Pallar
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,329,117 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Tamil Nadu | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil | |
| Religion | |
| Hindu, Christianity |
The Pallar (also known as Mallar, Pallan and Devendrakula Vellalar) is a caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Pallar were and remain mostly agriculturalists, though some are labourers. They found among the Tamil diaspora and are densely populated in southern parts of Tamil Nadu.
In Tamil Nadu the Pallars are distributed mostly in the districts of Thanjavur, Madurai and Ramanathapuram and, as of 2011, numbered 2,329,117.
The name of the caste has previously been spelled as Pallan; however, some caste members replaced the Tamil non-honorific terminal-"n" with an honorific "r", resulting in the name Pallar; a similar process was seen in the fellow Dalit Paraiyar (or Paraiyan) community.
The Pallar name may be derived from pallam, which means a pit or low-lying area. This aligns with their traditional occupation of cultivators of the low wetlands. However, there is literary evidence that suggests that Pallars are farmers who produced large quantities of food grains and they were traditional farmers.
Their exact origin is obscure. According to some historians the Mallar resp. Pallars are descendants of Pallavas who ruled the Andhra and Tamil countries between the 6th and 9th centuries.
The change of name from Mallar to Pallar is thought to have been imposed upon them after the decline of the rule, when the leaders (Nayaks) of competing tribes wanted to suggest a degradation in status. Some Pallars today prefer the Mallar name due to their belief that Pallar is a derogatory term.
The ancient people were described as farmers and warriors. The leader of the group, called the Vendan (Indran), was later called the god of their land. Nowadays, community members prefer to refer to themselves as Devendra Kula Vellalar (DKV), a name connoting that they were created by the god Devendra. In support of a name change to DKV, Pallars have undertaken hunger strikes and rallies. In January 2011, the Government of Tamil Nadu appointed a one-man commission to consider this latest change mainly for their votes.
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