Vanniyar
The Vanniyar, also spelled Vanniya,[1] formerly known as the Palli, are a Dravidian[2] community or jāti found in the northern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The Vanniyars were historically considered a lower caste. They have been trying to gain a higher socio-religious standing since the 19th century, using the
Etymology
Several etymologies for Vanniyar have been suggested. Alf Hiltebeitel suggests that the caste name derives from vahni, a Sanskrit word thought to be the root for the Tamil word vanni (fire), which is also a Tamil name for an important tree.[3] The connection to the sage (Jambumuni) leads to further associations with mythological legends.[4]
Other etymologies include derivation from the Dravidian val ("strength"),[5] or the Sanskrit or Pali vana ("forest").[6] The term Palli is widely used to describe them, but is considered to be derogatory.[7]
Historical status
Hiltebeitel, who classifies the Vanniyar as Shudra in the Hindu varna system, notes that South Indian society traditionally recognised neither the Kshatriya (warrior) nor Vaishya (merchant) varnas, being divided instead between Brahmins on the one hand and Shudras and untouchables on the other. Nonetheless, communities in the region frequently sought to prove a historic higher status, based on myth or occasionally probable history. He notes that "traditions of demotion from a once higher rank are a commonplace of South Indian caste mythologies".[8]
Researcher Lloyd I. Rudolph notes that as early as in 1833, the Vanniyar had ceased to accept their "low caste" status,[9] also described as being Shudra by Christophe Jaffrelot and Kathleen Gough.[10][11] Gough, however, documenting her fieldwork of 1951–53, records the Palli and the Vanniyar as separate but similar cultivating castes.[11][a] Regarding Pallis of Pondicherry, J. B. Prashant More noted, "they seem to take pleasure in considering themselves as belonging to higher castes, though they have been classified traditionally among the eighteen lower castes."[13]
Sanskritisation movement
The Pallis tried to get an order in
According to Hiltebeitel, whilst the mythological claims of origin from the fire lend credence to their demand for being deemed as Kshatriyas, the claims to military origins and Kshatriya identity did not solely rely on myths. He notes that they had historically adopted various titles and terms that signified a self-image of Kshatriya status, including the Vanniyar name itself, and that
beyond linguistic indicators ... The Vanniyars' Kshatriya claims are rooted in their history. There is, to begin with, no reason to discount the ... traditions that Vanniyars formed an important part of the Pallava soldiery. And after the Pallava period there is increasing evidence of Vanniyars assuming "Kshatriya" roles and activities.[17]
The caste has also been significant in the practices relating to worship of
In addition to
Current status
Rudolph noted that, although "necessarily tentative" because of being
Most Vanniyars remain either marginal farmers cultivating small areas of land or landless labourers. However, it was reported in 2003 that they were being hurt significantly by the rising debt crisis engulfing Tamil Nadu agriculture, and many now worked as day labourers in Bengaluru and Chennai.[21]
Due to their population size and concentration, the Vanniyars wield significant political clout in northern Tamil Nadu. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) is a political party formed by S. Ramadoss from the Vanniyar Sangam, a caste association. It has been known on occasion for its violent protests against Dalits and draws its support base from Vanniyars.[22] The Vanniyars, who previously were of the Backward Class category, were re-designated as a Most Backward Caste after successful agitations by them in the 1980s intended to unlock more favourable education and employment entitlements from the state government under its reservation system.[23] In 2020, the PMK launched an agitation to obtain a 20% reservation entitlement for Vanniyars and forced the Tamil Nadu government to institute a caste census.[24]
Notable people
References
Notes
- ^ Aside from distinguishing the Palli and Vanniyar, Gough also distinguishes the Padaiyacchi cultivating caste,[11] which other scholars consider to be a synonym for Vanniyar.[12]
- ^ The creation of new names such as Agnikula Kshatriya and Vannikula Kshatriya during the period of sanskritisation was an attempt to take ownership of the Agnivanshi fire myth.[9]
Citations
- ISBN 978-0-226-73137-7.
- PMID 16707019.
- ^ ISBN 9788120810006.
- ISBN 9788120810006.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1000-6.
- ^ Gopalakrishnan, Subramanian (1988). The Nayaks of Sri Lanka, 1739-1815: Political Relations with the British in South India. New Era Publications. p. 134.
- ISBN 9788120810006.
- ISBN 9788120810006.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-226-73137-7.
- ISBN 9781136516610.
- ^ ISBN 9780521040198.
- ISBN 978-1-53810-685-3.
- ISBN 978-1-000-26372-5.
- ISBN 978-81-316-0081-8.
- ISBN 978-1-40086-718-9.
- ISBN 978-1-85065-670-8.
- ISBN 9788120810006.
- ^ Soni, Sakshi (2015). "Draupadi in Folk Performances and Sculptural Representations" (PDF). Delhi University Journal of Humanities and the Social Sciences. 2: 25–40.
- )
- ISBN 978-81-7307-061-7.
- ^ N., Nakeeran (13 September 2003). "Women's Work, Status and Fertility: Land, Caste and Gender in a South Indian Village". Economic and Political Weekly. 38 (37): 3931–3939.
- ^ "Senior Ramadoss arrested". The Telegraph. 1 May 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ Gorringe, Hugo (2012). "Caste and politics in Tamil Nadu". India Seminar.
- ISSN 0971-751X.
- ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
A backward caste Vanniyar, Veerappan's Robin Hood status in the Vanniyar belt of north and west Tamil Nadu could explain why various parties and leaders are anxious to appease him.
Further reading
- de Neve, Geert; Donner, Henrike (8 February 2007). The Meaning of the Local: Politics of Place in Urban India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203967645.
- Venkatachalapathy, A. R. (2011). ""More Kshatriya than thou!" Debating caste and ritual ranking in colonial Tamilnadu". In Bergunder, Michael; Frese, Heiko; Schröder, Ulrike (eds.). Ritual, Caste and Religion in Colonial South India. Primus Books. ISBN 9789380607214.