First, you can't track your roots back without
touching the famous cast system prevelent
in India. Its says much about what your
forefathers did and where they are from:
Clans existed among
Dravidians.. The "Tholkappiam" tells
about four groups . The conversion of clans
to caste system - right hand caste and left
hand caste - occurred during Chola ( Kulothunga-AD
1110 ) period. The caste system got a firm
footing after the arrival of Ariyans. Initially
there were only two classes: Those who owned
land or go to war and those who depend on
manual labour for living ( artisans, weavers,
farm labourers etc) formed first group. Brahmins
were on the top in society and second came
Velalars
(cultivators ) , chettiyars (business men)
,warriors (Thevar , Kallar , Vanniar ).
Due to the process called "sankritization"(every
caste takes up the habits and customs of
its immediate superior to reach the superior
status..) many of Kallars , Maravars and
Vanniars became Vellalars . Some section
of vellalas gave up meat eating and became
vegetarians- they were called "Saiva
Vellalas ".This process started in Pallalav
period.
The Saiva Vellalas carry titles like
Pillai and mudaliar , depending in the area
of domicile. The saiva vellalas of Pandia
and Chola K ingdoms carry the title "Pillai" and
those from Pallalva Kingdom used to carry
the title mudaliar
Saiva Pillai (as a whole)
Mostly located along river beds like Tanjore,
Tirunelveli, Yazhppaanam (Srilanka). Type
of duties varied as Pannaiyars, Landlords,
Zamindhars, Intelligent Farmers, Kanakku
Pillais, Kings, Mantris, Businessmen, Poets,
Prose writers, National Freedom Fighters,
Directors, Doctors, Engineers, Planners and
now
largely software engineers & Doctos.
Tirunelveli Saiva Pillai
They usually intermarry with all other types of Saiva Vellalars. Mostly TSP's from Kadayam, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli District, Alwarkurichi, Tuticorin District [Thoothukkudi], Kutralam, Papanasam, Ilanji, Kulasekarapattinam. TSP's were usually Pannaiyars along the Tamirabarani River Side. Scholars are more here. They follow "Saiva Agamas."
Tanjore [Thanjavoor] Saiva Pillai
Situated along the river Kaveri. These Saiva Pillai's Thali [mangal sutra], Food habits, Marriage Rituals are very different from that of Tirunelveli Saiva Pillai's. So normally a TSP will prefer TSP. Eulogized by Sakithya Academy Award winning Tamil Prose Writer Thi. Janakiraman [Thi.Jaa], in his Novel "Sembaruththi" [the story of Sokkalinga Pillai of Kumbakonam]
Karkathar or Karkarthar or Karalar or Karaikkathar
or Karaikattu Vellalar
Ruled most of the water bodies. The tamil meaning of karkathar is the folks who guarded the "kar" -the clouds - thus maintained the fertile soil -thus they are Vellalars or Karalars mostly they are landlords -till today -their Thali, Marriage customs slightly differ from other saiva community, but still they intermarry. Also called as Karalars, usually have gothram like the bramins to avoid marrying in the same blood. All other Saiva and Asaiva Pillai dont have gothram. So All other Pillai call their gothram as "SIVA gothram". Mahakavi Kambar greatly praised these people in "Thirukai Vazhakam".
Saiva Chettiyar
A branch of Karaikudi Chettiyars or Naattu
Kottai Chettiyars who intermarried Saiva
Pillai's and remained Vegetarians. Due
to the destruction of chettiyar lands around
Kaveri poom pattinam due to floods, the
Nagarathars or the Chettiyars lost many
of their ladies and children. So to continue
their life and times, they intermarried
with Tirunelveli Saiva Pillais so they
came to be following Tirunelveli Vattara
vazakku (dialect). Even now the chettiyar
families call their grandma "Aaachi" -
which is a true Tirunelveli dialect.
How Vellalas moved to Kerala
According to "Keralolpathy "(Genesis
of Keralam) Keralam was created by Parasu
Rama one of the incarnations of Lord MahaVishnu.He
threw his Parasu (axe ) to the sea from Gokarnam
and the sea withdraw to the point of fall
(Kanyakumari).After that he gifted the land
to Brahmins. When he returned after some
years, it was found that there was total
anarchy due to the inefficient administrations
of the then rulers. So he brought efficient
and experienced Rulers from Tamilnadu (Paradesom).They
were called "Perumakkanmar". Keralam
was under Perumal rule for many years and
the last one was Cheraman Perumal who converted
to Islam and migrated to Mecca.
During the Perumal rule they brought "Vellalas"-
the cultivatorsand accountants of Tamilnadu-to
Keralam .They settled permanently here and
many of them became Traders and Accontants.
They were posted as Accountants in Government
posts and hence were called "KanakkaPilla".In
all "Mandapathinkal Vathilkkal"(Thaluk
Head Quarters) there were Vellala houses
.As Village officers ("Pillaannan" )
they were highly efficient .In the famous
Malayalam novel Kaya r, Thakazhay Siva Sankara
Pillai admires their efficiency in measurement
of land.Vellalas are "Vaisyas" and
majority were Saivas ( follwers of Lord Siva).
Dravidians who did cultivation, using water
were called "Vellalas"(Castes & Tribes
of South India - ET.Thurston, VII 361)
Plough was their symbol. In Thelunku nadu
they were called "Velar". In Karnataka
they had a kingdom. Those vellalas who migrated
from banks of Ganga was called "Gangavamsa
vellalar".Their kingdom was "Ggangawathi".Those
vellalas who lived in Kongunadu was called "Gounders".
SANKRITIZATION
Although the tamil word Vellala means the
cultivator, there is ample evidence to indicate
that the original Chera , Chola and Pandia
Kingswere Vellalas. Today vellalas in Tamil
nadu is a miniscule minority in southern
districts.They are less than 7% of population.
In Kerala and Sree Lanka vellalas are thriving.50%
of Sri Lankan origin Tamilians are vellalas.
Almost all political, business and academic
leadership of Tamil community of Sri Lanka
has been provided by vellalas. Many castes
merged into vellala.'Kalarum maravarum agamuditarum
mella mella koodi vellalar aayinere"-
so goes the saying.
Which means Kalar,Maravar
and Agamudaiyar, the three power castes from
South Tamilnadu assumed Vellala ID with the
accumilation of wealth. This happens in Sri
Lanka (Elankai) too. Many including Malayalee
Nairs have
took Vellala ID with them .This is called "sankritization".