The 'Muthuvans' or 'Mudugars' are tribe of cultivators in hills of

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

and

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

. They are also found in

Adimali Adimali is a town in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. National Highway 185 (NH 185) is a highway in India running from Adimali to Kumily through Kattappana and ends in Adoor in Kerala. Adimaly is located on the National Highway 49 (In ...

and

Devikulam Devikulam () is a Grama Panchayat and small hill station of about from Munnar in the Idukki District of Kerala State, India. It lies above sea level. Etymology The name Devikulam is a conjunction of the words ''Devi'', from the goddess Devi a ...

forest regions of Idukki district,

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. The Muthuvan''’ people were loyal subjects of the dynasty of Madurai, according to tribal legend. When the dynasty was deposed, the surviving royal members migrated to

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

, central

. On their way to Kerala, the Muthuvas carried the idols of

Meenakshi Meenakshi (Sanskrit: ; Tamil: ; sometimes spelled as Minakshi; also known as , and ), is a Hindu goddess and tutelary deity of Madurai who is considered an avatar of the Goddess Parvati also referred to as Durga. She is the divine consort of ...

, the deity of the royal family, on their backs. The word Muthuvar in Tamil is used to denote the same community in Tamil Nadu. The word "Muthu" means elder and literal meaning of "Muthuvar" is elders. Muthuvan are the ancient tribes of this land. The Muthuvans are very independent and reluctant to interact with the outside world. The Muthuva tribe grows ragi,

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are rec ...

and

lemon grass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, oily heads, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family. Some s ...

. Now they are also cultivating banana and tapioca for their daily usage. Most of their women are illiterate and strongly bonded with their customs.

References

{{Reflist Social groups of India Ethnic groups in India Social groups of Kerala

See also

References