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Nadar (caste)

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Nadar Community
The renowned poltician, K. Kamaraj, was a Nadar* from Virudhunagar.*

Total population
10,000,000(app)
Regions with significant populations
Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Nagercoil, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Salem and Chennai
Language(s)
Tamil
Religion(s)
Hinduism, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Tamil people

Nadar (also referred as Kshatriya Nadar, Nadan, Nataar, and Shanar) is one of the prominent castes of Tamil Nadu, South India. The term Nadar (Tamil: நாடார்) literally means "one who rules the land". Nowadays, Nadars occupy various positions, including in education, politics but mostly trade/industry. It is also common to refer the Nadars as "Annachi" (roughly meaning elder brother).

1 History
2 In the field of economics
3 Kalaripayattu/Varma Kalai
4 Genetic study
5 Clans
6 Further reading
7 References
8 See also
9 External links

History

The Nadars are the heirs of the fallen, ancient pandyas ^[1].Considered to be a proud, ancient warrior caste and the initial rulers of the ancient Pandiya Nadu (Pandya Kingdom), the Nadars are well known for their bravery throughout the southern part of Tamilnadu[9]. 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 on the Pandiyan kingdom, Nadars were forced out of power and almost became extinct in the 18th century Pandyas. Unlike many other ancient communities who were considered as low castes by the brahmanical classes, they fought back and regained their original status. This process of upward social mobility is known as Sanskritisation. 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. ^[2]. The traditional occupation of most of the nadars of today was agriculture(with palm trees prominently) and trade. Maritime trade had been the mainstay of Nadars in the ancient times when the Pandiyan ships were sailing from Gulf to China. The 19th century saw the Nadars embracing Christianity in large numbers; some accepted Christianity out of will and the others due to their dislike for Brahmanism. Today the distribution of Nadars between the two major religions, Hinduism and Christianity, are 60% and 40% respectively. The deities like Sudalai Madan, Karuppasamy, Isakki, Mariamman, and Murugan are prominently worshiped by Nadars of south Tamil Nadu. Nadars form more than 10% of Tamil Nadu's population, and they are predominant in the districts of Virudhunagar, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Kaniyakumari, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam (Kerala). They also constitute a major chunk in the districts of Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Theni, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Chennai, Cuddalore, Thanjavur and Namakkal. Nadars have traditionally divided themselves by clans (Vamsam / Vagaira / Koottam). Although outwardly they are united as Nadars, there is a clear cut distinction between the Nadars of various regions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. For example the customs and practices of Nadars hailing from Tirunelveli are completely different from that of Nadars hailing from Madurai or Nagercoil. The aristocrats among the Nadars in those days were known as Nadans^[3] and the poor among the caste, who did toddy tapping for a living, were known as Shanans ^[4]. The poor among the Nadars(Shanans) during early times possessed no agricultural lands due to the Nayak invasion^[5]. They were landless laborers. One occupation that a large number of them took up, in circumstances where there were no opportunities for better undertakings, was toddy tapping. Their counter-parts(Nadans) were a wealthy, land-owning agricultural community that was also traditionally involved in mercantile activities. Though both rich and poor Nadars shared similar ancestry, they were separate castes at a time. Recent generations of Nadars, like the current generation of most castes in India, have started to open up to each other.

In the field of economics

The Nadars are well known for their work in small scale businesses. Most of the areas in Tamil Nadu have a grocery store run by someone from this community. They are referred as Annachi Kadai or Nadar Kadai. They are a powerful Tamil community and also greatly influence the field of politics. Nadars are generally concentrated in the southernmost part of Tamil Nadu. They are mainly from the south of Tamil Nadu but have migrated to different regions of India to extend and enhance their business. They are very much involved in trading agricultural products. Considering the general nature of agricultural pattern in the southernmost part of India, they have been associated in dealing with sugar, grains and other related cereals. From early stages, they have cultivated a close business acumen to procure farm products, at best prices, transporting them to ware houses and distributing them for both whole sale and retail markets all over India. Their range of products in the early stage of their development was confined to:

Rice
Pulses
Edible oils
Sugar, etc.

From early times they are the most essential link between the farmers and the consumers. They have emerged dominant, not only in wholesale purchase and sale, but also as retail shop owners in many towns and centers all over the country. This traditional business specialization has been their main strength for several decades. However, with the growing economy and improvements, in infrastructure all over India, they have been modifying their business pattern to spread into many other areas of business. Such new patterns started with the building industry and they developed equal skills in procuring such vital materials like:

Cement
Iron hardware for building
Roofing materials
Other constructional Inputs
Paints, varnishes and related materials

The Nadars also have branched into electronics, applicances and silverware retail mega-stores. One important industry, in which they have been very dominant is the edible oil industry. Many brands of edible oils with constant innovation has been their effort. Such edible oils include coconut oil, groundnut oil, sesame oil, etc. Their latest attempts are to refine and improve such cooking media to high standards. The industry which is considered to be the brain product of the Nadar community is the fireworks industry. In a small town called Sivakasi, in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, India, the making of matches became a reality only before a few decades ago, thanks to the Nadar Community. These matches are made in cottage industries employing considerable number of people. There is not much mechanization, and all the processes are practically manual and follow a stereotype process. Hundreds of such units exist in and around Sivakasi, producing millions of safety matches every month. This entire business is run and managed by the Nadar community very successfully and very efficiently. One of the offshoots of the match industry, is the making of fire crackers. This is also produced in a specialised manner and controlled closely by the Nadar community. The supply infrastructure of chemicals and pyrotechnical requirements are also interestingly produced by them in the surrounding industrial areas.
Not only looking after the Indian requirements, they are also exporting the products to various other countries. The Nadars are a very hard working people. They have been well known for their perseverance, courage, untiring energy, commitments and dedication to their business. They have become highly modernized and there are many famous business magnates from this community.

Kalaripayattu/Varma Kalai

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 Kerela. ^[6]^[7]

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 Tamilnadu. 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) ^[8].

Clans

These are some kinds of Nadars

Nela'urimaikara Nadan - Direct Decendents of the Royal Family
karukkupattayathar Nadar - Elite Guards
Kodi Marathar Nadar - A clan which defended the Pandyan flag during battle.
Sivanthi Nadar - Elite Suicidal army of the ancient Pandyan dyansity.
Mara Nadar - Mara means brave/veeram in archaic Tamil.
Virudhunagar Nadar - Nadars from Virudhunagar (Merchants)
Vallikutti Nadar- Nadars settled at Sivakasi and Virudhunagar
Mettur Nadar- Nadars from Mettur, Ramanathapuram.
Nattatti Nadar - Nadars from Nattati.
Pullukai Nadar - The term Pullukai means 'Spear handed' in Ancient Tamil.
Pannaeri Nadar - Palm tree climbers
Servai/Kattilkatti Nadar - Cot makers (Not kallar or Agamudayar).
Koolian Nadar- Nadars migrated from Udangudi area to Nagercoil, Madurai & Virudhunagar.
Idamari Nadar - Nadars migrated from Theri forests of Thiruchendur, Sattankulam, Udangudi to Sivakasi and Mamsapuram.
Vettumperumal Nadar- A warrior tribe.
Vathiar/Asan Nadar - Experts in Kusthi, Siddha or Varmakalai
Nattamai Nadar - Nadars who perform local panchayats and solve community problems.