The Titles of Vanniya Kulakshatriyas–A Study

Abstract

The Vanniyars are basically considered to be the people belonging to the community of the ruling class of great Indian subcontinent for many centuries. Most Vanniyars in India are in the three adjacent southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andra Pradesh, mostly concentrated in the area where these three states intersect. The term Vanniyars (Vanniyans) and Padayatchi has been used interchangeably because of the same historical origin they claim. Among the castes in the Tamil Nadu, Vanniyars or Padayatchis are very popular and they are one of the very earliest caste to be socially well organized. Today they are the most politically mobilized and well-informed caste in Tamil Nadu. Many Vanniyars migrated to South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Seychelles, Mauritius and Fiji and the next generation Vanniyars have been using variant titles such as Goundar, Naicker and Padayatchi amongst themselves.