Topic started by Velu (@ 203.115.31.44) on Sat Sep 6 03:53:00 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
Majority of tamils in Tamilnadu used to live outside the kingdoms known as Chera,Pandya,Chola and imperial Pallawas.
They lived in small tribal groups from whom Pallawas seemed to have recruited foot soldiers to make their urban centres into an empire.
Later Cholas adopted the same tactics to recruit tribals under the name of Agampudiyan[Vellaikkarans as Sri lankan records for the first time in the history, mentions them as mercenaries protecting important places and persons]paving way for the formation of Thevans[Sevans]as the second large caste formation among Tamil speakers after Vannians to whose formation Pallavas contributed
But these tribals never adopted irrigated agriculture so much cherished by the kimgdoms in Tamilnadu and opted to live in non irrigable highlands doing hunting and a type of slash and burn agriculture paving way for their mass immigration as indentured labourers at the end of the last century.
So it is highly likely the number 1 and 2 megacommunities among Tamils are a consolidation of forest and jungle living independent tribes into larger entities towards 10th century.
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