Panar (Kundapura)

The Panar (singular Pana) are a community found mainly in various districts of Karnataka including Kundapura Taluk and Udupi District, India.[1]

Not to be confused with Panar, a Muslim community of Gujarat.

The Panar are classified as scheduled caste by the government of Karnataka.[2][3] They are Kannada-speaking and show expertise in singing paddanas (folk songs), mainly in their native Kannada, and also in Tulu languages.

Origin and Etymology

They claim to have originated from the Tulu-speaking Nalike/Panar of Tulunadu region of Karnataka.[1] The name "pana" comes from the word "pan" which means "song" and Panan of Kerala, who are also called panar in Kerala are by and large identical with this caste. The Panan caste is classified as a scheduled caste in Kerala state.[4]

Chikku cult

The Panar community are specialised in performing a religious cult devoted to Chikku, a group of spirits, by singing folk songs combined with dance, which are spirits widely believed and prayed to by common people in coastal districts. The songs sung by the Panar community in the Kannada language are generally related to the Siri Paddana songs of the Tulu language.[1]

They also perform bhootha nruthya which is similar to the "spiritual dance" practiced by the Panan community of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.[5] In Tamil Nadu, the women bards and dancers belonging to the "panar" community were called "viraliyar" as mentioned in Sangam literature.[6]

See also

References
  1. Peter J., Claus. "Text Variability and Authenticity in Siri cult". class.csueastbay.edu. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  2. "List of Karnataka Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) | Lopol.org". www.lopol.org. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  3. "Status of Scheduled Castes in Karnataka" (PDF). www.im4change.org.
  4. "The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes orders (Amendment) Act, 1956" (PDF). Indian Christians. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  5. Thurston, Edgar; Rangachari, K. (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Madras: Government Press. p. 68. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  6. Singh, Upinder (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. New Delhi: Pearson Education India. p. 425. ISBN 9788131711200. Retrieved 11 September 2012 – via Google Books.


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