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| '''Senaithalaivar''' ({{lang-ta|சேனைத்தலைவர்}}) is a ] speaking caste mainly from south and central ]. They are also known by the names Senaikudiyar and Ilaivaniar. | '''Senaithalaivar''' ({{lang-ta|சேனைத்தலைவர்}}) is a ] speaking caste mainly from south and central ]. They are also known by the names Senaikudiyar and Ilaivaniar. | ||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| Senaithalaivar means commander-in-chief as they were the commander-in-chief of army groups in ]. Ilaivaniar means ''leaf seller'' as some of their sub-sects were occupied for betel-leave sellings in the past | |||
| ==Legend about origin== | |||
| Senaithalaivar claim that they are the descendants of Veerabahu, the great lieutenant of ]. Since Veerabahu is the chief of Lord Muruga,the descendants of Veerabahu use Senaithalaivar name for their caste. | |||
| ==Literary Evidence about Senaithalaivar== | |||
| ===Adhi Diwakaram=== | |||
| The earliest literary evidence about Senaithalaivar occurs in Adhi Diwakaram, a Tamil lexicon written by Sendan Diwakarar. This dictionary dated 8th-9th century AD<ref></ref> says செங்குந்தப் படையார் '''சேனைத் தலைவர்''' தந்து வாயர் காருகர் கைக்கோளர்.<ref></ref> It meant the profession of Senaithalaivar (commander-in-chief) | |||
| ===Prestigious Title=== | |||
| Senaithalaivar being the commander-in-chiefs of ] were referred to as ''Samantha Senapathigal''.<ref>Kongu Nadu, a history up to A.D. 1400 by V Manickam</ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ==List of Prominent Personalities== | ==List of Prominent Personalities== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 21:54, 28 December 2012
Ethnic group| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu, Chittoor, Nellore districts and Hyderabad of Andhra Pradesh, North Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Bengaluru, Puducherry | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil (Mother Tongue), other Indian languages | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dravidian people |
Mudaliar (Tamil: முதலியார்), or Mudali, is a surname used mostly, though not exclusively, by the Vellalar communities of the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and in Sri Lanka. Their mother-tongue is Tamil.
The meaning of the Tamil word "Mudali" is "first person" and was originally used as a title during the Chola period to denote men occupying top positions in the army or bureaucracy.
The customs of Mudaliars are similar to the customs and traditions of most other Tamil communities. Mudaliars are predominantly Saivites and patronize Tamil. Most Mudaliar communities are non-vegetarian though some, notably the Thondaimandala Mudaliars, are traditionally vegetarian. The caste-based classification of Mudaliars vary from region to region. Some such as the Thondaimandala Saiva Vellalar and Thondaimandala Kondaikkati Vellalar are among the Forward castes, while others are classified as Backward castes.
While Mudaliars are generally native to southern India, due to recent migrations, there also significant numbers of people with the surname Mudaliar or Moodley in the countries of Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa.
Etymology
It is derived from the honorary title Mudali meaning a person of first rank in the Tamil chola feudal society which was bestowed upon top-ranking bureaucratic officials and army commanders in medieval South India. The surname is generally prevalent among Indian Tamils (Nattar) and the Tamil diaspora though it is also used in other parts of South India.
Etymolgy
literally meaning The first citizens or first ones after his son Athondai had won the battle against Kurumbars.
Some of the Mudali clans of Thondaimandalam migrated to Sri Lanka during the period of medieval poet Kambar. For example, some of the Tamils in Ceylon trace their lineage to this group some of whom had become saints called Nayanars. The book: The Tamils in Early Ceylon By C. Sivaratnam traces some of the Mudaliyars in Ceylon to Thaninayaka Mudaliyar (among other), a rich Saiva Velalar who emigrated to Ceylon from Tondaimandalam
Maanadukanda Mudali, a Vellala king of Thondai Nadu had shed over kamban a shower of gold for his work of Erezhupatu, a literary work praising agriculture. Taninayaga, a Vellala of Seyur was made the chief of Neduntiva.
Castes such as Agamudayars also had used Mudali title from historical times as they had served in the regiments.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
The usage of the title is prevalent, though to a lesser extent, among Desigar, Chozhia Vellalar and Karaiyar
Saiva Vellala Mudaliars also trace their ancestry to generals, ministers and poets of Chola, Pallava and Pandya empire. Kaikola and Agamudaiya Mudaliars were connected to Chola empire as a distinct branch of the Chola army and bodyguards respectively.
The book: The Tamils in Early Ceylon By C. Sivaratnam traces some of the Mudaliyars in Ceylon to Thaninayaka Mudaliyar (among other), a rich Saiva Vellala who emigrated to Ceylon from Tondaimandalam.
Jaffna has two or three clans from Thondaimandalam with the Mudali surname. Irumarapum Thooya Thaninayaga Mudali from Seyyoor and Mannadukonda Mudali whose clan has been quoted even during poet Kambar's time. Here is the direct quotation from Kailaya Malai, a historical book of Jaffna on the migration into Jaffna from Thondai Nadu. The other clans may come under this section or under Sri Lankan Vellalar section.
The next was the Vellala of the family of him who shed over kamban a shower of gold for the work of Erezhupatu, whose country was Tondainade, who had a widespread name, who used to wear a lotus garland and whose name was Maanadukanda Mudali. He was made to reside at Irupalai. The next was the Vellala of Seyur, who was as wealthy as Indra, and who never deviated from the path of visture. whose garland was of water lilies. Whose fame was great and whose paternal and maternal lines were matchless and pure and whose name was Taninayaga. He was made a chief of Neduntiva..
See Sri Lankan Mudaliyars for the class of Mudaliyars created by the British administrators during 19th century Sri Lanka.
Agamudayar
See the main article at Agamudaya Mudaliar
Agamudayar is a community prevalent in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Agamudayar had been using the title of Mudaliar since 13th century.
Sengunthar
See the main article at Sengunthar
Sengunthar who were warriors as per Chola inscriptions took up weaving on a large scale and transformed to land owners and business men. They are classified into various sub-sects based on a patrilineal system called Koottams, which is similar to gotras.
Sengunthar is the majority among the castes using Mudaliar title in Western and Southern Tamil Nadu.
Thuluva Vellalar/Arcot Mudaliar
See the main article at Thuluva Vellalar
Thuluva Vellalar or Arcot Mudaliar is a sub-caste of Vellalars and were immigrants from the Tulunad, a part of the modern district of South Canara. A King named Athondai Chakravarthy had brought down the people of Thuluva Vellalar to the present day Thondaimandalam of Tamil Nadu. Athondai Chakravarthy had established his rule over Northern Tamil Nadu after winning the battle over the Kurumbar. This is the reason that part of North Tamil Nadu was named as Thondaimandalam, named after this victorious king.
Kerala Muthali/Mudali
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Kerala Muthali (Mudali) belongs to various Mudaliar communities. They are predominantly found in the Trivandrum and Palghat Districts of Kerala and Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. They migrated to these places in the late 17th Century onwards for various purposes including Agriculture, coconut oil extraction, coir Trade and as specialized fighters and reliable spies. They were given special preference by the royal family of Travancore due to their cultural similarity and loyalty. This status resulted in further deepening their area of influence within Travancore. During the British era, many families embraced Christianity. Kerala Muthalis still keep their separate identity even though they are a micro-minority caste in Kerala. Due to their linguistic and educational backwardness Kerala , Tamilnadu and Pondicherry states have categorized them as BCs. Gradually after independence and state reorganization, Kerala Muthalis have completely integrated with the Kerala Culture, but still consider Lord Muruga/Subramanya as their primary god of worship while most of the Kerala Hindus are devotees of Lord Vishnu. Alienation from Travancore Royal family begun with Swathi Thirunal's acceptance of Thanjavoor Sugandhavalli alias Sugandha Parvathi Bhai as his wife. His first wife Thiruvattar Amma Veettil Paanapillai Ayikutti Narayani Pillai was belonging to a powerful Nair family from Central Travancore. After Swathi Thirunal's mysterious death at an early age of 33, the Kerala Muthali community faced various threats. Then British resident, General Cullen's timely involvement helped to avert a great backlash on the community. The South Travancore Keralamuthali Samajam is the umbrella organisation currently working for the cause of the community.
Saiva Vellalar
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See the main article at Thondaimandala Mudaliar
Saiva Mudaliar or Thondaimandala Saiva Vellalar or Thondaimandala Mudaliaris a forward community in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. They trace their lineage to Sekkizhar, the author of the Periyapuranam. They are the original homogeneous group of Mudaliars who were settled in Thondaimandalam or Thondai Nadu in South India by Chola King, Karikala Chola. Their some of the occupation used to be clerk in hands of British, also as goldsmith, later they emerged as 'Landlords'.
Senaithalaivar
Senaithalaivar (Template:Lang-ta) is a Tamil speaking caste mainly from south and central Tamil Nadu. They are also known by the names Senaikudiyar and Ilaivaniar.
List of Prominent Personalities
External links
References
- Irschick, Eugene F. Dialogue and History: Constructing South India, 1795-1895. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994. direct web reference: http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft038n99hg&brand=eschol
- History of Tirupati: The Tiruvengadam Temple By T. K. T. Viraraghavacharya
- Some Contributions of South India to Indian Culture - Page 161 by S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar
- The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany
- ^ The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago By V. Kanakasabhai
- ^ The Tamils in Early Ceylon By C. Sivaratnam, http://books.google.com/books?vid=0PrqSaY8TV9DtgCG9v&id=hlocAAAAMAAJ&q=mudaliyar+vellala&dq=mudaliyar+vellala&pgis=1
- ^ noolaham.net
- http://books.google.co.in/books?id=73msCkfD5V8C&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq#PPA112,M1
- List Of Backward Classes Approved at TN.gov.in
- Rural Society in Southeast India By Kathleen Gough By Kathleen Gough
- "Irschick, Eugene F. Dialogue and History: Constructing South India, 1795-1895. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994."
- Order and Disorder in Colonial South India Eugene F. Irschick Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 23, No. 3 (1989), pp. 459-492,
- The Hindu : Of tilting pillars