant Past" by
Dr.[[Spencer Wells]].<ref>https://books.google.co.in/books?id=NWgDAQAAQBAJ&pg=PT93&lpg=PT93&dq=piramalai+kallar+pitchappan&source=bl&ots=yg32v1ldYZ&sig=Jbjt-NMJu41NgmaQK9kM4QBd6Jc&hl=gu&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiw1q-Uoc7PAhUGS48KHZTvCX8Q6AEIYTAJ#v=onepage&q=piramalai%20kallars&f=false</ref>


==References==
==References==
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'''Citations'''
'''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: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]
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