Vellalar (Sri Lankan Tamil)
Encyclopedia
Vellalar
amongst Sri Lankan Tamils are a dominant group of formerly agricultural landlord related caste
from Sri Lanka
that is found amongst all walks of life and around the world as part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora
.
state in India
since the 13th century. According to Yalpana Vaipava Malai
, a native chronicle, written in the 18th century, which narrates the history of the establishment and the fall of the Jaffna kingdom
in Sri Lanka, from its establishment in the 13th century to its fall in the early 17th century, many Vellalar chiefs from Tamil Nadu were responsible for organizing settlement groups from India in to the Jaffna peninsula
. Most of these pioneering families had titles associated with clan chiefs such as "Rayan", Thevan", "Mudali", "Mappanan" and "Malavan". (for Tamil language
version see here)
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 independent 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 independent Jaffna kingdom who although mostly of Vellala origin but also had other origins.
dynasty would appoint leaders from both the factions to maintain peace in the kingdom.
According Bryan Pfaffenberger, an American
anthropologist who has studied the community in detail, the rise to complete dominance by the Vellala elites began with the capture of Portuguese
holdings in Sri Lanka by the Dutch
. The Dutch interpreted the local laws, later codified as Thesavalamai
, as allowing Vellala chiefs to own slaves. Thus empowered, many tobacco
plantation
s were created by the Vellala chiefs with the help of imported 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 landowning 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 to the principles 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 upgrade their livelihoods. Various Christian missionaries had made the Tamil-dominated Jaffna peninsula
as the best location in all of Asia for English education in the 19th 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
. Slavery was also abolished in 1855 by the British colonial authorities, thus making agriculture less profitable.
The domination of Sri Lankan Tamils in government services in post independent Sri Lanka eventually became one of the route causes of the Sri Lankan civil war.
. 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.
Vellala political and ritual dominance has been severely restricted due to the effects of the post-1983 Sri Lankan civil war
and domination of the main rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
by members of the Karaiyar
caste. LTTE's policies of anti-castism and empowerment 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.
Vellalar
Vellalars were, originally, an elite caste of Tamil agricultural landlords in Tamil Nadu, Kerala states in India and in neighbouring Sri Lanka; they were the nobility, aristocracy of the ancient Tamil order and had close relations with the different royal dynasties...
amongst Sri Lankan Tamils are a dominant group of formerly agricultural landlord related caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
that is found amongst all walks of life and around the world as part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora
Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora
The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora refers to the global diaspora of the people of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be a subset of the larger Sri Lankan as well as Tamil diaspora....
.
Origins
What is certain is that the Sri Lankan Tamil Vellalar identity rose amongst those who migrated from neighbouring Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
since the 13th century. According to Yalpana Vaipava Malai
Yalpana Vaipava Malai
Yalpana Vaipava Malai is a book written by a Tamil poet called Mayilvagana Pulavar 1736 AD. This book contains historical facts of the early Tamil city of Jaffna. The book which may have been written around 1736 during the Governorship of Jan Maccara, the then Dutch Governor of Jaffna. It was...
, a native chronicle, written in the 18th century, which narrates the history of the establishment and the fall of the Jaffna kingdom
Jaffna Kingdom
The Jaffna kingdom , also known as Kingdom of Aryacakravarti, of modern northern Sri Lanka was a historic monarchy that came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula after the invasion of Magha, who is said to have been from Kalinga, in India...
in Sri Lanka, from its establishment in the 13th century to its fall in the early 17th century, many Vellalar chiefs from Tamil Nadu were responsible for organizing settlement groups from India in to the Jaffna peninsula
Jaffna Peninsula
The Jaffna Peninsula is an area in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna and comprises much of the former land mass of the ancient Tamil kingdoms of the Nagas and the medieval Jaffna kingdom. The peninsula is mostly surrounded by water, connected to...
. Most of these pioneering families had titles associated with clan chiefs such as "Rayan", Thevan", "Mudali", "Mappanan" and "Malavan". (for Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
version see here)
Yalpana Vaipava Malai explains in details the names and places of origin of some of these Vellala lineage founders. One was of ethnic Tuluva
Tuluva
The Tuluva -Geographic Distribution :Though most of the Tuluva population is found in the Tulu Nadu region, migrant poplulations are found the world over. In recent times, the first period of migration started at the beginning of the 20th century to places such as Mumbai and Chennai and other...
origin where as others were of mercantile Chetty caste. Some had independent wealth from India, yet others were known for the fighting abilities. In total it explains a settlement pattern of pioneering people from South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
under influence of an independent 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 16th century, Vellala chiefs were in constant struggle for supremacy with another now-extinct caste called Madapalli. The kings belonging to the Arya ChakaravarthiArya Chakaravarthi
The Aryacakravarti dynasty were kings of the Jaffna Kingdom in Sri Lanka. The earliest Sri Lankan sources, between 1277 and 1283, mention a military leader of this name as a minister in the services of the Pandyan Empire; he raided the western Sri Lankan coast and took the politically significant...
dynasty would appoint leaders from both the factions to maintain peace in the kingdom.
According Bryan Pfaffenberger, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
anthropologist who has studied the community in detail, the rise to complete dominance by the Vellala elites began with the capture of Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
holdings in Sri Lanka by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The Dutch interpreted the local laws, later codified as Thesavalamai
Thesavalamai
Thesavalamai is the traditional law of the Sri Lankan Tamil inhabitants Jaffna peninsula, codified by the Dutch during their colonial rule in 1707. The Thesawalamai is a collection of the Customs of the Malabar Inhabitants of the Province of Jaffna and given full force by the Regulation of 1806...
, as allowing Vellala chiefs to own slaves. Thus empowered, many tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s were created by the Vellala chiefs with the help of imported Indian workers from the Pallar
Pallar
The Pallar are a caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are mostly agriculturalists in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and amongst the Tamil diaspora...
caste who were held as slaves. This new-found wealth enabled the Vellalas in general to morph into a dominant landowning elite with ritual and political control. Eventually their portion of the total Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
population of the densely populated Jaffna peninsula
Jaffna Peninsula
The Jaffna Peninsula is an area in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna and comprises much of the former land mass of the ancient Tamil kingdoms of the Nagas and the medieval Jaffna kingdom. The peninsula is mostly surrounded by water, connected to...
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 to the principles of Sanskritisation
Sanskritisation
Sanskritization or Sanskritisation is a particular form of social change found in India and Nepal. It denotes the process by which castes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the upper or dominant castes. It is a process similar to...
. 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
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1815, Vellalas began to look for education as the new opportunity to upgrade their livelihoods. Various Christian missionaries had made the Tamil-dominated Jaffna peninsula
Jaffna Peninsula
The Jaffna Peninsula is an area in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna and comprises much of the former land mass of the ancient Tamil kingdoms of the Nagas and the medieval Jaffna kingdom. The peninsula is mostly surrounded by water, connected to...
as the best location in all of Asia for English education in the 19th 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
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Slavery was also abolished in 1855 by the British colonial authorities, thus making agriculture less profitable.
The domination of Sri Lankan Tamils in government services in post independent Sri Lanka eventually became one of the route causes of the Sri Lankan civil war.
Post 1983 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 aristocracyAristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
. But what is obviously still visible is the traditional and conservative nature of the religion, Saivite Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, practiced among Jaffna Tamils. They follow a conservative brand of Saiva Siddhanta which follow Agamic
Āgama (Hinduism)
Agama means, in the Hindu context, "a traditional doctrine, or system which commands faith".In Hinduism, the Agamas are a collection of Sanskrit scriptures which are revered and followed by millions of Hindus.-Significance:...
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.
Vellala political and ritual dominance has been severely restricted due to the effects of the post-1983 Sri Lankan civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
and domination of the main rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
by members of the Karaiyar
Karaiyar
Karaiyar, also known as Karayar, Karaiar or Kurukulam, is traditionally both a seafaring and warrior caste found in the Tamil Nadu state of India, coastal areas of Sri Lanka, and globally among the Tamil diaspora.-Origins:...
caste. LTTE's policies of anti-castism and empowerment 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.