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{{Short description|An agrarian Sri Lankan Tamil caste traditionally involved as husbandmen}}
{{context}}
{{Unreferenced|date=March 2007}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Wikify|date=March 2007}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox caste|caste_name=Sri Lankan Vellalar|classification=|subdivisions=Historically; currently non-existent :
{{unbulleted list
| Periya Vellalar
| Chinna Vellalar
}}<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzPXAAAAMAAJ|title=The karmic theater: self, society, and astrology in Jaffna|last=Perinbanayagam|first=R. S.|date=1982|publisher=University of Massachusetts Press|isbn=9780870233746|pages=26|language=en}}</ref>|languages=[[Tamil language|Tamil]]|religions=[[Hinduism]], [[Christianity]]|related=[[Sri Lankan Tamils]], [[Sinhalese people|Sinhaleses]], [[Tamil people|Tamils]], [[Vellalar]]}}'''<span lang="Ta" dir="ltr">Sri</span> Lankan Vellalar''' ({{Langx|ta|இலங்கை வெள்ளாளர்|lit=Ilaṅkai veḷḷāḷar}}) is a [[Caste system in Sri Lanka|caste]] in [[Sri Lanka]], predominantly found in the Jaffna peninsula and adjacent Vanni region, who comprise about half of the [[Sri Lankan Tamils|Sri Lankan Tamil]] population. They were traditionally involved in [[agriculture]], but also included [[merchant]]s, [[landowner]]s and temple patrons.<ref name="Bush 52">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TBqHDAAAQBAJ|title=The Intra-Group Dimensions of Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka: Learning to Read Between the Lines|last=Bush|first=Kenneth|date=2003-12-09|publisher=Springer|isbn=9780230597822|pages=52|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aMWGiJLptNoC|title=Ritual and Recovery in Post-Conflict Sri Lanka|last=Derges|first=Jane|date=2013-05-20|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1136214882|language=en}}</ref> They also form part of the [[Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora]].<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Pfaffenberger
| first = Bryan
| title = Vellalar domination
| journal = Man
| volume = 20
| issue = 1
| pages = 158
| year = 1985
| jstor=2802228}}</ref>


They are reputed as a ritually and numerically dominant caste in the Northern Sri Lankan society, who have contributed among the political elites of the [[Sri Lankan Tamils]].<ref name="Routledge">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aob8AgAAQBAJ|title=The Rise of Tamil Separatism in Sri Lanka: From Communalism to Secession|last1=Welhengama|first1=Gnanapala|last2=Pillay|first2=Nirmala|date=2014-03-05|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135119713|pages=168|language=en}}</ref> Many of the Tamil [[Ceylonese Mudaliyars|Mudaliyars]], a high colonial rank, were drawn from the Vellalar caste.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qExuAAAAMAAJ|title=The Sri Lankan Tamils: ethnicity and identity|last1=Manogaran|first1=Chelvadurai|last2=Pfaffenberger|first2=Bryan|date=1994|publisher=Westview Press|isbn=9780813388458|pages=35, 43, 147, 149|language=en}}</ref> In [[Eastern Province, Sri Lanka|Eastern Sri Lanka]], the Vellalars as other prominent castes there, are further divided into ''kudis'' or [[Matrilineality|matrilineal]] clans.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thurnheer |first=Katharina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AO_WBQAAQBAJ |title=Life Beyond Survival: Social Forms of Coping After the Tsunami in War-affected Eastern Sri Lanka |date=2014-06-30 |publisher=Transcript Verlag |isbn=9783839426012 |pages=142-143 |language=en |quote=McGilvray (19822, 1982b, 1989; 2008, 103) elaborated on a specific feature in marriage practices of eastern Sri Lanka by demonstrating the relevance of matrilineal, exogamous sub-caste categories for marriage relationships: marriages are arranged between members of matriclans or descent units called kudis (kudi). [...] The kudi system and the entailed marriage practice more characteristically describe the paddy-field cultivating Vellalar or Mukkuvar and other castes rather than the Karaiyar.}}</ref>
== Origin ==
The origin of the [[Vellalar]] families in [[Jaffna]] is chronicled in the Kailaya Malai and Vaipava Malai. This gives a brief description on the background of the families that settled down in Jaffna. The Collapse of the Chola empire and the subsequent domination of non-Tamil clans in Tamil Nadu may have precipitated the migration. What is clear is that most of these families had titles or surnames such as "Rayan", "Thevan", "Mudali", "Mappanan" and "Malavan".


== Misconception ==
== Etymology ==
The word ''Vellalar'' is derived from their art of irrigation and cultivation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RctWAAAAMAAJ|title=The surnames of the Caṅkam age: literary & tribal|last1=Rangaswamy|first1=M. A. Dorai|last2=Araṅkacāmi|first2=Mor̲appākkam Appācāmi Turai|date=1968|publisher=University of Madras|pages=152|language=en}}</ref> The word comes from the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] words ''veḷḷam'' ("flood", "water" or "abundance") and ''āṇmai'' ("lordship" or "management"); thus the word literally means "those who manage water" or "lords of the floods".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzlkWtM9IJYC|title=Converting Women: Gender and Protestant Christianity in Colonial South India|last=Kent|first=Eliza F.|date=2004-04-01|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780198036951|pages=62|language=en}}</ref><ref>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..."[https://books.google.com/books?id=jN0lAAAAMAAJ&q=vellalar <nowiki>[1]</nowiki>]</ref> Dutch archives registered the Vellalar and the [[Govigama]] under the term ''Bellalas''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pjqwCQAAQBAJ|title=The Adaptable Peasant: Agrarian Society in Western Sri Lanka under Dutch Rule, 1740-1800|last=Dewasiri|first=Nirmal Ranjith|date=2007-12-12|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789047432821|pages=189|language=en}}</ref>


==History==
Tamil journalist D. Sivaram errenously believes these titles are unique to the Thevar caste [http://www.tamilnation.org/forum/sivaram/920701lg.htm]. Any Tamil historian knows that these titles are shared by a range of communities including Vellalas, Thevars, Vanniyars and others. titles usch as Mappanan, [[Mudali]] and Rayan are indeed more specific to the Vellalars. So we have to accept Kailaya Malai and Vaipava Malai when they claim that these families are Vellalar chiefs with a distinguished background in Tamilakam.
{{See also|Vellalar}}


=== Mythological origin ===
The whole range of essays from D. Sivaram contain glaring errors and ommissions. He comfortably avoids families of Vellala origin and talks about hypothesis. A glaring omission is the fact that most of the Chieftains had the '''"Plough Flag"''' as their clan flag. This must at least be obvious to people that the flag is of agricultural Chiefs and not of the hypothetical non-vellalar clans that Sivaram claims[http://dino-latchmi.tripod.com/id12.html]. Another important fact is that Vellalars from Thondai Nadu had Mudali as their title (Taninayaga and Mannadukonda).
According to myth, the [[Sri Lankan Vellalar|Vellalar]] and Pallar are descendants of two farmer brothers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vincentnathan |first=Lynn |title=Harijan Subculture and Self-esteem Management in a South Indian Community |date=1987 |publisher=University of Wisconsin--Madison |pages=385 |language=en}}</ref> The property of the younger brother Pallan was destroyed by a storm. The older brother Vellalan gave Pallan shelter.<ref name=":23">{{Cite book |last1=Manogaran |first1=Chelvadurai |title=The Sri Lankan Tamils: ethnicity and identity |last2=Pfaffenberger |first2=Bryan |date=1994 |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=9780813388458 |pages=35, 43, 147, 149 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=David |first=Kenneth |title=The New Wind: Changing Identities in South Asia |date=1977-01-01 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=9783110807752 |pages=189, 190, 204 |language=en}}</ref> After the death of Vellalan, his wife became the owner of the property and forced Pallan and his family to become agricultural laborers for her.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Contributions to Indian Sociology |date=1993 |publisher=Mouton |location=University of Oxford |pages=69 |language=en}}</ref>


=== Early history ===
The Kailaya Malai below gives a brief description of the important clans and their place of origin in Tamil Nadu [http://noolaham.net/library/books/02/101/101.htm] . These are of 13th Century origin and hence before the Telugu/Mughal domination of Tamil Nadu.
The Sri Lankan Vellalars share partially common origins with the [[Vellalar]]s of [[Tamil Nadu]]. The Vellalar traditionally inhabited the [[Sangam landscape]] of ''Marutham''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jMg8K5dPZUC|title=Essays on Indian History and Culture: Felicitation Volume in Honour of Professor B. Sheik Ali|last=Murthy|first=H. V. Sreenivasa|date=1990|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=9788170992110|language=en}}</ref> The earliest reference to the ''Vellalar,'' however, written in {{Langx|ta|வேளாளர்|Vēḷāḷar}}, is attested to in the ''[[Akanaṉūṟu]]'', which divided the society into four classes ''Arasar,'' ''Andanar'', ''Vanigar'', and ''Vellalar''.<ref name="History">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0tX4wzIUY3QC|title=A Social History of Early India|last=Chattopadhyaya|first=Brajadulal|publisher=CSC and Pearson Education|year=2009|isbn=9788131719589|page=34}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6U5XAAAAMAAJ|title=Ahananuru in Its Historical Setting|last=Ramachandran|first=C. E.|date=1974|publisher=University of Madras|pages=58|language=en}}</ref> The ''Vellalar'' mentioned in ''Akanaṉūṟu'' was a generic term for all agriculturists.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite news |title='வேளாளர்' என்பவர்கள் உண்மையில் யார்? சர்ச்சையாகும் சாதி அடையாளம் |url=https://www.bbc.com/tamil/india-53349649 |access-date=2024-06-26 |work=BBC News தமிழ் |language=ta}}</ref> In Tamil Nadu, however, the Vellalars gradually phased out their name with the generic one, thus, blurring its original meaning. There were two types of the Vellalars, the cultivators called ''Velkudi Ulavar'' and the wealthy landowners called ''Kaniyalar'' or ''Kodikkalar''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=crxUQR_qBXYC|title=History of People and Their Environs: Essays in Honour of Prof. B.S. Chandrababu|date=2011|publisher=Indian Universities Press|isbn=9789380325910|language=en}}</ref> The Vellalar tribes are described as a landed gentry who irrigated the wet lands and the Karalar (use Vellalar as title) were the landed gentry in the dry lands. Karalar means "''lord of clouds''".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g9MVAQAAMAAJ|title=India's Communities|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195633542|language=en}}</ref>


=== Medieval era ===
== Quotation from Kailaya Malai ==
The ''Kailayamalai'', an account on [[Kalinga Magha]], the founder of [[Jaffna Kingdom]], narrates the migration of Vellalar Nattar chiefs from the [[Coromandel Coast]] of [[South India]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kj_aWm4DeFEC|title=The Sri Lanka Reader: History, Culture, Politics|last=Holt|first=John|date=2011-04-13|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0822349822|pages=84, 85, 518|language=en}}</ref> Vellalar chiefs from the ''Malavar'' and ''Gangeyar'' clans were appointed to administrative office by the first Jaffna king ''Cinkaiariyan'' (ca. 1280 AD).<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Arasaratnam|first=S.|date=1981-07-01|title=Social History of a Dominant Caste Society: The Vellalar of North Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the 18th Century|journal=The Indian Economic & Social History Review|language=en|volume=18|issue=3–4|pages=377–391|doi=10.1177/001946468101800306|s2cid=143603755|issn=0019-4646}}</ref> The Vellalars who were village headmen and landlords bore the title ''Udaiyar''.<ref name="g62">Gunasingam, M. ''Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism'', p. 62</ref><ref name=":03">{{Cite journal|last=K|first=Arunthavarajah|date=March 2014|title=The Administration of Jaffna Kingdom – A Historical View|url=http://ijbarr.com/downloads/2014/vol2-issue3/5.pdf|journal=International Journal of Business and Administration Research Review|publisher=University of Jaffna|volume=2|issue=3|page=32}}</ref>


=== Colonial era ===
'''''After ascending the throne King Malava Rayan appointed as his Prime Minister, Buvaneka Vaku, a learned Brahman of a high family in Madurai, and made him reside at Nallur. He made Narasinga Thevan of the Tuluva clan of the Vellala division to reside at Mayiliddi; a man of Gangakulam and a nobleman of worldwide fame, who freely patronised the learned, and used to wear a garland of waterlilies, was a great lover of learning, whose native place was Kaviriyur. Next was Pandi Malavan of Ponpattiyur, formerly of Venkatagiri, a man of Gangakulam a man who had a plough flag, a man of great generosity and liberality, who was fully disposed to feed the poor and rich alike, to reside at Tirunelveli with his brother and brother-in-law Chempaka Malavan.
[[File:Arumuka Navalar.jpg|thumb|[[Arumuka Navalar]], a 19th-century [[Shaivism|Shaivite]] scholar and reputed patron of [[Shaiva Siddhanta]].]]
In the time of [[Portuguese Ceylon]], the Vellalars were described as [[husbandman|husbandmen]], who were involved in [[tillage]] and [[Livestock|cattle cultivation]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fernando|first=A. Denis N.|date=1987|title=PENINSULAR JAFFNA FROM ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL TIMES: Its Significant Historical and Settlement Aspects|journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka|volume=32|page=84|jstor=23731055}}</ref> According to [[S. Arasaratnam]], Vellalar dominance was strengthened by [[Dutch Ceylon|Dutch colonizers]] after the fall of the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xj9FAwAAQBAJ|title=The Politics of Reconstruction and Development in Sri Lanka: Transnational Commitments to Social Change|last=Gerharz|first=Eva|date=2014-04-03|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317692799|language=en}}</ref> The Portuguese had appointed the affluent [[Karaiyar]]s and Madapallis to administrative offices. Karaiyars and Madapallis revolted against the new Dutch rule in September 1658, consequently leading to the Dutch favoring the Vellalars to administrative positions.<ref name=":5" /> The Dutch interpreted the local laws, later codified as [[Thesavalamai]], as allowing landlords to own slaves. Thus the Vellalar chiefs and other landlord castes had the [[Koviar|''Koviars'']] and also the ''Panchamar'' ("the fives") consisting of the [[Nalavar|''Nalavars'']], ''[[Sri Lankan Pallar|Pallars]]'', [[Sri Lankan Paraiyar|''Paraiyars'']], [[Vannar|''Vannars'']], and [[Ambattan|''Ambattars'']] working under them as domestic servants altogether known as ''Kudimakkal''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=A.|first=Geetha, K.|date=2010-07-01|title=In Need of Translation: An Analysis of Sri Lankan Tamil Dalit Literature|url=https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-266467177/in-need-of-translation-an-analysis-of-sri-lankan|journal=ARIEL|language=en|volume=41|issue=3–4|issn=0004-1327}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fb4LAAAAIAAJ|title=Tamil culture in Ceylon: a general introduction|last=Raghavan|first=M. D.|date=1971|publisher=Kalai Nilayam|pages=167|language=en}}</ref> These castes were originally bonded to the service of the state, however, they were often illegally turned to be bonded to individual Vellalars as their dominance started growing. The growing power of the Vellalars was counterbalanced by removing the Madapallis from earlier suspicion and equally appoint them to the administrative office by the Dutch in the 1690s.<ref name=":5" />


The Thesavalamai mentions the [[Koviar]]s as descendant of the Vellalars, and intermarriage between them was not uncommon.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8x5bAAAAIAAJ|title=The laws and customs of the Tamils of Ceylon|last=Tambiah|first=Henry Wijayakone|date=1954|publisher=Tamil Cultural Society of Ceylon|pages=59|language=en}}</ref> According to historians, the Vellalar population increased between the 17th and 19th-century due to other castes and communities ''assimilating'' in Vellalar society after the fall of [[Jaffna Kingdom]], which included castes such as the ''Agampadiyar'' (palace servants), [[Sri Lankan Chetties|''Chettiar'']] (merchants), [[Maravar]] (soldiers), ''Thanakkarar'' (temple managers), [[Madapalli|''Madapallis'']] (palace [[Cook (domestic worker)|cooks]] and [[Steward (office)|stewards]]), [[Malayali|''Malayalis'']], and ''Paradesis'' (foreigners, [[skilled worker]]s).<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5AQcVvbHzdcC|title=Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|last=Wilson|first=A. Jeyaratnam|date=2000|publisher=University of British Columbia Press|isbn=9781850655190|pages=17, 18, 20|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TKtuAAAAMAAJ|title=Sojourners to citizens: Sri Lankan Tamils in Malaysia, 1885-1965|last=Ramasamy|first=Rajakrishnan|date=1988|publisher=R. Rajakrishnan|isbn=9789839953503 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YJlRAQAAIAAJ|title=The Journal of Asian Studies, Volume 49|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1990|pages=81|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1sCHCwAAQBAJ|title=Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A History|last=Wickramasinghe|first=Nira|date=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190225797|pages=274|language=en}}</ref> There used to be a concept of ''Periya Vellalan'' and ''Chinna Vellalan'', where the Chinna Vellalan was a subdivision compromising the castes who had assimilated in the Vellalar identity.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vp_la9QMGIQC|title=The New Wind: Changing Identities in South Asia|last=David|first=Kenneth|date=1977-01-01|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=9783110807752|pages=189, 190, 204|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JERuAAAAMAAJ|title=Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics|last=Civattampi|first=Kārttikēcu|author-link=K. Sivathamby|date=1995|publisher=New Century Book House|isbn=9788123403953|pages=20|language=en}}</ref>
Then came another leading Vellala who had a plough flag whose native place was Valinagar. He had the appearance of cupid; he was well versed in all the three branches of Tamil and his name was Chenpaka Mappanan. He and a relation of his called Chandrasekar Mappanan and another called Kanakarayan, a Vellan Chetty by caste who used to wear a garland of cummin, were made to reside at Tellippalai, a place of great fertility and of never-failing water-supply and of unique distinction. The next was the Vellala of Kovalur who had a plough flag and a garland of water-lilies, He was a man of great influence, learning and charming appearance, and his name was Perayiram Udayan. He was made to reside at Inuvil, a village abounding with sugarcane, plantain and arecanut trees and with paddy fields.


During colonial rule, some Vellalars converted to [[Christianity]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-0sEJ_0vV1QC&pg=PA1044|title=Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife [3 volumes]|last1=Lee|first1=Jonathan H. X.|last2=Nadeau|first2=Kathleen M.|date=2010-12-21|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313350672|pages=1044|language=en}}</ref> These conversions allowed them to hold land, properties and government offices.<ref name=":2" /> The [[Dutch people|Dutch]] minister [[Philippus Baldaeus]] of the 17th century, described the Christian Vellalars, [[Karaiyar]]s and Madapallis as the most influential classes of Christians on the [[Jaffna Peninsula|peninsula]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VmgMAQAAMAAJ|journal=[[International Quarterly for Asian Studies]] |title=Volume 24|last=Seeland|first=Klaus|date=1993|publisher=Weltform Verlag.|pages=266|language=en}}</ref> Under Dutch rule in the 18th century, some Vellalars earned fortunes through [[Cultivation of tobacco|tobacco cultivation]].<ref name=":2" /> The Vellalars started to become a dominant caste in the [[Jaffna Peninsula]] and also the most numerous in the Dutch census.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-_lAAAAMAAJ|title=Indian Antiquary, A Journal of Oriental Research|date=1873|publisher=Popular Prakashan|pages=229|language=en}}</ref>
The next was a Vellala of Kachhur, whose hands were liberal as the Kalpa tree. He had a garland of water-lilies, he was a man of great wealth and of handsome appearance. He was of incomparanle valour, and of great devotion to Siva, and his name was Nilakandan. He and his four brother were made to reside at Pachilaipalli. The next was the Vellala of Sikari, a man of great intelligence who had a garland of water-lilies. He was famous for truthfulness, learning, civility, industry and was full of resource. He had a commanding appearance, and his name was Kanaka Malavan. He with his four brothers was made to reside at Puloli.


Due to the effort of the religious reformer, [[Arumuka Navalar]], the conversion to Christianity of many Hindu Vellalars was prevented.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEaYBm4knn4C|title=The Bible and Empire: Postcolonial Explorations|last=Sugirtharajah|first=R. S.|date=2005-06-16|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521824934|pages=165|language=en}}</ref> They became under his patronage, strict followers of [[Shaiva Siddhanta]], and achieved dominance through ritual design.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OcEM2IsnA1AC|title=Ritual, Caste, and Religion in Colonial South India|last1=Bergunder|first1=Michael|last2=Frese|first2=Heiko|date=2011|publisher=Primus Books|isbn=9789380607214|language=en}}</ref> Well-to-do Vellalars from [[Jaffna]] and [[Colombo]] formed one of the political [[Sri Lankan Tamils|Sri Lankan Tamil]] elites, one of such being the [[Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy family]].<ref name="Routledge"/><ref name="Bush 52"/>
The next was the Vellala of Kupakam. He was as wealthy as Kuberan, he had a garland of water-lilies, he was a patron of the learned, he had a plong fiag and his name was Kupaka Rajendran. He and Naranguthevan a relation of his, famous for charitable deds, were made to reside at Tholpuram, a town without an equal. The next was the Vellala of Pullur, an Arjuna in archery a Bhima in warfare, a Karna in liberality, a Dharma in fame and forbearance, whose name, was Devarajendran. He had corwn of gold set with precious stones, He was asked to reside at Koyilakkandi.


=== Modern era ===
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 Tondainadu, who had a widespread name, who used to wear a lotus garland and whose name was Mannadukonda 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 Mudali. He was made a chief of Neduntivu. The next was the Vellala of Vanchi, whose name was Pallavan. He with two other chiefs, was placed at Velinadu.
Vellalar political and ritual dominance was severely restricted due to the post-1983 [[Sri Lankan civil war]] domination of Tamil politics by the main rebel group [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE) whose top leaders, such as [[Velupillai Prabhakaran]], were mostly from the [[Karaiyar]] caste.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GNKGAwAAQBAJ|title=Pathways of Dissent: Tamil Nationalism in Sri Lanka|last=Cheran|first=R.|date=2009-04-11|publisher=SAGE Publications India|isbn=9788132104322|pages=50|language=en}}</ref> The LTTE did not have caste distinctions and one of their ideologies were anti-casteism, seeking a united Tamil identity through recruiting of other castes and achieving a mixed-caste leadership.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AO_WBQAAQBAJ|title=Life Beyond Survival: Social Forms of Coping After the Tsunami in War-affected Eastern Sri Lanka|last=Thurnheer|first=Katharina|date=2014|publisher=transcript Verlag|isbn=9783839426012|pages=32|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_2jvhndxPzQC|title=S.J.V. Chelvanayakam and the Crisis of Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism, 1947-1977: A Political Biography|last=Wilson|first=A. Jeyaratnam|date=1994|publisher=Hurst|isbn=9781850651307|pages=140|language=en}}</ref> Following the old order, where the Vellalars formed partners with the Karaiyars, the LTTE gained support and recruitment from the Vellalars who also contributed as leaders and cadres.<ref name=":22">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W3aAB9IFVdkC|title=Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|last=Wilson|first=A. Jeyaratnam|date=2000|publisher=UBC Press|isbn=9780774807593|pages=18–24|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NI7ZAAAAMAAJ|title=Sociological Bulletin|date=1989|publisher=Indian Sociological Society.|location=University of Bombay|pages=133|language=en}}</ref>


The [[People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam]] (PLOTE), [[Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization]] (TELO) and [[Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students]] (EROS) were Vellalar dominated organizations, with several Vellalar cadres of these organization later joining the LTTE.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Xq4GnaraYUC|title=Postcolonial Insecurities: India, Sri Lanka, and the Question of Nationhood|last=Krishna|first=Sankaran|date=1999|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|isbn=9781452903873|pages=109|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5AQcVvbHzdcC&dq=plote&pg=PA127|title=Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|last=Wilson|first=A. Jeyaratnam|date=2000|publisher=Hurst|isbn=9781850655190|pages=126|language=en}}</ref>
The kind having appinted these, thought of appointing headmen and other servants and accordingly appointed Valliamatakan, a man of great valour and power, to be the headman of the Western division; Imaiyan to be the headman of the Northern division; Chenpaka Matakan, a powerful man whose name was known even as far as the Himalayas, to be the headman of the Eastern division; Vetti Matakan, a man of great power, to be the headman of the Southern division; Virasingan who fought several battles and an experienced soldier, to be the commander-in-chief of his army.'''''


== Vellalars Today ==
A wide range of communities claim Vellala ancestry today. Many of them unrelated to the earlier migrants. But they rely on the early history and migration to create an aura of aristocracy. But what is obviously still visible is the traditional and convervative nature of the religion Saivite Hinduism practiced among Jaffna Tamils. They follow a conservative brand of Saiva Siddhanta which follow Agamic and Sanksritic features. In this they are similar to [[Saiva Vellalars]] of India who also consider themselves the custodians of Saiva Adheenams and Saivite Culture.
Chrisitan Vellalas in Jaffna are very influential in all spheres and dominate the priesthood as well.
Caste System is not formally practiced at all in the Tamil society or diaspora. But Tamils in Sri Lanka still frequently quote from the kailaya malai or vaipava malai to claim their links to the Royal Houses of Tamil Nadu and their arsitocratic origins.


==See also==
⚫
[[Category:Tamils of Sri Lanka]]
*[[Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy family]]
*[[Arumuga Navalar]]
*[[List of Vellalar sub castes]]
*[[List of Vellalars]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tamilcanadian.com/page.php?cat=75&id=447 Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics-series]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091027121014/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5180/slhist.html Chronology ofevents in Sri Lankan Tamil society]

{{Sri Lankan Tamil people}}

[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil castes]]
[[Category:Vellalar clans]]
⚫
[[Category:Social groups of Sri Lanka]]

Latest revision as of 18:03, 27 December 2024

Sri Lankan Vellalar
ReligionsHinduism, Christianity
LanguagesTamil
SubdivisionsHistorically; currently non-existent :
  • Periya Vellalar
  • Chinna Vellalar
[1]
Related groupsSri Lankan Tamils, Sinhaleses, Tamils, Vellalar

Sri Lankan Vellalar (Tamil: இலங்கை வெள்ளாளர், lit. 'Ilaṅkai veḷḷāḷar') is a caste in Sri Lanka, predominantly found in the Jaffna peninsula and adjacent Vanni region, who comprise about half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, but also included merchants, landowners and temple patrons.[2][3] They also form part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.[4]

They are reputed as a ritually and numerically dominant caste in the Northern Sri Lankan society, who have contributed among the political elites of the Sri Lankan Tamils.[5] Many of the Tamil Mudaliyars, a high colonial rank, were drawn from the Vellalar caste.[6] In Eastern Sri Lanka, the Vellalars as other prominent castes there, are further divided into kudis or matrilineal clans.[7]

Etymology

[edit]

The word Vellalar is derived from their art of irrigation and cultivation.[8] The word comes from the Tamil words veḷḷam ("flood", "water" or "abundance") and āṇmai ("lordship" or "management"); thus the word literally means "those who manage water" or "lords of the floods".[9][10] Dutch archives registered the Vellalar and the Govigama under the term Bellalas.[11]

History

[edit]
See also: Vellalar

Mythological origin

[edit]

According to myth, the Vellalar and Pallar are descendants of two farmer brothers.[12] The property of the younger brother Pallan was destroyed by a storm. The older brother Vellalan gave Pallan shelter.[13][14] After the death of Vellalan, his wife became the owner of the property and forced Pallan and his family to become agricultural laborers for her.[15]

Early history

[edit]

The Sri Lankan Vellalars share partially common origins with the Vellalars of Tamil Nadu. The Vellalar traditionally inhabited the Sangam landscape of Marutham.[16] The earliest reference to the Vellalar, however, written in Tamil: வேளாளர், romanized: Vēḷāḷar, is attested to in the Akanaṉūṟu, which divided the society into four classes Arasar, Andanar, Vanigar, and Vellalar.[17][18] The Vellalar mentioned in Akanaṉūṟu was a generic term for all agriculturists.[18][19] In Tamil Nadu, however, the Vellalars gradually phased out their name with the generic one, thus, blurring its original meaning. There were two types of the Vellalars, the cultivators called Velkudi Ulavar and the wealthy landowners called Kaniyalar or Kodikkalar.[20] The Vellalar tribes are described as a landed gentry who irrigated the wet lands and the Karalar (use Vellalar as title) were the landed gentry in the dry lands. Karalar means "lord of clouds".[21]

Medieval era

[edit]

The Kailayamalai, an account on Kalinga Magha, the founder of Jaffna Kingdom, narrates the migration of Vellalar Nattar chiefs from the Coromandel Coast of South India.[22] Vellalar chiefs from the Malavar and Gangeyar clans were appointed to administrative office by the first Jaffna king Cinkaiariyan (ca. 1280 AD).[23] The Vellalars who were village headmen and landlords bore the title Udaiyar.[24][25]

Colonial era

[edit]
Arumuka Navalar, a 19th-century Shaivite scholar and reputed patron of Shaiva Siddhanta.

In the time of Portuguese Ceylon, the Vellalars were described as husbandmen, who were involved in tillage and cattle cultivation.[26] According to S. Arasaratnam, Vellalar dominance was strengthened by Dutch colonizers after the fall of the Portuguese.[27] The Portuguese had appointed the affluent Karaiyars and Madapallis to administrative offices. Karaiyars and Madapallis revolted against the new Dutch rule in September 1658, consequently leading to the Dutch favoring the Vellalars to administrative positions.[23] The Dutch interpreted the local laws, later codified as Thesavalamai, as allowing landlords to own slaves. Thus the Vellalar chiefs and other landlord castes had the Koviars and also the Panchamar ("the fives") consisting of the Nalavars, Pallars, Paraiyars, Vannars, and Ambattars working under them as domestic servants altogether known as Kudimakkal.[28][29] These castes were originally bonded to the service of the state, however, they were often illegally turned to be bonded to individual Vellalars as their dominance started growing. The growing power of the Vellalars was counterbalanced by removing the Madapallis from earlier suspicion and equally appoint them to the administrative office by the Dutch in the 1690s.[23]

The Thesavalamai mentions the Koviars as descendant of the Vellalars, and intermarriage between them was not uncommon.[30] According to historians, the Vellalar population increased between the 17th and 19th-century due to other castes and communities assimilating in Vellalar society after the fall of Jaffna Kingdom, which included castes such as the Agampadiyar (palace servants), Chettiar (merchants), Maravar (soldiers), Thanakkarar (temple managers), Madapallis (palace cooks and stewards), Malayalis, and Paradesis (foreigners, skilled workers).[31][32][33][34] There used to be a concept of Periya Vellalan and Chinna Vellalan, where the Chinna Vellalan was a subdivision compromising the castes who had assimilated in the Vellalar identity.[35][36]

During colonial rule, some Vellalars converted to Christianity.[37] These conversions allowed them to hold land, properties and government offices.[6] The Dutch minister Philippus Baldaeus of the 17th century, described the Christian Vellalars, Karaiyars and Madapallis as the most influential classes of Christians on the peninsula.[38] Under Dutch rule in the 18th century, some Vellalars earned fortunes through tobacco cultivation.[6] The Vellalars started to become a dominant caste in the Jaffna Peninsula and also the most numerous in the Dutch census.[39]

Due to the effort of the religious reformer, Arumuka Navalar, the conversion to Christianity of many Hindu Vellalars was prevented.[40] They became under his patronage, strict followers of Shaiva Siddhanta, and achieved dominance through ritual design.[22][41] Well-to-do Vellalars from Jaffna and Colombo formed one of the political Sri Lankan Tamil elites, one of such being the Ponnambalam-Coomaraswamy family.[5][2]

Modern era

[edit]

Vellalar political and ritual dominance was severely restricted due to the post-1983 Sri Lankan civil war domination of Tamil politics by the main rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) whose top leaders, such as Velupillai Prabhakaran, were mostly from the Karaiyar caste.[31][42] The LTTE did not have caste distinctions and one of their ideologies were anti-casteism, seeking a united Tamil identity through recruiting of other castes and achieving a mixed-caste leadership.[43][44] Following the old order, where the Vellalars formed partners with the Karaiyars, the LTTE gained support and recruitment from the Vellalars who also contributed as leaders and cadres.[45][46]

The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS) were Vellalar dominated organizations, with several Vellalar cadres of these organization later joining the LTTE.[22][47][48]


See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Perinbanayagam, R. S. (1982). The karmic theater: self, society, and astrology in Jaffna. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 26. ISBN 9780870233746.
  2. ^ a b Bush, Kenneth (9 December 2003). The Intra-Group Dimensions of Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka: Learning to Read Between the Lines. Springer. p. 52. ISBN 9780230597822.
  3. ^ Derges, Jane (20 May 2013). Ritual and Recovery in Post-Conflict Sri Lanka. Routledge. ISBN 978-1136214882.
  4. ^ Pfaffenberger, Bryan (1985). "Vellalar domination". Man. 20 (1): 158. JSTOR 2802228.
  5. ^ a b Welhengama, Gnanapala; Pillay, Nirmala (5 March 2014). The Rise of Tamil Separatism in Sri Lanka: From Communalism to Secession. Routledge. p. 168. ISBN 9781135119713.
  6. ^ a b c Manogaran, Chelvadurai; Pfaffenberger, Bryan (1994). The Sri Lankan Tamils: ethnicity and identity. Westview Press. pp. 35, 43, 147, 149. ISBN 9780813388458.
  7. ^ Thurnheer, Katharina (30 June 2014). Life Beyond Survival: Social Forms of Coping After the Tsunami in War-affected Eastern Sri Lanka. Transcript Verlag. pp. 142–143. ISBN 9783839426012. McGilvray (19822, 1982b, 1989; 2008, 103) elaborated on a specific feature in marriage practices of eastern Sri Lanka by demonstrating the relevance of matrilineal, exogamous sub-caste categories for marriage relationships: marriages are arranged between members of matriclans or descent units called kudis (kudi). [...] The kudi system and the entailed marriage practice more characteristically describe the paddy-field cultivating Vellalar or Mukkuvar and other castes rather than the Karaiyar.
  8. ^ Rangaswamy, M. A. Dorai; Araṅkacāmi, Mor̲appākkam Appācāmi Turai (1968). The surnames of the Caṅkam age: literary & tribal. University of Madras. p. 152.
  9. ^ Kent, Eliza F. (1 April 2004). Converting Women: Gender and Protestant Christianity in Colonial South India. Oxford University Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780198036951.
  10. ^ 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..."[1]
  11. ^ Dewasiri, Nirmal Ranjith (12 December 2007). The Adaptable Peasant: Agrarian Society in Western Sri Lanka under Dutch Rule, 1740-1800. BRILL. p. 189. ISBN 9789047432821.
  12. ^ Vincentnathan, Lynn (1987). Harijan Subculture and Self-esteem Management in a South Indian Community. University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 385.
  13. ^ Manogaran, Chelvadurai; Pfaffenberger, Bryan (1994). The Sri Lankan Tamils: ethnicity and identity. Westview Press. pp. 35, 43, 147, 149. ISBN 9780813388458.
  14. ^ David, Kenneth (1 January 1977). The New Wind: Changing Identities in South Asia. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 189, 190, 204. ISBN 9783110807752.
  15. ^ Contributions to Indian Sociology. University of Oxford: Mouton. 1993. p. 69.
  16. ^ Murthy, H. V. Sreenivasa (1990). Essays on Indian History and Culture: Felicitation Volume in Honour of Professor B. Sheik Ali. Mittal Publications. ISBN 9788170992110.
  17. ^ Chattopadhyaya, Brajadulal (2009). A Social History of Early India. CSC and Pearson Education. p. 34. ISBN 9788131719589.
  18. ^ a b Ramachandran, C. E. (1974). Ahananuru in Its Historical Setting. University of Madras. p. 58.
  19. ^ "'வேளாளர்' என்பவர்கள் உண்மையில் யார்? சர்ச்சையாகும் சாதி அடையாளம்". BBC News தமிழ் (in Tamil). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  20. ^ History of People and Their Environs: Essays in Honour of Prof. B.S. Chandrababu. Indian Universities Press. 2011. ISBN 9789380325910.
  21. ^ India's Communities. Oxford University Press. 1998. ISBN 9780195633542.
  22. ^ a b c Holt, John (13 April 2011). The Sri Lanka Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. pp. 84, 85, 518. ISBN 978-0822349822.
  23. ^ a b c Arasaratnam, S. (1 July 1981). "Social History of a Dominant Caste Society: The Vellalar of North Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in the 18th Century". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 18 (3–4): 377–391. doi:10.1177/001946468101800306. ISSN 0019-4646. S2CID 143603755.
  24. ^ Gunasingam, M. Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism, p. 62
  25. ^ K, Arunthavarajah (March 2014). "The Administration of Jaffna Kingdom – A Historical View" (PDF). International Journal of Business and Administration Research Review. 2 (3). University of Jaffna: 32.
  26. ^ Fernando, A. Denis N. (1987). "PENINSULAR JAFFNA FROM ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL TIMES: Its Significant Historical and Settlement Aspects". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. 32: 84. JSTOR 23731055.
  27. ^ Gerharz, Eva (3 April 2014). The Politics of Reconstruction and Development in Sri Lanka: Transnational Commitments to Social Change. Routledge. ISBN 9781317692799.
  28. ^ A., Geetha, K. (1 July 2010). "In Need of Translation: An Analysis of Sri Lankan Tamil Dalit Literature". ARIEL. 41 (3–4). ISSN 0004-1327.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Raghavan, M. D. (1971). Tamil culture in Ceylon: a general introduction. Kalai Nilayam. p. 167.
  30. ^ Tambiah, Henry Wijayakone (1954). The laws and customs of the Tamils of Ceylon. Tamil Cultural Society of Ceylon. p. 59.
  31. ^ a b Wilson, A. Jeyaratnam (2000). Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. University of British Columbia Press. pp. 17, 18, 20. ISBN 9781850655190.
  32. ^ Ramasamy, Rajakrishnan (1988). Sojourners to citizens: Sri Lankan Tamils in Malaysia, 1885-1965. R. Rajakrishnan. ISBN 9789839953503.
  33. ^ The Journal of Asian Studies, Volume 49. Cambridge University Press. 1990. p. 81.
  34. ^ Wickramasinghe, Nira (2015). Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A History. Oxford University Press. p. 274. ISBN 9780190225797.
  35. ^ David, Kenneth (1 January 1977). The New Wind: Changing Identities in South Asia. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 189, 190, 204. ISBN 9783110807752.
  36. ^ Civattampi, Kārttikēcu (1995). Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics. New Century Book House. p. 20. ISBN 9788123403953.
  37. ^ Lee, Jonathan H. X.; Nadeau, Kathleen M. (21 December 2010). Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 1044. ISBN 9780313350672.
  38. ^ Seeland, Klaus (1993). "Volume 24". International Quarterly for Asian Studies. Weltform Verlag.: 266.
  39. ^ Indian Antiquary, A Journal of Oriental Research. Popular Prakashan. 1873. p. 229.
  40. ^ Sugirtharajah, R. S. (16 June 2005). The Bible and Empire: Postcolonial Explorations. Cambridge University Press. p. 165. ISBN 9780521824934.
  41. ^ Bergunder, Michael; Frese, Heiko (2011). Ritual, Caste, and Religion in Colonial South India. Primus Books. ISBN 9789380607214.
  42. ^ Cheran, R. (11 April 2009). Pathways of Dissent: Tamil Nationalism in Sri Lanka. SAGE Publications India. p. 50. ISBN 9788132104322.
  43. ^ Thurnheer, Katharina (2014). Life Beyond Survival: Social Forms of Coping After the Tsunami in War-affected Eastern Sri Lanka. transcript Verlag. p. 32. ISBN 9783839426012.
  44. ^ Wilson, A. Jeyaratnam (1994). S.J.V. Chelvanayakam and the Crisis of Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism, 1947-1977: A Political Biography. Hurst. p. 140. ISBN 9781850651307.
  45. ^ Wilson, A. Jeyaratnam (2000). Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. UBC Press. pp. 18–24. ISBN 9780774807593.
  46. ^ Sociological Bulletin. University of Bombay: Indian Sociological Society. 1989. p. 133.
  47. ^ Krishna, Sankaran (1999). Postcolonial Insecurities: India, Sri Lanka, and the Question of Nationhood. University of Minnesota Press. p. 109. ISBN 9781452903873.
  48. ^ Wilson, A. Jeyaratnam (2000). Sri Lankan Tamil Nationalism: Its Origins and Development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Hurst. p. 126. ISBN 9781850655190.
[edit]
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