Pallar

Pallar are a caste of upwardly mobile agriculturalists and agricultural workers of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

Pallar schoolchildren. Madurai District, Tamil Nadu

Origin theories

Standard theory

The standard theory is that the word Pallar is derived from ‘’Pallam’’ or low lands thus indicating early domestication of land(farmers). Research done by Dr.K.R.Hanumanthan and extensive research by Thiru.R.Deva Asirvatham and later by Dr.Guruswamy Siddan and others indicate that the people of this caste are the descendents of the famous ancient Tamil Kings Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas and Pallavas who ruled the current Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Part of Andra and Maharastra during ancient period and ruled Tamilnadu up to the 16th Century. Most of the ancient, Temples in and around Tamilnadu were built and owned by this community. After the invasion of Vijaynagar Empire and Marata Kings, the Tamil Kings and their community were removed of their title, land and were made as agricultural labourers in their own farms for which they were the then owners. Mukoodarppallu is a literary piece which talks about the life led by Pallan(the man pallar) and the Palli(the woman pallar).

Tribal roots

Pallars were known as Mallars in sangam literarure. They were rulers , warriors. The great chola king raja raja cholan belong to Mallar(Devendra kula Vellalar) caste.^{[citation needed]}To hide this Historic fact these people who were then called as Mallar (Malla, Mallan) were named as Pallas (Palla, Pallan) and many poems were written during 17,18,19 and beginning of 20th Century in the name of Pallu Poems with the encouragement from Vijayanagar (Nayak) dynasty. Before that period the People were called as Mallas Meaning warrior, Oolavar meaning plougher (farmer) and Vellalar meaning great gift giver. These people were regular farmers and land lords during peace time (Oolavar) and warriors (Mallars) during war time. The Sangam poems written before 1 century BC sing of the Gods Lord Shiva, Goddess Umadevi, Lord Tirumal (Lord Vishnu), Goddess Lakshimi, Lord Brahma, Goddess Saraswati, Lord Muruga (Lord Karthik), Lord Vinayega (Lord Ganesh), Lord Indra as Mallas and as Pandian and Chola Kings. Though the Pallu Poems denigrated the Mallas and also called them as Pallas, they also say that Palla's ancestors were Mallas and sing that the Gods were Mallas and then were Pallas. During 16th Century AD, Nayak King passed a law ordering people not to have any contact with the Pandian dynasity (in general with Mallas) and prevented the 18 communities that supported the Tamil Kings from having contact with one another and from inter-marriage between these communities. (This was the origin of Untouchability and modern caste division in Tamilnadu). The Mallars were ex-communicated, then gradually over the next 300 years, their lands were removed and given to other new formed upper castes that were loyal to Telugu Kings. The Mallars were named as Pallas and were made as agricultural labourers in the land in which they were once owners. Then after a few generations they were made as bonded labourers and then were removed of all basic human rights (Prevented from having education, access to public places and Temples built by their own ancestors, prohibition from wearing Ornaments.

These people are always straight forward and away to corruptions. And their strength is unity among other community. Tenkalam , a famous village in tirunelveli district is mother village for its around the remote villages like pallamadai,pallikottai,etc.

kailasapuram,maruthanvalvu,akkanaickampatti,savalaperi are some famous pallar's villages in VOC dist.

The big worry to this community is conversion to christionity. but now a days ,people comes back to their identidy.

Conflict with other castes

They are in intense competition with upwardly mobile but numerically superior mid level castes such Kallar, Maravar and Vellala Gounder across Southern and western Tamil nadu. This results in many instances of violence against them as reported by international NGOs. But Pallar's themselves have attacked other Dalit castes considered to be lower than them in the polluting scale such as the Sakkiliar^[1]

In Sri lanka and abroad

In Sri Lanka, they are currently found in Jaffna and eastern Batticalo region and were primarily agricultural workers. But there is evidence that some have assimilated with the dominant Vellala caste over the last 100 years. They have played and important role in the formation many Tamil nationalistic militant groups namely EPRLF that was eventually eclipsed by the more militant LTTE. Today amongst the Tamil diaspora across the world Pallars are found as part of the greater Tamil community and caste distinctions are minimal.

Genetics

According to Sengupta et al., 2006 study Pallars have Y-chromosome-Haplogroups that show a curious mix of South Asian haplogroups. Their biggest lineage is R1a1 which forms 24% of their male population. This Y-chromosome lineage predominates North-West of the Indian subcontinent. They also have L1 and L3 where L1 is one of the most common Haplogroup in South India with an appreciable presence in North India and Pakistan, L3 is mostly observed among Pakistanis and almost absent among South Indians. Other pan-Indian Haplogroups like H, R2 and J2 are observed at frequencies greater than 10%.

Famous Pallars

Bureaucrats and politicians
- MaVeeran Sundaralinga Kudumbanar
- MaVeeran Thekkampatty Balasundarraj **Tyagi Immanuvel Devendrar
- Dr.K.Krishnasamy Devendrar Founder Puthiya Tamilagam **M.Arunachalam Devendrar (Union Cabinet Minister,Govt of India)
- Justice Ashok Kumar
- Justice L.Thamburaju **Mr.Durai Former DGP Tamilnadu
- Mr.Rajendran .I.P.S DGP Tamilnadu **Mr.Manuneethi Cholan .Official Liquidator,High court of Madras.
- Mr.Kanakaraj I.A.S
- Mr.UmashankarI.A.S
- Mr.Muthuveeran Commisoner of Coimbatore corporation- 2007
- Mr.Ramaiah I.A.S
- Mr.Ainashi **P.Mohanraj I.A.S
- Mrs.GandhiAzhagiri, wife of MK. Azhagiri son of Chief minister
- Mr.O.P.Raman Ex Minisiter for Electricity **Mr.S.Thangavelu Ex Minister for Handlooms **Mr.S.Selvaraj Ex Minister for AD welfare **Mrs.A.TamilarasiRavikumar Devendrar, Minister for AD welfare
- Mr.Paramalai Pallar
- Mr.SS.Balakrishnan Pallar ( Tamilnadu Devendrar Peravai)

                                                                 **Underworld Dons

- John Pandiyan Devendrar
- Pasupathi Pandiyan Devendrar
- ManalMedu Sankar Mallar

References

^ Untouchability and Inter Caste Relations in Rural India by A. Ramaih
^ The ancient myths of the aborigines Kerala Calling, July 2004 by Dr. M.V. Vishnu Namboodiri

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