Chozhia Vellalar
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Chola Nadu, Tamil Nadu | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Vellalar |
Sozhiya Vellalar (also known as Sozha Vellalar) is a land-owning upper caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Sozhiya Vellalar caste consists of 4 subcastes, namely Sozha Vellalar, Vetrilaikkarar, Kodikkalakarar and Keeraikarars. They are a sub-caste of the greater Vellalar[1] community.
Origin[]
Sozhiya Vellalars were the chieftains and land-owning agriculturalists of Chola dynasty. They use the title Pillai. The term Pillai literally means "child" in Tamil language. Tamil inscriptions of ancient Sangam era define the direct meaning of Pillai as "Child of King" (prince), denoting nobility. This is due to the fact that Sozhiya vellalars held important positions in the king's administration, mainly for their skill with numbers, maintaining treasury and accounts. The term "Kanakku Pillai" (Kanakku meaning Mathematics, in other words, numbers) originates from the fact that Pillai caste people were the record keepers or treasurers for kings.
Distribution and migration[]
The Sozhiya Vellalars were present predominantly in the delta districts of Tamil Nadu - Trichy, Thanjavur, Karur, Namakkal, Mannargudi, Nagappattinam. Nowadays they are present in almost all the districts of Tamil Nadu.[citation needed]
Though the distribution of the community is found in most of the districts, they migrated to the other parts of Tamil Nadu from Trichy and Thanjavur areas towards the middle and second half of the 19th century. As they moved in, they always followed the river bed areas for settlement. Thus, the said community when came to Salem District they initially settled at Palamedu. When their life at Palamedu became difficult due to Theechati Kolliyars (Dacoits with fire) they moved out. Of these the persons who moved to Pandamangalam area were farmers and the traders moved into Proper Salem. They settled as trader dealing in betel leaves and thus earning the name Vatrilaikarar.[citation needed]
Sri Lanka[]
The Vellalars of Sri Lanka have been chronicled in the Yalpana Vaipava Malai and other historical texts of the Jaffna kingdom. They form half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population and are the major husbandmen, involved in tillage and cattle cultivation.[2]Local Sri Lankan literature, such as the Kailiyai Malai, an account on Kalinga Magha, narrates the migration of Vellala Nattar chiefs from the Coromandel Coast to Sri Lanka.The Kings of Jaffna married among the Vellalas.
References[]
- ^ Béteille, André (16 April 2012). Caste, Class and Power: Changing Patterns of Stratification in a Tanjore Village. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199088720.
- ^ 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.
See also[]
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- Vellalar
- Social groups of Tamil Nadu
- Indian ethnic group stubs