Thuluva Vellalar (Thondamandala Tuluva Vellalar), also known as Agamudaya Mudaliars and Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language— ...

, southern

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and southern

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karn ...

, India. They were originally significant landowners.

Etymology

The term Vellalar may be derived from the word Vellam meaning water (flood), denoting their ability to control and store water for irrigation purposes. Since they migrated from the Tulu country, they are called Thuluva Vellalar.

History

An early Tamil tradition states that a king known variously as Ātontaicholan and Ādonda Chakravarthi brought a large number of agriculturists (now known as the ''Tuluva Vellalas'') from the Tulu areas in order to reclaim forest lands for cultivation in Thondaimandalam. Sometimes this migration of Tuluva Vellalas is also assigned to later

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE ...

times when

Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

Ballalas of

had occupied portions of

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its templ ...

and

Trichy Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bei ...

Demographics

Their original stronghold in Present-day Tamil nadu was

Thiruvannamalai Tiruvannamalai (Tamil: ''Tiruvaṇṇāmalai'' IPA: , otherwise spelt ''Thiruvannamalai''; ''Trinomali'' or ''Trinomalee'' on British records) is a city, a spiritual, cultural, economic hub and also the administrative headquarters of Tiruvan ...

North Arcot North Arcot was a former district in Madras Presidency, acquired by the annexation of the Arcot State in 1855 when its Nawab died without issue. It had Chittoor as its headquarters (currently in Andhra pradesh). On 1 April 1911, the Chittoor d ...

district, the town that served as the capital of the

king

Veera Ballala III Veera Ballala III (r. 1292–1342) was the last great king of the Hoysala Empire. During his rule, the northern and southern branches of the Hoysala empire (which included much of modern Karnataka and northern Tamil Nadu) were consolidated and ...

in the 14th century. Tuluva Vellalars are progressive and prosperous in the society. They are considerably advanced in the matter of education and the community was eagerly involved in business, Government and Non- governmental institutions. The community commonly use Mudaliar and Udayar titles. However Naicker, Gounder, Reddy and Pillai titles are also present in some pockets.

Notable people

*Vallal Pachayappa Mudaliar- a famous Dubashe of Madras and the founder of Pachayappa Educational Trust. * V. L. Ethiraj, Barrister and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

who founded

Ethiraj College for Women Ethiraj College for Women is an arts and science college for women in Chennai, India, managed by the Ethiraj College Trust. It was founded in 1948 by the barrister V. L. Ethiraj of Vellore. History Ethiraj College for Women is an autonomous co ...

. * Sir Dr. C. Natesa Mudaliar, one of the founders of the Justice Party, politician, activist and philanthropist. * Diwan Bahadur Sir

Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar (14 October 1887 – 17 July 1976) was an Indian lawyer, diplomat, and statesman who was the first president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the 24th and last Diwan of Mysore. He also served as ...

, KCSI - Founder Chairman of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

and the Diwan of Mysore. * P U Shanmugam - Former Tamil Nadu minister of Public Works Department. * V. M. Muralidharan, Chairman,

References

{{reflist Vellalar Social groups of Tamil Nadu Indian castes

Etymology

History

Demographics

Notable people

See also

References