 The connection to the sage leads to further associations with mythological legends.Hiltebeitel, who classifies the Vanniyar as Shudra in the Hindu varna system, notes that South Indian society traditionally recognised neither the Kshatriya (warrior) nor Vaishya (provider) varnas, being divided instead between Brahmins on the one hand and Shudras and untouchables on the other.Nonetheless, communities in the region frequently sought to prove a historic higher status, based on myth or occasionally probable history.