Valluvar (Tamil : வள்ளுவர்) is a sub-caste belonging to the Paraiyar community in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are the hereditary priests of the Pallars and Paraiyars of Tamil Nadu. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Valluvars are believed to have been the priests of the Pallava kings before the introduction of Brahmins and for sometime after their arrival. [1] The exalted position of Valluvars in the social hierarchy during those times is indicated by inscriptions which refer to Valluvars in a respectful manner. [6] Moreover, the Tamil saint Thiruvalluvar is believed to have been a member of this community [7] and there is a subsect of Valluvars claiming descent from him. [6] [3] [4]
Though Valluvars were regarded as a subgroup of the Paraiyar community by caste Hindus, Thurston mentions that Valluvars did not eat with Paraiyars. [8] Valluvar houses were generally located at a significant distance away from the parcheri where they lived. [8] Owing to their occupation as priests, all males over twelve wore the sacred thread. [8] The Valluvars were also noted for their abstinence from beef. [8]
The Valluvars are also called Pandaram or Valluva Pandaram. [8] The priests of the Valluvars are sometimes called Vellala Pandaram, Thiruvalluva Nayanar. [8]
Valluvars were an untouchable caste. [9] [10]
The important sub-sects of Valluvans are Paraiyan, Tavidadari and Tiruvalluvan. [11] Valluvars are broadly classified into two main sub-divisions: Arupadhu Katchi or sixty clans and Narpadhu Katchi or forty clans [11]
The Arupadhu Katchi considered themselves the descendants of Nandi Gurukkal and have his name as their gotra. [11] The Narpadhu Katchi are of the gotra Sidambara Sayichya Ayyamgar. [12] The sub-division alvar claim descent from Tiruppan Alvar. [12]
Valluvars follow both Saivism and Vaishnavism. Saivite and Vaishnavite Valluvars dine together, but not intermarry. [6] A particular class of Valluvars officiated as priest at Paraiyar funerals. [6] This particular class of Valluvars was known as Paraiya Tadas and were regarded as inferior by other sections of Valluvars. [6] Another section of Valluvars wear a necklace of tulsi beads and are known as Alvar Dasari or Tavadadhari. [6] Some hold that the true Valluvan is one who practices astrology and that those who officiate as priests aren't true Valluvars. [11] The affairs of the community are handled by a caste-council. [12] The community is headed by a Kolkaran or a Kanakkan. [12] There are the hereditary astrologers of the Indian temple town of Vaithiswaran Koil and are considered experts in Nadi astrology. [13] [14]
The Valluvars generally officiate in Paraiyar marriages [14] and funerals. During such occasions, Valluvar priests used to chant Sanskrit shlokas. [14]
Iyers are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins. Most Iyers are followers of the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara and adhere to the Smarta tradition. This is in contrast to the Iyengar community, who are adherents of Sri Vaishnavism. The Iyers and the Iyengars are together referred to as Tamil Brahmins. The majority of Iyers reside in Tamil Nadu, India.
Thiruvalluvar, commonly known as Valluvar, was an Indian poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love. The text is considered an exceptional and widely cherished work of Tamil literature.
Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK), literally meaning Hindu People's Party, also pronounced as Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK), is a right-wing, Hindu nationalist party in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Adi Dravida is a term that has been used since 1914 by the state of Tamil Nadu in India to denote Paraiyars. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, they made up about half of Tamil Nadu's Scheduled Caste population.
Paraiyar, or Parayar or Maraiyar, is a caste group found in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and in Sri Lanka.
Kongu Vellalar is a community found in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu, India.
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The Billava, Billoru, Biruveru people are an ethnic group of India. They are found traditionally in Tulu Nadu region and engaged in toddy tapping, cultivation and other activities. They have used both missionary education and Sri Narayana Guru's reform movement to upgrade themselves.
Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, in addition to other regions of India, as well as Sri Lanka. They can be broadly divided into two denominations: Iyengars, who are adherents of Sri Vaishnavism, and Iyers, who follow the Srauta and Smarta traditions.
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.
The Narikkuṟava are an indigenous group from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The Boya is a disparate Indian community found in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. They are traditionally considered as "huntsmen caste", who ruled several regions and had served the ruling powers as administrators, raiders and had other martial pursuits.
C. Iyothee Thass was an Indian anti-caste activist and a practitioner of Siddha medicine. He famously converted to Buddhism and called upon the Paraiyars to do the same, arguing that this was their original religion. He also founded the Panchamar Mahajana Sabha in 1891 along with Rettamalai Srinivasan. Panchamas are the ones who are outcastes. "Iyothee Thass" is the most common Anglicized spelling of his name; other spellings include Pandit C. Ayodhya Dasa, C. Iyothee Doss, C. Iyodhi Doss, C. Iyothee Thoss, K. Ayōttitācar (avarkaḷ), K. Ayōttitāsa (paṇṭitaravarkaḷ), or Ayothidas Pandithar.
Diwan Bahadur Rettamalai Srinivasan, commonly known as R. Srinivasan, was a Scheduled Caste activist and politician from then Madras Presidency of British India. He is a Paraiyar icon and was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and was also an associate of B. R. Ambedkar. He is remembered today as one of the pioneers of the Scheduled caste movement in India. He founded the Adi dravida mahajana sabha in 1893.
P. Kakkan or fondly known as Kakkan, was an Indian politician and freedom fighter who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, Member of Parliament, President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and in various ministerial posts in Congress governments in the erstwhile Madras state between 1957 and 1967.
The Ekambareswarar–Kamakshi Temple, commonly known as the Thiruvalluvar Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the poet-saint Valluvar in the neighborhood of Mylapore in Chennai, India. The shrine is located within the Ekambareswarar temple complex. Believed to have been constructed in the early 16th century, the temple was extensively renovated in the 1970s. Traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Saint Valluvar, the temple is the oldest ever built to Valluvar. The temple also serves as the venue for meetings of Tamil language enthusiasts. While many consider the temple as the birthplace of Valluvar, some consider it as his samadhi.
The Tirukkural, shortly known as the Kural, is a classic Tamil sangam treatise on the art of living. Consisting of 133 chapters with 1330 couplets or kurals, it deals with the everyday virtues of an individual. Authored by Valluvar between the first century BCE and 5th century CE, it is considered one of the greatest works ever written on ethics and morality and is praised for its universality and non-denominational nature.
Sri Lankan Paraiyar is a Tamil caste found in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. They are traditional parai-drummers who were also involved in weaving and scavenging.
The Kadar are a tribal community or indigenous community in India, a designated Scheduled Tribe in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. They are an aboriginal tribe whose traditional way of life has been based on hunting and gathering. They specialized in collecting honey, wax, sago, arrowroot, cardamom, ginger, and umbrella sticks for trade with merchants from the plains. The People of Paraiyar Community claims that Kadar is part of Paraiyar who lives and take care of forest and forest lives.
Thiruvalluvar Award is an annual award given by the State Government of Tamil Nadu, India, in memory of the ancient poet-philosopher Valluvar. It is given to those who have made an outstanding contribution towards the Kural literature and its philosophy. It is given in January of every year since 1986, on the 2nd day of the Tamil month of Thai observed by the Tamil Nadu government as the Thiruvalluvar Day, and is given on behalf of Tamil Development Authority.