|
Velar (caste)
Velar is a Tamil artisan caste whose members traditionally pursued pottery and trade in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are officially classified as Kulala or Velar. They belong to the Other Backward Class group. Etymology The word ''Vel'' refers to earth. Velar means "those of the earth". History Velars are the descendants of the three sons of their original ancestor Kulalan, who was the son of Brahma. Kulalan prayed to Brahma to be allowed to create and destroy things daily, so Brahma made him a potter. Titles They are subdivided into numerous clans based on Koottamam or Kulam. Some Tamil-speaking Velar in northern Tamil Nadu and Kongu regions use the title Udayar Telugu-speaking Kummaras in southern Tamil Nadu use the title Chettiyar. They are relatively recent migrants in the southern region of Tamil Nadu from old Andhra region. See also * Vellalar * Devanga * Sengunthar *Kulala Kulala is a Hindu caste whose traditionally pursued pottery trade a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Udayar (caste)
The Udayar is a title used by multiple caste system in India, caste in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Etymology The word ''Udayar'' in Tamil language, Tamil means ''Lord'' or ''Possessor'' as in ''Possessor of land or kingdom''. Present status According to Selva Raj, the Udayar are "socially humbler" than the Vellalar community but, together with the Pallar and Kallar(caste), Kallar, form the Marava castes, who are quite dominant in the region variously known as Ramnad and the Maravar country. Religion In Ramnad and the nearby areas of Pudukottai, Madurai, Salem, Namakkal, Tanjore and Trichy, they and their two fellow Maravar caste groups are prominent in their cult worship of the shrine at Oriyur that commemorates John de Britto, a 17th-century Portugal, Portuguese Jesuit missionary and martyr. Raj says, "A notable feature of the Britto cult is that it is centered around caste identities rather than religious affiliation", and thus members of the caste-group, irres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethnic Groups In India
South Asian ethnic groups are an ethnolinguistics, ethnolinguistic grouping of the diverse populations of South Asia, including the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. While Afghanistan is variously considered to be part of both Central Asia and South Asia, Afghans are generally not included among South Asians. The majority of the population fall within three large language family, linguistic groups: Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian people, Dravidian, and Iranic peoples, Iranic. The Indian, Nepalese, and Sri Lankan societies are traditionally divided into castes or clans, which are based primarily on labour divisions; these categories have had no official status in India since independence in 1947, except for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, scheduled castes and tribes, which remain registered for the purpose of affirmative action. In today's India, the population is categorised in terms of the 1,652 Languages o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Castes
The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic example of classification of castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, especially the Mughal Empire and the British Raj. It is today the basis of affirmative action programmes in India as enforced through its constitution. The caste system consists of two different concepts, ''varna'' and '' jati'', which may be regarded as different levels of analysis of this system. Based on DNA analysis, endogamous i.e. non-intermarrying Jatis originated during the Gupta Empire. Our modern understanding of caste as an institution in India has been influenced by the collapse of the Mughal era and the rise of the British colonial government in India. The collapse of the Mughal era saw the rise of powerful men who associated themselves with kings, priests and ascetics, affirming the regal and martial form of the caste ideal, and it also re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamil People
The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethno-linguistic group who trace their ancestry mainly to India’s South India, southern state of Tamil Nadu, union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry and to Sri Lanka. Tamils who speak the Tamil Language and are born in :Social groups of Tamil Nadu, Tamil clans are considered Tamilians. Tamils constitute 5.9% of the population in India (concentrated mainly in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), 15% in Sri Lanka (excluding Sri Lankan Moors), 7% in Tamil Malaysians, Malaysia, 6% in Tamil Mauritians, Mauritius, and 5% in Indian Singaporeans, Singapore. From the 4th century BCE, urbanisation and mercantile activity along the western and eastern coasts of what is today Kerala and Tamil Nadu led to the develo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sengunthar
Sengunthar (), also known as the Kaikolar and Senguntha Mudaliyar is a Tamil caste commonly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and also in some other parts of South India and the neighboring country Sri Lanka. They were traditional weavers by occupation and warriors by ancient heritage. They were part of the Chola army. Majority of Sengunthars are sub-divided into numerous clans based on a patrilineal lineage known as Koottam or Gotra. Etymology The ancient occupational name of ''Kaikkolar'' comes from the words ''kai'' (hand) and ''kol'' (a shuttle used in looms). The appended ''-ar'' means ''people''. ''Kaikkolar'' also means men with stronger arms. ''Sengunthar'' means ''red spear people'', which has the community’s connection to the Lord Murugan, who is known as a red god. Legend has it that there were nine commanders called ''Navaveerargal'' in Murugan’s army and Sengunthar descended from them. In ancient times they were also called as ''Kaarugar'' (weaver), Than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devanga
Devanga (also known as Lingayat Devanga, Devanga Shetty, Devanga Chettiar) is a Hindu caste from South India that traditionally followed the occupation of textile merchandise, weaving and farming mostly found in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. Origin and culture The caste claims to be descended from Devala, an ancient Hindu sage. They originated from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and during the reign of the Vijayanagara Empire they migrated to Tamil Nadu. They are of Shudra status in the Hindu caste system. However, they use the ''Devanga Purana'', a text sacred to the Devangas, to claim Brahmin status, despite having a non-Brahmin profession. They replaced their native local gotras with Sanskritic gotras. Devanga is a Sanskrit word that means "Body of the God". Religion There is a theory that the Devanga and Padmashali communities were once a single entity, with a split arising when the Devanga element took up Shaivite Linga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vellalar
Vellalar is a generic Tamil term used primarily to refer to various castes who traditionally pursued agriculture as a profession in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and northeastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Vellalar are members of several endogamous castes such as the numerically strong Arunattu Vellalar, Chozhia Vellalar, Karkarthar, Karkarthar Vellalar, Kongu Vellalar, Thuluva Vellalar and Sri Lankan Vellalar. Etymology The earliest occurrence of the term ''Velaalar'' (வேளாளர்) in Sangam literature is in Paripatal, 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 ''Vellalar'' (வெள்ளாளர் ) may 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 g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chettiar
Chettiar (also spelt as Chetti and Chetty)is a title used by many traders, weaving, agricultural and land-owning castes in South India, especially in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. They are a subgroup of the Tamil community who originated from Chettinad in Tamil Nadu, India. Traditionally, the Chettiars were involved in the trade of precious stones, but later became private bankers and moneylenders. Etymology Chettiar/Chetty is derived from the Sanskrit word (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठ) or (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठीन्) meaning superior, Prakritised as (Devanagari: सेठी), and then (Devanagari: शेट) or (Devanagari: शेटी) in modern Indo-Aryan dialects. See also * Vallanattu Chettiar * Twenty four Manai Telugu Chettiars * Devanga Chettiar * Pattanavar * Chitty The Chitty, also known as the Chetty or Chetti Melaka, are a distinctive group of Tamil people found mainly and originally in Melaka, Malaysia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Telugu Language
Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language family and one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India. It is one of the few languages that has primary official status in more than one Indian state, alongside Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is one of six languages designated as a classical language (of India) by the Government of India. Telugu is also a linguistic minority in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, and the union territories of Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also spoken by members of the Telugu diaspora spread across countries like United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand in the Anglosphere; Myanmar, Malaysia, South Africa, Mauritius; and the Arabian Gulf count ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212–226. He is associated with creation, knowledge, and the ''Vedas''. Brahma is prominently mentioned in creation legends. In some ''Puranas'', he created himself in a golden embryo known as the Hiranyagarbha. Brahma is frequently identified with the Vedic god Prajapati.;David Leeming (2005), The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, Oxford University Press, , page 54, Quote: "Especially in the Vedanta Hindu Philosophy, Brahman is the Absolute. In the Upanishads, Brahman becomes the eternal first cause, present everywhere and nowhere, always and never. Brahman can be incarnated in Brahma, in Vishnu, in Shiva. To put it another way, everything that is, owes its existence to Brahman. In this sense, Hinduism is ultimately monotheistic or m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamils
The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group who trace their ancestry mainly to India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, union territory of Puducherry and to Sri Lanka. Tamils who speak the Tamil Language and are born in Tamil clans are considered Tamilians. Tamils constitute 5.9% of the population in India (concentrated mainly in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), 15% in Sri Lanka (excluding Sri Lankan Moors), 7% in Malaysia, 6% in Mauritius, and 5% in Singapore. From the 4th century BCE, urbanisation and mercantile activity along the western and eastern coasts of what is today Kerala and Tamil Nadu led to the development of four large Tamil empires, the Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas, and Pallavas and a number of smaller states, all of whom were warring amongst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
