Nadar (also referred as Nadan, Shanar, Gramani ) is a caste of Tamil Nadu, South India. The term, Nadar, in Tamil literally means one who rules the land.[1] The Nadars are an entrepreneurial south Indian caste[2] and constitute 12% of Tamil Nadu's population.[3] It is classified and listed as a Other Backward Class by the governments of both Tamil Nadu and India.[4][5] The Nadar community was not a singular caste, but an assortment of sub-castes and classes of different origins, which in course of time, came under the single banner Nadar.[6] Nadar climber (or palmrya climber) was the largest subsect of today’s Nadar community.[7] A few sub sects of the Nadar community were traditionally wealthy landlords and money lenders. Nadars are predominant in the southern districts of Tuticorin, Kaniyakumari, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar.[8]
Historically, most Nadars were humble cultivators of
palmyra treesand
jaggeryand a few were also involved in the
toddytrade. The small endogamanous group of aristocratic Nadars called
Nelamaikkararswho live south of
Thamirabarani Riverhad served as tax collectors under the
Nayakand
Pandyarulers. Those Nadar climbers who lived as minorities had historically faced discrimination in a few localities. The martial art of
Kalaripayattuwas historically practiced by the Nadars.
