Nanjil nadar

HISTORY

   The history of origin of or Villavas or Sanars or Enadhis or Nadars  as they are popularly known is not exactly known.Villava are ethnic Dravidian people who founded many ruling dynasties througout India. However glimpses of there life in southern part of Tamil nadu can be brought out from various inscriptions.Villava Villavaraya kings ruled from Nanjil nadu in the first millenium.

Around 500ACE Valluva kings ruled northern parts of Nanjil Nadu (Eraniel – Kalkulam region). It was know as valluva nadu. There are citation poems in Purananuru by Avvaiyar (puram 137-140) praising the valluva king. The Chera Nadu was ruled by Villava kings also known as Nadars or Sanars. There symbol was Palmyra flower. Even today in Kasargode area of Kerala the toddy tapers were know as Villavas or Billava. In vikarama chola ula, OttaKKuthan refers to the chera king Kanaikkal Irumporai as Villavan or Nadar.Kulasekhara(800 to 825 AD)also known as Kulasekhara Alwar the first king of later Chera kingdom (800 AD to 1100 AD) describes himself as Villavar Kon. The Pandyan Kingdom was founded by Villavar Meenavar people. The early Pandyan flag had Bow and arrow as insignia (In Mahabharatha Pandya kingdom is mentioned and the Pandyan king is called Saranga Dwaja(Bow flagged).The Villavar people who mixed with the ancient twin community called Meenavar(who were replaced by Nagas later)founded the Pandyan kingdom with the flag of Twin fish. Nadava or Nadavaru s of Tulu Nadu may descend from the Pandyan kingdom of south Karnataka called Alupas.The Bhil Meena of North India who are related to the Rajput and Matsya Kingdom of North India also may have common origins with Villavar Meenavar.

Life in Nanjil Nadu

   The religion of these people were Jainism. Even today the remains of those glorious jain past can be very well seen in Kanyakumari Dist. Chitaral jain monuments, Nagaraja temple at Nagercoil (it was padmavathy temple then) are a few examples. In puram 74 which was written by the king Kanaikkal Irumporai, himself he tells about ending life by starvation [prayopavesa] as is known in Jainism.
   There was no caste influence in those period. Vegetarianism was also not practiced. Any person going to kings palace were given rice cooked with beef and palyamara juice.
   Also there was no evidence of child marriage in that Society. There are reference of seven stages of womanhood based on the age (Perunkathai). They are Pethai upto 13 yrs Pethumbai 13 – 16 , Mankai 16 – 19 , Madanthai 19 – 25 , Arivai 25 – 30 , Terivai 25 – 30 , Perilampen above 40. 

   The people were well educated and there was no bar on education .Some of the eminent scholors at those time were  Ilango Adikal, Kambar to name a few. There are some unconfirmed study about Nanjil Valluvar and Tiruvalluvar. 

Christanity among Nanjil Nadar

Though some Nadars were converted during Portuguese period after 1500 ACE to Roman Catholicism and migrated to Kanyakumari and Cochin areas they did not identify themselves as Christians. Vallikada Panicker(Panicker is a title of learned and Maritial Nobility in the Pandiyan Kingdom used by the Martial art trainers among Nadars). In the British period starting from 1780s Nadars started converting to Protestant Christianity. British missionaries of the London Mission Society opened the first Nadar Christian school at Mayilady (1806)by Ringeltaube, Wilhelm Tobias (1770-?1816)and at Nagercoil in 1812.The English school Nagercoil seminary (1819)was opened by Rev.Charles Mead. Ringeltaube a missionary from Brussels had amazing foresight when he opened these schools. He was followed by Charles Miller and Mault.Scott Christian High School was sponsored by Mr.Septimus scott in 1819.The first Girls school with Boarding facility of Travancore was established at Nagercoil by Mrs.Mead at 1819. At 1820 the first public school for hindus was opened for the hindus especially Nadars at Nagercoil. The Neyoor Girls Boarding school was established at 1828 under the Neyoor Mission which was situated in an ancient Nadar area. School of Industry (technical)started at 1820 at Nagercoil this school provided technical education and trades such as priniting, bookbinding, tanning. Curing of leather etc. It is said that Velu Thampi Dalawa who was opposed to opening a school at Mailady near Kottaram gave his concent when Lord Mecaulay (Thomas Babington Macaulay)who had been the British Resident exerted pressure.These were the first schools of western education in Kerala. The western education did not help Nadars locally since the Govt jobs were not available for them.Though they were well educated by mid 19th century, the education was useful only securing jobs as Supervisors-Kankanis in the British Tea Estates started the same period.Many parts of India still did not have any school that era. Even at Trivandrum schools were started only after 1936 while the Kottayam seminary for Syrian Christians was started around 1817.By 1824 Nagercoil had around 48 schools.Neyoor Mission Hospital was established at 1838.

Fall of the Villavar Kingdom.

The whole of Kerala and Tulunad (Alupas) along with the Pandyan kingdom were under the Villavar Meenavar rulers.While the Northern Villavar took the title Chera the Southern Villavar who mixed with Meenavar assumed the title Pandya.The present day Cochin (Kana Vayil Kottam) and Karoor (Vanchmanagar)Chera Villavar capitals while the Madurai and Nelcynda (or Nelkinda or Nakkida)situated either at QuilonKollam or Niranam near Kottayam were Pandyan capitals.Purakkad (Ambalapuzha)was ruled by king Pandion of Modura (Madurai)when Pliny the Younger a greek historian visited Kerala in 77 ACE.According to Sangha literature the enemies of the Villavar people were the Nagas from North, or Vadugas who repeatedly attacked the Villavar territories. By the 7th century ACE Varnasaram took deep root in South India. Manu was supported by many powerful kings of Chola and Pandya Kingdoms.The powerful, Educated were voluntarily given Brahmin and Sathariaya status. It was an irony that from the same tribe some were taken into upper caste and left out people driven to lower caste. Further there was a systematic destruction of all writings pertaining to other religion and anything that stood against Varnasarama. Even the sangam was called for the destruction of all writings of other religion by fire. It is an irony that famous books like Vajra Suchi, Buddhacharita were all destroyed and today we get only the Chinese translations done at 400ACE. By 1000 ACE King Raja Raja Chola Completely conqured Talakkulam, Eraniel, Kalkulam, Vilavamcode and marched into Kollam and destroyed 2nd Chera Empire. In ancient times the Tamil Nadu and Kerala were ruled by Tamils and only by Dravidians. The Aryan Namboothiris and Nagas started migrating from Ahichatra in the Uttarkhand in the fourth century ACE on the invitation of Kadamba king Mayuravarma and settled down at Banavasi and later in the Tulunadu.1 of the Namboothiris from Tulunadu were employed by the Chera rulers as temple priests. There is absolutely no evidence that the Namboothiris had any power in administration in the Chera Kingdom.The Aryan and Naga dominance of Kerala started with the repeated attacks from North by the Rashtrakutas.Prior to 800 ACE Nairs were considered a Karnataka caste residing at Tulunadu http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:9hJ2O_SS9sQJ:tulu-research.blogspot.com/2008/01/65-maikala-for-mangalore.html%20s&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in according to Tulunadu Grama Paddhati 2 and Keralolpathi.Keralolpathi written by Namboothiris states that the Namboothiris residing at Perinchellur (Thaliparamaba)went and requested the Arya king of Aryapura(Rashtrakuta)Krishnaraya to send them one king around 950 ACE.The Banapperumal who was send by the Rashtrakuta king became the Cherman Vadakkan Perumal(Not the Tamil Chera king) the ruler of Ezhimalai renamed Kolathunadu. The Kolathunadu rulers unlike Tamil rulers introduced Matriarchal traditions around 1100 ACE. After the fall of Chera Kingdom around 1100 ACE the north and middle Kerala were dominatedby Nagas and Aryan Namboothiris. After 1300 ACE when all the Villavar power was destroyed by the Muslim invasion of Malik Kafur. Nagas and Aryans started occupying a higher stratum pushing the Villavar tribes to a lower strautm.After the Muslim invasion in 1309 by Malik Kafur all the Villava kingdoms were destroyed while the Nagas became the rulers of the south along with the Deccan Sulthans.The Nagas who had mixed with Indo-Scythians who migrated from either Nepal or Ahichatra in the indo-Nepalese border were a fair people who talked a Northern Hindi like language and worshipped snake and had Matriarchy unlike Tamils.Keralas ancient Tamil culture was replaced by the Nepali and Uttarpradesh culture.Newar Architecture of Newars a Naga people of Nepal closely resmebles that of Nairs of Kerala.Newa people Vishu is the southern form of Nothern Baisaki festival of Buddhist Newars of Nepal, became the Keralas new year festival.Still Onam could represent a Pandyan festival as the title Maveli,Nelveli and Seeveli indicate Pandyan kings. The Venad kings who were of ethnic Tamils derived from the mixture of Tamil Ay princes(Thiruppapur and Chirava) with Tamil Venad princes of Keezhperur who followed Patriarchy till 1309 like other Tamil(Malayalam) Kings. After 1300s when the Nagas and Aryans became powerful,all the Tamil Patriarchal dynasties were replaced by the Matriarchal Naga dynasties from the Kolathunadu.Some of the Tamil tribes joined the Nagas while the Villavars were gradually pushed to a lower stratum. The Jain Dravidian temples of Villavars were occupied by the Nagas between 1400 to 1600 period.The Nagaraja Temple (Nagercoil) was a Jain temple till 1600s later converted to a Naga temple.The Nagas themselves were considered Sudras by the Aryans.The Villavar downfall is not the result of Brahmanical Hinduism and Varnashrama Dharma but the result of defeat of the Tamil Villavar,Meenavar,Valluva,Panar and Vellala people at the hand of Northern Vaduga (Naga)invaders.

External Links

Kanyakumari District on wikipedia