Holiya are a scheduled caste of India, mainly belonging to present day Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

 State, Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, Tamilnadu and also Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

Originally, they were one of the out-caste

Dalit

Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...

, commonly an agricultural labor. The term Hola means an agricultural field and term Holiya is derived from Hola.

In British India, Holiyas lived in Canara

Kanara

The Kanara or Canara region comprises three coastal districts of Karnataka, namely Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada and Kasaragod district of Kerala in southwestern India. Kanara forms the southern part of the Konkan coast...

, Coorg Province and Mysore

Mysore State

The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...

. They were one of the lowest class, a perdial slave, who can be sold by the owner of the estate in which they were located.

Holiyas are considered to be a sub division of Dher

Dher

Dher or Dhera are one the backward classes and scheduled caste of India. They were one the lowest and despised section of Hindu out-caste society, degraded by the slavery imposed on them by the Hindus for many ages....

. Among Dhers there were three principal class of slaves called Holiyas, Yemaru and Paleru.

Holiya are also known by name of Pariah in some areas. The old Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 poems and early Christian writing don not mention the word Pariah

Pariah

Pariah may refer to:* A member of the Paraiyar caste in Indian society* Pariah state, a country whose behavior is out of line with international norms-Science and mathematics:* Pariah dog, a type of semi-feral dog...

 or Paraiyan

Paraiyar

Paraiyar, Parayar, and Sambavar, anglicised by Europeans as Pariah are a social group found in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and in Sri Lanka . In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, though they have been enumerated under three different caste names, they have generally been referred to as...

but mention name of a tribe called Eyninas, who were quiet distinct form the rest of people and did not live in villages, but in forts of their own. Mr Francis, a historian, regards them as ancestors of present day Pariahas or Holiyas.