57-599: Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK) is a caste based political party representing the Kongu Vellala Gounders , a backward caste in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . The party's vote base is mainly concentrated in the Kongu Nadu region of Tamil Nadu. The party launched in the name of "Kongunadu Munnetra Peravai" but later its leaders adopted the already registered name of "Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam". It
114-544: A border between the ancient Tamil kingdoms , it might have eventually transformed to Kongu. The region was also known as Kongadesam with Konga , a variant of the term Ganga to mean the land ruled by Western Gangas . The region is also known as "Kongu Mandalam" with mandalam meaning "region" in Tamil. At various times, the region was known by different names such Chola-Kerala mandalam, Adhiraja mandalam, Ezhukarai nadu, Veerachola mandalam and Onbathukarai nadu. Kongu Nadu
171-509: A bulbous stone finial and function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex. Kongu Nadu cuisine is predominantly South Indian with rice as its base and includes a unique collection of recipes created by the people residing in the Kongu region. The cuisine includes cereals like maize , ragi , samai , cholam , kambu , kezhvaragu , and different kinds of pulses , millets and sesame . Millets were staple food items in
228-696: A cave in Arachalur was dated to 4th Century CE and as per Iravatham Mahadevan , these were music syllables used in dance with further such sites discovered in Thadagam near Coimbatore . The region was in the middle of a trade route leading across the Palghat gap in the Western Ghats and that extended from Muziris to Arikamedu linking the Mediterranean to East Asia . While the region
285-529: A community found in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu , India. The Vellalar of the Kongu country came to be known as Kongu Vellalar. They are also known by names such as "Bupaalan", Gangavamsam, Kudiyaanavar and Vivasaayi, and use the title Gounder as a caste appellation in their personal names. According to the Kongu Vellalar Puranam , a 19th-century work by Mahavidwan Kandasamy Kavirayar,
342-514: A hierarchical structure with Kongu Vellalars at the top. The Kongu Vellalar were inhabitants of the Kongu country since at least the 10th century CE. The Vellalars of Kongu region came to be known as Kongu Vellalar or Gounder, though both the names have also been treated separately in some regions. According to Beck's (1972) study, the Kongu Vellalar are one of the top ranking castes who were entitled to ownership over land. They followed
399-530: A kingly model acquiring prestige by ownership of land, control of daily labor and production activity. Today, the Gounders have presided over Kongu Nadu's transition from an agricultural to industrial economy. Gounders traditionally controlled most of the land in western Tamil Nadu, and had the Arunthathiyar community as labourers. When MGNREGA was introduced, Gounder farmers were furious as it prevented
456-448: A result the food has a different taste and unique texture. The best quality turmeric is grown in the region and this is an important ingredient in the cuisine. The earlier Kongu people were mostly vegetarians for religious reason . Idly , dosa , paniyaram and appam are popular dishes. Opputtu is a sweet made with rice, chickpea, palm or cane jaggery , cardamom and ghee. Ariseemparuppu (literally translated as Rice and dal)
513-483: A warm and foggy September, the north-east monsoon starts from October, lasting until early November. There is a wide diversity of plants and animals in the region, resulting from its varied climates and geography. Deciduous forests are found along the Western Ghats while tropical dry forests and scrub lands are common in the interior. The Western Ghats is one of the eight hottest biodiversity hotspots in
570-482: Is a pattakaran . The pattakaran is treated with considerable respect, and is very rarely consulted. The kottukaran and nattukavundan generally take care of caste disputes and marriage selection respectively, and only important caste disputes are handled by him. The community has its own style of marriage ceremony. The ceremony is led by person called an Arumbukarar or Arumaikkarar , who must be married and should have children. The engagement ceremony takes place at
627-560: Is a unique dish originated from the region. Kaalaan is a popular dish prepared by simmering deep-fried mushrooms (usually chopped) in a spicy broth until it reaches a porridge-like consistency; the dish is served sprinkled with chopped onions and coriander leaves. Kongu Nadu had a flourishing economy from ancient times and had trade contacts with foreign nations. Kodumanal was a 2,500-year-old industrial colony discovered by archaeologists, located along an ancient Roman trade route. A Chola highway called Rajakesari Peruvazhi ran through
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#1732797988032684-527: Is amongst the major information technology (IT) hubs of India and supplies two-thirds of India's requirements of motors and pumps, and is one of the largest exporters of wet grinders and auto components , as well as jewellery. Another major industry is textiles with the Tiruppur home to more than 10,000 garment manufacturing industries, employing over 600,000 people. As of 2021-22, Tiruppur exported garments worth 5.1 billion USD, contributing to nearly 54% of
741-442: Is said to represent the Kongu king and the worship is a symbolic request for permission of the marriage, as in the old days the king was supposed to give permission for every marriage. On his return, balls of white and coloured rice are taken around the bridegroom and his mother feeds him 3 mouthfuls of food. This indicates she will no longer feed him and he is going out into the world on his own. A barber then blesses him and they go to
798-509: Is significant in the Kongu region. Kongu Tamil (also called Kangee or Kongalam ), a dialect of Tamil, which is the predominantly spoken in the region. Tamil is the sole official language while English is an additional official language for communication purposes. Other languages spoken include Badaga , Toda , Irula and Kota by the tribal population of the Nilgiris district and Malayalam , Kannada and Telugu . The people of
855-462: Is the geographical region comprising the western and north-western part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in some instances, parts of southeastern Karnataka and eastern Kerala . The region covers an area of roughly 60,895 km (23,512 sq mi) with a population of over 27.4 million. The geography of the region is diverse, with the Western and Eastern Ghats traversing along
912-453: Is totemistic. Medieval poet Kambar is said to have given their kula and gotra (kin and clan). The community has 24 Nadus (countries), which originated they claim from the time of their settlement. These Nadus are arranged in 4 groups of 6 villages each headquartered at Palayakottai, Kangayam , Pudur and Kadayur. The village head is a kottukaran , the head of a nadu is nattukavundan or periyatanakaran and each group of Nadus
969-526: The British Raj with majority of the region, forming a part of Tamil Nadu later. Kongunadu is a combination of two Tamil words meaning "Kongu country". Kongu might mean nectar or honey , probably arising from the area's early residents Kongars , who used to wear a garland made of konganam flowers, which were plentiful in this area. Kongu might have also been derived from the Tamil word Kangu , which meant edge or boundary. Since this area served as
1026-476: The Deccan plateau . The Kaveri , Bhavani , Amaravati and Noyyal rivers are the important non-perennial sources of water. Coimbatore , Tiruppur and Salem are the largest urban areas in the region. The majority of the people in the region speak Kongu Tamil , a variant of Tamil language . While the region is a significant contributor to the economy of the state , disparity remains within various districts in
1083-477: The Kongu region. The party contested in 12 constituencies independently (without alliance) in 2009 lokshaba elections and polled around 6 lakhs (600,000) votes in the Kongu region. Although the party was not able to win any seat still it was considered as a good show by political observers as the party was started only 4 months before the elections. The party mainly contributed for the defeat of all Congress - Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance candidates in
1140-553: The PMK for Vanniyars . Some scholars saw the KMK's presence in the Kongu belt as contributing to the ADMK's victory in those constitutencies. The traditional roles of this community are agriculture and cattle-rearing , but over time they came to be landowners , weaving , traders and money-lenders . The caste is divided into a number of exogamous clans called Kootams , each of which
1197-608: The Arunthathiyars from working in their fields. Thanks to their land ownership, the Gounders were also able to control the industrialization of the Kongu belt and consequently most industrialists in the region are Gounder. The community plays a significant role in the political and economic life of the Kongu Nadu region. The prominent Kongu Nadu-based parties, Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam and later Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi , were primarily Gounder caste outfits similar to
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#17327979880321254-702: The Cheras and Pandyas, the entire region came under the Chola influence. While the region was directly under the control of the Imperial Cholas till 1064 CE, the Kongu Cholas who were probably vassals or viceroys of the Cholas, ruled the region autonomously later starting. These rulers bore the title Konattar and adopted Chola titles and surnames. In the 13th century CE, after the death of Vikrama Chola II,
1311-701: The Hoysalas, the region came under the control of the Delhi Sultanate . In the 15th century, Vijayanagara empire defeated the Mughals and established sway over the region. After the Vijayanagara empire fell in 1646, the region was ruled by various Nayak governors of the erstwhile Vijayanagara empire who declared independence. They introduced the Palayakkarar system under which the region
1368-475: The Kongu region of Tamil Nadu. The party came third in many constituencies ahead of Vijayakanth 's Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam . In the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, KMK joined hands with DMK and contested 7 seats. It lost in all the 7 seats and in local body elections , the party allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Kongu Vellala Gounders Kongu Vellalar is
1425-483: The Pandyas annexed the region with the inscriptions at Srirangam temple mentioning the victory of Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I in the region. The rule of the Pandyas came to an end with the death of Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I in 1318 CE. The Hoysalas ruled the region for sometime later with Vira Someshwara having a matrimonial alliance with both Pandyas and Cholas. After the defeat of Veera Ballala III of
1482-775: The Second Polygar war (1801), when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai who fought against the rule of British East India Company. Later, the British Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857. After Indian Independence in 1947, the region was part of the Madras State . After the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which re-organized state boundaries, majority of
1539-603: The Vellalar of the Kongu country trace their origin to Marabalan, a mythical figure who was created from the river Ganges to rid the world of hunger. Marabalan turned to agriculture and his descendants became the Vellalar . Marabalan had various titles such as Gangavamsa, Devar, Vellalar, Bupaalan, etc. Interestingly the Gandadikara Vokkaligas of the neighbouring parts of Karnataka also claim origin from
1596-809: The Vijayanagara established their independent kingdom. In the latter part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore . After the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars and the Polygar Wars , the British East India Company annexed the region to the Madras Presidency in the early nineteenth century. The region played a significant role in the Indian independence movement . It became part of Madras state post Indian Independence from
1653-684: The banks of the Ganges . According to Burton Stein , the Gangadikaras and the Kongu Vellalars were linked. From the early Sangam period, the Kongu region had always been a "frontier zone," only loosely controlled by the various Tamil dynasties from the plains. Due to their isolation, the people of this region had always been most associated with muscle power and the "heroic" ideals of the Sangam age. While these "heroic" traditions faded in
1710-463: The barber sing a long song composed by poet-saint Kambar , called "Mangala Valthu", speaking of the glory of marriage. Then the little fingers of bride and groom and linked, milk is poured over them, and separated. In the wedding ceremony, the brother of the bride and sister of the groom play significant roles. Widow remarriage was forbidden at the turn of the 20th century, and those who had intimate relations with widows were ostracised. The punishment
1767-427: The bride's house on horseback, where they are met by someone from the bride's party similarly mounted. The groom then gives his earrings to the bride, and they are carried on their respective maternal uncles to the nattukal . When they return, they are touched by an arumaikkarar with a betel leaf dipped on oil, milk and water. They worship the thaali and the arumaikkaran ties it around the bride's neck. Then he and
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1824-406: The bride's house, with the maternal uncles of both groom and birde present, where fruit and betel leaf are tied in the girl's clothes. On the day of the wedding, the groom is shaven, and a karumaikkarari pours water on his head. If he has a sister, he performs a betrothal ceremony for his daughter to her son. He then goes on horseback to a nattukal with fruit and a pestle and worships it. The stone
1881-527: The earlier inhabitants in land ownership and agricultural production. Most initially identified with their clan names and their chiefs with the Gounder title, but eventually coalesced into a single group called Kongu Vellalar Gounder. The Kongu Vellalars also had complex relations with the locals, sometimes friendly, sometimes hostile, and many locals were assimilated into the ethnogenesis of the Gounders. The early pre-migration institutions were modified to include
1938-615: The eastern entrance to the Palakkad Gap , on the principal trade route that extended from Muziris in the west coast to Arikamedu in the east. The Pandyas and Western Gangas ruled over the region later. The medieval Cholas conquered the region in the tenth century CE. It came under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire by the 15th century after which the Madurai Nayaks , who were the military governors of
1995-402: The emerging peasant class. Other communities migrated along with the peasants, including potters, barbers, craftsmen, as well as Brahmins and Dalits. However Brahmins played a negligible role in the new social formation, since the Kongu Vellalars and their dependent communities never used Brahmins for religious ceremonies. However, eventually this period of ethnogenesis would end in the creation of
2052-468: The formation of a caste identity. Gounders influence the political and economic space in the region. Incidents of persecution against Scheduled castes , ranging from discrimation based on caste, violent assault and honor killings have been reported from the region. In comparison to the southern or northern districts, the socio-economic and political divide between the Dalits and other intermediary castes
2109-646: The other tribes of the region such as the Kurumbar, Ay, and Kuravar, which led to a large number of peoples associating themselves with the Vettuvar. This caused a Vettuvar population explosion in the early 9th century and created a complex social structure, with the chieftains of the Vettuvars calling themselves Koundar . However, by the 11th century CE, the influence of the Bhakti movement and Brahminical values from
2166-410: The plains largely displaced the Sangam traditions. Thus some groups of the Vettuvars became full-time agriculturalists, calling themselves Vettuvavelalar . Large groups of peasants from the plains soon began to migrate into the Kongu Nadu region starting in the 10th century from many places, with migration peaking in the 13th century. Their technological advancement allowed them to generally outcompete
2223-487: The region and are the important non-perennial sources of water. The topography also slopes gently from West to East resulting in major rivers in the region arising in the Western Ghats and flowing east. The region has a tropical climate and depends on monsoons for rainfall. Due to the south-west monsoon winds passing through the Palghat gap, the region receives most of the rainfall in the months from June to August. After
2280-793: The region became part of the new Madras state, which would become Tamil Nadu in 1969. The borders of the region are not well defined as the name has been in popular use to refer the region and has not been officially defined. The region covers an estimated area of 60,895 km (23,512 sq mi) of Western and North-Western Tamil Nadu and includes the core districts of Coimbatore , Dharmapuri , Erode , Karur , Krishnagiri , Namakkal , Nilgiris , Tiruppur and Salem . Some sources consider parts of Dindigul , Tiruchirappalli districts in Tamil Nadu, Palakkad district in Kerala and Chamarajanagar district or south eastern Karnataka as part of
2337-406: The region include the grey slender loris , sloth bear , Nilgiri tahr , Nilgiri langur , lion-tailed macaque , and the Indian leopard . As per the 2011 census , the region had a population of over 27.4 million. The population is predominantly Hindu with minority Muslim and Christian population. Caste plays an important role in the region with common myths and ideas contributing to
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2394-480: The region lies in the Deccan plateau bound by these mountain ranges. The plateau rises to 100 metres (330 ft) in the north and to more than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in the south, forming a raised triangle within the downward-pointing triangle of the Indian subcontinent 's coastline. Palghat Gap , a mountain pass across the Western Ghats connects the region to the west coast. The major rivers Kaveri , Bhavani , Amaravati , Noyyal and Siruvani flow through
2451-475: The region until the Green Revolution increased the usage of Ponni rice as a staple. The traditional way of eating a meal involves being seated on the floor and having the food served on a banana leaf . Eating on banana leaves is a custom thousands of years old, imparts a unique flavor to the food, and is considered healthy. Kongu Nadu cuisine does not involve marination of any raw material and as
2508-576: The region upheld the Tirukkural with utmost reverence, which remained as the chief administrative text during the medieval period with several Kural inscriptions and other historical records are found across the region. The 15th-century Jain inscriptions in the Ponsorimalai near Mallur indicate shunning meat from Tirukkural which may indicate that the people of the region might have practiced ahimsa and non-killing as chief virtues. Sati
2565-404: The region was ruled by various dynasties such as Rashtrakutas and Western Gangas . The Kongu Cheras gained influence over the region and were in alliance with the Pandyas. The medieval Cholas led by Aditya I , conquered the region in ninth century CE. Pandya king Rajasimha II , who was defeated by Parantaka I , is known to have found asylum in the region. With Raja Raja I defeating
2622-492: The region. Agriculture is the primary occupation in the region. Rice is the staple food and major crop in the region. Some of the main crops cultivated include sugarcane , spices , chilli , banana , cotton , turmeric , millets and pulses. Other plantation crops include coffee , tea , rubber , betel , areca nut and coconut . and 85% of the natural rubber production in the country. Other major agricultural products include poultry and silk . Coimbatore
2679-551: The region. In the ancient Tamilakam , it was the seat of the Cheras , bound by Tondai Nadu in the east, Chola Nadu in the south-east and Pandya Nadu in the south. The region finds mention in Patiṟṟuppattu literature from the first century CE as a thriving industrial and commercial center with other references to the people in the second century Tamil epic Silappathikaram and other Sangam literature . The region served as
2736-587: The region. It shares its western and northern borders with states of Kerala and Karnataka respectively, while straddling other districts of Tamil Nadu on the other sides. The Western Ghats runs south along the western side with the Eastern Ghats cutting through the region. Both mountain ranges meet at the Nilgiri mountains in the region, which run in a crescent approximately along the borders of Tamil Nadu with northern Kerala and Karnataka. Majority of
2793-488: The rest of the plains region due to the rise of agrarian states, the Kongu region and other remote buffer zones kept it alive until the 11th century CE. In Upper Kongu (north of the Kaveri), the natukal tradition was still present. This cultural combination of the heroic traditions and megalithic burials greatly influenced Kongu Nadu's culture. After the end of the Sangam period, the Vettuvar (hunter) tribe gained dominance over
2850-513: The temple and Pillared halls used for many purposes and are the invariable accompaniments of these temples. Besides these, a South Indian temple usually has a tank called the Kalyani or Pushkarni . The Gopuram is a monumental tower, usually ornate at the entrance of the temple forms a prominent feature of Koils and Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are topped by the kalasam ,
2907-591: The world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Mudumalai National Park was the first national park in India, established in 1940 and the region has 11 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries . Bird sanctuaries including Vellode and Nanjarayan Tank are home to numerous migratory and local birds. The region has significant populations of endangered Bengal tigers and Indian elephants , being home to three Project Tiger reserves and three Project Elephant reserves. Other threatened and endangered species found in
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#17327979880322964-535: Was also practiced in the region. The culture of the region was similar to that of Mysore region of south Karnataka due to historical and geographic continuity. The people of the region have a reputation for entrepreneurship. The temples in the region follow the Dravidian style. In Dravidian architecture, the temples considered of porches or Mantapas preceding the door leading to the sanctum, Gate-pyramids or Gopurams in quadrangular enclosures that surround
3021-453: Was divided into 24 Palayams (towns). In the latter part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore , following a series of wars with the Nayaks . After the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars and the Polygar Wars , the British East India Company annexed the region to the Madras Presidency the early 19th century. The region played a prominent role in
3078-499: Was launched in 2009 at Coimbatore by the Kongu Vellala Goundergal Peravai, a Gounder caste organisation. Although the party was launched by a Gounder organisation, the party's founder Best Ramasamy dismissed that the party was only for the cause of Kongu Velala Gounders and said that his party will work for the cause of the western Tamil Nadu. The party also claims that it will work for development of
3135-494: Was lifted if the widow consented to the man leaving her, the man provided the widow with sufficient means to live herself, and the man providing a feast to his family by killing a black sheep. The Kongu Vellalar were classified as a Forward Caste (General class) at the time of Indian independence but they successfully requested to be reclassified as an other Backward Class in 1975. Citations Bibliography Kongu Nadu Kongu Nadu , also known as Kongu Mandalam ,
3192-642: Was one of the territorial divisions in the ancient Tamilakam . Archaeological excavations from Kodumanal on the banks of the Noyyal River show traces of civilization from 4th century BCE. Kodumanal is mentioned in Patiṟṟuppattu literature from the first century CE as a thriving industrial and commercial center. The Kosar people from the region are mentioned in the 2nd century CE Tamil epic Silappathikaram . Early Tamil Brahmi writings have been found on coins, seals and rings obtained from Amaravati river bed near Karuvur . An inscription found in
3249-545: Was ruled by tribal chieftains during the early Sangam period , it was ruled by the Cheras between first and fourth centuries CE with the capital at Karuvur. Chera dominance of the region began with the rule of the Palyanai Sel Kelu Kuttuvan, the son of Uthiyan Cheralathan . The region came under the influence of the Pandyas during the reign of Arikesari Maravarman in the seventh century CE. Later,
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