 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards.(February 2018) |
Nadar climbers, or Pannayeri Nadars, are a sub-caste of today's Nadar community. They were regarded as the largest Nadar sub-caste. Their traditional occupation was climbing trees and gathering the sap of coconuts to make palm wine. Due to new economic opportunities, the majority of Nadar climbers have given up their traditional occupation. [1]
To the south of the Tambraparni, the Nadar climbers constituted the vast majority of the population in the palmyra forests of the Tiruchendur teris, during the 19th century. Majority of the Nadars today come from the south of Thamiraparani river. The Nadar climbers here secured a meager living from the palmyra forests of Teri. The trees and land were owned by the Nelamaikkarars , a Nadar sub-caste. Each climber, like their northern Tirunelveli counterparts, was bound to a tree traditionally. Unlike their Northern Tirunelveli counterparts, the Nadar climbers didn't suffer social disabilities as they were the most predominant caste in the regions south of Tamirabarani. Under the Nawab and earlier British, the trees assessed separately from the land, and in these southern districts alone the palmryas were taxed. [2] [3]
In these areas, where the Nadar climbers usually numbered no more than a few families in a single village, and suffered social disabilities. These climbers were considered a half polluting caste in these regions where they constituted the minority population. However, they were allowed to enter the Agraharam region. They were forced to reside in separate regions. However, these regions were not as remote as the hamlet of the untouchables. The Nadar climbers were denied the use of the public well and were also refused the service of the barbers and washerman used by the caste Hindus of the village. Landless and economically dependent on the owners of the trees (the owners were mostly the Maravars and Vellalars of this region), the Nadar climbers did the vocation of toddy-tapping during the six month tapping season, from March to September, and worked as agricultural laborers during the rest of the year. [4]
Presumably the Nadars of Southern Travancore migrated to Travancore from Tirunelveli in the 16th century after the invasion of the Tirunelveli by the Raja of Travancore. Like their Tirunelveli counterparts, the climbers of Travancore were mostly palmyra climbers. However a significant number of Nadars in Travancore were subtenants to Nair landlords or Vellalar landlords. These Nadar tenants called themselves Nadans and a score of these Nadans also directly had control over the lands. These Nadans enjoyed special privileges under the Raja and claimed that they were superior to Nadar climbers. The climbers of Travancore fared a little better than their Tirunelveli counterparts, but, however, suffered severe social disabilities, unlike their Tirunelveli counterparts, under the rigid caste hierarchy of Travancore. As Swami Vivekanandha once stated, Kerala was like a mad asylum of castes. The Nadar climber women were not allowed to cover their bosoms, to punctuate their low status. However the aristocratic Nadan women, their counterparts, had the rights to cover their bosom. Uneasy with their social status, a large number of Nadar climbers embraced Christianity and became upwardly mobile. Though they improved their status with the aid of Christian missionaries, the outcome of the conversion was not according to the point of view of the missionaries. The Christian Nadar climber women, along with the Hindu Nadar climber women, wore the upper jacket in the manner of upper class women, in order to improve their social status. In turn they were discriminated and even abused by upper class men. One of the Nadan families of Agastheeswaram, instead of supporting their depressed counterparts, supported the upper class men who abused climber women. They claimed that only their women had the right to wear an uppercloth. However after a struggle (Upper cloth revolt) with the authorities of Travancore and also with the aid of the British Christian Missionaries, the depressed Nadar women won themselves the right to wear their upper cloth. [5]
The occupation of a Palmyra climber is dangerous and strenuous. A Nadar climber would usually work consistently from morning to night. The climber would ascend at least 30 to 50 palmyra trees everyday and will climb each tree at least twice. Every year many climbers, despite their skill in climbing, fall from the trees and lose their lives or become crippled for life. A climber is capable of ascending a Palmyra tree, which is usually straight as the mast of a ship, swiftly. [6]
The Nadar climbers south of Tamrabarni began to acquire little plots of lands in the mid 19th century. Many Nadar climbers began to accept Christianity. Mercantilism and education helped the Nadar climbers to become upwardly mobile. With the increase in wealth, the Nadar climbers increasingly began to adopt the title Nadan, a title which was previously reserved for the aristocratic Nelamaikkarars. [7] New economic opportunities encouraged the Nadar climbers to give up their traditional occupation of toddy-tapping for other pursuits. [8]
After the erection of the Nadar Mahajana Sangam in 1910, the Northern Nadar (Nadars of Northern Tirunelveli) leaders sought to unite the community by encouraging intermarriages within the Nadar sub-castes through a process now known as caste fusion. Historically there were five major Nadar subsects. However, according to the Tuticorin district gazetteer, Nadar climbers are still regarded as a separate sub-caste in Southern Tirunelveli. [9] [10]
Nadar is a Tamil caste of India. Nadars are predominant in the districts of Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar.
Tirunelveli, also known as Nellai and historically as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the sixth-largest municipal corporation in the state after Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Salem. Tirunelveli is located 624 km (388 mi) southwest of the state capital Chennai, 58 km (36 mi) away from Thoothukudi, and 73 km (45 mi) from Kanyakumari. The downtown is located on the west bank of the Thamirabarani River; its twin Palayamkottai is on the east bank. Palayamkottai is called the Oxford of South India as it has many schools and colleges. It has several important government offices.
Thoothukudi District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The district was formed by bifurcation of Tirunelveli district on 20 October 1986. Thoothukudi is the district headquarters and largest city of the district. The district is known for fishing as well as pearl cultivation, with an abundance of pearls being found in the seas offshore. Thoothukudi district has many historical sites such as Adichanallur and the ancient trade port of Korkai.
Vellalar is a group of castes in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Vellalar are members of several endogamous castes such as the numerically strong Arunattu Vellalar, Chozhia Vellalar, Karkarthar Vellalar, Kongu Vellalar, Thuluva Vellalar and Sri Lankan Vellalar.
Pannaivilai is a small village covered by Palmyra trees in Tuticorin District, Tamil Nadu, India. PannaiVillai is derived from two tamil word Pannai and villai, which means land which grows or has Palmyra trees. In colloquial language its pannai villaigira thaana idam. This village has Tucker Higher secondary school.
Maravar are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title Thevar. They are classified as an Other Backward Class or a Denotified Tribe in Tamil Nadu, depending on the district.
Agastheeswaram is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The caste system among South Asian Christians often reflects stratification by sect, location, and the caste of their predecessors. There exists evidence to show that Christian individuals have mobility within their respective castes. But, in some cases, social inertia caused by their old traditions and biases against other castes remain, causing caste system to persist among South Asian Christians, to some extent. Christian priests, nuns, Dalits and similar groups are found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
Pragasapuram is a sub-village adjacent to Nazareth and Mukuperi in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India. The Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur Railway Line divides the villages of Pragasapuram and Nazareth. Pragasapuam is included under Nazareth Village for Revenue and Land administration, but the Mukuperi Post Office provides postal service. Pragasapuram and Mukuperi are on the northern border of Therikaadu and Nazareth is on the northwestern border. It is surrounded by trees, lakes and paddy fields.
The Channar Lahala or Channar revolt, also called Maru Marakkal Samaram, refers to the fight from 1813 to 1859 of Nadar climber women in Travancore kingdom of India for the right to wear upper-body clothes covering their breasts.
Vedha Muthu Mukandar, , was the first Protestant Christian in the Megnanapuram Circle. He was a Hindu who converted to Christianity through the influence of missionary, the Rev. C. T. E. Rhenius. Vedha Muthu is buried at St Stephen's Church, Jebagnanapuram, Solaikudiyiruppu.
The Sivakasi riots of 1899 are a series of communal disturbances which occurred during 6 June 1899 in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, Virudhunagar district, India.
Nadans are a small endogamous group of aristocratic Nadars from the regions south of the Thamirabarani River in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu, India. They were hereditary tax collectors during the Nayak and Pandyan rule and also served as petty lords under the poligars. The Nadans possessed vast tracts of land and were one of the few subcastes among the Nadars to have practiced aristocracy. The term Nadan means lords of the land.
Shri Pathirakali Mariamman Temple is one of the oldest temples in Madurai district. The Thirumangalam city is known that the mangalyam for goddess Meenakshi of Madurai was designed and done here, so the name Tiru+Mangal(y)am came. In other way, it is said that when lord Murugan married Theivanai in Thiruparankundram, the "Tirumangalyam" was made here and hence the name came
Kalugumalai riots of 1895 was a violent conflict between Nadars who had recently converted to Roman Catholicism and Maravars who were traditional Tamil military caste during 1895 in Kalugumalai in Madras Presidency, British India. A total of ten people were killed and numerous people were injured. The temple chariot of Kalugasalamoorthy Temple was also burnt during the riots. The contention of the communities were over the usage of the Car streets round the temple by Nadars, which were opposed by the other communities quoting private ownership and religious sanctity.
Mulakkaram, literally translated as breast tax, was a poll tax imposed on women belonging to Nadar, Ezhava and other lower caste communities by the erstwhile Kingdom of Tranvancore, and was not applicable to upper caste women of Travancore. The term "breast tax" was used to denote the gender of the person and not breasts per se.
Vellalanvilai is a village panchayat in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011 India census, Vellalanvilai had a population of 1947. The nearby villages are Zion Nagar, Thandupathu, Vattanvilai and Mannadu. The nearby towns are Thoothukudi(45 km), Tirunelveli (55 km), Tiruchendur (11 km) and Udangudi (5 km). The nearest harbor and airport is situated at Thoothukudi (45 km). Major District Road(MDR) 331 is passing through Vellalanvilai and connecting Paramankurichi and Udangudi. Dedicated Post Office is located in Vellalanvilai.
Christianity in Kanyakumari district is its second largest religion. The Catholic Church has about 500,000 followers, while the Protestant groups have about 400,000 members.
Sri Lankan Pallar is a Tamil caste found in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. They are traditionally involved in agriculture and were also involved in toddy tapping and artisanal fishing.
Nankudi Vellalar, is a Tamil sub caste of Vellalar found in Tamil Nadu, India. They claim descent from the Velir clan of Irungovels The hereditary headman of the caste was always invested with the title Irungovel. Their original stronghold seems to have been southern districts of Tamil Nadu, viz. Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Korkai, Ambasamudram, etc. Some of them migrated to Srivaikuntam during the course of time and came to be known as Kottai Vellalar or Kottai Pillaimar as they built and lived in forts.