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Mudaliar

File:Anna at YALE university.jpg CN Annadurai•Sir PT Rajan• Arcot Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar• Ponnambalam Arunachalam• Mylswamy Annadurai•Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy•M. Bhaktavatsalam• Others
Regions with significant populations
Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, Puducherry, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
Languages
Tamil (Mother Tongue), Telugu
Religion
Hinduism, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Vellalar, Tamil people, 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, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and in Sri Lanka. Their mother-tongue is Tamil.

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 varies 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

The surname 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. 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 the 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 others), a rich Saiva Vellalar 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.

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 of 19th century Sri Lanka.

Agamudayar

Agamudayar is a community whose members are prevalent in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Agamudayar have been using the title of Mudaliar since the 13th century.The Aghamudiar identify themselves as Aghamudi Mudaliar. Aghamudi literally means a person who stood steadfast with pride. Mudaliar is one who is in the forefront. Mudaliar, Mudali and Reddy are their titles. Mudaliar also denotes a headman or the chief. The community has several synonyms, viz., Tuluva Vellala, Arcot Vellala, Arcot Mudali, Aghamudian, Agamudi Vellalar, Agamudi Reddy and Agamudi Mudaliar. They claim to be the original inhabitants of the Tulu country, on the western coast from where they migrated and settled in the ancient Pallava country. Thus the name ‘Tuluva Vellala’, which literally means the cultivator of the Tulu country. The names Arcot Vellala and Arcot Mudali are derived from the place, Arcot, located in the Tamil country, from where they migrated to their present habitat. Their ancestors are believed to have migrated to Chittoor District, during the reign of the Lingayat Rajas of Punganur some 200 years back. Some of them had served in the capacity of village munsiffs during the British period and post-Independence period and hence they style themselves as ‘Aghamudi Reddy’, since ‘Reddy’ is the title for the village munsiff in the Telugu country. It is also the title of the agricultural Kapu. The Aghamudian claim to be the descendants of one of the sons, born to Ahalya, wife of Gautama rishi and Indra. The detailed account of the origin and culture of the Aghamudiar is described in Thurston (1909). It is said that their ancestor stood before the sage Gautama, without any fear. Hence his descendants are known as ‘Aghamudiar’. They trace their historical past to the Pallava dynasty. Many of them have served in the armies of Vijanagar kings of the 15th Century and the Ballala Rajas. Till recent times, they served the Punganur rulers, in the army as well as in the palace. They are concentrated in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu and are also distributed in the Chittoor and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh. They speak Tamil language among themselves and Telugu with the natives. Some of them are conversant with Dakkani Urdu and Kannada also. They use Tamil and Telugu scripts. Telugu is the medium of instruction in schools. The educated people converse in English. Their dress pattern resembles that of the local people. Men wear a dhoti, shirt and headgear. Women wear blouse, sari and other modern dresses. Their women anoint vibhudhi (sacred ash) mark below the vermilion mark (kumkum bottu) on their forehead. The mukuthi (nose-stud) and grasshopper- shaped thali (marriage locket) worn by their women are the identification markers of the community. The Aghamudiar are non-vegetarian, who avoid beef and pork. Rice and ragi are their staple cereals besides bajra and wheat. They take all the locally available roots and tubers, vegetables and fruits. They consume all varieties of pulses and oilseeds like sesamum, niger and groundnut seeds. Groundnut oil is their cooking medium. Some of the men consume locally available liquor, like kallu, sarai and other intoxicants occasionally. They take coffee, tea, fruit juice, butter-milk, regularly. They use milk and milk products. Some men smoke either beedis or cigaretts. Both men and women chew betel leaves along with tobacco and arecanut. . The Aghamudiar profess Hinduism and belong to both Saivite and Vaishnavite sects. They worship all the Hindu gods and goddesses. Lord Ganesh is the patron deity for both the sects. Lord Venkateswara, Perumal, Ayyanar, Anjaneya, Lakshmi Narasimha, Varadarajaswamy, Sri Ranganatha etc., are the family deities for the Vaishnavites, while Iswara, Puliar, Subramanya, Muneswara, Bharava, Murugan, Veerabhadra, Palaniswamy etc., are the family deities for the Saivites. Mariamma, Boyakonda Gangamma, Ankalamma, Yellamma, Dharmaraja etc., are their village deities. They visit Tirupati, Tiruttani, Srikalahasthi, Srisailam, Palani, Kancheevaram, Vellore, Tiruvanmayur, Srirangam, Thanjavur, Guruvayur etc., sacred centres for pilgrimage. They observe all the Hindu festivals which are of socioreligious significance. The Aghamudiar maintain traditional intercommunity linkages in economic and socioreligious activities with other communities. They accept water and cooked food from castes like the Brahman, Vysya, Komati, Chettiar and Raju and with equal ranking groups like the Kapu (Reddy), Kamma (Naidu), Balija and Yadava 9golla), agricultural communities. All the lower castes like the Odde, Boya, Chakali, Mangali, Kummara and Gandla; the Scheduled Castes like the Mala, Madiga, Thoti, Parayan, Asadhi, Relli and Pambala; and the Scheduled Tribes like the Korava, Yerukula, Koracha, Sugali and Yanadi accept water and food from their hands. The Aghamudiar favour various development programmes launched by the Government. They have a positive approach towards education for their children, who are usually educated upto higher secondary level and a few upto postgraduate level. They avail of modern health and medicare facilities to a moderate extent. They favour family welfare schemes, adopting modern methods of birth control. They avail of modern civic amenities. S. YASEEN SAHEB REFERENCE PEOPLE OF INDIA,ANDRAPRADESH,2003 .ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA THURSTON, E., 1909. Castes and Tribes of Southern India, I: 516, Government Press, Madras.

Thuluva Vellalar/Arcot Mudaliar

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. The Aghamudiar identify themselves as Aghamudi Mudaliar. Aghamudi literally means a person who stood steadfast with pride. Mudaliar is one who is in the forefront. Mudaliar, Mudali and Reddy are their titles. Mudaliar also denotes a headman or the chief. The community has several synonyms, viz., Tuluva Vellala, Arcot Vellala, Arcot Mudali, Aghamudian, Agamudi Vellalar, Agamudi Reddy and Agamudi Mudaliar. They claim to be the original inhabitants of the Tulu country, on the western coast from where they migrated and settled in the ancient Pallava country. Thus the name ‘Tuluva Vellala’, which literally means the cultivator of the Tulu country. The names Arcot Vellala and Arcot Mudali are derived from the place, Arcot, located in the Tamil country, from where they migrated to their present habitat. Their ancestors are believed to have migrated to Chittoor District, during the reign of the Lingayat Rajas of Punganur some 200 years back. Some of them had served in the capacity of village munsiffs during the British period and post-Independence period and hence they style themselves as ‘Aghamudi Reddy’, since ‘Reddy’ is the title for the village munsiff in the Telugu country. It is also the title of the agricultural Kapu. The Aghamudian claim to be the descendants of one of the sons, born to Ahalya, wife of Gautama rishi and Indra. The detailed account of the origin and culture of the Aghamudiar is described in Thurston (1909). It is said that their ancestor stood before the sage Gautama, without any fear. Hence his descendants are known as ‘Aghamudiar’. They trace their historical past to the Pallava dynasty. Many of them have served in the armies of Vijanagar kings of the 15th Century and the Ballala Rajas. Till recent times, they served the Punganur rulers, in the army as well as in the palace. They are concentrated in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu and are also distributed in the Chittoor and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh. They speak Tamil language among themselves and Telugu with the natives. Some of them are conversant with Dakkani Urdu and Kannada also. They use Tamil and Telugu scripts. Telugu is the medium of instruction in schools. The educated people converse in English. Their dress pattern resembles that of the local people. Men wear a dhoti, shirt and headgear. Women wear blouse, sari and other modern dresses. Their women anoint vibhudhi (sacred ash) mark below the vermilion mark (kumkum bottu) on their forehead. The mukuthi (nose-stud) and grasshopper- shaped thali (marriage locket) worn by their women are the identification markers of the community.

           The Aghamudiar are non-vegetarian, who avoid beef and pork.  Rice and ragi are their staple cereals besides bajra and wheat.  They take all the locally available roots and tubers, vegetables and fruits.  They consume all varieties of pulses and oilseeds like sesamum, niger and groundnut seeds.  Groundnut oil is their cooking medium.  Some of the men consume locally available liquor, like kallu, sarai and other intoxicants occasionally.  They take coffee, tea, fruit juice, butter-milk, regularly.  They use milk and milk products.  Some men smoke either beedis or cigaretts.  Both men and women chew betel leaves along with tobacco and arecanut.

         	The Aghamudiar profess Hinduism and belong to both Saivite and Vaishnavite sects.  They worship all the Hindu gods and goddesses.  Lord Ganesh is the patron deity for both the sects.  Lord Venkateswara, Perumal, Ayyanar, Anjaneya, Lakshmi Narasimha, Varadarajaswamy, Sri Ranganatha etc., are the family deities for the Vaishnavites, while Iswara, Puliar, Subramanya, Muneswara, Bharava, Murugan, Veerabhadra, Palaniswamy etc., are the family deities for the Saivites.  Mariamma, Boyakonda Gangamma, Ankalamma, Yellamma, Dharmaraja etc., are their village deities.  They visit Tirupati, Tiruttani, Srikalahasthi, Srisailam, Palani, Kancheevaram, Vellore, Tiruvanmayur, Srirangam, Thanjavur, Guruvayur etc., sacred centres for pilgrimage.  They observe all the Hindu festivals which are of socioreligious significance.

The Aghamudiar maintain traditional intercommunity linkages in economic and socioreligious activities with other communities. They accept water and cooked food from castes like the Brahman, Vysya, Komati, Chettiar and Raju and with equal ranking groups like the Kapu (Reddy), Kamma (Naidu), Balija and Yadava 9golla), agricultural communities. All the lower castes like the Odde, Boya, Chakali, Mangali, Kummara and Gandla; the Scheduled Castes like the Mala, Madiga, Thoti, Parayan, Asadhi, Relli and Pambala; and the Scheduled Tribes like the Korava, Yerukula, Koracha, Sugali and Yanadi accept water and food from their hands. The Aghamudiar favour various development programmes launched by the Government. They have a positive approach towards education for their children, who are usually educated upto higher secondary level and a few upto postgraduate level. They avail of modern health and medicare facilities to a moderate extent. They favour family welfare schemes, adopting modern methods of birth control. They avail of modern civic amenities. S. YASEEN SAHEB REFERENCE PEOPLE OF INDIA,ANDRAPRADESH,2003 .ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA THURSTON, E., 1909. Castes and Tribes of Southern India, I: 516, Government Press, Madras.

Saiva Vellalar

Saiva Mudaliar (otherwise known as Thondaimandala Saiva Vellalar or Thondaimandala Mudaliar) is a community of people 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 (otherwise known as Thondai Nadu) in South India by Chola King, Karikala Chola.

List of Prominent Personalities

List of Mudaliars

See also

• Sri Lankan Mudaliyars

Kerala Muthali Kerala Muthali (Mudali) belongs to various Mudaliar communities. They are predominantly sengunthars 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 Weavings 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, Tamil Nadu 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 and sengunthar kerala samajam are the umbrella organisation currently working for the cause of the community

External links

• http://www.tn.gov.in/bcmbcmw/bclist.htm

References

1. http://www.mudaliarinternational.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=269&Itemid=236&lang=en
2. 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
3. History of Tirupati: The Tiruvengadam Temple By T. K. T. Viraraghavacharya
4. Some Contributions of South India to Indian Culture - Page 161 by S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar
5. ^ The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago By V. Kanakasabhai
6. 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
7. ^ noolaham.net
8. List Of Backward Classes Approved at TN.gov.in
9. Rural Society in Southeast India By Kathleen Gough By Kathleen Gough
10. "Irschick, Eugene F. Dialogue and History: Constructing South India, 1795-1895. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994."
11. Order and Disorder in Colonial South India Eugene F. Irschick Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 23, No. 3 (1989), pp. 459-492,
12. The Hindu : Of tilting pillars
13. http://www.swathithirunal.in/miscellanios.htm

• Tamil society
• Indian family names