Sangam Period - Population

Population

See also: Tamil people, Sangam literature, Sangam landscape, and Chronology of Tamil history

The ancient Tamil land was divided into five types- Kurinji, Mullai, Marutam, Neithal and Palai. The people were divided into five different clans ("kudis") based on their profession. They were;

  • Mallars- the farmers.
  • Malavars- the hill people who gather hill products, and the traders.
  • Nagars- people in charge of border security, who guarded the city walls and distant fortresses.
  • Kadambars- people who thrive on forests.
  • Thiraiyars- the seafarers.

All the five kudis constituted a typical settlement, which was called an "uru". Later each clan spread across the land, formed individual settlements of their own and concentrated into towns, cities and countries. Thus the Mallars settled in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, while the Malavars came to live in Kerala, western Tamil Nadu, eastern Andhra Pradesh and southern Sri Lanka. The Nagars inhabited southern and eastern Tamil Nadu, and northern Sri Lanka, while the Kadambars settled in central Tamil Nadu first and later moved to western Karnataka. The Thiraiyars inhabitated throughout the coastal regions. Later various subsects were formed based on more specific professions in each of the five landscapes (Kurinji, Mullai, Marutam, Neithal and Palai).

  • Poruppas (the soldiers), Verpans (the leaders of the tribe or weapon-ists), Silambans (the masters of martial arts or the arts of fighting), Kuravar (the hunters and the gatherers, the people of foothills) and Kanavars (the people of the mountainous forests) in Kurinji.
  • Kurumporai Nadan-kizhaththis (the landlords of the small towns amidst the forests in the valleys), Thonral-manaivi (the ministers and other noble couples), Idaiyars (the milkmaids and their families), Aiyars (the cattle-rearers) in Mullai.
  • Mallar or Pallar (the farmers and warriors), Vendans (Chera, Chola and Pandya kings were called as "Vendans"), Urans (small landlords), Magizhnans (successful small scale farmers), Uzhavars (the farm workers), Kadaiyars (the merchants) in Marutham.
  • Saerppans (the seafood vendors and traders), Pulampans (the vegetarians who thrive on coconut and palm products), Parathars or Paravas (people who lived near the seas-the rulers, sea warriors, merchants and the pirates), Nulaiyars (the wealthy people who both do fishing and grow palm farms) and Alavars (the salt cultivators) in Neithal.
  • Palai is a dry land. The people who lived here were Eyinars and Eyitriyars. Their work was robbery.

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