Yajamanar , Mudhalali, Nachiyar | |
---|---|
Regions with significant populations | |
Tamil Nadu: Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Ambasamudram, Korkai, Srivaikuntam | |
Languages | |
Tamil | |
Religion | |
Shaivism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Tamil people |
Nankudi Vellalar, also known asNangudi Vellalar or Sivakalai Pillaimar, is a Tamil sub-caste in Tamil Nadu, India. This group of people are considered to be believers and followers of Shaivism , a religion that preaches Lord Shiva as the Supreme God. They also claim descent from the Velir hereditary of Irungovel Pandyas [1] The hereditary headman of the caste was always invested with the title Irungovel. Their origination is from Melaselvanur in the Ramanathapuram District. As they immigrated to Sivagalai, they were highly involved in agriculture activities. Their original stronghold seems to have been southern districts of Tamil Nadu, viz. Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Korkai, Ambasamudram, etc. Some of them migrated to Srivaikuntam during the course of time and came to be known as Kottai Vellalar, or "Kottai Pillaimar,” as they built and lived in forts.
H.R. Pate (b. 1917), the former district collector of Tirunelveli, describes them as great rulers, administrators, agriculturists, merchants, and traders, and as a remarkably prosperous and energetic community.
Nankudi Vellalar is derived from the words Nar(good), Kudi (community) and Vellalar (farmers), so they were essentially a good community of farmers.[ citation needed ]
The caste is made of a number of matrilineal exogamous clans called Kilais or branches descending from the female line. [2] [3]
Pillai or Pillay, meaning "Child of King" (Prince) or "Child", is a surname found among the Malayalam and Tamil-speaking people of India and Sri Lanka.
Nadar is a Tamil caste of India. Nadars are predominant in the districts of Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar.
Mudaliar is a Tamil title and surname. As title, it was historically given to high-ranking officers, administrators and their descendants during the rule of Imperial Cholas. The surname is most prevalent among Tamils from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Descendants of Tamil migrants also bears variants of the name in countries such as South Africa, and elsewhere in the Tamil diaspora.
Tirunelveli district is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in India. It is the largest district in terms of area with Tirunelveli as its headquarters. The district was formed on 1 September 1790 by the British East India Company and comprised the present Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi, Tenkasi and parts of Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram district. As of 2011, the undivided district had a population of 30,77,233.
Thoothukudi District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The district was formed by bifurcation of Tirunelveli district on 20 October 1986. Thoothukudi is the district headquarters and largest city of the district. The district is known for fishing as well as pearl cultivation, with an abundance of pearls being found in the seas offshore. Thoothukudi district has many historical sites such as Adichanallur and the ancient trade port of Korkai.
Vellalar is a group of castes in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Vellalar are members of several endogamous castes such as the numerically strong Arunattu Vellalar, Chozhia Vellalar, Karkarthar Vellalar, Kongu Vellalar, Thuluva Vellalar and Sri Lankan Vellalar.
Kongu Vellalar is a community found in the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu, India.
The Pallar, who prefer to be called Mallar, are an agricultural community from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Pallars traditionally inhabited the fertile wetland area referred to as Marutham in the literary devices of the Sangam landscape. Today, they are the dominant Dalit community of southern Tamil Nadu and have developed a reputation for being assertive about their rights. Due to the demand of the Pallar community to classify them under a more dignified generic name Devendrakula Velalar, recently they together with six other related castes have been given the name Devendrakula Velalar; however their original caste name remains valid and they are still part of the Scheduled Caste list.
Koviyar is a Tamil caste found in Sri Lanka. They are traditional agriculturalists and temple workers but also included merchants, landowners and temple patrons. Kattavarayan as caste deity is observed by the Koviar. They are reputed as a ritually dominant caste and regarded as the "cousin" caste of the more numerical dominant caste, Sri Lankan Vellalar.
Ambasamudram is the principal town of the Ambasamudram taluk in Tirunelveli district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The entire taluk had a population of 392,226 as of 2001, with 42.5% classified as rural. The town of Ambasamudram had a population 35,645 as of 2011.
Thenthiruperai is a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located at a distance of 11 km from Tiruvaikuntam, 21 km from Thiruchendur, 30 km from Thoothukudi, 31 km from Tirunelveli and 187 km from Madurai. The village hosts one of the nine temple shrines that constitutes Nava Tirupathi temples. It is also hosts one of the Navakailasams, Then Thiruperai Sri Kailasanathar Temple, the seventh in the series.
Ottapidaram is a small town in Thoothukudi district and headquarters of Ottapidaram taluk. Ottapidaram is a tourism centre with accessibility to many places in Tamil Nadu. Thoothukudi or Tirunelveli can be easily accessed from anywhere and Ottapidaram is very close to these two places. The great freedom fighter V. O. Chidambaram Pillai called VOC hails from Ottapidaram. VOC is also called as "Kappalottiya Tamizhan" because he launched one of the first shipping companies, Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company which operated ship between Tuticorin and Colombo against the British during the rule in India.
Sri Lankan Vellalar 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. They also form part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.
The Sivakasi riots of 1899 were a series of communal disturbances which occurred during 6 June 1899 in Sivakasi, present-day Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu, India.
Christianity in the state of Tamil Nadu, India is the second largest religion in the state. According to tradition, St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, landed in Malabar Coast in AD 52. In the colonial age many Portuguese, Dutch, British and Italian Christians came to Tamil Nadu. Priests accompanied them not only to minister the colonisers but also to spread the Christian faith among the non-Christians in Tamil Nadu. Currently, Christians are a minority community comprising 6% of the total population. Christians are mainly concentrated in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu - Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.
Nadans are a small endogamous group of aristocratic Nadars from the regions south of the Thamirabarani River in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu, India. They were hereditary tax collectors during the Nayak and Pandyan rule and also served as petty lords under the poligars. The Nadans possessed vast tracts of land and were one of the few subcastes among the Nadars to have practiced aristocracy. The term Nadan means lords of the land.
Irunkōvēl, also known as Irungkōvēl, Irukkuvēl, and Ilangōvēlir, was a title of the Irunkōvēl line of Velir kings. The Irunkovel line of kings ruled over Konadu identified with the Kodumbalur and surrounding areas in ancient Tamilakkam. They trace their lineage to the clan of Krishna; one of the inscriptions at Kodumbalur belonging to one of the kings in the Irunkovel line, namely Tennavan Irunkōvēl alias Maravan Bhutiyar. They belong to Kallar family, K. A. Nilakanta Sastri mentions in his study.
Nadar climbers, or Pannayeri Nadars, are a sub-caste of today's Nadar community. They were regarded as the largest Nadar sub-caste. Their traditional occupation was climbing trees and gathering the sap of coconuts to make palm wine. Due to new economic opportunities, the majority of Nadar climbers have given up their traditional occupation.
Pannaiyar, or Alagar, is a Hindu caste of Tamil Nadu. Most of whose members are in Tamil Nadu, primarily in the Thoothukudi district and some in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Ramanathapuram districts.
Kondaikatti Velaalar or Thondaimandala Mudaliar is a Tamil caste in south India. Historically, they were a caste of non-cultivating land-holders and some of them were administrators under various south Indian dynasties. Their original homeland was Thondaimandalam and from there they spread to other areas in south India and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. Since they historically used the Mudaliar title, they are sometimes referred to as Thondaimandala Mudaliar. However, Kathleen Gough considers them to be a separate subcaste of the Thondaimandala Mudali, as does Susan Neild.
Citations
Bibliography
● The history of Nankudi Vellalar was described in a tamil book named நற்குடி வேளாளர் வரலாறு (நூல்)