Piramalai Kallar

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.

History

The Copper plate inscriptions dated 1645, 1652, 1655 and 1656 are the most important artefacts about the piramalai kallars. These copper plate inscriptions are discussed in the book, “Louis Dumont, South Indian Sub-Caste: Social Organisation and Religion of the Piramalai Kallar, Oxford University Press, New York, 1986.” According to the inscriptions, during the period of Thirumalai Nayak , they were appointed as guards or “kavalkarars” of the villages. Most importantly they safe-guarded cattle of the konars, which was the chief wealth during those days. The piramalai kallar group responsible for a village had to compensate for any theft in that village.

Piramalai kallar local chieftains such as Tirumal Pinna Thevar, also performed judicial duties by organising panchayats. This is described in the Copper plate dated 1655: "The Headman’s charter.” Louis Dumont

With a separate system of judiciary and policing, they refused to subdue to british government. In 1767, around 5000 kallars were killed by british captain Rumley near Melur in a single day as they refused to pay tax.

With the introduction of british system of police and the fall of Nayak dynasty, the piramalai kallars started to lose their job as guards. They participated in the South Indian Rebellion in 1800-1801. The rebellion was subdued in 1802. Madurai and the adjoining regions came under the British rule. They had to deal with the rebellious kallars. They refused to pay tax to british. So, the British, through their calculated moves abolished the system of the “kavalkarars”.

Piramalai kallars were reduced to poverty. They had only dry land farming. So, they were forced to cattle-lift and thefts for survival. Piramalai kallars also opposed British at the same time. Soon they were branded as criminal tribes by british and brought under Criminal Tribes Act(CTA) in 1911.

Being independent in spirit they resisted against the draconian act. On 3rd april, 1920 a group of piramalai kallars at perungamanallur village battled against the british opposing the CTA or fingerprint act. The memorial pillar at perungamanallur village has the names of 16 villagers, including a woman Mayakkal, who were shot dead during the incident. This is commonly called as “the south Indian Jallianwala bagh.”

The Criminal Tribes Act was abolished after independence with the support of leaders such as George Joseph and U. Muthuramalingam Thevar.