[2] Piramalai Kallar local chieftains, such as Tirumal Pinna Thevar, also performed judicial duties by organising panchayats.
In 1767, around 5000 Kallars were killed by British forces near Melur in a single day when they refused to pay tax.
[4] With the introduction of British rule and the fall of the Nayak dynasty, the Piramalai Kallars began to lose their work as guards.
They participated in the South Indian Rebellion of 1800-1801 that resulted in Madurai and the adjoining regions coming under the British rule.
[7][a] On 3 April 1920 a group of Piramalai Kallars at Perungamanallur village battled against the British in protest against the CTA.