Eravallan

Location:

• District: Palakkad

• Gram Panchayaths: Muthalamada, Perumatty, and Kozhinjampara

Overview:

• The Eravallan community, previously known as 'Villu Vedan,' historically engaged in hunting using bows and arrows. The term 'Eravan' in early Dravidian language referred to agricultural serfs, indicating their evolution over time.

• They primarily converse in a rudimentary Tamil dialect amongst themselves, but are also proficient in Malayalam when communicating with others.

Social Structure:

• Traditionally, the community recognized a headman known as 'Talaivan.' However, due to continuous subjugation, the role of the headman has diminished, and the responsibilities are now performed by the 'Pujari' or priest.

Occupation and Lifestyle:

• Eravallans are predominantly landless agricultural laborers, often associated with local landlords for their livelihoods.

• Their expertise lies in ploughing dry lands for cultivating various crops, demonstrating their agrarian proficiency.

Caste Discrimination:

• The Eravallan community faces significant caste-based discrimination within their locality, which remains a prominent challenge in their social context.