Topic started by narain (@ adsl-63-200-36-14.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net) on Mon Apr 8 13:21:34 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

"From the Tolkappiyam we learn much about the social life of early Tamils, who were divided into castes based on geographic domain; i. e., hills people, plains people, and forest, coastal and desert folk. Within each of these five basic groups were occupational subdivisions, including pearl divers, fishermen, boatmakers, and boatmen."
S. Wolpert, "A New History of India", 4th ed, p77.

So, caste existed even in the Tolkappiam whereas people in FH seem to believe that only northern migrants introduced it.

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: one Tamilian (@ 202.151.220.47) on: Mon Sep 2 08:40:47
  
  In ancient tamil nadu, there were people grouped under their nature of work. But that didnot seperate them in anyway as much as the Jati had done. Even the king's daughter married a person from a farmer community and vise versa. There were inter marriages.
  
  
• From: :) Punnahai (@ d150-35-51.home.cgocable.net) on: Mon Sep 16 08:13:50
  
  ok, here goes. I was just reading some stuff over this weekend and came across something interesting from Puram:
  
  Paanan Thudiyan Parayan Kadamban enru
  Innnan Kalladhu Kudiyum Illai
  
  À¡½ý ÐÊÂý À¨ÈÂý ¸¼õÀý ±ýÚ
  þó¿¡ý ¸øÄÐ ÌÊÔõ þø¨Ä
  
  
  Does this mean that these were the only 4 castes??
  
  
  
  
• From: :) Punnahai (@ d150-35-51.home.cgocable.net) on: Mon Sep 16 12:08:39
  
  pArpAn=one who sees like pAnan=one who sings paN.
  So why should the occurence of this word in Tolkappiyam be considered a caste reference?
  
  
• From: Nambi (@ cache-cro-hsi.cableinet.co.uk) on: Wed Sep 18 18:04:08
  
  Punnahai,
  
  Paanans were poets. Their profession is
  writing poems praising kings.
  
  Paraiyans were/are the people who broadcaste messages to the village people by beating drums.
  Keralite very normally use this word to tell.
  Hence no way these people were low caste people
  as mentioned by stupid English dictionaries.
  
  Can anybody explain the professions of Kadamban and Thudiyan.
  
  
• From: vasan (@ 61.1.209.6) on: Thu Sep 19 02:42:41
  
  Sorry! there are no references regarding caste in Tholkappiyam. It any one spots something then that will be a wrong quote. It is only after the immigration of Brahmins into the Tamil land castes were born!!
  
  
• From: :) Punnahai (@ d150-35-51.home.cgocable.net) on: Thu Sep 19 08:04:23
  
  >> It is only after the immigration of Brahmins <<
  
  Oh buzz off!
  
  
• From: balan (@ 210.187.176.239) on: Wed Oct 16 12:56:27
  
  Please try to get a book by the name of TAMILAR - MATHAM written by MARAIMALAI ADIGAL. I had this book and a few trainee teachers who studied in recsam Penang took photocopies of the book.Please circulate this book please,so dravidians will know who they are.Afriend borrowed my book and thats it.
  
  
• From: Nanmaaran (@ 203.145.160.60) on: Fri Oct 18 02:19:42
  
  Castes in Tholkappiyam? It is absurd. Castes appeared in tamilnadu after 3rd century A.D. But Tholkappiyam period goes back to 3rd century B.C.
  
  
• From: Nei (@ 202.88.239.234) on: Fri Oct 18 09:16:58
  
  Some scholars are of the view that ?Tholkappiyam was written in the 4th Century AD.
  
  
• From: nanmmaran (@ 61.1.209.203) on: Sun Oct 20 09:51:24
  
  //Some scholars are of the view that ?Tholkappiyam was written in the 4th Century AD.//
  
  Scholars? They are frauds. Tholkappiyam belongs to 3rd century B.C
  
  

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