Vellalars were, originally, an elite
casteCaste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
of
TamilTamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
agricultural landlords in
Tamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
,
Keralaor 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....
states in
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and in neighbouring
Sri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
; they were the nobility, aristocracy of the ancient Tamil order (
CheraChera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
/Chola/Pandya/Sangam era) and had close relations with the different royal dynasties. Literary, archeological sources trace the origin of the Vellalars to a group of royal house chieftains called Vel or Velir. According to old
HinduHindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, Tamil texts, the Velirs were warriors from the
YaduYadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...
Kshatriya*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
clan (Chandravanshi lineage); they came to south from the city of Dvārakā in north India under the leadership of the
VedicVedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
sage
AgastyaAgastya was a Tamil/Vedic Siddhar or sage. Agastya and his clan are also generally credited with uncovering many mantras of the Rig Veda, the earliest and most revered Hindu scripture, in the sense of first having the mantras revealed in his mind by the Supreme Brahman...
. They have been described as Upper Shudras or Sat-shudras in the Brahmanical Varna system. The Vellalar community however never accepted this classification and they have challenged the Brahmins who described them as shudras. The actual Vellalar caste is made of different sub castes which do not intermarry; many of these sub castes have nothing to do with the original Vellalars. The Vellalar are found amongst the
Tamil diasporaThe Tamil diaspora is a demographic group of Tamil people of Indian or Sri Lankan origin who have settled in other parts of the world. Significant Tamil diaspora populations can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Middle East, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana,...
around the world; although they were originally associated with the landed gentry, today they are found in all walks of life.
Etymology
There are different theories concerning the meaning of the word 'Vellalar':
- It derives from the word Vel meaning a spear or lance and alar meaning "people of Vel", an old and archaic Tamil weapon.
- Another theory is that the word Vellalar is from Velanmai meaning to cultivate.
- Another one postulates it is derived from Vellam or flood (in Tamil) and alar (ruler or controller), so Vellalar means "Lord of the floods". Sometimes they were also known as Karalar which means "Lord of the clouds" in Tamil. The Journal of Indian History, Vol VII, explains that Vellalars, the controllers of the flood, irrigated their fields when the rivers were in flood, and raised the rice-crop on damp rice-fields while the Karalar were controllers of the rain, who looked up to the sky for watering their fields and stored the rain water in tanks.
Origin
Agro-pastoral warriors
Supposedly cultivation in South Asia was spread by force, people would move out into virgin land, which was used by hunter gatherer or tribal people for slash and burn agriculture or for hunting and convert into prime agricultural land. This was an honorific title of select few people who would organize such raids and settlements like chiefs who were also called as
Vel. Today everybody uses it but once it was restricted to village headman or founding chief's lineage.
The above hypothesis is clearly illustrated by the origin of the Vellalar caste: According to historical sources, scholars, Vellalars are the scions of the Velir chieftains who belonged to the
YaduYadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...
Kshatriya*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
clan. In Hindu texts, the Yadus are often described as an agro pastoral warrior clan.
Old sources tell about the migration of the Velir/Vellalar tribe from North to South
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
under the leadership of the
VedicVedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
sage
AgastyaAgastya was a Tamil/Vedic Siddhar or sage. Agastya and his clan are also generally credited with uncovering many mantras of the Rig Veda, the earliest and most revered Hindu scripture, in the sense of first having the mantras revealed in his mind by the Supreme Brahman...
: because of Gods congregation on Mount Meru, the earth started tilting, lowering Meru and raising the southern corner. Gods requested Agastya to remedy this situation. On his way, the Sage visited Dvārakā and led 18 Velir families to the south where they settle down, clearing the forest and cultivating the land.
The "Journal of Kerala Studies" puts forth the theory that etymological interpretations to connect Vellalar with Velir are unconvincing. It suggests that the word Vellalar comes from the root Vellam for flood, which gave rise to various rights of land; and it is because of the acquisition of land rights that the Vellalar got their name. However, the Vellalars are still considered to be the most likely descendants of the Velir, etymological interpretations notwithstanding.
The Vellalas who were land owners and tillers of the soil and held offices pertaining to land, were ranked as Sat-
SudraShudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
in the 1901 census; with the Government of Madras recognising that the 4-fold division did not describe the South Indian, or Dravidian, society adequately. It was pointed out that land-based communities quite distinct from the Vellala have claimed Vellala status and in course of time have gained acceptance and intermarried with older Vellalar families. In Post-Independent India too, it was noted that families regarded as pure Vellalar caste (Saiva Vellalars) were reluctant to question the bona fides of those pretending to be Vellalar, since the line between them was noted to be very thin indeed; with the former occasionally drawing partners for marriage from the ranks of the latter. In colonial India, the priests of the Senaikkudaiyans were noted to be the Vellalas, and occasionally the Brahmans.
History
The Vellalars have a long cultural history that goes back to over two millennia in southern
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Sangam literature
In Sangam literature, the chiefs of the vellala tribes were called the Velir. The Velir or the Vellalar tribes are described as a landed gentry who irrigated the wet lands and the Karalar were the landed gentry in the dry lands. Numerous poems in the ancient
Sangam literatureSangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
extol these chieftains' charity and truthfulness. Among the most prominent were those known as the 'seven patrons' (
kadaiyezhu vallal); Vel-Pari, Malayaman Thirumudi Kaari, Ori, Adigaman, Began, Nalli and Ay Kandiran.
They had close associations and held high positions of office with the three main Tamil dynasties,
CheraChera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...
,
CholaThe Chola dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which was one of the longest-ruling in some parts of southern India. The earliest datable references to this Tamil dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BC left by Asoka, of Maurya Empire; the dynasty continued to govern over varying territory until...
and Pandya. Some of them even had marital relations; Ilamcetcenni, the king known for his fleet of warships, married a Velir princess, and his son
Karikala CholaKarikala Chola or Karikala Chozhan was one of the great Tamil kings of Early Chola during the Sangam period. He was the son of Ilamcetcenni and ruled around 270 BC....
also married a Velir princess from Nangur.
Warrior chieftains
The Vellalars not only held absolute control over the feudal society but also demonstrated great military prowess. To quote a few:
- Ma-Vel-Evvi the famous chief known for his valour and bravery was a Vellala from Millalikurram in Pandimandalam. He was the law around the southern bank of the Kaveri basin. His territory included one of the most fertile fields of the Cauvery basin.
- Vel-Pari was known as the great patron of poets. This chief was a relative of Ma-Vel-Evvi and after the demise of the latter he took over the territory around the mountains of Parambu. Poet Kapilar, his life long companion described him as the lord of three hundred villages in ancient Tamilakkam who could only be won over by the sound of a lute.
Common titles
Common titles are
MudaliarMudaliar also Mudali, Moodley is a title used in Tamil diaspora. It is derived from the honorary title Mudali meaning a person of first rank in the Tamil language which was bestowed upon top-ranking bureaucratic officials and army commanders in medieval South India...
and Pillai. When southern parts of Tamilnadu came into the control of
TeluguThe Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
Nayak kings, most Vellalars were employed by them as accountants, hence they assumed the title Kanakku Pillai, in Kerala they use the title Karnam Pillai.
Major divisions
Major subdivisions are
There are numerous other subcastes which claim Vellalar roots and identity. Some subdivisions might intermarry yet other will not.
In Kerala and Sri Lanka
In Kerala, there is a significant population of Tamil and Malayalam speaking Vellalar population. They are believed to have migrated to work in courts of the
TravancoreKingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
kingdom as accountants.
The Vellalars of
JaffnaJaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
have been chronicled clearly in the
Yalpana Vaipava MalaiYalpana Vaipava Malai is a book written by a Tamil poet called Mayilvagana Pulavar 1736 AD. This book contains historical facts of the early Tamil city of Jaffna. The book which may have been written around 1736 during the Governorship of Jan Maccara, the then Dutch Governor of Jaffna. It was...
and other historical texts of
Jaffna kingdomThe Jaffna kingdom , also known as Kingdom of Aryacakravarti, of modern northern Sri Lanka was a historic monarchy that came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula after the invasion of Magha, who is said to have been from Kalinga, in India...
. These Vellalar chiefs claim descent from traditional minor-kings and chiefs of Tamil Nadu. They have been commanders of Chola and Pandya armies as well as respected ministers and administrators. From the 13th century when migration of Vellalar chiefs to Jaffna took place, Tamil Nadu has seen a decline in the traditional power of Vellalars except in
Kongu NaduKongu Nadu is a region comprising the western part of the Tamil Nadu India. The region is bounded on the west and north-west by the Karnataka state, on the west by the Kerala state, on the east by Tondai Nadu, on the south-east by Chola Nadu and on the south by Madurai regions of...
(see
Kongu VellalarGounders also known as Kongu Vellalars are Kshatriyas native to the western region of Tamil Nadu known as Kongu Nadu. They were known as a noble, feudal and land owning caste of Tamil Nadu from the Sangam age...
).
In Sri Lanka, they are currently estimated to form 20 to 30% of the population in the Northern Province and Jaffna.
See the Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy Family for the Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy family centric rise of a Vellala elite in 19th century Sri Lanka.
Cultural Evolution and Assimilation of other castes
Most subcastes of Vellalar in general are believed to be the first of the group of Tamils to be Sanskritized. is a popular Tamil
proverbA proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
prevalent in India and Sri Lanka about the origin of Vellalars. That is Vellalar are a fusion of upwardly mobile members from castes such as Kallar,
MaravarMaravar are a Tamil community of the state of Tamil Nadu, southern India, and are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy.Maravars are found predominantly in the Southern districts of Tamilnadu viz., Madurai, Theni, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Virudhunagar, Thirunelveli,...
and Agamudayar according to the principles of
SanskritisationSanskritization or Sanskritisation is a particular form of social change found in India and Nepal. It denotes the process by which castes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the upper or dominant castes. It is a process similar to...
.