been attributed to the time of Thiruvalluvar ,the author of the sacred Kural,Vanni is used in the sense of King. Kamban , the author of Tamil Ramayana,uses it in a similar sense. The vanniyans of agnikula race, can be classified as Ruthra Vanniyar, Agni Vanniyar, Sambu vanniyar, Brahma vanniyar, and Indra