History

The earliest occurrence of the term Velaalar (வேளாளர்) in Sangam literature is in Paripadal where it is used in the sense of a landowner. The term Velaalar (வேளாளர்) can be derived from the word Vel (வேள்), Vel being a title that was borne by the Velir chieftains of Sangam age among other things.

The word may also have come from the root Vellam for flood, which gave rise to various rights of land; and it is because of the acquisition of land rights that the Vellalar got their name.

The Vellalars have a long cultural history that goes back to over two millennia in southern India, where once they were the ruling and land-owning community.Though the Vellalar have generally been associated with the landed gentry and agriculture, they are not a homogenous group and various people from diverse backgrounds have identified themselves as a Vellalar in the course of history.

In Sangam literature

The Vellalar are spoken of as a group of people right from the Sangam period and are mentioned in many of the classical works of Sangam literature. The Tolkappiyam does not contain the term Vellalar but refers to a group of people called Velaan Maanthar who apart from practising agriculture had the right to carry weapons and wear garlands when they were involved in affairs of the state. The term Vellalar itself occurs in the sense of a landowner in Paripadal. The poem Pattinappaalai lists the six virtues of Vellalar as abstention from killing, abstention from stealing, propagation of religion, hospitality, justice and honesty.

Social status

The Vellalar were considered to be of high status and enjoyed a high rank during the Chola period. They helped promote and stabilize Shaivism during the Chola era and many of the cult's leaders were drawn from the ranks of the Vellalar. They were a prosperous community of farmers and landowners who had provided economic support to Shiva temples in the Tamil country. In the Tamil region, Vellalar like Mudaliyar and Pillai along with certain other non-brahmin groups enjoyed a status equal to that of the Brahmins. The Vellalar also had more authority, power and status than the Brahmins in some social and ritual contexts. They were more orthodox than the Brahmins in their religious practices. The Vellalar nobles had marriage alliances with Chola royal families.

Distribution

Saiva Vellalars are spread all over Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of India; Within Tamil Nadu, their concentration is more in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Thanjavur, Theni and Dindigul districts. They have also migrated to a large level in Sri Lanka in previous centuries and to Singapore, Malaysia, USA and UK in the last century.

Religion and habit

They are staunch worshippers of Shiva and hence got the prefix Saiva. The Saiva Vellalars are strictly vegetarians. People of the community are considered very much conservative. A very few of them were converted during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to Christianity.


References:
Wikipedia