Maravar (also known as Maravan and Marava) are a
Tamil community in the
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
. These people are one of the three branches of the
Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title ''
Thevar''. They are classified as an
Other Backward Class or a
Denotified Tribe in Tamil Nadu, depending on the district.
The
Sethupathi rulers of the erstwhile
Ramnad kingdom were from this community. The Maravar community, along with the Kallars, had a reputation for thieving and
robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...
from as early as the medieval period.
Etymology
The term ''Maravar'' has diverse proposed etymologies; it may come simply from a
Tamil word ''maram'', meaning such things as ''vice'' and ''murder''. or a term meaning "bravery".
Social status
The Maravars were considered as Shudras and were free to worship in Hindu temples. According to Pamela G, Price, the Maravar were warriors who were in some cases
zamindar
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
s. The zamins of Singampatti, Urkadu, Nerkattanseval, Thalavankottai, all ruled by members of Maravar caste. Occasionally the Setupathis had to respond to the charge they were not ritually pure.
During the formation of Tamilaham, the Maravars were brought in as socially outcast tribes or traditionally as lowest entrants into the shudra category.
The Maravas to this day are feared as a thieving tribe and are an ostracised group in Tirunelveli region.
Notable people
*
Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, freedom fighter
See also
*
Uthumalai
*
Kallar
*
Agamudayar
References
{{Authority control
Mukkulathor
Social groups of Tamil Nadu
Other Backward Classes
Denotified tribes of India