Paravan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (January 2007)

Paravan is a subdivision or caste among Hindus.

Paravan is also a caste name given to the Christian Caste fishermen who are mostly Roman Catholics, living in the region of south Tamilnadu. There are seven villages where these people mostly live. They are Tuticorin, Periyathalai, Uvari, Manapadu, Kooduthazhai, Kootapani, Alanthalai, Amalinagar, and Veerapandiyan pattinam.[citation needed]

In Srilanka, members of this caste are mostly known by the surnames Fernando, Coonghe, Poobalrayer, and Costa.[citation needed]

Paravans build the lowest caste in India, they're called the "untouchables", since they where not allowed to touch the upper castes or anything that belongs to them. It is said that in the ealier days they were forced to walk out of rooms with a broom, wiping out their footsteps behind them, so that no "touchable" accidentally asperses himself by walking into a footstep of a Paravan. If a Paravan wanted to give something to a "touchable", they had to hold it out on their outstretched hand, so that his counterpart doesn't have to touch him.

[edit] Paravans in Popular Culture