Social groups of Tamil Nadu

ethnic group of Tamil Nadu, India

ethnic group in India

The Kannadigas or Kannadigaru (), often referred to as Kannada people, are a Dravidian ethnic group primarily native to the southern Indian state of Karnataka and its surrounding regions. They natively speak Kannada, which belongs to the Dravidian language family. Kannada stands among 30 of the most widely spoken languages of the world as of 2001.

muslim community

thumb|Badagas celebrating the festival of Hetha Habba. The Badagas are an ethno-linguistic community living in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, India. Throughout the district the Badugas live in nearly 400 villages, called Hattis. The Badagas speak a language called Badaga.

ethnic group in India

thumb|Chettiars in traditional dress, 1920s

community native to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka

Paravar (also known as Bharathar) is a predominantly Catholic Tamil maritime community, mainly living in the state of Tamil Nadu, and in Sri Lanka. Historically, they were inhabitants of the Neithal (coastal) lands of Tamil Nadu, and find mention in various ancient Tamil literary works.

Reddy (also transliterated as Reddi or Raddi; also known as Reddiar or Reddappa) is a Telugu Hindu caste predominantly found in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in South India. They are classified as a forward caste.

Iyengars (also spelt Ayyangar, Aiyengar, or Aiyangar, pronounced ) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Iyengars are divided into two denominations, the Vadakalai and the Tenkalai and live mostly in the Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The community belongs to the Pancha Dravida Brahmana classification of Brahmins in India.

Iyers () (also spelt as Ayyar, Aiyar, Ayer, or Aiyer) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil Brahmins. Most Iyers are followers of the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara and adhere to the Smarta tradition. This is in contrast to the Iyengar community, who are adherents of Sri Vaishnavism. The Iyers and the Iyengars are together referred to as Tamil Brahmins. The majority of Iyers reside in Tamil Nadu, India.

adherents of Islam who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Tamils

The Labbays (Tamil : லப்பை , Urdu : لبابین ,ﻟﺐ ﺑﮯ, also Labbai, Labbei, Labba, Labbabeen, Lababeen, Lababin, Lababīn, Lebbay, Lebbai, Lubbye, Lubbee, Lubbe, Lubbay; ), are a Tamil Muslim trading community in southern India found throughout the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The Labbay are a subgroup within the Tamil Muslim community.

The Paliyan, or Pulliyar, Palaiyar or Pazhaiyarare, are a group of around 9,500 formerly nomadic Dravidian tribals living in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are traditional nomadic hunter-gatherers, honey hunters and foragers. Yams are their major food source. In the early part of the 20th century the Paliyans dressed scantily and lived in rock crevices and caves. Most have now transformed into traders of forest products, food cultivators and beekeepers. Some work intermittently as wage laborers, mostly on plantations. They

South Indian Tamil community

Maravar (also known as Maravan and Marava) are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title Thevar. They are classified as an Other Backward Class or a Denotified Tribe in Tamil Nadu, depending on the district.

The Rowther (, also known as Irauttar, Rawther, Ravuttar, Ravutta, Ravuthar, Ravuthamar) are a distinct Muslim community living largely in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are a native warrior clan population who converted to Islam under the influence of saints like Nathar Shah (Nathar Wali) in 10th–11th centuries. Even after conversion they retained their Ravuttar caste name. they were one of the earliest Muslim communities in India. They were elite cavalrymen of the Chola and Pandya kingdoms. They were traditionally a martial clan like the Maravars, and constitute large

caste of India

The Balija are a Telugu-speaking mercantile community primarily living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and in smaller numbers in Telangana and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, they are known as Gavarais.

Caste from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Tamil caste

The Marakkars or Chonaka Mappila or Chonakar (; Arwi: ) are a mercantile, Tamil Muslim group inhabiting the southern coast of India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.

Vellalar is a group of castes in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Vellalar are members of several endogamous castes such as the numerically strong Arunattu Vellalar, Chozhia Vellalar, Karkarthar Vellalar, Kongu Vellalar, Thuluva Vellalar and Sri Lankan Vellalar.

Saliya (also known as Saliyar, Chaliyan) is a South Indian Hindu caste. Their traditional occupation was that of weaving and they are found mostly in the regions of northern Kerala, southern coastal Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu as well as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Reddiar (also spelt as Reddiyar) is an ethnic-Telugu Warrior,landowning, merchantile, agricultural social group in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in India.

Hindu community

Padmashali (Telugu: పద్మశాలి) is a Telugu-speaking Hindu endogamous caste of weavers predominantly residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

socio economically forward caste of Tamil Nadu

an ethno-linguistic Hindu community of South India

Tamil-speaking Brahmins

The Bhuiyan or Bhuiya are an indigenous community found in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They are not only geographically disparate but also have many cultural variations and subgroups.