Sivakasi riots of 1899 [SEP] point in time
Sivakasi riots of 1899
The Sivakasi riots of 1899 are a series of communal disturbances which occurred during 6 June 1899 in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India.
Background.
The Nadar historian Samuel Sargunar claimed that the Nadars are the descendants of the ancient rulers of Pandyan kingdom and that when Nayak rulers captured the Pandya country, they divided the country into several "Palayams" (divisions) and appointed Palaiyakkars as rulers. The Nayak rulers of Tamil Nadu, as per the claims of Sargunar, imposed "Deshaprashtam" (
that the evidences were not properly examined by the Sessions court. The High Court overruled the verdict of the lower court and set all of the accused free. Causannel was welcomed by the Nadars from the region and he was taken in procession through Srivilliputhur and Sivakasi.
Aftermath.
The caste fights continued in the region between Nadars and Maravars and eventually there was another riot in Sivakasi, the Sivakasi riots of 1899. The most common references to the riots are from the British official accounts. The works of Hardgrave (1969