Kattunayakan

Kattunayakar are a designated scheduled tribe in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.The word Kattunayakar means the king of the jungle in Tamil and Malayalam. The Kattunayakar are one of the earliest known inhabitants of the Western Ghats, who are engaged in the collection and gathering of forest produce, mainly wild honey and wax.The men wear short dhotis and half-sleeved shirts. The women attach a long single piece of cloth round their body just below the neck, leaving the shoulders and arms bare. Child marriages were common before the 1990s, but now the girls marry after attaining puberty. Monogamy is the general rule among the Kattunayakar community.
Kattunayakar believe in Hinduism and have a language which is a mixture of all Dravidian languages. The main deity of the tribe is Lord Shiva and Nayakkar under the name of Bhairava. They also worship animals, birds, trees, rock hillocks, and snakes, along with the other Hindu deities.
Kattunayakar are fond of music, songs, and dancing. They are also called Cholanaickar and Pathinaickars.