Paliyar Tribe

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About Paliyar Tribe

The term ‘Paliyar ’ has been derived from the word ‘Palaniyan’ , which in Tamil language means a man from Palani.
They are and have been known by multiple names such as the Paliyans, Pazhaiyarares and Panaiyars.
Location: They are distributed in the districts of Madurai, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai Tirunelveli and Coimbatore of Tamil Nadu.
Language: They speak Tamil and use the Tamil script for both inter-group and intra-group communication.
Occupation: Traditionally, the Paliyars were hunters and gatherers, residing in the forests of the Western Ghats.
The tribal people offer prayers to the Vanadevadai in the interior forest. They also worship god Karuppan by visiting a remote area of the forest along with the families
The Paliyar tribes never burned the dead bodies. They had the customary practices of burying the dead bodies in an area near to their residential area on the western side.

Q1: Who are known as Tribes?

According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India, a tribe is a collection of families bearing a common name, speaking a common dialect, and occupying or professing to occupy a common territory.

Source: State government urged to take steps to uplift Paliyar, other tribes