The very name UPPARA is akin to ‘UPPU’ meaning salt in Tamil language. This denotes that these people are connected with the manufacture of SALT. The sociologists (both Western and Indian) also concern with this view and categorically say that the UPPARAS are initially the manufacturers of salt and later on adopted hard works like digging wells, lakes, canals etc. because of the takeover of salt manufacture by the then British Government. They also served as agricultural labourers and house construction coolies.

The Reverent Tamil scholar Marai Malai Adigal says in his book “Soma Sundara Nayagar Varalaru” that the people of UPPARAVAR (another name of UPPARA) had helped Sri Ramanujacharya the great Vaishnavite saint at times of necessity and in turn the great Acharya paved the way for these downtrodden people to get into the Temple and have a darshan of the Deity. This incident clearly shows that the people of UPPARA community has been in existence for more than 1000 years in south India.

The western sociologists like Mr.Thurstan, Mr.Buchanan, Mr.Cox, Mr.Sherring as well as their Indian counter parts like Mr.Anatha Krishna Iyer etc., who made a detailed survey of the depressed classes in India have all identified the UPPARA community having no education and civilization.

In South India these people live in Andhra Pradesh (undivided), Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In North India, they live in Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal and Haryana. Though they are called UPPARA, UPPARAVAR, UPPILIAN, UPPILIGA, SAGARA, MELU SAKARA, LONAR, NONIYA, LUNIYA as the case may be in different parts of the country, their origin is one i.e. The manufacturers of salt.

To uplift their community people their forefathers formed Upparakula Sangham in the year 1925. Later, the above Sangham was properly registered as “Upparakula Sangham, Tamil Nadu” in the year 1964.