Pattanavar | |
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Religions | Hinduism, Christianity |
Languages | Tamil |
Subdivisions | [1]
|
Related groups | Tamil people, Karaiyar, Karava |
Pattanavar (also spelled Pattinavar) is a Tamil caste found in Tamil Nadu, India.
They are a maritime community dominating Chennai, Kanchipuram, Cuddalore, Villuppuram, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts of the Coromandel Coast, who have traditionally been involved in fishing, shipment, navy, and trade. [2] [3] [4]
The term Pattanavar literally means inhabitant of a Pattinam. The term Pattinam means "sea-port town" which is often seen as a suffix among prominent harbors such as Nagapattinam, Kaveripoompattinam and Chennaipattinam. [5] [6] They are among other divided as Periya Pattanavar and Chinna Pattanavar. The term Periya means "big" and the term Chinna means "small", where the Periya Pattanavar are considered socially superior to the Chinna Pattanavar. [7]
The Pattanavars are also colloquial known as Karaiyar in the Thanjavur district, which is also the term of one of the subcaste of the community. [4] Karaiyar means "coast people", which is also term for a dominant maritime caste in Sri Lanka. [8] The earliest mention of this term is made by 2nd century AD Greek writer Ptolemy, mentioning them with the corrupted term Kareois. [9] The subcaste's name Padaiyachi means literally "ruler of army". [10]
The Pattanavar are one of the communities who traditionally inhabited the Sangam landscape Neithal, the littoral landscape. [11] They have inhabited the Coromandel Coast since ancient times where they possess a strong system of self-governance. [12]
The Pattinavar merchants were organized in trader guilds such as the Five Hundred Lords of Ayyavolu and the Patinenvisayattar. [13] [14] They were reputed for oversea trading with other South Asian countries.[ citation needed ] The Pattinavars served additionally as naval mercenaries under the Tamil kings. [15] According to some historians like Hermann Kulke, the Pattinavar community may have played a significant role in the organization and exploits of the Chola navy. [16]
The Pattanavar possess a strong system of self-governance. Their Panchayati raj is controlled by their hereditary leaders known as Nattar . [17]
The Pattanavar follow a traditional system known as Padu. [18] The term Padu means "fishing ground" or "fishing site". [19] According to Matthew, the Padu system is a "traditional system of granting entitlements to eligible members of a particular community to undertake specific fishing activities in certain designated fishing grounds during specified seasons." The system is hereditary where only those of the Periya Pattanavar subcaste can participate. [20] The participants are granted the rights to use padu fishing gears which include beach seine and stake net. Fishing with gears unregulated by the Padu system are often methods of low yields. [21]
The Pattanavar are traditionally divided into endogamous subcastes which include the Periya Pattanavar, Chinna Pattanavar, Karaiyar (kadaiyar) and Padaiyachi. Both Karaiyar and Padaiyachi are traditionally considered subcastes of warrior heritage. [22] The Periya Pattanavar and the Chinna Pattanavar are said to share common ancestor. [4]
They use titles such as Chetty, Mudaliar , Pillai, Varunakula Mudali and Kurukulavamsam. [5] [23] Their headmen were known as Yejaman and Nattamai. [24] The title Chetty, is a generic term used by several Tamil merchant groups. [25] The Pattanavars who used this title had politicoeconomic power, and gained wealth through maritime trade. Their village headmen were also known as Ūr Chettiar, where the main headman was known as Periya Chettiar and the assistant headman known as Chinna Chettiar. [26]
The Pattanavar have also been noted to have caste titles such as Varunakula mudali (Varuna clan headman) or Kurukula vamsam (Kuru clan lineage). [27] These titles are also shared with the Sinhalese Karava and Sri Lankan Tamil Karaiyar who share common origins.
Varuna is a Hindu god, associated with the sky, oceans, and water. In the Vedic scriptures, he is paired with the god Mitra and is the lord of Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). Varuna is also mentioned as an Aditya, the sons of the goddess Aditi.
Nagapattinam is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam district. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval Cholas and served as their important port for commerce and east-bound naval expeditions. The Chudamani Vihara in Nagapattinam constructed by the Srivijayan king Sri Mara Vijayattungavarman of the Sailendra dynasty with the help of Rajaraja Chola I was an important Buddhist structure in those times. Nagapattinam was settled by the Portuguese and, later, the Dutch under whom it served as the capital of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 to 1781. In November 1781, the town was conquered by the British East India Company. It served as the capital of Tanjore district from 1799 to 1845 under Madras Presidency of the British. It continued to be a part of Thanjavur district in Independent India. In 1991, it was made the headquarters of the newly created Nagapattinam District. Nagapattinam is administered by a Special grade municipality covering an area of 17.92 km2 (6.92 sq mi) and had a population of 102,905 as of 2011.
The Nagarathar or Nattukottai Nagarathar is a Tamil caste found native in Tamil Nadu, India. Nagarathars are a mercantile community who are traditionally involved in commerce, banking and money lending. They use the title Chettiar and are traditionally concentrated in modern region Chettinad. They are prominent philanthropist who funded and built several Hindu temples, Choultries, schools, colleges and universities.
Nadar is a Tamil caste of India. Nadars are predominant in the districts of Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar.
Mudaliar is a Tamil title and surname. As title, it was historically given to high-ranking officers, administrators and their descendants during the rule of Imperial Cholas. The surname is most prevalent among Tamils from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Descendants of Tamil migrants also bears variants of the name in countries such as South Africa, and elsewhere in the Tamil diaspora. List of Mudaliars
Paravar is a Tamil maritime community, mainly living in the state of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and in Sri Lanka. Historically, they were inhabitants of the Neithal (coastal) lands of Tamil Nadu, and find mention in various ancient Tamil literary works.
Nagapattinam district is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite Thanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town of Nagapattinam is the district headquarters.
Bharatha People also known as Bharatakula and Paravar, is an ethnicity in the island of Sri Lanka. Earlier considered a caste of the Sri Lankan Tamils, they were classified as separate ethnic group in the 2001 census. They are descendant of Tamil speaking Paravar of Southern India who migrated to Sri Lanka under Portuguese rule. They live mainly on the western coast of Sri Lanka and mainly found in the cities of Mannar, Negombo and Colombo.
Karaiyar is a Sri Lankan Tamil caste found mainly on the northern and eastern coastal areas of Sri Lanka, and globally among the Tamil diaspora.
Karava is a Sinhalese speaking ethnic group of Sri Lanka, whose ancestors migrated throughout history from the Coromandel coast, claiming lineage to the Kaurava royalty of the old Kingdom of Kuru in Northern India. The Tamil equivalent is Karaiyar. Both groups are also known as the Kurukula.
The Mukkulathor people, who are also collectively known as Thevar, are a community or group of communities native to the central and southern districts of Tamil Nadu, India. They comprise the Agamudayar, Kallar and Maravar communities that share a common myth of origin and claim to have once been members of various ancient South Indian dynasties.
Labbay, are a Tamil Muslim trading community in southern India found throughout the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The Labbay are a subgroup within the Tamil Muslim community.
Sri Lankan Vellalar is a caste in Sri Lanka, predominantly found in the Jaffna peninsula and adjacent Vanni region, who comprise about half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, but also included merchants, landowners and temple patrons. They also form part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.
Koothanallur is a town in Tiruvarur district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is located at a distance of 20 km (12 mi) from the district headquarters Tiruvarur and 350 km (220 mi) from the state capital Chennai.
Nagapattinam Port is a port in the South Indian town of Nagapattinam in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a natural port located in the shores of Bay of Bengal. The port came to prominence during the period of Medieval Cholas and served as their important port for commerce and east bound naval expeditions. Nagapattinam was settled by the Portuguese and, later, the Dutch under whom it served as the capital of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 to 1781 CE. In November 1781, the town was conquered by the British East India Company. The port was an important port for the colonial empires until Thoothukudi port became the primary port in the Coromandel Coast.
Sembadavar or Parvatha Rajakulam is a traditional fisherman community found mainly on the Coromandel coast of the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. They also take the title Nattar. Sembadavar are a maritime community who are occupied primarily as inland and river fishermen and primarily fish with fishing nets. A similar caste also known as Sambuni Reddi is found in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. There are many theories as to their origins but they have since ancient times been recorded in the area of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Sri Lanka.
Varunakulattan was a 17th-century general of Tanjore nayak, feudal lord and military commander from the Tanjore Nayak Kingdom. He led a rebellion as the military commander of Thanjavur Nayak against the Portuguese in their conquest of the Jaffna kingdom in 1619. Although the nominal king was Cankili II, Varunakulattan was described as the king of Karaiyars, and wield the real power in the Jaffna Peninsula.
Isai Velalar is a community found in India in Tamil Nadu. They are traditionally involved as performers of classical dance and music in Hindu temples and courts of the patrons. The term "Isai Velalar" is a recent community identity, people of minstrel occupation from various castes such as, Melakkarar, Nayanakkarar and Nattuvanar come under this term.
Mukkuvar is a maritime ethnic group found in the Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Eastern and North Western coastal regions of Sri Lanka. They are mostly found on the Malabar Coast, and Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, who have traditionally been involved in fishing and other maritime activities.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)பட்டினவர் தொழில்களாக கடல் ஓடுதல், கடல் வாணிபம் செய்தல், கடற்படை வீரர்களாக அரசபடைகளில் வணிக கணங்களின் கடற்படையில் பணி செய்தார்கள்: The Pattinavar were occupied in seafaring, maritime trade and were naval mercenaries of imperial armies.
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