Sri Lankan Vellalar

For other uses, see Vellalar.

Vellalar amongst Sri Lankan Tamils are a dominat group of formerly farming related caste group from Sri Lanka that is found amongst all walks of life and around the world as part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.

Origins

What is certain is that the Sri Lankan tamil Vellalar identity rose amongst those who migrated from neibhouring Tamil Nadu state in India since the 13the century. According to Yalpana Vaipava Malai, a native chronicle that documents the history of the rise and fall of the Jaffna kingdom in Sri Lanka from the 12th century to the 16th, many Vellalar cheifs from Tamil Nadu were responsible for organizing settlement groups from India in to the Jaffna peninsula. Most of these pioneering families had titles associted with clan chiefs such as "Rayan", "Thevan", "Mudali", "Mappanan" and "Malavan".

Yalpana Vaipava Malai explains in details the names and places of origin of some of these Vellala lineage founders. One was of ethnic Tuluva origin where as others were of mercantile Chetty caste. Some had idependant wealth from India yet others were known for the fighting abilities. In total it explains a settlement pattern of pioneering people from South India under influence of an independant Jaffna kingdom who although mostly of Vellala origin but also had other origins.

Rise to dominance

During the Jaffna kingdom period and the following colonial period since the 16 the century, Vellala cheifs were in constant struggle for supremacy with another now extinct caste called Madapalli. The kings belonging to the Arya Chakaravarthi dynasty would appoint leaders from both the factions to maintain peace in the kingdom. The the rise to dominance by the Vellala elites began with the capture of Portugese holdings in Sri Lanka by the Dutch. The Dutch ineterpreted the local laws later codified as Thesavalamai as allowing Vellala cheifs to own slaves. Thus empowered many tobacco plantations were created by the Vellala cheifs with the help of imorted Indian workers from the Pallar caste who were held as slaves. This new found wealth enabled the Vellalas in general to morph into a dominant land owning elite with ritual and political control. Eventually their portion of the total Tamil population of the densely populated Jaffna peninsula rose from a mere 8% to over 50%. Upwardly mobile families of people belonging to other castes also eventually associated them with the Velllala identity according the priniples of Sanskritisation. This period also saw the dispersal of Vellala lineages across the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka.

During the British colonial period in Sri Lanka which began with the capture of the entire island nation and its unification by Great Britain in 1815, Vellalas began to look for education as the new opportunity to upgrate their livelihoods. Various christan missionaries had maed the Tamil dominated Jaffna peninsula as the best location in all of Asia for English education in the 19the century. Many Vellala families used this opportunity to educate their children and they provided the bulk of the British colonial civil servants in Sri Lanka and in British held Malaysia and Singapore. The domination of Sri lankan Tamils in government services in post independant Sri Lanka eventually became one of the route causes of the Sri Lankan civil war.

Contemporary society

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 conservative 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. Although caste System is not formally practiced at all in the Tamil society or Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, but Tamils in Sri Lanka still frequently quote from the Kailaya Malai or Yalapan Vaipava Malai to claim their links to the Royal houses of Tamil Nadu and their arsitocratic origins.

Vellala political and ritual dominance has been severely restricted due to the effects of the Sri Lankan civil war and domination of the main rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by members of the rival Karaiyar caste.LTTE's policies of anti-castism and empowerement of formerly low castes as part of the political struggle between the majority Sinhalese dominated Sri Lankan government and itself has enabled members belonging to all castes and walks of life to effectively challenge their dominance.

See also

• Hinduism in Sri Lanka
• Arumuga Navalar

External links

• Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics-series
• Chronology ofevents in Sri Lankan Tamil society