The Pulayar (also Pulaya, Pulayas, Cherumar, Cheramar and Cheraman) is a Dalit (untouchable) caste[1] in Hinduism, forming one of the main social groups in modern-day Kerala and Karnataka as well as in historical Tamil Nadu or Tamilakam.
Traditions
Pulayars are noted for their music, craftsmanship, and for certain dances which include Kōlam-thullal, a mask dance which is part of their exorcism rituals, as well as the Mudi-āttam or hair-dance which has its origins in a fertility ritual.[2][3][4]
Demography
According to the 2011 Census, the Pulayan population in Kerala was 1,338,008.[5] They are a Scheduled Caste under India's reservation system in that state[6] and in Tamil Nadu.[7]
Notable people
- Ayyankali (1863 - 1941), social reformer
- K. P. Vallon (1894 - 1940), social reformer
- P. K. Rosy (1903 - 1988), first heroine of Malayalam cinema
See also
Arts of Pulayar caste:
References
- ^ Moffatt, Michael (2015). An Untouchable Community in South India: Structure and Consensus. Princeton University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-40087-036-3.
- ^ "PRIMAL ELEMENTS:THE ORAL TRADITION".
- ^ "Early Evidence for Caste in South India, p. 467-492 in Dimensions of Social Life: Essays in honor of David G. Mandelbaum, Edited by Paul Hockings and Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, New York, Amsterdam, 1987".
- ^ http://www.soas.ac.uk/research/publications/journals/ijjs/file46109.pdf
- ^ "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "List of Scheduled Castes in the Kerala State". Kerala Public Service Commission, State Government of Kerala. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu". Ministry of Social Justice. 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2020.