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Vellalars
Vellalar is a generic Tamil term used primarily to refer to various castes who traditionally pursued agriculture as a profession in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Vellalar are members of several endogamous castes such as the numerically strong Arunattu Vellalar, Chozhia Vellalar, Karkarthar Vellalar, Kongu Vellalar, Thuluva Vellalar and Sri Lankan Vellalar. Etymology The earliest occurrence of the term ''Velaalar'' (வேளாளர்) in Sangam literature is in Paripadal where it is used in the sense of a landowner. The term Velaalar (வேளாளர்) can be derived from the word Vel (வேள்), Vel being a title that was borne by the Velir chieftains of Sangam age among other things. The word ''Vellalar'' (வெள்ளாளர் ) may come 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. Hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lankan Vellalar
Lankan Vellalar () is a caste in Sri Lanka, predominantly found in the Jaffna peninsula and adjacent Vanni region, who comprise about half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, but also included merchants, landowners and temple patrons. They also form part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. They are reputed as a ritually and numerical dominant caste, who have contributed among the political elites of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Many of the Tamil Mudaliyars, a high colonial rank, were drawn from the Vellalar caste. In Eastern Sri Lanka are the Vellalars as other prominent castes there, further divided into ''kudis'' or matrilineal clans. Etymology The word ''Vellalar'' is derived from their art of irrigation and cultivation. The word comes from the Tamil words ''veḷḷam'' ("flood", "water" or "abundance") and ''āṇmai'' ("lordship" or "management"); thus the word literally means "those who manage water" or "lords of the floods" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vellalar Of Sri Lanka
Lankan Vellalar () is a caste in Sri Lanka, predominantly found in the Jaffna peninsula and adjacent Vanni region, who comprise about half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, but also included merchants, landowners and temple patrons. They also form part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. They are reputed as a ritually and numerical dominant caste, who have contributed among the political elites of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Many of the Tamil Mudaliyars, a high colonial rank, were drawn from the Vellalar caste. In Eastern Sri Lanka are the Vellalars as other prominent castes there, further divided into ''kudis'' or matrilineal clans. Etymology The word ''Vellalar'' is derived from their art of irrigation and cultivation. The word comes from the Tamil words ''veḷḷam'' ("flood", "water" or "abundance") and ''āṇmai'' ("lordship" or "management"); thus the word literally means "those who manage water" or "lords of the floods" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kongu Vellalar
Kongu Vellalar is a community found in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu, India. Etymology The Vellalar of the Kongu country came to be known as Kongu Vellalar. They are also known by names such as "Bupaalan", Gangavamsam, Kudiyaanavar and Vivasaayi, and use the title Gounder as a caste appellation in their personal names. Origin According to the ''Kongu Vellalar Puranam'', a 19th-century work by Mahavidwan Kandasamy Kavirayar, the Vellalar of the Kongu country trace their origin to Marabalan, a mythical figure who was created from the river Ganges to rid the world of hunger. Marabalan turned to agriculture and his descendants became the Vellalar. Marabalan had various titles such as Gangavamsa, Devar, Vellalar, Bupaalan, etc. Interestingly the Gandadikara Vokkaligas of the neighbouring parts of Karnataka also claim origin from the banks of the Ganges.:”Gangadikara is a contraction of the term Gangawadikara (A man of Gangavadi)” According to Burton Stein, the Gangadikara ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chozhia Vellalar
Chozhia Vellalar (also spelt as Sozhia Vellalar) is a caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Chozhia Vellalars along-with Keerakarars, Kodikalarars and Vatrilaikarars is a sub-caste of the greater Vellalars. Distribution and migration The Sozhiya Vellalars were present predominantly in the delta districts of Tamil Nadu - Trichy, Thanjavur, Karur, Namakkal, Mannargudi, Nagappattinam. Nowadays they are present in almost all the districts of Tamil Nadu. Though the distribution of the community is found in most of the districts, they migrated to the other parts of Tamil Nadu from Trichy and Thanjavur areas towards the middle and second half of the 19th century. As they moved in, they always followed the river bed areas for settlement. Thus, the said community when came to Salem District they initially settled at Palamedu. When their life at Palamedu became difficult due to Theechati Kolliyars (Dacoits with fire) they moved out. Of these the persons who moved to Pandamang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mudaliar
Mudaliar (alternatively spelled: Muthaliar, Mudali, Muthali, or Moodley ) is a Tamil title and surname. As title, it was historically given to high-ranking military officers and their descendants. The surname is most prevalent among Tamils from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Descendants of Tamil colonial migrants also bears variants of the name in countries such as South Africa, and else where in the Tamil diaspora. The title was primarily used by the communities like the Agamudaiyar, Karaiyar, Sengunthar and Vellalars. Other communities adopted it as means to present themselves as superior to the social status which they actually held. Etymology The title is derived from the Tamil word ''muthal'' or "muthar" meaning ''first'' with the suffix ''yaar'' denoting ''people''. The title is used in the same sense as simply meaning ''headman''. See also * Ceylonese Mudaliyars *List of Mudaliars Mudaliar, also spelled as Mudaliyar, Muthaliyar, Mudali, and Moodley, is a surname use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gounder
Gounder is a title used by various communities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It may refer to communities such as the , Kongu Vellalars , Kurumbas, Tuluva Vellalars, Uralis, Vanniyars, Vettuvars and Vokkaligas. Etymology There are number of derivations for the title. One theory derives it from the Tamil word ''Kaamindan'', meaning "noble protector of the country", later modified as ''Kavundan'' or Gounder. According to S. N. Sadasivan the Tamil Kavundans or Goundans branched off from the Vokkaligas and both might have a common origin from the Kuruba. History During the British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ... era, some Gounders migrated to Malayan rubber plantations as Kanganis to manage the coolies. References Tamil society Indian surnames ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pillai (surname)
Pillai or Pillay is a surname found among the Malayalam and Tamil-speaking people of India and Sri Lanka. Origin According to epigraphic records, Pillai is an ancient title that was used as a suffix that goes back to the Tamil Sangam Era and was given to junior members of the royal family. Originally a title meaning "royal child", it came to be given to administrators of temples; often holding large estates on behalf of the latter.Mark de Lannoy,Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore, Page 202 Early English records also address these hereditary ruling chiefs as the princes of Kerala ranking below the monarch. The most well known are the Pillais of the Eight Noble Houses, the Ettuveettil Pillamar of Travancore. Tamil inscriptions define the direct meaning of Pillai as "Child of King" (prince), denoting nobility. The title occur both as a single name or as a suffix to the name. This title has been in traditional use by the communities such as the Nairs and the Vellalars also so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karkarthar
Kārkāthār (also known as Kaarukaatha Vellalar) is a Hindu caste in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Etymology Karkathar, ( 'rain', and , 'protector' in Tamil), signifying 'protector of rain'. It could also mean 'one who is dependent on rain', as means 'raincloud' and means 'to wait for' in Tamil. History In the years that immediately followed the Sangam age (from third to sixth century CE), the Tamil lands were ruled by a dynasty called Kalabhras. Scholar and historian M. Raghava Iyengar identifies the Kalabhras with the Kalappalar section of the Vellalar and equates king Achyuta Vikranta with Achyuta Kalappala the father of Meykandar who hailed from the Kaarukaathar community. Buddhadatta, the Pali writer who stayed in the Chola kingdom and authored Buddhist manuals refers (in the ''Nigamanagātha'' of ''Vinayavinicchaya'', verse 3179) to his patron Achyuta Vikranta who was then (fifth century CE) ruling the Chola kingdom as ''Kalamba-kula nandane'' meaning ''the fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thuluva Vellalar
Thuluva Vellalar (Thondamandala Tuluva Vellalar), also known as Agamudaya Mudaliars and Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka, India. They were originally significant landowners. Etymology The term Vellalar may be derived from the word Vellam meaning water (flood), denoting their ability to control and store water for irrigation purposes. Since they migrated from the Tulu country, they are called Thuluva Vellalar. History An early Tamil tradition states that a king known variously as Ātontaicholan and Ādonda Chakravarthi brought a large number of agriculturists (now known as the ''Tuluva Vellalas'') from the Tulu areas in order to reclaim forest lands for cultivation in Thondaimandalam. Sometimes this migration of Tuluva Vellalas is also assigned to later Chola times when Hoysala Ballalas of Karnataka had occupied portions of Kanchipuram and Trichy. Demographics Their original stronghold in Present ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arunattu Vellalar
Arunattu Vellalar (also spelt as Arunadu Velalar) is a subcaste of the Vellalar in Tamil Nadu. They are predominantly landlords and agriculturalist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the U ...s. They are concentrated in Tiruchirappalli district, parts of Namakkal, Salem, Chennai, Coimbatore and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu and have spread across Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. They are widely spread into 36 Kothrams, of which only 32 kothrams are live and 4 are extinct. References {{reflist Vellalar Social groups of Tamil Nadu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sangam Literature
The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam'';) historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ'') connotes the ancient Tamil literature and is the earliest known literature of South India. The Tamil tradition and legends link it to three literary gatherings around Madurai and Kapāṭapuram ( Pandyan capitals): the first over 4,440 years, the second over 3,700 years, and the third over 1,850 years before the start of the common era. Scholars consider this Tamil tradition-based chronology as ahistorical and mythical. Most scholars suggest the historical Sangam literature era spanned from c. 300 BCE to 300 CE, while others variously place this early classical Tamil literature period a bit later and more narrowly but all before 300 CE. According to Kamil Zvelebil – a Tamil literature and history scholar, the most acceptable range for the Sangam l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
