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Vellalars (also, Velalars, Vellalas) were, originally an elite caste of Tamil agricultural landlords in Tamil Nadu, Kerala states in India and in neighbouring Sri Lanka; they were the nobility, aristocracy of the ancient Tamil order (Chera/Chola/Pandya/Sangam era) and had close relations with the different royal dynasties. Literary, archeological sources trace the origin of the Vellalars to a group of royal house chieftains called Vel or Velir. According to old Hindu, Tamil texts, the Velirs were warriors from the Yadu Kshatriya clan (Chandravanshi lineage); they came to south from the city of Dvārakā in north India under the leadership of the Vedic sage Agastya. They have been described as Upper Shudras or Sat-shudras in the Brahmanical Varna system. The Vellalar community however never accepted this classification and they have challenged the Brahmins who described them as shudras. The actual Vellalar caste is made of different sub castes which do not intermarry; many of these sub castes have nothing to do with the original Vellalars. The Vellalar are found amongst the Tamil diaspora around the world; although they were originally associated with the landed gentry, today they are found in all walks of life.

Etymology

There are different theories concerning the meaning of the word 'Vellalar'. One theory postulates it is derived from Vellam (meaning flood in Tamil) and alar (ruler or controller), so Vellalar means "Lord of the floods".

The Journal of Indian History, Vol VII, explains that Vellalars, the controllers of the flood, irrigated their fields when the rivers were in flood, and raised the rice-crop on damp rice-fields while the Karalars were controllers of the rain, who looked up to the sky for watering their fields and stored rain water in tanks.

According to some modern historians, the Vellalars are descendants of the Velirs having retained honorific titles till date in their names such as Kantar, Kavuntan, and Gounder.

Other theories postulate that the Ay Vēl, that is the Velir tribes were a Shepherd class and different from the Vellalars; with the etymological interpretations that connect Vellalar with Vēḷir being unconvincing. Historians M. A. Dorai Rangaswamy and Morappākkam Appācāmi Turai Araṅkacāmi, state in their book:

"The word Vellalar comes 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. But this does not mean the Vellālars may not be the descendants of the Vēlir; probably they are; but the words Veḷḷālar, Vēḷāṇmai, Vēḷālar, are derived from their art of irrigation and cultivation rather than from their original chieftainship.

History

In 1914, Historian Muttusvami Srinivasa Aiyangar found no traces of Tamil kings in the country and considered it highly probable that they merged into the pure Vellala caste.

Cultivation in South Asia was spread by force, people would move out into virgin land, which was used by hunter gatherer or tribal people for slash and burn agriculture or for hunting and convert into prime agricultural land. This was an honorific title of select few people who would organize such raids and settlements like chiefs who were also called as Vel. Today everybody uses it but once it was restricted to village headman or founding chief's lineage.

The Vellalas were ranked as Sat-Sudra in the 1901 census; with the Government of Madras recognising that the 4-fold division did not describe the South Indian, or Dravidian, society adequately.

It was pointed out that land-based communities quite distinct from the Vellala have claimed Vellala status and in course of time have gained acceptance and intermarried with older Vellalar families.

In Post-Independent India too, it was noted that families regarded as pure Vellalar caste were reluctant to question the bona fides of those pretending to be Vellalar, since the line between them was noted to be very thin indeed; with the former occasionally drawing partners for marriage from the ranks of the latter.

Major divisions

Major subdivisions are

There are numerous other subcastes which claim Vellalar roots and identity. Some subdivisions might intermarry yet other will not.

In Kerala and Sri Lanka

The Vellalars of Jaffna have been chronicled clearly in the Yalpana Vaipava Malai and other historical texts of Jaffna kingdom. These Vellalar chiefs claim descent from traditional minor-kings and chiefs of Tamil Nadu. They have been commanders of Chola and Pandya armies as well as respected ministers and administrators. From the 13th century when migration of Vellalar chiefs to Jaffna took place, Tamil Nadu has seen a decline in the traditional power of Vellalars except in Kongu Nadu.

Cultural evolution and assimilation of other castes

Most subcastes of Vellalar in general are believed to be the first of the group of Tamils to be Sanskritized.

"Kallar, Maravar, ganathor Agamudaiyar mella mella velaalar anargal"

is a popular Tamil proverb prevalent in India and Sri Lanka about the origin of Vellalars. That is Vellalar are a fusion of upwardly mobile members from castes such as Kallar, Maravar and Agamudayar according to the principles of Sanskritisation.

See also

• the Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy Family
• List of Vellalars

References

1. Sen, Sailendrda Nath. Ancient Indian History and Civilization (2nd ed.). pp. 205, 207. ... the Vellalars were the aristocratic classe and were held in high esteem...
2. Robert Eric Frykenberg; Richard Fox Young (15 October 2009). India and the Indianness of Christianity: essays on understanding--historical, theological, and bibliographical--in honor of Robert Eric Frykenberg. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 34–. ISBN 978-0-8028-6392-8. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
3. Debi Chatterjee (2004). Up against caste: comparative study of Ambedkar and Periyar. Rawat Publications. p. 11. ISBN 978-81-7033-860-4. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
4. Christopher John Fuller (26 July 2004). The camphor flame: popular Hinduism and society in India. Princeton University Press. pp. 93–. ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
5. Ā. Irā Vēṅkaṭācalapati (2006). In those days there was no coffee: writings in cultural history. Yoda Press. pp. 114–. ISBN 978-81-902272-7-8. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
6. G. Krishnan-Kutty (1999). The political economy of underdevelopment in India. Northern Book Centre. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-81-7211-107-6. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
7. The tribes and castes of the central provinces of India, Volume 1 By R.V. Russell, R.B.H. Lai page 417:"...lower castes continually succeed in obtaining admission into the Vellala community..."
8. Journal of the Ceylon branch of the Royal Asiatic Society By Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Ceylon Branch, Colombo: "'Vellalar' is also said to be a contract form of 'Vella-Alar', meaning 'the lords of the Vellam', flood..."
9. Kanakasabhai.V., (1904). The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago, p.113 states: "Next in rank to the Arivar were the Ulavar. The Arivar were ascetics but of the men living in society, the farmers occupied the highest position. They formed the nobility or the landed aristocracy of the country. They were also called the Vellalar, "lord of the floods", or Karalar "lord of the clouds", titles expressive of their skill in controlling floods and in storing water for agricultural purposes"
10. Journal of Indian History, Vol VII, 1928 states: "To proceed from Mullai to Marudam ; in the lowermost reaches of the rivers lived the farmers, of whom there were two classes, (1) the Vellalar, the controllers of the flood, who irrigated their fields when the rivers were in flood, and raised the rice-crop on damp rice-fields with the extraordinary patience and industry which only the Indian peasant is capable of; (2) the Karalar, controllers of the rain, who looked up to the sky for watering their fields, who stored the rain water in tanks and ponds and dug wells and lifted the water by means of water-lifts of different kinds.."
11. International Institute of Tamil Studies, (1970). Journal of Tamil Studies By International Association of Tamil Research, p.195: "Velalar of the Tamil Country (descendants of the Velir) have retained the honorific till his day in their names; c.f., kantar, kavuntan, and 'gounder' (the last two from Kannada gauda<ganda"
12. ^ University of Kerala, (1987). Journal of Kerala Studies, Volume 14. p.5-7. Page 6 states: “…Velir tribes viz., the Ay Vels who belonged to the Velir stock and of the Shepherd class. There are several epigraphs of the Ay Vels which attribute a Yadava origin to them. Nachchinarkkiniyar’s references to the Velir and the Agastya legend have been exploited to support the hypothesis that the Velir cane to Tamilakkam from the Indus Valley region after the downfall of the Harappan civilization. Also some modern scholars have tried to equate them with the Vellalar caste. However, such etymological interpretations to connect Vellalar with Velir appear unconvincing.”
13. The surnames of the Caṅkam age: literary & tribal, by M. A. Dorai Rangaswamy, Mor̲appākkam Appācāmi Turai Araṅkacāmi, p.151-155: "The commentators on Tolkappiyam speak of two kinds of cultivators, the Melvaramdars and the Kilvaramdars, relying upon like ‘Kutipurantarunar param ompi’ (Patir 13, line 24), ‘safeguarding the burden of those who protect the cultivators’, - and of some cutrams in Akatinnai Iyal (24, 29, 30) and the Marapiyal (80, 81, 84)... Tolkappiyar is not concerned with the codification of the actual habits and social conditions of the castes as contrasted with the literary tradition. Therefore one is tempted to look upon these as interpolations of a later age. Therefore the attempt at confusing the velir with vellalar and at identifying the Vellalar with the Sudras of the Smritis, is misleading. The word Vellalar comes from the root Vellam, the flood of the water which the Vellālar directed into proper channels; the name Kārālar is an exact equivalent of this word. But this does not mean the Vellālars may not be the descendants of the Vēlir; probably they are; but the words Veḷḷālar, Vēḷāṇmai, Vēḷālar, are derived from their art of irrigation and cultivation rather than from their original chieftainship."
14. Muttusvami Srinivasa Aiyangar, (1914). Tamil studies: essays on the history of the Tamil people, language, religion and literature. The Guardian Press. Page 63 states: "No traces of the Tamil kings are to be found at present in this country, and it is highly probable that they should have merged in the pure Vellala caste."
15. Racial Synthesis in Hindu Culture by S.V. Viswanatha page 156: "The Tamil kings (...) in spite of their connexion with the ancient velir or vellala tribes..."
16. ^ Spectres of Agrarian Territory by David Ludden
17. Pamela G. Price, (1996). Kingship and political practice in colonial India, p.61. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521552478. Page 61 states: "The Government of Madras recognised fairly early that the fourfold division did not describe south Indian society adequately, in that in this part of the subcontinent the Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra distinctions never became fully developed......when government census officers placed Vellalar in the Sat-Sudra or Good Sudra category in its 1901 census, Vellalar castemen petitioned this designation, protesting this designation..
18. Sanjay Paswan and Pramanshi Jaideva (2002). Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India: Emancipation and empowerment, Volume 8, p.31. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 8178350440. Page 31 states: “By this time the Brahmanical theory too had begun to measure the relative purity and rank of a community in terms of the myths of Anuloma and Pratiloma marriages of the original founder couples. Hence, the Vellalas who were land owners and tillers of the soil and held offices pertaining to land, were ranked as sudras but nevertheless a status category at the regional of the sub-regional level. This caste has a very wide geographical spread. It is pointed out that land-based communities quite distinct from the Vellala have claimed Vellala status and in course of time have gained acceptance and intermarried with older Vellalar families”
19. Thakur.A.P.,(2005). Encyclopaedia of the Theoretical Sociology (3 Vols. Set), p.182. Global Vision Publishing House. ISBN 8182201217. Page 182 states: "Even families who might be regarded as of 'pure' Vellalar caste are reluctant to question the bona fides of the Vellalar 'pretenders' since the line between them is very thin indeed ."
20. Yalpana Vaipava Malai
21. The Indian economic and social history review, Volume 18 Par Delhi School of Economics:

• Use dmy dates from September 2011
• Social groups of Kerala
• Vellalar
• Social groups of Tamil Nadu
• Kshatriya