Who Are Vellalas

Who are Vellalas? Dr.Kanam Sankara Pillai KVMS Hospital Ponkunnam,Kerala [email protected]

Farmer Caste • The Vellalas are the great farmer caste of Tamil country and they are strongly represented in every Tamil district Reference: 1.H.A.Stuart- Madras Census Report 1891 2.Manual of the North Arcot District

Origin of the word Vellalan “The word Vellalan is derived from Vellanmai vellam = water, anami = management Meaning cultivation, tillage” Ref: Dr.Opper, Madras Journal of Literature and Science p 188-788

Etymology of the name vellala is fully discussed in p134

Story of origin of Vellalas • There came a severe draught when the entire world was ignorant of agriculture. • People prayed to Bhudevi. • Bhudevi produced from her body a man carrying a plough ,who showed them how to till the soil and support themselves. • His offspring are the Vellalas. • They include Go vaisyas (Gopalakar,sheperds) , Bhu vaisyas (Bhupalakar,cultivators) and Dhana vaisyas (merchants) Ref: E.Thurston & K.Rengachary-Castes & Tribes of S.India Vol VII 1993 p361-380

The Myth • Visvakarma the architect of the Devatas oneday intrued the privacy of Lord Parama Siva and Parvathy. • Parvathy cursed him that an enemy of his to be born in Bhuloka to punnish him. • Visvakarma said if he knews enemy’s birthplace,he would annihilate him with a single blow.

• Parvathy said that the man would spring from banks of Ganges. • Viswakarma waited in Ganges banks. • Oneday he noticed that a kiritam(crown) is coming out of the soil. • Visvakarma made a cut with his sword, which struck only the kiritam. • The man came out with a golden ploughshare.

• Visvakaram laid hold on the man. • There appeared the Trinity, Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesvara and said Visvakarma that he vowed , he would annihilate the enemy with a single blow, which has not performed ,he is not allowed a second chance.

• Visvakarma quitted. Peace was concluded : • The five castes, silversmiths, carpenters, blacksmiths, stone cutters and braziers who are his sons will be subservient to the earth born person, the Bhumipalaka or Gangavamsa or Murdaka Palaka(protector of plough)

• Because Bhumipalaka lost his kiritam at the time of birth, he will not be eligible for sovereignity. • So it is said that Vellalas could not become rulers, but they can crown the King. • But in Venadu(Vel+Nadu) all the rulers were Idayars(Govaisyas). To become Kshethriyas before crowning they had to under go “Hiranyagarbha”. As a result they were called “Ponnuthampuran”

• Lord Siva gave him a white bullock • Yamadharma gave him a white buffalo • Thus they got the phrase “Vellal Warus” =those who plough with white bullocks • Gods Indra and Kubera gave their daughters.

• Mudrapalak a had 54 sons by daughter of God Kubera,whom he married to 106 daughters of Nalakubera, son of Kubera. • 35 of them were called Bhumi palakas(Tillers) • 35 Vellala Chetti(Merchants) • 35 Gopalakars(Sheperds)

Bhumikanya Seetha

• The remaining could join any order. • They got the surname ”Agamudi” (alien)

Madras Census 1971 • Muncipal Commissioner classed Vellalas as Sudras • Vellalas protested pointing out that • According to Manu “ to keep herds of cattle, to betow largesses,to sacrifice, to read the scriptore,to carry on trade,to len dinterest an dto cultivate land are prescribed or permitted to Vaisyas”

They continued…. “ It is impossible to imagine that the Vellalas, a race of Agriculturists and Traders, should have had to render menial service to three higher classes, for the very idea of service is, as it needs must be, revolting to the Vellala,whose profession teaches him perfect independence an ddependence.Hence Vellala cannot be Sudras”

Mercantile • Thulabharams by Kings were performed by Vellalas • King of Tanjore was weighed by Vellalas. • This shows that Vellalas are respected as mercantile men in charge of weights and measures (Manu 30 chap 9)

Kamba Ramayanam (1000 yrs old) • Priest Vasista handed the Crown to a Vellala,who placed it upon great Rama’s head

“The Tamils 1800 hundred years ago” V.Kankasabhai Pillai

• The farmers occupied the highest position, They formed the nobility or the landed aristocracy of the country. • They were called Vellalar ”lords of floods” or Karalar ”lords of clouds”. • Chera, Chola and Pandyan Kings and most of the petty chiefs of Tamilakam belonged to the tribe of Vellalas.

Vol VII

Velamas, Bellal Gangakula, Gangavamsa,Gangavadi • Vellalas who conqured Vadukam(Telugu) were called Velamas. • In Canarese Vellalas founded Bellal Dynasty. • Vellals were also called Gangkula or Gangavamsa(originated from Gangavalley) • The area in Mysore inhabited by Vellalas was named Gangavadi(11& 12th Centuries AD)

Orissa 11 Century AD • Gangavamsa Dynasty

Tholkappium

1st Century BC

Vellalas have no other calling than the cultivation • Madras Census Report 1871

Vellalas are peace loving ,frugal and industrious people and in the cultivation of rice, betel, tobacco etc have perhaps no equals in the world but some are employed as clerks, merchants and shopkeepers

Tanore Manual • Vellals are found in Govt services as karnams or village accountants. As accountants they are unsurpassed. They use dto write on cudjan or palmyra leaves with iron styles. • In religious observances they are more strict than Brahmins

Coimbatore Manual • Vellalas are truly the backbone of the District. Vellalalar’s goad is the Rulers sceptre.

The Salem Manual • Frugal and saving to the extreme. • Census Report 1871 • A Vellala had passed the M.A. degree exam of Madras University

“M.A.”Sundaram Pillai, (M.A) • Manonmaneeyam Sundaram Pillai” • MS University Thirunelveli • National song of Tamil nadu • Founder Archiology Dept • Founder Harvey Bungalow (Harveypuram Colony, Peroorkada)

Sur-names 1.Thondamandalam(Pallava country) Mudali Reddi Nainar

2.Soliya (Soszhia,Chola) Tanjor&Trichy Pillai

Sur-names(Contd) 3.Pandya (Madurai &Tirunelveli) Pillai 4 Konga(Coimbatore & Salem) Kavandans (Goundars)

Divisions -

• Tondamandalam • • • • • • • • •

Tulavas from Tulu country

Poonamlly- from Poonamlly nrar Madras Kondaikatties-(kutama) Soszhiya-Chetties,(merchants) Kodikal-betel cultivators Kanakkili nattar-from Kanakkili Padya Vellalas Karkattas-Karaikadu ArumbursAgamudiyasEtc etc

Kumbhakona Vellalas • In TanjoreDistrict • Migrated to Travancore

Vellalas Thenkasi • In Tirunelveli District,migrated to Travancore

Proverbs • Agriculture is no agriculture unless it is performed by Vellalas

? Jains • Madras Census Report 1981 states that Vellalas are a caste of Jains. • Mr. Hemingway says that the Nainars and karaikattans of Udayarpalayam taluk are descendents of Jains (Thurston & Rengachari 1993 Vol VII page 389)

Origin of Pillai • Inborn surname for Vellalas • Kids of Lord Siva like “Pillayar” • Used 5000 years ago in Harappan seals • Not a title given by Rulers for revenue • In all states of India, SriLanka, Singapore, Figi, Africa etc

“Pillay” in Indus Script Ref:Iravatham Mahadevan

www.harappa.org

Pillai • Surname of Vellalas who lived along riverbeds of Tanjore,Thirunelveli and yazhppanam(SriLanka).They did kanakku duty in the days of yore.They are equated with Kayastas of North like • Srivastava & Khatri

Chettiyar • Karaikudi or Nattukottai Chettiyars intermarried Thirunelveli Saiva Vellalars and remained vegetarians. Due to the destruction of Chettiyar lands around Kaveripoompattanam due to floods they lost most of the ladies and children.After marriage with Thunelveli Vellalas they followed their vattara vazhakku(dialect).Even now they call grandma as :”Aachi”

Dravidians • Vellalas are Dravidians • Dravidian culture existed in Harappa & Mohanjodaro(BC 2500-3000) • Kali 3101 AD 1 • “Limuria”- Madagaskar to Malasia connected Africa & Astralia to S.India The plough ”nanchil” was invented by Nanchilnattil Vellalas Dravidians from Mosopotamia migrate dto S.India around BC 800

Chronology 300 BC-300 AD- Sangha Period (Chilappathikaram, Manimeghala,Akananooru, Purananoou) Oldest temple in Kanyakumari (Travelogue of Periplus in AD 62) by Saivas 400-800AD Brahmins arrives 800-1200 Chera rule 10th century-Marthanda Varmma 1200 – Keralam 1300 Malayalam evolves(Ramacharitham) 1600 -1700 Keralolppathi is written

Dravidians-Dramilans •

The Dravidians were engaged in settled agriculture in wet and dry lands and used domesticated animals and birds (ox, cow, sheep, pig, donkey, dog, cat, chicken) and metal implements (plough, pick-axe, crowbar). They grew and ate grains (rice, millet), lentils (red gram, black gram, green gram), greens, fruits (banana, mango, wood apple), root and other vegetables (onion, ginger, yam, radish, brinjal), and other foods and spices (sugarcane, mushroom, sesame, black pepper, cardamom, areca nut). Some of these must have grown wild and gathered for food, as there were wild animals (elephant, tiger, cheetah, bear, wolf, jackal, porcupine, buffalo, deer, hare, baboon, monkey, mongoose and iguana) and birds (peacock, pigeon, parrot, crane, crow, sparrow, owl, eagle and vulture) in the jungles. There were reptiles (snakes, cobra, scorpion, chameleon, lizard) and insects (mosquito) on the ground, and amphibian and aquatic species (frog, crab, tortoise, crocodile, shark, prawn and fishes) in water the people frequented for hunting and fishing. There was trade, and commodities were transported by head load and shoulder slings. The wheeled cart was used in transport as well as in battle. People knew navigation and used boats and floats. The metals iron, copper, silver and gold were used for building implements and making ornaments.

From Africa • Given the widely held theory of human origin in Africa and human migration 70,000 years ago from there to Europe and Asia in stages, both Dravidians and Aryans came from outside India. We shall perhaps know whether they came by the same route or different routes from Africa when the ongoing research on correlation between specific gene spread and language spread advances.

Lemuria • Lemuria is the name of a hypothetical "lost land" variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The concept's 19th century origins lie in attempts to account for discontinuities in biogeography. The concept of Lemuria has been rendered obsolete by modern understanding of plate tectonics. Although sunken continents do exist — see Zealandia in the Pacific and the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean — there is no known geological formation under the Indian or Pacific Oceans that corresponds to the hypothetical Lemuria. • Though Lemuria has passed out of the realm of conventional science, it has been adopted by writers involved in the occult, as well as some Tamil writers of India. Accounts of Lemuria differ, but all share a common belief that a continent existed in ancient times and sank beneath the ocean as a result of a geological, often cataclysmic, change.

Indus Seal

Lord Siva Kasi Visevsaran by Tamil chetties When they were driven to south by Aryan invasion they built Rameswaram temple for Ramanathan(Prananathan)

kanakkappillamar

Vellalalanum Vellatum

Viraminda Nayanar

Well known Pillays

Samadhi Centenary year 2009