Pattanavar

Pattanavar (also spelled Pattinavar) is a Tamil caste found in Tamil Nadu, India. They are a maritime community dominating Chennai, Kanchipuram, Cuddalore, Villuppuram, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts of the Coromandel Coast, who have traditionally been involved in fishing, shipment, navy, and trade. The term Pattanavar literally means inhabitant of a Pattinam. The term Pattinam means "sea-port town" which is often seen as a suffix among prominent harbors such as Nagapattinam, Kaveripoompattinam and Chennaipattinam. They are among other divided as Periya Pattanavar and Chinna Pattanavar. The term Periya means "big" and the term Chinna means "small", where the Periya Pattanavar are considered socially superior to the Chinna Pattanavar. The Pattanavars are also colloquial known as Karaiyar in the Thanjavur district, which is also the term of one of the subcaste of the community. Karaiyar means "coast people", which is also term for a dominant maritime caste in Sri Lanka. The earliest mention of this term is made by 2nd century AD Greek writer Ptolemy, mentioning them with the corrupted term Kareois. The subcaste's name Padaiyachi means literally "ruler of army". The Pattanavar are one of the communities who traditionally inhabited the Sangam landscape Neithal, the littoral landscape. They have inhabited the Coromandel Coast since ancient times where they possess a strong system of self-governance. The Pattinavar merchants were organized in trader guilds such as the Five Hundred Lords of Ayyavolu and the Patinenvisayattar. They were reputed for oversea trading with other South Asian countries. The Pattinavars served additionally as naval mercenaries under the Tamil kings. According to some historians like Hermann Kulke, the Pattinavar community may have played a significant role in the organization and exploits of the Chola navy. The Pattanavar are traditionally divided into endogamous subcastes which include the Periya Pattanavar, Chinna Pattanavar, Karaiyar and Padaiyachi.