The Pallar are a caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. They are mostly agriculturalists in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and amongst the Tamil diaspora

Tamil diaspora

The Tamil diaspora is a demographic group of Tamil people of Indian or Sri Lankan origin who have settled in other parts of the world. Significant Tamil diaspora populations can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Middle East, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana,...

. They prefer to call themselves Mallar or Devendra Kula Vellalar.
The origin of the Pallar is a disputed topic; a number of historians support the argument that the Pallar are the same community as that formerly called Mallar in the region.
According to ancient Sangam literature, the Pallar is an ancient group of people originating in the Marutam land.