Vellalar of Sri Lanka
| Sri Lankan Vellalar | |
|---|---|
| Religions | Hinduism, Christianity |
| Languages | Tamil |
| Subdivisions |
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| Related groups | Tamil people, Vellalar |
Sri Lankan Vellalar (Tamil: இலங்கை வெள்ளாளர், lit. 'Ilaṅkai veḷḷāḷar') is caste found in Sri Lanka, who comprise about half of the Sri Lankan Tamil population. They were traditionally mostly involved in agriculture and trade, but also included landowners and temple patrons. They also form part of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.
The word Vellalar is derived from their art of irrigation and cultivation. The word comes from the Tamil words, veḷḷam ("flood", "water" or "abundance") and āṇmai ("lordship" or "management"), thus the word literally mean "those who manage water" or "Lord of the floods". Dutch archives registered the Vellalar and the Govigama under the term Bellalas.
The Sri Lankan Vellalars share common origins with the Vellalars of Tamil Nadu. The Vellalar traditionally inhabited the Sangam landscape of Marutham. The earliest reference to the Vellala is attested in the Tolkāppiyam, which divided the society in four classes Arasar, Andanar, Vanigar and Vellalar. There were two types of the Vellalars, the cultivators called Velkudi Ulavar and the wealthy landowners called Kaniyalar or Kodikkalar. 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".
The Kailayamalai, an account on Kalinga Magha, the founder of Jaffna Kingdom, narrates the migration of Nattar chiefs from the Coromandel Coast of South India, with some of them being Vellalar chiefs. It was a common practice by the Jaffna kings to take Vellalar women as concubines.
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