Vellalar (also called Velalar and Karalar) are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The Vellalar are a major agricultural caste predominantly found in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. They are Tamil-speaking community and have historically played a significant role in the region’s agricultural and social structure. The Vellalar community is a large and heterogeneous group that has assimilated several other subcastes over time.
The Vellalar are divided into numerous subcastes, which are often distinguished by territorial affiliations and further subdivided into endogamous groups, known as caste.[1] [2] These subcastes can be identified by specific prefixes denoting a place of origin, and suffixes that honor social or regional distinctions, for example, Tondaimandalam Kondaikatti Vellala Mudaliar.[3]
The titles used by the Vellalar community include Pillai, Mudaliar, and Gounder. These titles are adopted by different subcastes of the Vellalar based on regional, social, and cultural factors.[4]
The following is a list of some subcastes of the Vellalar based on region: