| Revision as of 02:15, 1 March 2009 view sourceBake1987 (talk | contribs)187 editsmNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 02:17, 1 March 2009 view source Bake1987 (talk | contribs)187 editsm Vandalism by ravichandran.Next edit → | ||
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| '''Nadar''' ({{lang-ta|நாடார்}}) "Nadar" (also referred as '''Kshatriya Nadar''', '''Nadan''', '''Nataar''', '''Gramani''' and '''Shanar''') is one of the prominent ]s of ], South India. The term, ''Nadar'', in Tamil literally means "one who rules the land"<ref name="hindu.com">www.hindu.com</ref>. The Nadars are also quite commonly called as ''Annachi'' (roughly meaning elder brother) in Tamil Nadu.Nowadays, Nadars occupy various positions, including education, politics and mostly retail business. | '''Nadar''' ({{lang-ta|நாடார்}}) "Nadar" (also referred as '''Kshatriya Nadar''', '''Nadan''', '''Nataar''', '''Gramani''' and '''Shanar''') is one of the prominent ]s of ], South India. The term, ''Nadar'', in Tamil literally means "one who rules the land"<ref name="hindu.com">www.hindu.com</ref>. The Nadars are also quite commonly called as ''Annachi'' (roughly meaning elder brother) in Tamil Nadu.Nowadays, Nadars occupy various positions, including education, politics and mostly retail business. | ||
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| Another important field which is dominated by the Nadars is fireworks. There are a number of prominent firework industries in ''Sivakasi''. They are all operated and efficiently managed by the Nadars of Sivakasi. The chemicals and other pyro-technical requirements are also products they manufacture.<ref> www.nadar.kuttyjapan.com</ref> | Another important field which is dominated by the Nadars is fireworks. There are a number of prominent firework industries in ''Sivakasi''. They are all operated and efficiently managed by the Nadars of Sivakasi. The chemicals and other pyro-technical requirements are also products they manufacture.<ref> www.nadar.kuttyjapan.com</ref> | ||
| ==Influencing Personalities== | |||
| ==List of Nadars== | |||
| ===K.Kamaraj=== | ===K.Kamaraj=== | ||
| {{main|K. Kamaraj}} | {{main|K. Kamaraj}} | ||
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| Mr. ''S.P. Adithanar'' is the founder of the renowned Tamil newspaper ''''Daily thanthi''''. He was from a prominent Nadar family in ]. He erected the Adithanar educational instituition in the year 1965 to ensure proper education for the people of Tiruchendur. These organisations are now managed by his son, Mr.]. Sivanthi Adithan has also been awarded with the renowned Padmashri. He has contributed a lot for the development of sports and education in Tamil nadu. <ref> www.adithanarcollege.in</ref> <ref> www.adithanarcollege.in</ref> | Mr. ''S.P. Adithanar'' is the founder of the renowned Tamil newspaper ''''Daily thanthi''''. He was from a prominent Nadar family in ]. He erected the Adithanar educational instituition in the year 1965 to ensure proper education for the people of Tiruchendur. These organisations are now managed by his son, Mr.]. Sivanthi Adithan has also been awarded with the renowned Padmashri. He has contributed a lot for the development of sports and education in Tamil nadu. <ref> www.adithanarcollege.in</ref> <ref> www.adithanarcollege.in</ref> | ||
| ===Shiv Nadar=== | ===Shiv Nadar=== | ||
| {{main|Shiv Nadar}} <ref> nadar.kuttyjapan.com</ref> | |||
| {{main|Shiv Nadar}} | |||
| ===Vijay Amritraj=== | ===Vijay Amritraj=== | ||
| {{main|Vijay Amritraj}} | {{main|Vijay Amritraj}} <ref> nadar.kuttyjapan.com</ref> | ||
| ===V.G.Pannerdass=== | ===V.G.Pannerdass=== | ||
| Mr.V.G.Pannerdas is the founder of the renowned '''V.G.P group of companies'''. He started his carreer by doing difficult jobs when he was just 12 years old. Gradually, he succeeded in opening his own shop in 1955. He was also one of the first to introduce the famous ''buy now and pay later'' concept. Around the year 1975, he established the V.G.P. Golden beach, the first amusement park in India. The V.G.P group of companies is now run by his brothers and sons. <ref> www.vgprealestate.com</ref> <ref> www.vgprealestate.com</ref> | Mr.V.G.Pannerdas is the founder of the renowned '''V.G.P group of companies'''. He started his carreer by doing difficult jobs when he was just 12 years old. Gradually, he succeeded in opening his own shop in 1955. He was also one of the first to introduce the famous ''buy now and pay later'' concept. Around the year 1975, he established the V.G.P. Golden beach, the first amusement park in India. The V.G.P group of companies is now run by his brothers and sons. <ref> www.vgprealestate.com</ref> <ref> www.vgprealestate.com</ref> <ref> nadar.kuttyjapan.com</ref> | ||
| ===M.G.Muthu=== | ===M.G.Muthu=== | ||
| Mr.Muthu is the founder and owner of the reputed '''M.G.M group of companies'''. He hails from a | Mr.Muthu is the founder and owner of the reputed '''M.G.M group of companies'''. He hails from a | ||
| humble Nadar family of a small coastal village near the ] district. The M.G.M corporate is best known for its amusement parks and chain of restaurants. <ref> www.mgm.com</ref> | humble Nadar family of a small coastal village near the ] district. The M.G.M corporate is best known for its amusement parks and chain of restaurants. <ref> www.mgm.com</ref> <ref> nadar.kuttyjapan.com</ref> | ||
| ==Genetic study== | ==Genetic study== | ||
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| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
Revision as of 02:17, 1 March 2009
Ethnic group File:Vijay Amr1.jpg File:Shiv Nadar 1.jpg File:W.P.A. Soundrapandiyanar.JPG File:Sivanthi adithan.jpg File:Sarath.JPGK. Kamaraj, Vijay Amritraj, Shiv Nadar, W.P.A. Soundrapandiyanar, Sivanthi adithan, R. Sarath Kumar, Harris Jeyaraj. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Nagercoil, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Salem, Chennai, Kanyakumari | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil, Malayalam | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tamil people, Pandyas |
Nadar (Template:Lang-ta) "Nadar" (also referred as Kshatriya Nadar, Nadan, Nataar, Gramani and Shanar) is one of the prominent castes of Tamil Nadu, South India. The term, Nadar, in Tamil literally means "one who rules the land". The Nadars are also quite commonly called as Annachi (roughly meaning elder brother) in Tamil Nadu.Nowadays, Nadars occupy various positions, including education, politics and mostly retail business.
History
The Nadars are the heirs of the fallen ancient pandyas. Considered to be a proud, ancient warrior caste and the initial rulers of the ancient Pandiya Nadu (Pandyan Kingdom), the Nadars are well known for their bravery throughout the southern part of Tamil Nadu. The ancient capital city of Pandiya Nadu, Korkai, is predominantly occupied by the Nadars. After successive invasions from the north by the Kalabhras and other Vadugas(Nayaks) on the Pandiyan kingdom, the Nadars were forced out of power and almost became extinct in the 18th century. The community which was known as 'Shanans' till the 19th century came to be known as Nadars. The title Nadar is believed to be derived from the Nadans, the aristocrats and the highest of the old Shanan community. The aristocrats among the Nadars in those days were known as Nadans and the poor among the caste, who did toddy tapping for a living, were known as Shanans.The poor among the Nadars(Shanans) during early times possessed no agricultural lands due to the Nayak invasion. Nadars are believed to be closely related to the Villavars, an ancient Dravidian warrior community which founded many Dravidian kingdoms as Cheran and Pandyan in the prehistory.
Rise of the Nadars after the Nayak invasion
After the Nayak invasion, the Nadars were almost wiped out and most of the Nadars lost their wealth due to the invasion. It is believed that the then Nayak rulers of Tamil Nadu imposed Deshaprashtam (ostracism) on the ancient Nadars (Pandyas), to ensure that their rise wouldn't ever happen . But due to their perserverence, they fought a fine battle with poverty and casteism and regained their social and economic power within a span of two centuries.
The rise of the Nadars began in the early 19th century. Mercantilism played crucial roles in facilitating their upward mobility. The British rule then in the southern districts intoduced new frontiers of trade and commerce.The Nadars took this opportunity and made it their greatest advantage. They began to excel rapidly in trade and commerce. The Nadar traders were frequently bothered by the bandits sent by their rival castes. They established sophisticated pettais (fortified compounds) to ensure safety for their goods. Some times they even used their skills in fighting to chase away these bandits. To enhance their cohesiveness and consistent progress in business, the Nadars established sanghams (oraganisation) such as the Nadar Mahajana Sangham and Dakshinamara Nadar Sangham in the early 20th century. After upgrading their economic status, the Nadars continued with their advancement and erected a network of educational institutions. Most of these institutions were contrived to educate the poor and offer free education. The community realised the powerful future education can offer and utilised this foresight. They were even able to successively establish a bank (Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank) in that period.
Eventually the rise of the Nadars was an unstoppable movement. As described by the renowned historian Hugald Grafe, the Nadars rose from nothing and occupied places formerly reserved for Brahmins.
Christian Nadars
In 1680, the first congregation of Nadars was started at Vaddakankulam with the conversion of Nadar women and a church was built accordingly in 1685. A permanent mission was established in 1701. 40% of the Nadars in TamilNadu are Christians. Some Nadars accepted Christianity out of will and some accepted it due to their aversion to Brahminism. .
Orthodox customs
The Nadars, like other Tamil castes, perform a number of rituals and ceremonies according to their customs. Birth ceremony, initiation ceremony, marriage cermonies and death cermonies are the most important of all the cermonies.
Birth ceremony
The Nadar birth ceremony is very similar to other Tamil castes. These rituals usually begin when a woman is taken to her parents' home for her confinement and end when she returns to her husband's house after the birth of the baby. Cermonies like seventh month ceremony, (a cermony held for a pregnant woman who is pregnant for 7 months), is commonly practiced by a hindu Nadar. Due to modernization, some Nadars have stopped these practices.
Initiation ceremony
This sort of cermonies occur after the birth of a child. A baby's ears are pierced when the infant reaches the age of 6 months. Some hindu Nadar boys have to go through the rituals in order to wear the sacred thread at the age of 12 years and must also attend rituals accordingly for the annual renewal of the sacred thread. Christian Nadar boys are initially baptized and are made to join the church association when the time is appropriate. Like other Tamil castes, the Nadars also conduct a ceremony for girls who have just attained puberty. Some christian Nadars follow some of the orthodox customs of the hindu nadars. For example the puberty ceremony is also followed by some christian Nadars.
Marriage ceremony
The Nadars marry according to their clan. For instance an aristocratic Nadar should marry a Nadar of his status and clan. There are various endogamous clans among the Nadars. An orthodox marriage is usually based on the clan a Nadar belongs to. However some Nadars neglect the ways of endogamy and marry Nadars not of their clan. Usually, a Nadar would marry his sister's daughter or his cross cousin. This practice is quite common in Nadar villages. The Nadars prefer joint or extended families.
Death cermony
The local Nadar association is usually informed when a Nadar dies. The corpse is bathed and carried in a palanquin in an upright chair-like position. The body of a widow is usually laid down flat. Women don't accompany the men to the cemetery. After the third day of the death, another ritual is held for the widow(if the dead person is a male) in order to remove all her jewelry and most importantly her thali. However these old customs are not practiced by all the Nadars; especially the educated Nadars.
Kalaripayattu/Varma Kalai/Marma Ati
Till the 19th century the martial art, Kalaripayattu, was meant to be practised only by the warrior castes of South India. Marma Ati was a great warfare practised by the Royal Thiruppad Nadans to defeat/kill the enemy without any external injuries. The art was practiced exclusively by Nadars, Kallars and Maravars of Tamil Nadu and by the Nairs and Ezhavas of Kerala.
In the field of economics
The Nadars of Tamil Nadu are predominant in the southern most part of Tamil-Nadu. Ever since the 19th century, they have developed a keen interest in trade and commerce. The Nadars are hard working people. In the early stages, most of the Nadars mainly focussed in trading farm products. They sold all their products at best prices. By storing the agricultural products in a warehouse, they distributed them for both wholesale and retail all over Tamil Nadu. The major products they dispensed were rice,pulses,edible oils,sugar and other important,primary farm products. Gradually, they formed a strong link between the farmers and consumers.
As technology and economy advanced, the Nadars changed their business pattern accordingly. In the next stage, they concentrated in trading products ,relevant to building industries, such as cement,iron hard ware, roofing materials etc. They also gradually started their advancement in education. Their progress in business is just one of their achievements. Nowadays, the Nadars are almost prominent in every known field; especially politics and business.
The Nadars are major manufacturers of edible oils like coconut oil, ground nut oil, sesame oil, etc in India. Notable edible oil companies such as V.V.D, Gold winner,Idhayam etc are run by a Nadar.
Another important field which is dominated by the Nadars is fireworks. There are a number of prominent firework industries in Sivakasi. They are all operated and efficiently managed by the Nadars of Sivakasi. The chemicals and other pyro-technical requirements are also products they manufacture.
Influencing Personalities
K.Kamaraj
Main article: K. KamarajW.P.A. Soundrapandianar Nadar
Mr. W.P. Ayya Nadar, father of Mr.W.P.A. Soundrapandianar Nadar, bought a sixty acre plot of coffee in 1918. This small piece of plot was expanded to a 1600 acre estate by his son, Mr.Soundrapandian Nadar. Mr.Soundrapandianar came from an aristocratic Nadar family and was the leader of the Nadar community in the 1920s-1930s. He was also one of the founders of the Justice Party (India) and is considered to be a patriot.
Ayya Nadar and Shanmugha Nadar of Sivakasi
Mr. Ayya Nadar and his cousin, Mr. Shunmugha Nadar, jointly established the first match industry in Sivakasi, around 1923. Later the cousins decided to independently erect their own match industries. The growth of these firework industries influenced the overall growth of the small village Sivakasi. The village Sivakasi,which used to have a exiguous population of 13.000 people, is now a city with a population of more than a lakh. Ayya Nadar was also successful in erecting a number of educational instituitions (Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal and MEPCO educational institutions) and printing presses, around Virudhunagar. Reputed firework companies of India such as Ayyan and Standard are run by the descendants of Ayya Nadar and Shunmugha Nadar. Ayya Nadar was a philanthropist and a patriot who followed the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. He was also a admirer of the late freedom fighter, K. Kamaraj.
The Adhitanar family of Tiruchendhur
Mr. S.P. Adithanar is the founder of the renowned Tamil newspaper 'Daily thanthi'. He was from a prominent Nadar family in Tiruchendur. He erected the Adithanar educational instituition in the year 1965 to ensure proper education for the people of Tiruchendur. These organisations are now managed by his son, Mr.Sivanthi adithan. Sivanthi Adithan has also been awarded with the renowned Padmashri. He has contributed a lot for the development of sports and education in Tamil nadu.
Shiv Nadar
Main article: Shiv Nadar
Vijay Amritraj
Main article: Vijay Amritraj
V.G.Pannerdass
Mr.V.G.Pannerdas is the founder of the renowned V.G.P group of companies. He started his carreer by doing difficult jobs when he was just 12 years old. Gradually, he succeeded in opening his own shop in 1955. He was also one of the first to introduce the famous buy now and pay later concept. Around the year 1975, he established the V.G.P. Golden beach, the first amusement park in India. The V.G.P group of companies is now run by his brothers and sons.
M.G.Muthu
Mr.Muthu is the founder and owner of the reputed M.G.M group of companies. He hails from a humble Nadar family of a small coastal village near the Tirunelveli district. The M.G.M corporate is best known for its amusement parks and chain of restaurants.
Genetic study
Recent genetic studies on the antigenic variations among south Indian populations suggest Nadars share several genotypic characters with East Asian populations, consistent with the demographic history of South India, and also revealed that there are several genetic markers unique to the group. The study suggested a distinct evolutionary lineage with lesser admixture in the gene pool among groups of Tamil Nadu. The gene pool of nadars show more similarity to the East Asian populations (Tissue Antigens. 2003 Dec; 62(6): 542-7) (Human Biology 1996, 68(4), 523-37) .
Further reading
- M. Immanuel (2002) The Dravidian Lineages: The Nadars Through the Ages. A Socio-Historical Study. From Indus Valley Civilization to present time. Published by: Historical Research & Publications Trust, 137/H-4 Bethel Nagar, Nagercoil-629004, Tamil Nadu, India.
- Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr.(1969) The Nadars of Tamilnad; the political culture of a community in change. From year 1800 British records to 1968.
References
- ^ www.hindu.com
- www.gemify.com
- www.sishri.org
- ^ www.nadar.kuttyjapan.com
- The Spirituality of Basic Ecclesial Communities in the Socio-religious Context of Trivandrum/Kerala, India: Reflections on a Distinctively Canonical Institution By Selvister Ponnumuthan Published by Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana, 1996
- The Nadars of Tamilnad, R.L.Hardgrave Jr
- www.gemify.com
- www.krishnascience.com
- www.nadar.kuttyjapan.com
- www.nadar.kuttyjapan.com
- www.nadar.kuttyjapan.com
- www.pillarvalleyresort.com
- www.tamilnation.org
- www.anjac.org
- www.adithanarcollege.in
- www.adithanarcollege.in
- nadar.kuttyjapan.com
- nadar.kuttyjapan.com
- www.vgprealestate.com
- www.vgprealestate.com
- nadar.kuttyjapan.com
- www.mgm.com
- nadar.kuttyjapan.com
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
See also
External links
- List of Prominent Nadars
- Nadar Community online
- Famous Nadar Institutions
- Shiv Nadar- Richest South Indian
- Free Email & Nadars Information
- History of the ancient Nadars
- Their link with the ancient Pandyas
- History of the Nadars
- Warrior tribes of Ancient Tamilakam
- History of Karuppa Nadars and the Kotachar Clans
- Manadu Thandupattu situated near Tiruchendur
- Nadar community Online Webportal
- Kamaraj Memorial Medical College, Madurai.
- The largest Civil Society Organization of the Nadar Community