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vaNNiyAr

Intro

“from the 1931 census, the Vanniyars in the 1980s constituted around 10 per cent of the population of Tamil Nadu, being particularly prevalent in the northernmost districts of Chingelput, North Arcot, South Arcot and Salem, where they formed around 25 per cent of the population.”
“most Vanniyars are agricultural labourers but they are increasingly benefiting from political influence and organisation and they now own 50 per cent of the lands of the traditional landowners.”
“The Pattali Makkal Katchi political party was formed from the Vanniyar Sangam, a caste association.”

kShatriya rise

Sources: Wiki and papers cited there.
Hildebittel notes that “traditions of demotion from a once higher rank are a commonplace of South Indian caste mythologies”.
Lloyd I. Rudolph notes that as early as in 1833, the Vanniyar, who were then known as Pallis, had ceased to accept their “low caste” status.
“The Pallis tried to get an order in Pondicherry that by descent they were not a low agricultural caste. In preparation for the 1871 Indian census they petitioned to be recognised as being of the Kshatriya varna.”
“They formed a number of caste organisations using their preferred name, with the Vanniyakula Kshatriya Maha Sangam appearing in Madras in 1888 and extending state-wide in 1952.”
The community adopted such practices as vegetarianism and prohibiting the remarriage of widows. They claim descent from pallava-s.
“By 1931, due to their successful politicking (with sanskritisation), the term Palli was removed from the Madras census, with the term Vanniya Kula Kshatriya appearing instead.”

Recent backwardness claims

" The Vanniyars who previously were of the Backward Class category, were now designated as a Most Backward Caste after successful agitations by them in the 1980s. The reason for the agitation and subsequent re-classification was to avail more government benefits for the community"