Origin In mythology,
Shiva was enraged against the giants who harassed the people of the earth and sent forth six sparks of fire from his eyes. His wife,
Parvati, was frightened, and retired to her chamber and dropped nine beads from her anklets while doing so. Shiva converted the beads into nine females, who each birthed one hero. These nine heroes (Navaveerargal), namely
Virabahu, Virakesari, Viramahendrar, Viramaheshwar, Virapurandharar, Viraraakkathar, Viramaarthandar, Viraraanthakar and Veerathirar, with the god of war
Kartikeya at their head, marched in command of a large force and destroyed the demons. The Sengunthar claim to be the descendants of these warriors. After killing the demon, the warriors were told by Shiva that they must adopt a profession which would not involve the destruction or injury of any living creature. They were trained in weaving. Chithira Valli, the daughter of Virabahu, one of the nine heroes, married King Musukuntha Chola. The descendants of the nine heroes and King Musukuntha are claimed to be the first generation of Sengunthars.
Chola period The earliest literary evidence about Sengunthars occurs in
Adhi Diwakaram, a Tamil lexicon written by Sendan Diwakarar. This dictionary, probably from the 8th century CE, refers to them as weavers and army commanders, which may be indicative of their dual role in society at that time.
Cholan Poorva Pattayam, a copper-plate inscription, reveals information about
Karikala Chola, the conquest of the
Kongu region, and the settling of the colonies with various occupational castes like Sengunthars. During this period, Sengunthars received the title of Samaya Senapati, meaning commander or head. Inscriptions from the 11th century suggest that by the time of the
Chola dynasty, the Sengunthar had already developed its involvement in weaving and trading, together with a role in military matters that was probably necessary to protect those interests. They were a part of the
Ayyavole 500 trading group during the Chola period. There are also references in the 12th century suggesting they had armies and that some specific people were assigned to act as bodyguards for the Chola emperors. Such historical records emphasise their military function, with the poet Ottakoothar glorifying them and suggesting that their origins lay with the armies of the gods. They were militarized during the
Imperial Chola period, when some of them held the title
Brahmadaraya or
Brahmmarayan, which was usually reserved for high-ranking Brahmin officials in the Chola government. They had also used the title 'Chola Gangan' from the evidence "
Kaikolaril Kali Avinasi Yaana Ellam Valla Chola Gangan", which was only used by the royal families of the chola dynasty. Some were chieftains and commanders-in-chief of the later Cholas. Kaikkolar commanders-in-chief were known as
Samanta Senapathigal In the early thirteenth century a large number of Kaikolars migrated to
Kongu Nadu from
Tondaimandalam after the fall of the
Chola Empire.
Vijayanagara period After the 13th century, Sengunthars became associated with weaving completely. During the reign of
Sadasiva Raya in the
Vijayanagara Empire, the priests of the Brahmapuriswara temple made an agreement that they would cultivate certain lands of the Kaikkolar regiment. In 14th century, Kottaiyannan Mudaliar, a chieftain who was ruling
Namakkal and surrounding regions fought against Muslim invaders when they invaded south India.
Chandramathi Mudaliar was a 17th-century
Tamil chieftain and ruler of south
Kongu Nadu (Erode region) who fought many battles against the
Madurai Nayak. Sengunthars attained positions of responsibility at the two major
Vaishnavite temples of
Srirangam and
Tirupati. In Tirupati, they were in charge of distributing the consecrated food offerings to the worshippers. Many Sengunthar families were rich enough to contribute both land and gold to temples. In the 16th century, some of the Sengunthar migrated to Kerala from Tamil Nadu. ==Traditions and festivals==