The Legends and History of the Javadi Hills People

Abstract

Javadi Hills is the eastern chain of hills comprising Vellore district, Thiruvannamalai district, and Tirupattur district. The people living in these hills call themselves Malayalis. They have nothing to do with the Malayalis living in the state of Kerala. They live in the hills of Yelagiri Hill, Kolli Hills, Sitheri Hills, and Pachaimalai Hills in Tamil Nadu. But marriages happen between the people of these hill areas. They are the majority of the 37 tribes in Tamil Nadu. One hundred and four villages (184) in fourteen panchayats on this hill are the domains of this study. These Malayalis tell folktales as songs and stories. It can be seen that the custom of telling this as stories by men and songs by women can be seen. And they do not tell these stories all the time. It is noteworthy that they sing only during festivals or among researchers who conduct research on this community. Similarly, this review article explains that the songs narrating stories related to them are in circulation only among a few senior tribal people.