nadars

The Nadars

Paul Raj, Delhi

The Nadars

The Nadars are the heirs of the fallen ancient pandyas. Considered to be a proud, ancient warrior caste and the initial rulers of the ancient Pandiya Nadu (Pandyan Kingdom) the Nadars are well known for their bravery throughout the southern part of Tamil Nadu. 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(Nayaks) on the Pandiyan kingdom, the Nadars were forced out of power and almost became extinct in the 18th century. 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. The aristocrats among the Nadars in those days were known as Nadans and the poor among the caste, who did toddy tapping for a living, were known as Shanans.The poor among the Nadars(Shanans) during early times possessed no agricultural lands due to the Nayak invasion. Nadars are believed to be closely related to the Villavars, an ancient Dravidian warrior community which founded many Dravidian kingdoms as Cheran and Pandyan in the prehistory.

Rise of the Nadars after the Nayak invasion

After the Nayak invasion, the Nadars were almost wiped out and most of the Nadars lost their wealth due to the invasion. It is believed that the Vishwanatha Nayak imposed Deshaprashtam (ostracism) on the Pandya king, Chandrasekera Pandyan and his family members. But due to their perserverence, they fought a fine battle with poverty and casteism and regained their social and economic power within a span of two centuries. The rise of the Nadars began in the early 19th century. Mercantilism played crucial roles in facilitating their upward mobility. The British rule then in the southern districts intoduced new frontiers of trade and commerce.The Nadars took this opportunity and made it their greatest advantage. They began to excel rapidly in trade and commerce. The Nadar traders were frequently bothered by the bandits sent by their rival castes. They established sophisticated pettais (fortified compounds) to ensure safety for their goods. Some times they even used their skills in fighting to chase away these bandits. To enhance their cohesiveness and consistent progress in business, the Nadars established saghams (oraganisation) such as the Nadar Mahajana Sagham and Dakshinamara Nadar Sagham in the early 20th century.

Eventually the rise of the Nadars was an unstoppable movement. As described by the renowned historian Hugald Grafe, the Nadars rose from nothing and occupied places formerly reserved for Brahmins.

Christian Nadars

In 1680, the first congregation of Nadars was started at Vaddakankulam with the conversion of a Nadar woman and church was built in 1685. A permanent mission was established in 1701. 40% of the Nadars in TamilNadu are Christians. Some Nadars accepted Christianity out of will and some accepted it due to their aversion to Brahminism.

In the field of economics

The Nadars of Tamil Nadu are predominant in the southern most part of Tamil-Nadu. Ever since the 19th century, they have developed a keen interest in trade and commerce. The Nadars are hard working people. In the early stages, most of the Nadars mainly focussed in trading farm products. They sold all their products at best prices. By storing the agricultural products in a warehouse, they distributed them for both wholesale and retail all over Tamil Nadu. The major products they dispensed were rice,pulses,edible oils,sugar and other important,primary farm products. Gradually, they formed a strong link between the farmers and consumers.

As technology and economy advanced, the Nadars changed their business pattern accordingly. In the next stage, they concentrated in trading products ,relevant to building industries, such as cement,iron hard ware, roofing materials etc. They also gradually started their advancement in education. Their progress in business is just one of their acheivements. Nowadays, the Nadars are almost prominent in every known field; especially politics and business

Important industries and businesses run by the Nadars

After upgrading their economic status, the Nadars continued with their advancement and erected a network of educational institutions. Most of these institutions were contrived to educate the poor and offer free education. The community realised the powerful future education can offer and utilised this foresight. They were even able to successively establish a bank (Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank) in that period. The Nadars are major manufacturers of edible oil like coconut oil, groundnut oil, sesame oil etc, in India. Notable edible oil companies such as V.V.D, Gold winner,Idhayam are run by a Nadar.

Another important field which is dominated by the Nadars is fireworks. There are a number of prominent firework industries in Sivakasi. They are all operated and efficiently managed by the Nadars of Sivakasi. Standard, Ayyan, Anil, etc in Sivakasi are some of the important firework companies in India .The chemicals and other pyro-technical requirements are also products they manufacture