Pulayar

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The Pulayar also Pulayar, Pulaya,or Pulayas or Holeya are one of the main social groups found in Kerala, Karnataka and in historical Tamil Nadu or Tamilakam. They belong to the Dalits of India. A Dalit is not a caste, it is the name taken by the oppressed groups who belong to the former lower castes of India.

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[edit] Historical mention

The origins of Pulayar or the word Pulai in Archaic Tamil in itself lies the origins of Caste or Jāti system in South India. The group is mentioned in the Sangam anthologies which were composed during a period of 500 years (est.) during the early Christian era. Pulaian (male) and Pulaitchi (female) are mentioned as a group of people who are attached to the households of village chiefs and were performing tasks that were menial or degraded.

[edit] Word origin

Although currently in Tamil, Pulai stands for meat but in Kannada Hole the root for a similar caste title Holeya stands for menstrual blood thus indicating a ritual position that was degraded due to function. With the advent of agriculture and North Indian religious norms in South India in general and Tamilakam particularly such as Jainism, Buddhism and early Vedic Brahmanism similar functional groups and lineages or tribes came to be identified as untouchables viz a vie the dominant land holding elites of the rural landscape.

[edit] Exclusive Development

With their separate and exclusive traditions and beliefs, partly due to their apartheid like separation from the mainstream community in the bottom end of the caste system in Kerala and Tamil Nadu they have maintained many pre Hindu belief systems that was unique to that area and era.

Spiritual life of them includes the knowledge of what is considered to be arcane mysteries, magic, rituals and beliefs, in consequence, members of the mainstream community will consult Pulaya shamans, or Manthrikavadi in Kerala, for advice that was not otherwise accessible.

They are noted for their musicianship, craftsmanship, and for their dance which includes Kōlam-thullal or mask dance, part of their exorcism rituals, and the fertility dance Mudi-āttam or hair-dance.

[edit] Current condition

The status of Pulayar as a group is the barometer of the success or failure of caste reformation process that is going on in pre-independence India in general and Kerala in particular.

They had a great leader in the 19th century called "Great Ayyankali". He contributed towards the upliftment of the downtroddens. He organized the first harthal in Kerala with the Blessings to Sri Narayana Guru.

But in general they still suffer discrimination and their life expectancy, nutrition levels and child mortality rates are closer to Sub-Saharan African nation's indicators than the impressive Kerala standards.

In neibhouring Tamil Nadu state, the word Pulayar was replaced by another Paraiyar and Pallar during the medieval period and their status is even starker than in Kerala.

In Karnataka the etymologically related Holeya caste's social status is still at the bottom with marginal improvements made since Indian independence.

Due to affirmative actions and through conversion Christianity, Pulayas are making some progress. Although one can find members of this caste in many walks of life today, majority of them are still retained as day laborers

[edit] See also

Arts of Pulayar caste

[edit] References

[edit] Reference

  • Early Evidence for Caste in South India, p. 467-492 in Dimensions of Social Life: Essays in honor of David G. Mandelbaum, Edited by Paul Hockings and Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, New York, Amsterdam, 1987.
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