Pillai (title)
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Pillai or Pillay, () meaning "Child of King" (Prince) or "Child", is a surname found among the
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
and Tamil speaking people of
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. In
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, Pillai is the most common title among upper-caste Nairs, often bestowed by the ruling royal families of Kerala and less commonly found among some Brahmins, Nazrani Mappila and Marars of travancore. In
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, it is a most common surname among various high-ranking Vellalar subcastes. It is less commonly found among some other Tamil-speaking castes, including Isai Vellalar, Agamudayar, etc. A minority population of Tamil Pillais have migrated and can be found in some parts of Kerala and
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
. ''In general, the concept of " the Pillai title of Kerala" and " the Pillai surname of Tamilnadu" have two different meanings and no direct relation with each other.''


Etymology and origin

According to epigraphic records, Pillai is an ancient title back to the Sangam Era that was used as a suffix and given to junior members of the royal family. Originally a title meaning "royal child" or "Child of King" (prince), denoting nobility. The title occurs both as a single name or as a
suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...
to the name, 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 Nair Noble Houses, the Ettuveettil Pillamar of
Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
.


Pillais of Kerala

In Kerala, the usage of the Pillai surname began with the royal family of Kerala. "Pillai" traditionally signifies a child of a
royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...
or
prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. Pillai is a surname reserved for junior members of the Kerala royal family who are descendants of Survyanshi and Chandravanshi Kshatriyas. In the 12th century, with the formation of the Kulashekara Kingdom based in
Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...
(later known as Venad), the culture of Pillai nomenclature underwent significant changes. The Kulashekara Kings started using Pilla as an honorific title for their chieftains and lords, rather than members of the royal family. Members of the royal family now have a uniformed surname - Varma, while children of the King who are not part of the royal family (due to the following of Marumakathayam laws where lineage moves via females of the house), their surname shall be Thampi and Thangachi. During the Venad era, Pillai was the title given to Nair Landlords and Provincial governors, and those who had taxation power over Quilon and Trivandrum regions. The most famous among them being the Ettuveetil Pillaimar. Gradually, it became one of the common surnames of the highest echelon of Nairs, who were mostly referred to as
Madambi ''Madampi'' () is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan. It stars Mohanlal, Ajmal Ameer, Siddique (actor), Siddique, Kavya Madhavan, and Mallika Kapoor. The film was released on 4 July 2008. ...
or barons. These Nairs had the right to use the Pillai surname for all their family members. However, with the formation of the Travancore Kingdom, the concept of Pilla underwent significant changes under the reign of Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja, who centralized the rule of Travancore. The Pillai surname was given to those who were part of the Royal service, which includes advisors, bureaucrats, administrators, military commanders, etc., most of whom were of Nair and
Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
origin. The Pillai surname of Venad and
Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
is fully reserved for savarna subjects, most of whom are equivalent to Kshatriyas and Brahmins in the northern caste system. It's important to note that the caste system in Kerala differs from that in other parts of India.


Pillais of Tamilnadu

"Pillai" is an ancient Tamil word meaning "child" or "younger ones." In the Chola court, a specific group of Vellalars had a dispute over rights to certain land, with one faction claiming based on seniority, referred to as Mudaliar, meaning "first one" and the other based on tenancy rights, referred to as Pillaiyar, meaning "younger one"., which also meaning "Child of Parvati" ( Parvati Devi), The plural form of "Pillai" is "Pillaimar", which transforms into "Pillaiyār" when the plural suffix is replaced by an honorific suffix. This transformation has led to semantic confusion, as the term "Pillaiyār" is also a common reference to the god
Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...
in Tamil tradition. While this linguistic overlap exists, the two usages are contextually distinct: one referring to the plural or honorific form of "Pillai," and the other to the deity. Vellalar, a dominant landowning caste in Tamil society, possess a unique origin myth that emphasizes their elevated status and connection to divine purity. This myth finds its roots in a symbolic pun that intertwines their
cultural identity Cultural identity is a part of a person's identity (social science), identity, or their self-conception and self-perception, and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, Locality (settlement), locality, gender, o ...
with their
socio-economic Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analys ...
role. The Vellalar claim to be the "children" (Pillai) of the goddess Parvati, a revered deity in
Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...
. According to tradition, this divine lineage underscores the Vellalar’s purity, which is considered essential for the fertility of the land and the prosperity of the territories under their command.   The term Pillai, central to their origin narrative, carries dual connotations. On one hand, it reflects the notion of divine parentage, as the "children" of Parvati. On the other hand, Pillai is also a lordly title historically associated with landowning castes in southern Tamil Nadu, a region from which the majority of the Vellalar are believed to have originated. As recorded by Arunachalam (1964), a branch of the Vellalar, who were traditionally regarded as the ruling caste of Tamil Nadu, claimed to have received grain and agricultural knowledge from the Earth Goddess Parvati. This divine gift of sustenance and skill is cited as the foundation of their identity as both the cultivators of food and the rulers of the land. To emphasize their importance, the Vellalar assert that they are creators of life itself, given their central role in food production. While primarily associated with the Vellalar caste, The surname has also been adopted by some castes in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka as a means of social upliftment, including the Konar, Agamudaiyar, Isai Vellalar and some other caste. These surnames have been considered markers of elevated social status and cultural identity in the respective communities.


Notable Tamil Pillais

Notable people with this surname or its variants include: * Ashan Pillai (born in Sri Lanka, 1969), British violist and academic * Anton Sebastianpillai (1944/5–2020), author and consultant geriatrician * Ananda Ranga Pillai (1709–1761), dubash in the service of French East India Company * Ariranga Pillay (born 1945), former Chief Justice and briefly Acting President of Mauritius * Arumuka Navalar, born as Kandarpillai Arumugapillai, a
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
n Hindu reformer * Bastiampillai Anthonipillai Thomas (1886–1964), Sri Lankan Tamil priest and founder of Rosarians Order * Bastiampillai Deogupillai (1917–2003), Sri Lankan Tamil Roman Catholic bishop * C. W. Thamotharampillai (1832–1901), publisher of ancient Tamil texts * Candice Pillay (born 1981), singer and songwriter * Chempakaraman Pillai (1891–1934), freedom fighter from Travancore of Tamil descent * Chinna Migapillai, 17th century
feudal lord An overlord in the English feudal system was a lord of a manor who had subinfeudated a particular manor, estate or fee, to a tenant. The tenant thenceforth owed to the overlord one of a variety of services, usually military service or s ...
and rebel leader from the
Jaffna Kingdom The Jaffna kingdom (, ; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula and was traditionally t ...
* Dhanraj Pillay (born 1968), Indian hockey player * Gerald Pillay (born 1953), South African theologian and
ecclesiastical historian Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of the ...
,
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and Rector of Liverpool Hope University. * Gooty Kesava Pillai (1860–1933), Indian journalist and freedom-fighter. Delegate from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh at the first session of the Indian National Congress. * Jerry Pillay (born 1965), South African Reformed pastor, theologian and General Secretary of the
World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...
. * K. C. Pillai (1900–1970), Bishop-at-large of the Indian Orthodox Church, Antiochean Succession,
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
(Madras), India * K. Appavu Pillai (1911–1973), Indian politician * K. Perumal Pillai, Indian politician * K. Thamboosamy Pillay (1850–1902), a prominent member of the Tamil community in
British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...
* Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai (1876–1954), Indian freedom fighter, poet * L. D. Swamikannu Pillai (1865–1925), Indian astronomer, Speaker of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
Assembly * Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai (1855–1897), writer in
Tamil literature Tamil literature includes a collection of literary works that have come from a tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the T ...
; his poem " Niraarum Kadal Udutha" is the official Tamil Anthem * Maraimalai Adigal (Nagai Vedachalam Pillai, 1876–1950), eminent Tamil orator and writer, started Pure Tamil movement Tanittamil Iyakkam * Marimutha Pillai (1712–1787), musician *
Maruthanayagam Pillai Muhammad Yusuf Khan (born Maruthanayagam Pillai) was a commandant of the British East India Company's Madras Army. He was born in a Tamil Vellalar family in a village called Keelapanaiyur in British India, what is now in Mudukulathur Taluk, ...
(1725–1764), Indian soldier and administrator also known as Muhammed Yusuf Khan *
Naraina Pillai Narayana Pillai (also spelled Narayana Pillay) was a social entrepreneur and businessman, who spent most of his life in Singapore during the Colonialism, colonial period. Of Tamil films, Tamil origins, he greatly contributed to the Tamil communi ...
, social entrepreneur and businessman * Navanethem Pillay (born 1941), South African judge,
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univer ...
* Palani Subramaniam Pillai (1908–1962), Carnatic music percussionist * Panchaksharam Rangasamy Pillai (born 1943), known as Vijayakumar, is an Indian actor who works in
Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Ch ...
* Periyapillai, 16th century king of the
Jaffna Kingdom The Jaffna kingdom (, ; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula and was traditionally t ...
* Pradani Muthirulappa Pillai, 18th-century minister of Ramnad during the reign of Muthuramalinga Sethupathy * Prem Nath Pillai (born 1982),
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
-based filmmaker and editor * Simone Ashwini Pillai, British Actress of Tamil native * Sivathanu Pillai, Rocket Scientist * Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai (1901–1950), Indian mathematician *
T. S. Ramasamy Pillai T. S. Ramaswami Pillai () (8 June 1918 – 15 June 2006) was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and former Member of the Legislative Assembly (India), Member of the Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Travancore-Cochin assembly fro ...
(1918–2006), Freedom-fighter, politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly (India) * Trevin Bastiampillai (born 1985),
Sri Lankan Canadian Sri Lankan Canadians refers to people from Sri Lanka who have arrived and settled in Canada. Among these immigration, immigrants include members from the Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil, Sri Lankan Moors, Moor, Sri Lankan Malays, Malay, Sinhalese people ...
cricketer * Vella Pillay (1923-2004), South African economist and political activist * V. O. Chidambaram Pillai (1872–1936), Indian freedom fighter, popularly known as V.O.C. and as Kappalottiya Tamilan * Venkatarama Ramalingam Pillai (Namakkal Kavignar Ramalingam Pillai, 1888–1972), poet and freedom fighter.


Notable Malayali Pillais

* B. Ravi Pillai (born 1953) Dubai-based Indian billionaire businessman * Changampuzha Krishna Pillai (1911-1948) was a celebrated
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
poet from
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
* C. V. Raman Pillai (1858–1922), also known as C. V., was one of the major Indian novelists and
playwrights A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwrigh ...
and a pioneering playwright and novelist of Malayalam literature * Devasahayam Pillai (1712–1752) was an Indian layman and
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
* Divya Pillai Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films * Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai (1904 – 1973), known as Elamkulam, was an Indian historian, linguist and academic from
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
* Janardhanan pillai (born 1946), also known as Janardhanan Nair, is an Indian actor, producer and a former
Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...
personnel who predominantly acts in Malayalam films * Kollam G. K. Pillai (1934-2016), Indian actor * K. M. Vasudevan Pillai (born 1946 in
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
) is an Indian educationist,
social entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, Startup company, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to ...
, institution-builder, and
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
* K. Shankar Pillai (1902–1989), better known as Shankar, was an Indian
cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...
* Kumbalathu Sanku Pillai (1898-1969) Social reformer, politician and freedom fighter * Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai (1878-1970) was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter from the south-western state of
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. He is recognised as the founder of the Nair Service Society (NSS) * Murali Pillai (1967), Singaporean politician and lawyer * Nanoo Pillai (1827–1886) was a Travancore statesman who served as the Diwan of
Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
from 1877 to 1880. * Nisha Pillai, Indian journalist based in London. She is a main news anchor for BBC World News * N. Krishna Pillai (1916-1988) was an Indian
dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...
,
literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...
, translator and historian of
Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...
* N. N. Pillai (1918–1995) was an Indian playwright, actor, theatre director, orator, screenplay writer, lyricist and an I.N.A Freedom fighter * Omchery N. N. Pillai (1924–2024) was an Indian Malayalam, Malayalam–language playwright, novelist and poet from
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
* Pattom A. Thanu Pillai (1885-1970) was an Indian politician and freedom fighter who served as the 2nd Chief Minister of Kerala from 1960 to 1962. He was considered as a central figure in
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
politics * Paravoor T. K. Narayana Pillai (1890-1971) was an Indian freedom fighter during the British Raj in India and was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) * P. Govinda Pillai (1926 – 2012), Indian politician * P. S. Sreedharan Pillai (born 1954) is an Indian politician, attorney, and author, who is currently serving as the Governor of Goa, 19th and current Governor of Goa since 2021 * Rajan Pillai (1947 – 1995) was an Indian businessman from
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, popularly known as the ''Biscuit Baron'' * Rajeev Pillai, Indian actor in Malayalam cinema * Ranj Pillai (born 1974) is a Canadian politician and premier of Yukon * Rhea Pillai, Indian Model (people), model * Shobana, Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (1970) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer * Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai (1878–1916), journalist and political activist. Translated Karl Marx's biography into Malayalam * Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (17 April 1912 – 10 April 1999) Indian writer *V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai (born 1949), current Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai (surname) Surnames of Indian origin Surnames of Hindu origin