Kadaiyar

Kadaiyar (also spelled Kadayar) is a Tamil caste found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.[1] They are also known as Kadaisiyar.[2]

Etymology

Kadaiyar is derived from the Tamil word kaṭai meaning "low" or "least" and the honorific suffix -yar denoting people.[3] The name might also be derived from kaṭai meaning "to mash" or "to grind" in reference to their traditional occupation as lime burners.[4] In colonial records are they known as Kaddeas, a corruption of Kadaiyars.[5]

History

The Kadaiyars belong traditionally to the Marutham Sangam landscape.[2] They are mentioned in Puram as involved in agriculture.[6]

They were one of the earliest Tamils to convert to Roman Catholicism along with the Paravars under Francis Xavier.[7]

As of 2017, the Kadaiyar were a listed as a Scheduled Caste in Tamil Nadu under India's system of positive discrimination.[8]

See also

References
  1. Nyrop, Richard F.; Studies, American University (Washington, D. C. ) Foreign Area; Army, United States Dept of the (1986). Sri Lanka, a country study. Headquarters, Dept. of the Army. p. 108.
  2. Ramaswamy, Vijaya (25 August 2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 371. ISBN 9781538106860.
  3. "கடையர் | அகராதி | Tamil Dictionary". agarathi.com. University of Madras Lexicon. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  4. McGilvray, Dennis B. (7 May 2008). Crucible of Conflict: Tamil and Muslim Society on the East Coast of Sri Lanka. Duke University Press. p. 371. ISBN 0822341611.
  5. Indian Antiquary. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 1971. p. 229.
  6. Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. p. 207. ISBN 9788122411980.
  7. Sivasubramaniam, K. (2009). Fisheries in Sri Lanka: anthropological and biological aspects. Kumaran Book House. p. 171. ISBN 9789556591460.
  8. "Tamil Nadu". Ministry of Social Justice. 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
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