Vellalar
Topic: Sangam Age and Early South India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"
Meaning
In Sangam literature, vellalar means the large landowners of early Tamil villages. The same texts mention two other groups. Uzhavar were ploughmen who worked the fields, and adimai were slaves. These groups show that village society in early Tamilakam was unequal. The gaps probably came from unequal access to land, to workers and to new farming tools and methods.
Example
In the fertile rice lands of the Kaveri delta under the Sangam Cholas, a vellalar family owned the fields. Uzhavar did the ploughing, and adimai did forced labour.
Don't confuse with
- Velar (in the Tolkappiyam): the grammar book Tolkappiyam uses velar as a broad word for farmers in its four-fold division of society. Vellalar means only the large landowners.
- Uzhavar: these were ploughmen who worked the land. They were not its owners.