This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Prathip sam (talk | contribs) at 14:11, 12 September 2012. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 14:11, 12 September 2012 by Prathip sam (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Italic text
Ethnic group File:Vairamuthu.gifThondaiman • Sivaji Ganesan • Bharathiraja • Vairamuthu • Samy Vellu | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 65,00,000 (10% of Tamil population) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Tamilnadu, Sri Lanka, Malaysia | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mukkulathor, Tamil People. |
Kallar (Tamil: கள்ளர்) are one of the three related castes which constitute the Mukkulathor:THEVAR confederacy. The community shows many signs of independence and non-submission to any form of subjugation. They strongly resisted every British attempt to subjugate them. Kallars are found largely in the Thanjavur, Trichy, Pudukkottai, Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam ,Thirunelveli, Karur and Kanchipuram districts of Tamil Nadu. Significant Kallar populations are also found in Srilanka, Malaysia and other south east Asian countries. The Royal House of Pudukottai belongs to the Kallar community.
Meaning of Kallar
Kallar means "brave people". Historians like Srinivasa Iyengar, Venkataswmy Nattar postulate the word Kallar, derived from Kalla, means "black" in Sanskrit and Tamil. (கள்வனென் கிளவி கரியோனென்ப' - திவாகரம்) They also postulate Dravidians were called Kalla by Aryans. The name Thirumal (Mal Means black) also Derived from Black..
Mukkulathor
Kallar are one of the castes in the Mukkulathor (meaning three clans) community. The other two are Maravar and Agamudayar and together they are called Thevar. The royal title "Thevar/Devar" means Divine. In olden days the people viewed kings as a representation of Gods and were accorded titles of respect..
Surnames
In Tamil Nadu, Kallars are called by various surnames, which came to them during various times by the places they have ruled, battlefields and to state their strong valour and bravery in the battle with foreign forces. It is a general practice in Southern Tamil Nadu to address a Thevar woman as Nachiyar. .
Sangam Age
Kallar, along with Maravar, are one of the ancient clans mentioned in the Sangam literature. The literature from the first Tamil Sangam period is dated around the last centuries of the pre-Christian era.
Thondaiman
The Kings (Araiyars), known as Thondaiman, were then ruling Thondai Nadu (Thondaimandalam). There are hundreds of records pertaining to this dynasty. Thondai in Tamil means Kilai or Pirivu, Pallava in Sanskrit means the same. This indicates that Thondaimans were the Pallava Kings who ruled the medieval Pallava dynasty and who were in fact a later offshoot of the Chola dynasty.
Malayaman
The Kings (Araiyars) ruled Tirukkoyilur during the ascendancy of the Chola empire, with the title Malayaman (which is one of the family names of the Kallar community). Sangam literature mentions of Malaiyamaan Kaari, a Malayaman chief who fought alongside Perunarkilli Chola to defeat Cheral Irumporai (Irumporai Cheras). Descendants of Kaari are collectively called by the name Parkavakulam (Udayar & Moopanar).
Adigaman
The Kings were ruling Tagadur, present day Dharmapuri district. One of The Four kingdoms mentioned in the rock-edict of Ashoka. Adigaman Naduman Anji King of Tagadur is mentioned in the rock-edict of Ashoka as Satyaputras inscriptions found from Villupuram indicates that stating Adigaman (which is one of the family name of the Kallar community) as Satyaputra Adhiyan Neduman Anji intha Pali.
Chola
The Chola Dynasty (Tamil:சோழர் குலம்) was a native Tamil dynasty that ruled South India and Ilangai (Ceylon) until the later half of the 13th century A.D. The other two Tamil Royal dynasties are the Pandyas and Cheras. And Pallavas are later offshoots of Cholas, and the word Pallava means branch in Sanskrit, indicating the latter as an offshoot of Cholas.
The Chola dynasty originated in the fertile valley of the Kaveri River. Karikala Chola was the most famous among the early Chola kings, while Aditya I, Parantaka I, Rajaraja Chola I, Rajendra Chola I, Rajadhiraja Chola, Virarajendra Chola, Kulothunga Chola and Kulothunga Chola III were notable emperors of the medieval Cholas.
Kalapadiyar, Melkondar, Chozangar, Thevar, etc are now used by Kallars only shows that Cholas, Pallavas and Early Pandyas were from the Royal community of Kallars. The Bramanda puranas Puvindra puranam and Kalla Kesari Purannam also Mentions the same.
Lots of marriages takes place between Cholas with Malavarayar, malayaman, Paluvettaraiyar,Melkondar and Vallavaraiyar. they also belongs to Kallar community.
Pallavas
The word Pallava (Tamil: பல்லவர்) means branch in Sanskrit, denoting that they are a later offshoot (Kilai) of Cholas. The Pallava kingdom was a medieval Dravidian Tamil dynasty of South India that had its capital at Kanchipuram and ruled Northern Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh (till Northern Circars) around the 4th century CE.
They rose in power during the reign of Mahendravarman I (571 – 630 CE) and Narasimhavarman I (630 – 668 CE) and dominated the Andhra Pradesh and Northern parts of Tamil Nadu for about six hundred years until the end of the 9th century.
"Pallava" is rendered as Tondaiyar in the Tamil language. The Pallava kings at several places are called Thondamans or Thondaiyarkon. The territory of the Pallavas was known as Tundaka Visaya or Tundaka Rashtra. The Sanskrit meaning of Pallava is Kilai The Tamil Thondai means the same, it shows that Pallavas are descendants (Kilay or Pirivu) of Cholas.
Pathupattu, one of the Sangam literatures, reads that the King Thondaiman Ilandirayan ruled this town around 2,500 years ago. The Pallavas are told as the descendents of Thondaiman Ilandirayan.
They were also called by surnames like Sethurayar, Pallavarayar, Vandarayar, Kadurayar, Vallavarayar, Vanathirayar, Kaliyarayar..
Link With Pandiyan
Historians postulate that Pandians are Maravar but some Pandiyan kings were Kallar. A Pandiyan king was mentioned as Kallar Perumagan Thennavan. Also the bulk of Kallar warriors were serving in the Pandian army.
After the end of Pandian Rule, then Pandi nadu, also known as Kallar nadu, Was ruled by Kallar Ambalakkarrars.
Link With Cheras
The title Servaikkarar, used by Mukkulathors and derived from Chera Avaikkarar, means people who served in Chera avai.
Once Chera country was ruled by eight Chera kings who combined their armies and chose one king to lead them. Avai is known as Enperayam or Chera Avai..
People belonging to Cheraavai are called Cheravaikkarar or Servaikkarar. One of the famous kings with this title, Maruthu Pandiyar Servaikkarar, belongs to Agamudaiyar.
Tamil copper-plate inscriptions
The discovery of Indian copper plate inscriptions provided a relative abundance of new evidence for use in evolving a chronicle of India's elusive history.
During Chola rule there were many small kings(Araiyar) ruling there respective areas under the Chola. Some of the names are seen in Tamil copper-plate inscriptions are also mentioned in Ponniyin Selvan (a Tamil historical novel written by Kalki Krishnamurthy)
- Thondaiman
- Paluvettaraiyar
- Malayaman
- Vallavaraiyar
- Muniaraiyar
- Puvaraiyar
- Velar
- Vanataraiyar
During Vijayanagar Empire
The downfall of the Mukkulathors occurred in 1345 with the fall of Vira Pandyan IV and the subsequent conquest of Madurai by the Delhi Sultanate However, the southern territories of the Sultanate soon asserted their independence and the Mukkulathors recovered under the Vijayanagar Empire and later under the Nayak dynasty during whose period they served as Polygars or chieftains.
The south-western parts of Tamil Nadu except for Kongu Nadu was called Kallar Nadu and was governed by Kallar Palayakkarar.
Notable people
- P.K.Mookayya Thevar (1923–1979)
- Sivaji Ganesan
- Samy Vellu
- N.P Manicham Errthandaar
- V. Gopalsamy Rajaliar
- A.Veeriya Vandayar
See also
- Chola
- Chera
- Pallava
- Malayaman
- Mukkulathor
- Moovendar Munnetra Kazhagam
- All India Moovendar Munnani Kazhagam
References
- Census of India 2001
- Thenpandi Singam by M. Karunanidhi
- கள்ளர் சரித்திரம் - நாவலர் பண்டித ந மு வேங்கடசாமி நாட்டார்
- "Mukkulathor". devarcaste.wetpaint.com/.
- கள்ளர் பட்டப்பெயர்கள் - Pulamai Venkathachala Vanniyar
- "கள்ளர்". ta.wikipedia.org.
- "South Indian Inscription". www.whatisindia.com.
- "South Indian Inscription". www.whatisindia.com.
- "South IndianInscription". www.whatisindia.com.
- "South Indian Inscription". www.whatisindia.com.
- Rajarajan Meikirthigal By Pandarathar
- KalvethugalKurum Unmaigal By Pandarathar
- "South Indian Inscriptions Volume13". Archaeological Survey of India. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- "கள்ளர் சரித்திரம்". www.thinnai.com.
- கள்ளர் பட்டப்பெயர்கள் - Pulamai Venkathachala Vanniyar
- Thenpandi Singam by M. Karunanidhi