Villavar was a tribe of hunters lived in

Tamilakam Tamiḻakam (Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nad ...

, the southern part of ancient India. The word ''villavar'' derives from the Dravidian word for bow (''vil''). The villavars lived in hill tracts and forests. Chera kings used the title villavan Kulasekhara Alwar the founder of the later Chera dynasty called himself "Villavar Kon", king of Villavars, in a Tamil work written by him known as Perumal Thirumozhi.kolli kAvalan villavar kOn * sEran kulasEkaran mudi vEndhar sigAmaNiyE பெருமாள் திருமொழி Villavar is called

Bhil Bhil or Bheel is an ethnic group in western India. They speak the Bhil languages, a subgroup of the Western Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages. As of 2013, Bhils were the largest tribal group in India. Bhils are listed as tribal people of the s ...

in Central India.

Cousin Tribal Group

The

Meenavar Meenavar is the Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malays ...

, also known as Pattanavar or Sembadavar, are a caste of Tamil Nadu, India.

References

Ezhava The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...

of Kerala,

Billava The Billava, Billoru, Biruveru people are an ethnic group of India. They are found traditionally in Tulu Nadu region and engaged in toddy tapping, cultivation and other activities. They have used both missionary education and Sri Narayana Guru's ...

of Karnataka,

Nadar caste Nadar (also referred to as ''Nadan'', ''Shanar'' and ''Shanan'') is a Tamil caste of India. Nadars are predominant in the districts of Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar. The Nadar com ...

of Tamil Nadu

Modern villavar tribe communities

1)Ezhava & Illathu pillai of Tamil Nadu and Kerala 2)

Shanars & Nadars Nadar (also referred to as ''Nadan'', ''Shanar'' and ''Shanan'') is a Tamil caste of India. Nadars are predominant in the districts of Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar. The Nadar com ...

of Tamil Nadu and Kerala 3)

Billava & Ediga The Billava, Billoru, Biruveru people are an ethnic group of India. They are found traditionally in Tulu Nadu region and engaged in toddy tapping, cultivation and other activities. They have used both missionary education and Sri Narayana Guru' ...

of Karnataka 4)

Goud Goud is a Caste system in India, caste consisting predominantly of indigenous people in the Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Gouds are traditionally involved in toddy tapping. However, they are also involved in many modern occupatio ...

of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Dravidian peoples {{India-stub