KVMS 66 Upasabha

വെള്ളാള സമുദായത്തില്‍ പെട്ട എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും ഈ ഗ്രൂപിലേക്ക് സ്വാഗതം
വിവരണം
Vellalars (also, Velalars, Vellalas) were, originally an elite caste of Tamil agricultural landlords in Tamil Nadu, Kerala states in India and in neighbouring Sri Lanka; they were the nobility, aristocracy of the ancient Tamil order (Chera/Chola/Pandya/Sangam era) and had close relations with the different royal dynasties. Literary, archeological sources trace the origin of the Vellalars to a group of royal house chieftains called Vel or Velir. According to old Hindu, Tamil texts, the Velirs were warriors from the Yadu Kshatriya clan (Chandravanshi lineage); they came to south from the city of Dvārakā in north India under the leadership of the Vedic sage Agastya. They have been described as Upper Shudras or Sat-shudras in the Brahmanical Varna system. The Vellalar community however never accepted this classification and they have challenged the Brahmins who described them as shudras. The actual Vellalar caste is made of different sub castes which do not intermarry; many of these sub castes have nothing to do with the original Vellalars. The Vellalar are found amongst the Tamil diaspora around the world; although they were originally associated with the landed gentry, today they are found in all walks of life.

Vellalas are mainly residing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikodu, Wayanad and Kannur districts of Kerala. In other districts also vellalas are found here and there. The origin of Vellala in different parts of Kerala is by migration from the neighboring State of Tamil Nadu. During the first century A.D Vellalas from Madurai, Cumbom, Coimbatore, Tanjavoor, Kumbhakonam, Ramanathapuram etc were migrated in groups into the erstwhile Travancore –Cochin State and Malabar.
The mother tongue of most of the members of vellala community is Tamil. The hereditary profession of vellalas is agriculture. The word Vellala was derived from Tamil words Vel(Water) & Anmai (Management) which means Water Management ie, Agriculture. In due course a few of the vellalas entered the profession of trade. Such traders are called Chetties. The origin of Vellalas and their earlier social conditions can be found from Tamil literature of Sanghom Age like ‘Payattipathu’, ‘Chilapathikarm’ etc.(from group kerala vellala mahasabha)