The Korava were one of the tribes of the
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
during the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
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* it is also called Crown rule in India,
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or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
in India. They were primarily involved in the salt trade, Gross boom trade, Gross backet trade. The tribes are used as Home Guard in several region. Later they Were deported for Tea garden labour work in several countries like Sri Lanka, Reunion, Mauritius. In 1913 they were classed as a criminal tribe by the British authorities. Today there are an estimated 1.2 million (12 lakh) Korava in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. Mainly this tribe was found in Madurai, Sivagangai, Theni, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Tiruchirapalli, Salem, Namakkal, Karur, Perambalur and Pudukottai Districts of Tamil Nadu and Tiruvanantpuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Palakkad, Idukki in Kerala.
Ethnonym
People of this community are called with different names in different parts of South India. They are called Yerukula in
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 ...
(derived from the tradition of fortune telling by the women), Korama, Korachas in
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 ...
, Kaikadi in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, and Sidanar 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 among all these communities is the same, i.e. Kavadi, Sathupadi, Maanupadi and Mendraguthi. They are also known as Malai Kuruvans, Kuravans, Thalaiyaris, Kavalkara Koravars, Uppu Koravars, Dabi Koravars (Simbu Koravars), Gandarvakottai Koravars, Inji Koravas, Koravas, Kalinji Dabikoravas, Kala Koravas, Monda Koravas, Karuvapillai Koravas, Thogamalai Koravas, Mel Nadu and Kel Nadu Koravas, Kathukuthi Koravas, Pachai kuthi Koravas, Sidanars, Panikers, Vedars, and Vettuvars.
Caste politics
In 2006 the Koravar applied to gain
Scheduled Tribe
The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...
status.
The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tirunelveli News : `Koravar' community people seek ST status
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Recently{{when, date=September 2011 many Koravar activists have protested the Tamil-language film '' Paruthiveeran'' on the grounds that it demeans their culture and even more specifically their women. For further reference see "The encyclopaedia of Dravidian tribes"- Volume 3 about Konanki Kuravar, Bommayya Kuravar, Nanchil Kuravar of Nagercoil region of Tamil Nadu.
Sources
''Dishonored by History'', p. 27
Scheduled Tribes of India
Social groups of Tamil Nadu
Social groups of Puducherry