Udayar (caste)

The Udayar caste or Parkavakulam is found in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Etymology.
Udayar are mostly cultivators and landlords. The main sub-divisions of the community are Malaimannar, Moopanar, Nainar, Nathamannar and Shruthimannar. 
Distribution.
The community forms a sizeable population in the areas of Pudukottai,Thuraiyur,Perambalur,Karur, Trichy, Ariyalur, Salem, Theni, Attur, Rasipuram, Namakkal, Tanjavur, Pattukkottai, Mannargudi, Kumbakonam, Thiruvannamalai, Ramanathapuram, Chennai, Sivagangai, Villupuram,Madurai, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Puducherry and Bangalore.
Religion.
Nainaar are mostly Jains residing in North and Central Tamil Nadu. Malaimannar, Moopanar, Nathamannar and Shruthimannar follow either Shaivism or Vaishnavism. Some Udayars are Roman Catholic Christians. In Ramnad and the nearby areas of Pudukottai, Madurai, Salem, Namakkal, Tanjore and Trichy, Udayars and other dominant Marava caste groups are prominent in their cult worship of the shrine at Orur (sometimes spelled Oriyur) that commemorates John de Britto, a 17th-century Portuguese Jesuit missionary and martyr. Selva J. Raj says, "A notable feature of the Britto cult is that it is centered around caste identities rather than religious affiliation", and thus members of the caste-group, irrespective of their religious affiliation regard Britto as their clan-deity.