The Rajakulathor people, who are also collectively known as Rajaka, are native to the

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. They comprise the

Vannar Vannar is a Tamil caste found primarily in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The community has traditionally been involved in laundry. also agricultural workers They are in Tamil Nadu classified as Most Backwar ...

Madivala Madiwala is a locality in Bangalore, India. It is close to Koramangala, Bommanahalli, BTM Layout, HSR Layout, Arekere Mico Layout, Bannerghatta Road, Jayanagar, and J. P. Nagar, among other localities. The Bangalore City railway station is ...

and Agasa social groups that share a common myth of origin and claim to have once been members of various ancient South Indian dynasties.

Etymology

The following is current regarding the origin of the caste On the occasion of Dakshas sacrifice

Virabhadra Virabhadra (), also rendered Veerabhadra, Veerabathira, and Veerabathiran, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self- ...

got his clothes

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

stained,while killing Daksha and his companions.He appeared before

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and thoughtlessly allowed his impure garments to come into contact with the God.Rajakas are known as veeraghata madivala on account of their supposed descend from god

the son of Shiva.

Right hand caste faction

Rajakulathor belongs to the '' Valangai'' ("Right-hand caste faction"). Some of them assume the title ''Valangamattan'' ("people of the right-hand division"). The ''Valangai'' comprised castes with an agricultural basis while the '' Idangai'' consisted of castes involved in manufacturing. ''Valangai'', which was better organised politically.

History

At the

Pooram Pooram pronounced is an annual festival, which is celebrated in temples dedicated to goddesses Durga or Kali held especially in Valluvanadu area and other adjoining parts of north-central Kerala (Present Palakkad, Thrissur, Kannur, Kasara ...

festival in

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 goddess is usually seen wearing a white robe with a large handle in red, green, orange, black, white In India,the largest Dasara festival in October in

and

is held in honor of the honorable sword is given to the Vannars. Vannars are also the priests of the Bhagavati Amman temple

Worships

In the Tirunelveli region,Thai deities (female deities) are worshiped in large numbers and are worshiped with a pedestal or trident.in states like

and

,Vannars are still the priests of the Mariamman temple

Structure

The common honorific titles used by the Rajakulathor are "Rajakula", "Pandiyan", "Mooppar", "kaathavarayan", "Yegaveni", "Nair", "Saayakaran", "Mesthiri", "Thoosar", and "Kaliyar" varying according to their territorial divisions.According to Raja Raja cholan inscription,the villages in Chola administration were termed as "Vannathar"

Notable persons

Periyathambiran Periyatambiran was a king found in non-Agam village deities, In the eastern part of Sri Lanka, the worship of Periyathambiran is widespread. One of the 17 prisoners who settled in Batticaloa,Worshiped as the deity of the Vannar Vannar is a Tami ...

-Ruler of Anuradhapura,Sri Lanka * Neelasothaiyan -Commander-in-Chief of King Periyathambiran * A. M. Saravanam -was an indian Congress Freedom fighter

References

Indian castes {{India-ethno-stub