From where did the Padmasaliyar go, and to where? A chapter that honestly separates what records exist from the claims that still need stronger evidence.
Records about the Padmasaliyar mostly show the Telugu regions as the starting point. From there weaver families spread to many regions — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala. But on when and by what route, the evidence is uneven. This chapter shows that unevenness without hiding it.
Living community tradition
Written evidence
Yet to be verified
What is clearly recorded
Claims that need stronger evidence
How the names travelled
The weavers who moved also changed their names in the new places, or received new names.
Andhra: Padmasali, Sale.
Tamil Nadu: Saliyar, Padmasaliyar (speakers of both Tamil and Telugu).
Karnataka: Saliga, Saliya.
Kerala: Chaliyan or Saliyar. Some accounts say that many in Kerala today call themselves “Padmasaliyar”, and that the name was taken from the Padmasaliyar of the Telugu region.
Living tradition — the memory of families
At a glance
Claim
Status
Migration from the Andhra regions to the Tamil-speaking regions
Records exist
“Saliyar Street” in Kanchipuram
A record exists; the original text must be cited
Migration of weavers in the Vijayanagara period
General research; to be verified separately for the Padmasaliyar
Satavahana origin
Yet to be verified
Migration in the Chola period, 10th century
Yet to be verified
Family memories of migration
Living tradition
Next chapter
6. Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu — the spread — the present-day spread region by region, language and cultural differences.
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