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Gounder is a title used by some kshatriya communities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It may refer to communities such as the Kongu Vellalar, Vokkaliga, and Uralis.

The title is used to represent Kongu Vellalar community people in Kongu Nadu region in Tamil Nadu.

Gounder was originally an honorific used by the administrative head of a village. Typically, such a head owned land and held political and social sway in the village.

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

Before 15 the century, they were warriors and territorial kings. After the Vijayanagara empire, Gounders are mostly turned into administrators, chieftains, and polygars. Present days, they're landlords who hold major lands and industrialists in textile, Garments, Automobile, IT and Agriculture. During the British Raj era, some Gounders migrated to Malayan rubber plantations as Kanganis to manage the coolies.

References

1. "Gounder consolidation could pose headache to major parties". The Times of India. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.
2. Singh, Kumar Suresh (2001). People of India. Vol. 40, part 2. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 640. ISBN 9788185938882.:”The community has titles viz. Gowda , Gowdar , Gounder and Kounder.”
3. Burkhart, Geoffrey (1974). "Equal in the Eyes of God: A South Indian Devotional Group in its Hierarchical Setting". Contributions to Asian Studies. 5. Brill Academic: 8. ISBN 9789004039674. For example, the term 'Gounder' may denote a person of Vettuvar, Vellalar, Vanniyar, or Gollar caste.
4. கவுண்டர்கள் - வாழ்வும் வரலாறும் | Unknown Castes History – About Gounder : Nallasamy Interview, retrieved 23 June 2021
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/Gowda_(surname)
6. Madhvan, Karthik (2 August 2008). "Steeped in history". Frontline. Chennai, India: The Hindu Group. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
7. Sadasivan, S. N (2000). A social history of India. New Delhi, India: APH Pub. Corp. p. 254. ISBN 9788176481700.:”In all probability, the Tamil Kavandans or Goundans might have branched off from them and both might be descendants of Kurumbas of yore.”
8. Basu, Raj Sekhar (2011). Nandanar's Children: The Paraiyans' Tryst with Destiny, Tamil Nadu 1850 - 1956. SAGE. p. 137. ISBN 978-81-321-0679-1.

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