View source for Kondaikatti Vellalar

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Kondaikatti Velaalar
| image            = 
| caption          = 
| poptime          = 
| popplace         = [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| langs            = [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
| rels             = [[File:Om.svg|15px]] [[Hinduism]]<br>[[File:Ahimsa Jainism.svg|15px]] [[Jainism]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Justice Party Golden Jubilee Souvenir, 1968|publisher=Shanmugam Press, Secretary, Justice Party|year=1968|page=382}}</ref> ([[Samanam]])
| related          = [[Tamil people]]
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
}}



'''Kondaikatti Velaalar''' or '''Thondaimandala Mudaliar'''{{efn|Some of the important endogamous sub-divisions among the Vellalas are: Aranbukatti, Arunattu, Cholapuram Chetti, Choliya, Dakshinattan, Kaniyalan, Karaikatta or Pandya, Kodikkal, Kongu, Kottai, Malaikanda, Nainan, Mangudi, Pandaram or Gurukal, Panjukara Chetti, Ponneri Mudali, Pundamalli Mudali, Sittak kattu Chetti, Tondamandalam Mudali or Kondaikatti, Tuluva, Uttunattu, and Yelur. The Tondaimandalam, Ponneri and Pundamalli Vellalas use the title Mudaliar;{{sfnp|Indian Council of Agricultural Research|p=120|ps}}}} is a [[Tamil people|Tamil]]{{efn|Most of the Dubashes in the late eighteenth-century Madras were Telugu brahmans or Telugu perikavārs, Tamil kannakapillais, Tamil yādhavas, or Tamil Kondaikatti vellalas. {{sfnp|Irschick|1994|p=34}}}} caste in south India. Historically, they were a caste of non-cultivating land-holders and some of them were administrators and military leaders under various south Indian dynasties.{{efn|Among Tamil castes, both ''Karkattar Vellalas'' (Arunachalam, 1975) and ''Kondaikatti Vellalas'' (Barnett, 1970) have much the same profile as the KP: both are non-cultivating land-holders, with a history of service to ruling dynasties. Both are of high status, laying great stress on ritual purity. {{sfnp|Chanana, Krishna Raj|1989|p=92}}}}{{efn|Like the Kondaikatti Velalar described by Barnett(1970), they have allied themselves with south Indian dynasties as administrators, and have built up a position in the religious sphere in being employers of Brahmans and builders of temples for "high" gods like Siva, Ganesh and Vishnu.{{sfnp|Mariola Offredi|1992|p=284}}}}{{efn|The original stronghold of the Kondaikatti Vellalas was Tondaimandalam. Later they spread from there throughout Tamil Nadu. Some of them were employed in the king's court and others as military leaders during expansionist times.{{sfnp|KK Pillay|pp=23-24|ps}}}} Their original homeland was [[Thondaimandalam]] and from there they spread to other areas in south India and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka during expansionist times.{{efn|The original home of the Kondaikatti Vellalar is Tondaimandalam and subsequently they are found throughout Tamil nadu.{{sfnp|Venkatasubramanian|p=105|ps}}}}{{sfnp|KK Pillay|pp=23-24|ps}} Since they historically used the ''[[Mudaliar]]'' title, they are sometimes referred to as Thondaimandala Mudaliar.{{sfnp|Indian Council of Agricultural Research|p=120|ps}} However, [[Kathleen Gough]] considers them to be a separate subcaste of the Thondaimandala Mudali,<ref>{{cite book |last=Gough|first=Kathleen|authorlink=Kathleen Gough|title=Rural Society in South East Asia|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1982|isbn=978-0-52104-019-8 |page=25}}</ref> as does Susan Neild.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Neild |first=Susan M. |title=Colonial Urbanism: The Development of Madras City in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=13 |issue=2 |year=1979 |pages=217–246 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X00008301 |jstor=312124|s2cid=144309252 }}</ref>

==Etymology==

The word ''Kondaikatti'' was used to denote someone who bound his hair up in a tuft on top of the head.{{sfnp|Raghavan|1971|p=133|ps=}}

==History==

The Kondaikatti Velaalar are sons of the soil and natives of the [[Thondaimandalam]] country from time immemorial.{{efn|According to the Vellala ''puranas'', the ''kondai-katti'' Vellalas had been earlier residents of Tondaimandalam than the ''chozhiya'' Vellalas who had accompanied Atandai from the Chola country. The claim is lent credibility by the fact that the complex organizational structures like ''ur'' and ''sabha'' are epigraphically recorded prior to the reign of Surya Chola.{{sfnp|Robb Peter|pp=348|ps}}}}{{sfnp|Venkatasubramanian|p=105|ps}}{{sfnp|KK Pillay|pp=23|ps}}
Velaalar in the ancient [[Tamil people|Tamil]] society were of two kinds, the ''Uzhuthunbor'' or those who eat by ploughing their fields and the ''Uzhuvithunbor'', that is those who ate by getting their fields ploughed by tenant cultivators. The Kondaikatti Velaalar belonged to the latter group, that is they were landlords.{{sfnp|KK Pillay|p=46|ps}}

===British Colonial period===

During the Colonial era, this landed gentry were known as [[Mirasidars]], named after the [[Arabic]]/[[Urdu]] term ''mirasi''. The ''mirasi'' system was similar to a co-operative society where lands in a village were collectively owned by a group of people called Mirasdars. The Mirasidars were entitled to a share of the agricultural produce based upon the percentage of ownership.{{sfnp|Irschick|1994|p=32|ps}} Some of the Kondaikatti Velaalar were employed as ''dubashes'', literally, a person who could speak two languages, in the Company. When the British  took over the ''[[Jagir]]'', that is the agrarian area of the [[Thondaimandalam]] region, in the late eighteenth century (1782 CE), these Mirasidars and Dubashes put up a sustained and effective fight to thwart British attempts to control and collect taxes from this region.{{sfnp|Irschick|1994|p=31|ps}} Historian [[Eugene_F._Irschick|Eugene Irschick]] who did a study on the nature of the political society of the Thondaimandalam region between 1795 CE and 1895 CE notes:{{sfnp|Irschick|1994|pp=34-35|ps}}

"Many of these Kondaikatti vellala Dubashes were connected by kinship to Kondaikatti vellala Mirasdars in the Poonamallee and other rural areas of the Jagir. In contemporary documents these Kondaikattis were knowns as Mudalis-later lengthened to "Mudaliyar"-a term that literally meant a person of first rank. However, in the view of many of the Company officers, the term "Mudali" carried a pejorative meaning. Mudalis were despised by the British because they were considered both essential actors and great threats to individual British and Company operations."

As a direct result of this confrontation and hostile British policy, many of the Kondaikatti Velaalar were persecuted and eventually lost their ''mirasi'' rights and ownership of their lands.{{sfnp|Irschick|1994|pp=64-66|ps}} They were systematically replaced by tenants from other castes who were essentially outsiders and strangers to the Thondaimandalam country. Those tenants who were amenable to British rule and who were willing to abide by British taxation laws were gradually given more rights from the time of tax collector Lionel Place (1794 CE) and were eventually made Mirasidars.{{sfnp|Irschick|1994|pp=59,96,106,121|ps}} Since the taxes were directly proportional to the produce, the British also deemed all uncultivated land regardless of ownership as Company property and redistributed these lands to those who were willing to cultivate and pay taxes .{{sfnp|Irschick|1994|p=148|ps}}

==Caste structure==
The caste is divided into a number of unranked patrilineal exogamous clans called [[gotra]]s.{{sfnp|Anthony Good|p=180|ps=}} In addition, the caste is composed of four hierarchically ranked endogamous units called ''Vakaiyaras'' (varieties or kindreds). The members belonging to the higher Vakaiyaras will not interdine, intermarry or accept food or water from the lower Vakaiyaras. The Vakaiyaras comprise the same gotras and span across multiple village clusters. In the late 1920s, the more progressive members advocated the abrogation of the Vakaiyara system and after much deliberation, the caste passed a 
resolution to drop it.{{sfnp|Barnett|1973|pp=130-141|ps=}}

==Religion==
The Kondaikatti Velaalar were originally [[Jain]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Justice Party Golden Jubilee Souvenir, 1968|publisher=Shanmugam Press, Secretary, Justice Party|year=1968|page=382}}</ref> The larger Saiva Velaalar social group, to which the Kondaikatti Velaalar belong,{{sfnp|KK Pillay|1977|p=24|ps}} are also believed to have been Jainas before they embraced [[Hinduism]].{{Efn|1=It is also widely believed that the Saiva Vellalas of Madras State who are stricter vegetarians than even Tamil Brahmins, were Jainas.<ref>{{cite book|title=Religion and Politics in Medieval South India. Papers of a Seminar Held by the Institute of Asian Studies and Andhra University|author=Andhra University|publisher=Institute of Asian Studies|page=15|year=1972}}</ref>}} The [[Tamil Jain]]s refer to the Saiva Velaalar as ''nīr-pūci-nayinārs'' or ''nīr-pūci-vellalars'' meaning the Jains (''Nayinars'') who left Jainism and adopted [[Shaivism]] by smearing (''pūci'') the sacred ash or ''(tiru)-nīru''.{{sfnp|Umamaheshwari|2018|p=222|ps=}}

==Varna Classification==
During the British colonial period, the Vellalars who were land owners and tillers of the soil and held offices pertaining to land, were ranked as Sat-[[Shudra]] in the 1901 census; with the Government of Madras recognising that the 4-fold division (four varnas) did not describe the South Indian, or Dravidian, society adequately.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kingship and political practice in colonial India |author=Pamela G. Price |page=61 |quote=...when government census officers placed Vellalar in the Sat-Sudra or Good Sudra category in its 1901 census, Vellalar castemen petitioned this designation, protesting this designation.. |date=3 December 2007 |isbn=9780521052290 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k4JzPwAACAAJ}}</ref> 

While the [[Shudra]]s are described as the slaves of the other three [[Varna (Hinduism)|Varna]], the Vellalas are not described in such terms in the [[Tolkappiyam]] (''Velaan Maanthar'') or in other [[Sangam literature]] ([[Paripatal|Paripaadal]]).{{sfnp|Subbiah Pillai|1994|p=40|ps}} Moreover, the Varna system is essentially a [[Hindu]] classification system that categorises people hierarchically whereas the Kondaikatti Velaalar were originally [[Jain]]s.{{sfnp|Shankar Rao|2004|p=36|ps}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Justice Party Golden Jubilee Souvenir, 1968|publisher=Shanmugam Press, Secretary, Justice Party|year=1968|page=382}}</ref> 

Dr. Kamala Ganesh, former Professor and Head of Department of [[Sociology]] at the University of Mumbai, states in her research that the Varna classification does not apply to certain sections like the Kondaikatti Velaalar. She further notes:{{sfnp|Kamala Ganesh|1993|pp=137-138|ps}}

"Barnett's detailed work (1970) on the Kondaikatti Vellalas defines them, both transactionally and attributionally, as a combination of the brahmanical and kshatriya models. This finding reflects a historically established fact, viz., in South India, vegetarian Vellalas, a sizeable and influential segment of the population do not fit into the four varna scheme and have constituted what could perhaps be called a parallel classical tradition which is both distinct from and overlaps with the orthodox sanskritic tradition."

The Kondaikatti Velaalar are one of the six ancient vegetarian Velaalar castes of Tamil nadu.<ref>{{cite book|title=Monograph and Occasional Papers Series Issues 11-12|author=Duke University. Program in Comparative Studies on Southern Asia|year=1972|page=182}}</ref>

==Caste-based Reservation Status==
{{See also|Forward caste#Reservation for economically backward among forward castes}}

The Kondaikatti Velaalar do not avail any benefits under the reservation quota for [[Other_Backward_Class|Backward castes]].

==Notable people==

*[[P. T. Rajan|Sir P. T. Rajan]],<ref>{{cite book|title=South India|author=Christopher John Baker, D. A. Washbrook|publisher=Springer, 1976|page=174|quote=Similarly, the principal Kondaikatti-Thondamandala-Vellala association included among its leaders M. Subramania Mudaliar and his nephew P.T. Rajan from Madura, whom local political tactics had taken into the Justice Party.}}</ref> politician and former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency.

*[[Palanivel Thiagarajan]], Minister in the current Tamil Nadu assembly.

*[[C. N. Muthuranga Mudaliar]],<ref name=tamilrevivalism>{{cite book|title=Tamil revivalism in the 1930s|author=Eugene F. Irschick|publisher=Cre-A, 1986|page=152}}</ref> former politician and Independence activist.

*[[M. Bhakthavatsalam]],<ref name=tamilrevivalism/> politician and former Chief Minister of Madras state.

*[[Sarojini Varadappan]], social activist.

*[[Jayanthi Natarajan]], former Minister and Member of Parliament, Tamil Nadu.
*[[M. B. Nirmal]], founder and chairman of [[Exnora International]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pepsico-Corporate Social Responsibility {{!}} Replenishing Water {{!}} Waste Management Programme {{!}} PepsiCo India's |url=http://www.csrworld.net/pepsico%E2%80%93corporate-social-responsibility.asp |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=www.csrworld.net}}</ref>

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}

'''Citations'''
{{reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''

*{{cite book|author=Kolappa Pillay Kanakasabhapathi Pillay|title=The Caste System in Tamil Nadu|publisher=University of Madras, 1977|year=1977}}

*{{cite book|title=Tamil Culture in Ceylon: A General Introduction|author=M. D. Raghavan|publisher=Kalai Nilayam, 1971}}

*{{cite book|title=Urban Is As Urban Does: Two Incidents On One Street In Madras City, South India. Urban Anthropology, vol. 2, no. 2, 1973, pp. 129–160.|author=Barnett, Steve|year=1973}}

*{{cite book|title=The Female Bridegroom: A Comparative Study of Life-crisis Rituals in South India and Sri Lanka|author=Anthony Good, Lecturer Department of Social Anthropology Anthony Good|publisher=Clarendon, 1991|year=1991}}

*{{cite book|title=Dialogue and History: Constructing South India, 1795-1895|author=Eugene F. Irschick|publisher=University of California Press|year=1994}}

*{{cite book|title=Meanings of Agriculture Essays in South Asian History and Economics|author=Robb Peter|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1996}}

*{{cite book|title=Gender and the Household Domain Social and Cultural Dimensions|editor1=Karuna Chanana|editor2=Maithreyi Krishna Raj|publisher=Sage Publications|year=1989}}

*{{cite book|title=Societas to Civitas Evolution of Political Society in South India : Pre-Pallavan Tamilakam|author=T. K. Venkatasubramanian|publisher=Kalinga Publications|year=1993}}

*{{cite book|title=The Contributions of the Tamils to Indian Culture: Socio-cultural aspects|author=K. Subbiah Pillai|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies|year=1994}}

*{{cite book|title=Sociology of Indian Society|author=C. N. Shankar Rao|publisher=S. Chand Limited|year=2004}}

*{{cite book|title=Boundary Walls: Caste and Women in a Tamil Community Studies in sociology and social anthropology|author=Kamala Ganesh|publisher=Hindustan Publishing Corporation|year=1993}}

*{{cite book|title=Reading History with the Tamil Jainas. A Study on Identity, Memory and Marginalisation. Volume 22 of Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures|author=R. Umamaheshwari|publisher=Springer|year=2018}}

*{{cite book|title=Literature, Language, and the Media in India: Proceedings of the 11th European Conference on South Asian Studies, Amsterdam, 1990, Panel 13|editor=Mariola Offredi|publisher=Manohar Publications, 1992|year=1992}}

*{{cite book|title=Farmers of India, Band 2|author=Indian Council of Agricultural Research|publisher=Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 1961}}

[[Category:Vellalar]]
[[Category:Social groups of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian castes]]