The earliest occurrence of the term Velaalar (வேளாளர்) in Sangam literature is found in Paripadal, where it is used in the sense of a landowner.[11] The word Vellalar (வெள்ளாளர்) may originate from the root Vellam for flood, denoting their ability to control and store water for irrigation purposes.[12] which led to the development of various land rights, ultimately giving the Vellalar their name.[13] The term Velaalar (வேளாளர்) is also derived from the word Vel (வேள்), a title used by Velir chieftains during the Sangam age.
Since they migrated from the Tulu region of ancientTamizhagam, they are called Thuluva Vellalar.[7][8][9]
History
Thuluva Vellalars are part of largerVellalar community. An early Tamil tradition states that a king known asĀdonda Chakravarthi brought a large number of agriculturists (now known as theTuluva Vellalas) from theTulu areas in order to reclaim forest lands for cultivation inThondaimandalam.[14] Scholar M. Arokiaswami identifiesTondaiman Ilandiraiyan with king Adondai Chakravarthi, the legendary figure who is referred to in theMackenzie Manuscripts.[15]
Tuluva Vellalars are progressive and prosperous[7] in the society. They are considerably advanced in the matter of education[19] and the community was eagerly involved in business, Government and Non- governmental institutions.
The community commonly use Mudaliar[20] and Udayar titles. However Naicker,[21] Gounder, Reddy and Pillai titles are also present in some pockets.
Thuluva Vellala, Agamudi Mudaliar, and Aghamudi Vellala: Recognized under the Backward Class (D) category under the umbrella term 'Mudhaliar'.[25]
Current status
The Thuluva Vellalar community, also referred to as Thuluva Vellala Mudaliars, was historically classified as aForward Caste (FC) inTamil Nadu.[22][26] However, over time, they were reclassified as aBackward Class (BC).[27][24]
while the Arcot Vellalar are continues to retain its Forward Caste (FC) status and do not avail any benefits under the reservation quota forBackward castes.[22][28]
Notable people
VallalPachayappa Mudaliar[29]- a famous Dubashe of Madras and the founder of Pachayappa Educational Trust.
Ariyanatha Mudaliar- Delavoy (General) and the Chief Minister of the greatest of the Nayaka domains established by the Vijayanagar viceroy and later ruler of Madurai, Viswanatha Nayak (1529–64).
SirArcot Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, Vice-president of the Eighth World Health Assembly in 1955 and President of the Fourteenth World Health Assembly in 1961.
P U Shanmugam[3] - Former Tamil Nadu minister of Public Works Department.
^Susan Bayly has noted of the Vellalar communities generally that "they were never a tighly-knit community ... In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Vellala affiliation was a vague and uncertain as that of most other south Indian caste groups. Vellala identity was certainly thought of as a source of prestige, but for that very reason there were any number of groups who sought to claim Vellala status for themselves".[2]
^abcP.L. Samy (1994)."Nannan of North Malabar".Glimpses of Tamil Civilization. 8th World Tamil Conference. Tamil University. p. 142.Tuluva Vellala is a prosperous and progressive caste in Tamil Nadu and they migrated from Tulu Nadu to Tamil Nadu in ancient times.
^abAnthony R. Walker (1994).New Place, Old Ways, Essays on Indian Society and Culture in Modern Singapore. Hindustan Publishing Corporation. p. 200.The names of these four main Vellalar divisions are the Tondaimandalam (residents of the Pallava country), the Sōliyan (of the Cōla country), the Pandya (from the ancient Pandyan kingdom) and the Konku (from Konku country). Each of these four great divisions is further divided on a territorial basis. For example, the Tuluva are that branch of the Tondaimandalam Vellalar with origins in the Tulu country.
^abM. D. Raghavan.Tamil Culture in Ceylon: A General Introduction. Kalai Nilayam, 1971. p. 130.The Thondaimandalam Vellalas are sub-divided into the Tuluvas, originally of the Tulu country.
^Krishnaswamy Ranaganathan Hanumanthan.Untouchability: A Historical Study Upto 1500 A.D.: with Special Reference to Tamil Nadu. Koodal Publishers. p. 101.
^M. Arokiaswami (1954).The Early History of the Vellar Basin, with Special Reference to the Irukkuvels of Kodumbalur. A Study in Vellala Origin and Early History. Amudha Nilayam. p. 72.
^Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference. 1964.
^India. Office of the Registrar (1962).Census of India, 1961. Manager of Publications. p. xxii.
^A. Krishnaswami (Professor of History) (1975).Topics in South Indian From Early Times Upto 1565 A.D. History. p. 212.
^"3".Census Book of India 1961 (in Tamil). Vol. 9 North Arcot District. Madras: The Director of stationery and Printing, Madras. 1961. p. 31.
^"CENTRAL LIST OF OBCs FOR THE STATE OF TAMILNADU"(PDF).www.bcmbcmw.tn.gov.in. Department of Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare, Tamil Nadu. p. 1. Retrieved11 March 2021.Entry.No 1
^Staff Reporter (12 December 2016)."'Mudaliar' title added in BC (D) list".The Hindu.ISSN0971-751X. Retrieved6 February 2021.: "The State government has decided to add the title 'Mudaliar' in the first line of Sl. No. 39 of Group D of BC list following a request from the Mudaliar community. This will benefit Agamudimudaliar, Agamudivellalar, and Agamudimudaliar, including Thuluva Vellalas."
^"CENTRAL LIST OF OBCs FOR THE STATE OF TAMILNADU"(PDF).www.bcmbcmw.tn.gov.in. Department of Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare, Tamil Nadu. p. 1. Retrieved11 March 2021.Entry.No 1
Neild, Susan M. (1979). "Colonial Urbanism: The Development of Madras City in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries".Modern Asian Studies.13 (2):217–246.doi:10.1017/S0026749X00008301.JSTOR312124.S2CID144309252.
