PALIYAR

The Paliyar are an indigenous tribal community of Kerala, primarily settled in Idukki district with a population of around 1,500 across seven panchayats. Once forest dwellers practicing shifting cultivation, they were resettled after the Mullaperiyar dam submerged their lands. Today, they preserve rich traditions of worship, festivals, songs, and crafts while adapting to modern livelihoods, with Kumily, Vandanmedu, Chakkupallam, and Kattappana as their major settlements.The Paliyar are an indigenous tribal community of Kerala, primarily settled in Idukki district, with a population of around 1,500 across seven panchayats. Once forest dwellers practicing shifting cultivation, they were resettled after the Mullaperiyar dam submerged their lands. Today, they preserve rich traditions of worship, festivals, songs, and crafts while adapting to modern livelihoods, with Kumily, Chakkupallam, and Puliyanmala as their major settlements.