The members of the Devendrakulam caste claim they gained their name because they are the descendants of Lord Indra, King of the Devas. Leaders of their community were brought to the temple with great fanfare. They would be riding on an elephant with white umbrellas and there would be trumpet and drum players. These were the privileges only the ancient Tamil kings had and were passed on to their descendants. The Devendrakulathan community now has Scheduled Caste status. They resent this large drop-in status. History explains how their status dropped so drastically. Research suggests that they are the descendants of Tamil kings who ruled what is now Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, part of Andhra Pradesh, and Maharasthra during ancient periods and Tamil Nadu up to the 16th Century. After the invasion of the Vijaynagar and Maratha Empires, Tamil kings and their community were relieved of their titles and land. They became agricultural laborers on the farms which they once owned. This new situation continued during the 17th Century until the mid-20th Century. The Devendrakulam now live in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Sri Lanka.
Most of the people of this caste are involved in agriculture. The people who live in villages have their own self-government. They have special priests for temples, barbers, clothes washers, and medical workers in villages. These people also have their own temples that are called King Temples. They are also the priests in village temples and shrines, exclusively owned by these people.
During the height of their culture, this people group built and owned many prominent temples. They take great pride in their past. This pride ties them to the Hindu religious system.
The Devendrakulathan people need to put all their trust in Jesus Christ so they can experience the abundant life God offers them. They need to learn new job skills so they can improve their position in Indian society.
Pray for a spiritual hunger that will drive the Devendrakulathan people to seek and find Jesus Christ. Pray for the Lord to send out workers to tell them about Jesus. Pray for a disciple making movement to flourish among the Devendrakulathan people this decade.
Scripture Prayers for the Devendrakulathan in India.
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
People Name General | Devendrakulathan |
People Name in Country | Devendrakulathan |
Alternate Names | Devandrakulathan; Devendra Kulathan; Devendrakulavellalar; Devendran; Kudumbar; Kundumban; Mallar; Pallan; Pallar; Pannadi; Ponnad; Ponnadi; देवेंड्रकूलतान |
Population this Country | 97,000 |
Population all Countries | 97,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 4 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 16694 |
ROP3 Code | 111922 |
Country | India | ||||||
Region | Asia, South | ||||||
Continent | Asia | ||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||||||
National Bible Society | Website | ||||||
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||||||
Total States on file | 6 | ||||||
Largest States |
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Districts | Interactive map, listing and data download | ||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 6 |
Tamil Nadu 94,000 | |
Kerala 1,200 | |
Andhra Pradesh 200 | |
Delhi 100 | |
Puducherry 50 | |
Odisha 10 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
100.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Tamil (87,000 speakers) | |||
Language Code | tam Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||
Total Languages | 2 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Tamil (87,000 speakers) |
Language Code | tam Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 2 |
Secondary Languages | |
Malayalam 500 | |
People Groups | Speaking Tamil |
Primary Language: Tamil
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1714-1956) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1715-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1727-2021) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Panisa007 - Wikimedia Creative Commons |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |