Part 31

The following legendary account of the Tondamandalam Vellalas is given in the Baramahal Records. "During the reign of a certain Raja of Choladesa, a kingdom supposed to have comprised the present provinces south of the river Kaveri, the countries between the Kistna and Kaveri were quite a wilderness, in which many families of the Kurbavar caste or shepherds resided here and there in villages surrounded by mud walls. On a time, the Raja came forth into the wilds to take the diversion of hunting, and, in traversing the woods, he came to a place in the vicinity of the present town of Conjeeveram in the Kingdom of Arcot, where he met with a Naga Kanya or celestial nymph, fell in love with her, and asked her to yield to his embraces. She replied, 'If I consent to your proposal, and bear you a son, will you make him your successor in the kingdom?' He rejoined 'I will,' and she asked him who should witness his promise. He answered 'the earth and sky,' but she said that two witnesses were not sufficient, and that there must be a third. There happened to be a tree called adhonda near them, and the Raja replied 'Let the fruit of this adhonda tree be the third witness.' When she was satisfied respecting the witnesses, she granted the Raja his desires, and, after he had remained with her a short time, he took his leave, and returned to his metropolis, and, in a little while, abdicated his throne in favour of his eldest son, who managed the affairs of the kingdom. To return to the Naga Kanya, she conceived and brought forth a son, who remained with her three or four years, and then visited the different Rishis or hermits who resided in the forest, and learnt from them to use the sword, the bow and arrow, and the art of war, and obtained from them a knowledge of the whole circle of sciences. By this time he had attained the age of sixteen years, and, coming to his mother, he requested her to tell him who was his father. She answered 'Thy father is the Chola Raja.' He replied 'I will go to him, but who is to bear witness to the truth of your assertion?' She rejoined 'The earth, sky, and the fruit of the adhonda tree are witness to what I have told you.' The son plucked one of the berries of the adhonda tree, hung it by a string to his neck, took his sword and other weapons, and set out for his father's capital. He one day took an opportunity of accompanying some of the nobles to the darbar, and called out to the old Raja 'Behold your son.' The Raja replied 'I know nothing of thee;' upon which the young man repeated everything which his mother had told him, but it had no effect on the Raja. When the son found that his father was determined not to acknowledge him he challenged him to single combat, but the Raja, not thinking it proper to accept a challenge from a rash youth, demanded if he had any witnesses to prove his claim. He answered 'The earth and sky, and the fruit of the adhonda tree, which I wear suspended from my neck, are witnesses to the truth of my assertion.' This circumstance brought the old occurrence to the Raja's recollection, and he owned his son, and told him that, as he had already abdicated the throne, he trusted he would not insist upon the fulfilling of the promise which had been made to his mother, but consent to live in a private station under the dominion of his elder half-brother. The young man nobly replied 'I with pleasure waive the performance of your promise, but point out to me your enemy, and assist me with some troops, and I will conquer a kingdom for myself.' The Raja gave him an army, and directed him to subdue the Kurubavaru or shepherds, to clear the woods, and to form himself a kingdom between the rivers Kistna and Kaveri. He accordingly advanced into the wilderness, and, without meeting much opposition, soon subjected the Kurubavaru, who, knowing nothing of cultivation or sinking of tanks or watering the country from the rivers, and the conqueror wishing to introduce agriculture among them, he was obliged to repair to his father, and make known his difficulties. The Raja was much pleased with the enterprising spirit of his son, conferred on him the title of Adhonda Chakra, wrote and permitted him to take with him such of the Vellala caste as chose to emigrate. The young Raja held out great encouragement, and got a number of adventurers of that caste to accompany him back, to whom he gave large grants of waste land, and told them to pitch upon such spots of ground as met with their approbation, and they fixed upon the forts, districts, and villages belonging to the Kurubavaru caste, which consisted of twenty-four forts, eighty-one districts, and one thousand and nine hundred villages. This country was formerly named Dandaka Aranya. Dandaka is the name of a famous Rakshasa or Giant, who is mentioned in the Ramayana, and Aranya signifies a wilderness. It was also called Dhuntra Nadu, or the middle country, and the new Raja named it Dhanda Mandalam, or country of the tree dhonda, alluding to the fruit of the adhonda or dhonda tree, which bore testimony to his descent. The emigrants of the Vellala caste surnamed themselves Dhonda Mandala Vellala varu, and are now corruptly called Tondamandala Vellala varu."

In connection with the sub-divisions of the Vellalas, Mr. Hemingway, in a note on the Vellalas of the Trichinopoly district, gives some still further information. "The Kondaikattis are so-called from the peculiar way in which they used to wear their hair--a custom no longer observed. They are split into two sections, called Melnadu and Kilnadu (westerns and easterns). The Dakshinattans (south country men) are immigrants from Tinnevelly. The members of the Karaikkattar sub-division in the Udaiyarpalaiyam taluk are rather looked down on by other Vellalans as being a mixed race, and are also somewhat contemptuously called Yeruttu-mattu (pack-bullocks), because, in their professional calling, they formerly used pack-bullocks. They have a curious custom by which a girl's maternal uncle ties a tali (marriage badge) round her neck when she is seven or eight years old. The Panjukkara Chettis live in the Udaiyarpalaiyam taluk. The name is an occupational one, and denotes cotton-men, but they are not at the present day connected with the cotton trade. The Solapuram (or Cholapuram) Chettis are apparently called after the village of that name in the Kumbakonam taluk of Tanjore. The Solias (or Cholias) are numerous and ubiquitous. They are generally regarded as of doubtful descent, since parvenus, who wish to be considered Vellalans, usually claim to belong to this sub-division. The more respectable Pandarams, the Thambirans who own temples and matams, and the Oduvar or Adi Saival, belong to the Sozhia section. The Uttunattu sub-division is local in origin. Its head-quarters is the country round Uttatur. The members thereof are the special devotees of the Siva of that place. The Arunattus (six nadus) are also called Mottai (shaved) Vellalans, apparently because they always shave their moustache, and wear only a very small kudumi (hair-knot). Some of their customs are unlike those of the rest of the caste. They have exogamous septs, their widows always dress in white and wear no ornaments (a rule not universally observed in any other sub-division), they never marry their sister's daughter, and their wives wear the tali (marriage badge), like the Panta Reddis, on a golden thread. Of their six nadus, three of which are supposed to have been located on each side of the Aiyar river, only two are now recognised. These are the Serkudi nadu in Namakkal taluk and the Omandur nadu of Musiri. The Yelur (seven villages) Vellalas are very few and far between. There is a small colony of Tuluvas, engaged in dyeing, at Illuppur. The Malaikandas are only found near the Ratnagiri hill in the Kulittalai taluk. They take their name from the fact that they are required to look at the Ratnagiri hill when they get up in the morning. They are devotees of the god there. The Kaniyalans (landowners) are scarce, but widely distributed, since the man who carries the pot of blood, when animals are sacrificed at festivals to the village goddesses, must belong to this sub-division. The Kodikkal Vellalans are so-called from their occupation of betel cultivation, which they still pursue largely."

The Konga Vellalas differ so strikingly from the rest in many of their customs that a separate account of them is given. (See Konga Vellala.)

It is noted by Mr. Hemingway that some Vellalas "observe a curious custom (derived from Brahmans) with regard to marriage, which is not unknown among other communities. A man marrying a second wife after the death of his first has to marry a plantain tree, and cut it down before tying the tali, and, in the case of a third marriage, a man has to tie a tali first to the erukkan (arka: Calotropis gigantea) plant. The idea is that second and fourth wives do not prosper, and the tree and the plant are accordingly made to take their places."

A peculiar ceremony, called Sevvai (Tuesday) Pillayar, is performed by some Vellala women. It is also called Avvai Nonbu, because the Tamil poetess observed it. The ceremony takes place twice in the year, on a Tuesday in the months of Thai (February-March) and Audi (August-September). It is held at midnight, and no males, even babies in arms, may be present at it, or eat the cakes which are offered. A certain number of women club together, and provide the necessary rice, which is measured on the back of the hand, or in a measure similar to those used by Madras milk-sellers, in which the bottom is fixed high up in the cylinder. At the house where the ceremony is to be performed the rice is pounded into flour, and mixed with leaves of Pongamia glabra and margosa (Melia Azadirachta). The mixture is then made into cakes, some flat, and some conical, to represent Pillayar (Ganesa). Flowers, fruits, betel, turmeric, combs, kunkumam (red powder), and other articles required in connection with the Pillayar worship, are also taken to the room in which the rites are performed. Of these it has been impossible to gather an account, as the women refused to describe them, lest ruin should fall on their families. Some say that, during the ceremony, the women are stark-naked.

In an account of an annual ceremony at Trichinopoly in connection with the festival of Kulumai Amman, who is the guardian deity against epidemics, Bishop Whitehead records [146] that "a very fat pujari (priest) of the Vellala caste is lifted up above the vast crowd on the arms of two men. Some two thousand kids are then sacrificed, one after the other. The blood of the first eight or nine is collected in a large silver vessel holding about a quart, and handed up to the pujari, who drinks it. Then, as the throat of each kid is cut, the animal is handed up to him, and he sucks, or pretends to suck the blood out of the carcase."

Of proverbs relating to the Vellalas, the following may be cited:--

Agriculture is no agriculture, unless it is performed by the Vellalas.

The Vellala ruined himself by gaudy dress; the courtesan ruined herself by coquetry and affectation.

Of all the sections of the Sudras, the Vellala is foremost; and, of all the thefts committed in the world, those of the Kallans are most notorious.

Though you may face an evil star, never oppose a Vellala.

Though apparently the Vellala will not ruin you, the palm leaf, on which he writes about you, will certainly ruin you for ever.

In the Madras Census Report, 1891, Vellala is recorded as a caste of Jains. In this connection, it is noted by Mr. Hemingway that the Nainans or Nayinars (q.v.) and the Karaikkattans of the Udaiyarpalaiyam taluk are thought to be descended from Jains who were converted to the Hindu faith.

Vellan Chetti.--A name, denoting Vellala merchant, taken by some Vellalas.

Velli (silver).--See Belli.

Velnati.--A sub-division of Kapu, named after the old Velnadu division of the Telugu country.

Veloma.--Defined as "one of the two classes of Sudras, viz., Anuloma and Veloma. The term Veloma is applied to those born of a lower caste male and higher caste female."

Veluttedan.--The Veluttedan is defined in the Madras Census Report, 1891, as "the washerman of the Nayars and higher castes in Malabar. He calls himself a Nayar, and, in many cases, was returned as of that main caste, but these have been separated in abstraction. The caste is called Vannattan in North Malabar. The Veluttedans follow the marumakkatayam law of inheritance in the north, and makkatayam in the south. They have tali-kettu and sambandham separately. Their dress and habits are the same as those of Nayars." In the Madras Census Report, 1901, Bannata is given as a Canarese synonym for the caste name. In the Travancore and Cochin Census Reports, 1901, Veluttetan and Veluthedan are given respectively as an occupational title and sub-division of Nayars.

For the following note on the Veluttedans of Travancore, I am indebted to Mr. N. Subramani Aiyar. The name is believed to signify a place where clothes are bleached. In the early Settlement Records the designation recorded is Ayavu, in all probability an old synonym for washing. The South Travancore Veluttedans are said to be divided into two endogamous septs, Paravur and Attingal, with four exogamous septs in each; but these distinctions may be said to have now lost their vigour and force. There is a current tradition that once upon a time a Brahman was washing cloths for a friend, and was on that account thrown out of caste by Parasurama. The occupation of the Veluttedans is washing cloths for all high-caste Hindus down to the Sudras, in which profession, for neatness and purity at any rate, if not for promptitude, they stand above the Vannans and Chayakkarans of the east coast, both of whom have now entered the field in competition with them, and, at least in the most civilised parts of the State, not entirely without success. In no case do the castemen receive cloths from classes lower in social rank than the Sudras, and this is pointed to with pride as one of the causes which keep them in their present elevated scale. It need hardly be said that, in their traditional occupation, the Veluttedans are largely and materially assisted by their females, the Veluttedathis. They do not live in a group together, but are conveniently scattered about, so as to avoid competition one with another. Their main profession is, in many cases, supplemented by agriculture. There are absolutely no educated men among them, and, as long as machine-laundries are not introduced into the country, they have no reason to abandon the profession of their forefathers in pursuit of alien ones. In the matter of food and drink, as also in their dress and ornaments, they resemble the Nayars. Clothes, it may be mentioned, are never bought by Veluttedans, as they are always in possession, though temporarily, of other peoples' apparel. Tattooing prevails only in South Travancore. They cannot enter Brahmanical shrines, but are permitted to stand outside the talakkal or stone-paved walk round the inner sanctuary, by which the image is taken in daily procession. Besides standing here and worshipping the higher Hindu deities, they also engage in the propitiation of the minor village deities. There are two headmen in each village, who punish social delinquents, and preside over caste ceremonials. On the twenty-eighth day after the birth of a child, the name-giving ceremony is performed, and a thread is tied round the infant's neck. Those who can afford it celebrate the first food-giving. The tali-tying and sambandham ceremonies are performed separately, just like Nayars. The former is known as muhurtham or auspicious occasion. The marriage badge is called unta minnu or puliyilla minnu. The details of the marriage ceremony do not differ from those of the Nayars. The ayani unu, bhutakkalam, appam poli, and avaltitti are all important items, and, at least in South Travancore, seldom failed to be gone through. In poor families the mother, without any formal ceremonial, ties the tali of the girl before she is twelve years old, after an oblation of cooked food to the rising sun. This is called Bhagavan tali, or god's marriage ornament. Freedom of divorce and remarriage exist. The pulikuti (tamarind) is an indispensable ceremonial, to be gone through by a pregnant woman. Inheritance devolves in the female line (marumakkattayam). The clothes washed by Veluttedans are used by Nambutiri Brahmans, without previous washing as on the east coast, for all religious purposes; and clothes polluted by a member of a low caste are purified by the Veluttedan sprinkling ashes and water over them.

Vemu (margosa or nim: Melia Azadirachta).--An exogamous sept of Muka Dora.

Vengai Puli (cruel-handed tiger).--An exogamous section of Kallan.

Veralu Iche Kapulu or Velu Iche Kapulu (those who dedicate their fingers).--See Morasu.

Veshya (Sansk: Beshya).--A name denoting prostitute, applied to dancing-girls.

Vetagiri.--A Tamil class found in the Chingleput district. The members thereof are employed in hunting, cultivation, and the manufacture of wild date baskets. Their title is Nayakan.

Vettaikaran (hunter).--An occupational name of Boyas, Irulas, and Koravas, returned at times of census.

Vettile (betel vine: Piper Betle).--A kothu or tree of Kondaiyamkotti Maravans.

Vettiyan.--Vettiyan is the name applied to one of the officials of a Tamil Paraiyan settlement, who is also called Toti or Thotti. The former title is said to be more respectful as an appellation than the latter, but this is a distinction without a difference. [147] The name Vettiyan is said to be equivalent to Bittiyan (bitti, for nothing), or one who does service, e.g., collecting grass, firewood, etc., without remuneration. Toti is derived from thott, to go round, as he is the purveyor of news, and has to summon people to appear before the village tribunal, or from tondu, to dig.

The duties of the Vettiyan are multifarious. He it is who goes round the rice fields, and diverts the water-courses to the various fields, according to the rights of the ryots (agriculturists). The Vettiyan beats the drum for public notices and ceremonies. As a servant of Government, he has to carry the revenue which has been collected to the treasury. He is sometimes entrusted with large sums of money, and has never been known to abscond with it. It is said that the Village Munsiff will trust the Vettiyan, but not the Taliari, who is never sent alone with money. The Vettiyan is in charge of the burial ground, and those who repair thither have to pay him for his services. He is also the grave-digger, and officiates when a Paraiyan corpse is burnt or buried. Hence the Tamil proverb against meddling in what ought to be left to some one else:--"Let the Vettiyan and corpse struggle together." At a Paraiyan funeral, the Vettiyan, in some places, carries the pot of fire to the grave. To bring down rain, some of the lower classes, instead of addressing their prayers to the rain-god Varuna, try to induce a spirit or devata named Kodumpavi (wicked one) to send her paramour Sukra to the affected area. The belief seems to be that Sukra goes away to his concubine for about six months, and, if he does not return, drought ensues. The ceremony consists in making a huge figure of Kodumpavi in clay, which is placed on a cart, and dragged through the streets for seven to ten days. On the last day, the final death ceremonies of the figure are celebrated. It is disfigured, especially in those parts which are usually concealed. Vettiyans, who have been shaved, accompany the figure, and perform the funeral ceremonies. This procedure is believed to put Kodumpavi to shame, and to get her to induce Sukra to return and stay the drought.

At Paraiyan marriages certain pots are worshipped, and it is, in some places, the Vettiyan who says "The sun, the moon, the pots, and the owner of the girl have come to the marriage booth. So make haste, and fill the pots with water."

The office of the Vettiyan village official is hereditary, and the holder of it is entitled to some respect among his brethren, and to certain emoluments in kind, e.g., grain at the harvest season. There is a proverb that "whatever may be the wealth of the lord who comes to rule over him, his duty of supplying him with a bundle of grass is not to cease." This relates to the demands which were, and perhaps are still, made on him in rural parts of the country. In some places, lands, called Vettiyan Maniyam, are given rent-free to Vettiyans.

The Vettiyan is said to possess the right of removing dead cattle from villages, and in return to supply leather for agricultural purposes. He is further said to make drum heads and tom-toms from raw hides. [148]

The Vettiyans belong to the right-hand section during disputes between the right and left hand factions.

Vettuvan.--The Tamil Vettuvans are described, in the Madras Census Report, 1901, as "an agricultural and hunting caste, found mainly in Salem, Coimbatore, and Madura. The name means 'a hunter.' They are probably of the same stock as the Vedans, though the exact connection is not clear, but they now consider themselves superior to that caste, and are even taking to calling themselves Vettuva Vellalas. Tradition says that the Konga kings invited Vettuvans from the Chola and Pandya countries to assist them against the Keralas. Another story says that the caste helped the Chola king Aditya Varma to conquer the Kongu country during the latter part of the ninth century. In paragraph 538 of the Census Report, 1891, reference is made to the belief that the Vedans are identical with the Veddahs of Ceylon. In connection with this supposition, it is reported that the Vettuvans worship a goddess called Kandi-Amman, which may possibly mean 'the goddess of Kandy' (in Ceylon). Of the endogamous sections into which the caste is divided, the most numerically important are Venganchi, Kilangu (root), Pasari, Viragu (firewood), Pannadai (sheath of the cocoanut leaf), and Villi (bow). They have their own barbers, who seem also to form a separate sub-division, and are called Vettuva Ambattans or Navidans, both of which words mean barber. They are said to refuse to serve any one lower than a Konga Vellala. Nominally they are Hindus, but they are said to worship the seven Kannimars, or aboriginal goddesses, to whom the Irulas also pay homage. They eat meat and drink alcohol, though some of those who are endeavouring to increase their social repute are taking to vegetarianism. Widow marriage is forbidden. They either burn or bury the dead, but no ceremonies are performed for deceased ancestors. Their customs are thus a curious mixture of those followed by high castes and low ones. Their ordinary title is Kavandan."