List of Vellalars

Vellalar

Regions with significant populations
Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka
Languages
Tamil
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Tamil Brahmins

Vellalars are a group of numerically dominant landowning Tamil caste who traditionally pursued agriculture as a profession in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and parts of Sri Lanka.

Freedom fighters and leaders

• Marudhanayagam Pillai (also known as Muhammad Yusuf Khan or Khan Sahib) - He was the first freedom fighter and was called as the hero of Madurai, he was a brave man who defeated Puli Thevar and ruled his territory. He became a rebel and revolted against The British So, they hanged him. The British army cut his dead body into pieces due to the fear of him. The dead body that was cut down was buried elsewhere in Tamil Nadu.
• Dheeran Chinnamalai Gounder - Kongu chieftain and Palayakkarar from Tamil Nadu who rose up in revolt against the British East India Company in the Kongu Nadu, Southern India.
• Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai- also known as Kappalottiya Tamizhan and Sekkizutha Semmal, was an Indian freedom fighter and former leader of the Indian National Congress. He founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 to compete against the monopoly of the British India Steam Navigation Company.
• Chempakaraman Pillai- Chempakaraman Pillai was an Indian-born political activist and revolutionary. Born in Thiruvananthapuram, to Tamil Pillai parents, he left for Europe as a youth, where he spent the rest of his active life as an Indian nationalist and revolutionary.
• Vallal Pachaiyappa Mudaliyar - Notable Philanthropist.
• Thanapathi Pillai - The Minister and Military Commander of Veerapandiya Kattobomman.
• Ariyanatha Mudaliar - Minister of Vishwanatha Nayakar who divided the whole kingdom into 72 Palayams and appointed the Palaiyakarars.
• Thuppaki Gounder - Freedom Fighter from Sivagangai who worked with Marudhu Pandiyar against the British.
• Muthu Irulappa Pillai - The Chief Minister or 'Pradhani' Of Ramnad Kingdom. In 1789 He studied Vaigai River and Periyar River and Conceived the plan to build Mullaiperiyar Dam.
• Thandavarayan Pillai - The Chief Minister or 'Pradhani' of Sivagangai Kingdom.
• Kalingaraya Gounder - The Chieftain of Kongu Kingdom.

Politics

• C. Subramaniam Gounder - Father of the Indian Green Revolution, Vetaran Congress Leader, Former Union Finance Minister, Deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission, Governor of Maharashtra. Bharat Ratna (the nation's highest civilian honour) in 1998.
• Palanivel Thiagarajan - Dr. Palanivel Thiagarajan (PTR) is an Indian politician and the current Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services of Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election in 2016 and 2021 from Madurai Central.
• P.T.R Palanivel Rajan - Ponnambala Thyaga Rajan Palanivel Rajan (27 February 1932 – 20 May 2006) was an Indian politician.
• P.T Rajan - Sir Ponnambala Thiaga Rajan (22 April 1892 – 25 September 1974) was the First Minister of Madras Presidency from 4 April 1936, to 24 August 1936 (143 Days). He was also the last President of the Justice Party. P. T. Rajan was born in a Thondaimandala mudaliar family in Uthamapalayam.
• Edappadi K Palaniswami - Edappadi Karuppa Palaniswami (born 12 May 1954), often referred to by his initials E.P.S., is an Indian politician who is the current leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He served as the seventh chief minister of Tamil Nadu, from 2017 to 2021. He has been the General Secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) since 28 March 2023. Previously, Palaniswami has served as the interim general secretary (2022–23), joint co-ordinator (2017–22) and headquarters secretary (2016–22) of AIADMK.
• Annamalai Kuppusamy - Annamalai Kuppusamy is an Indian politician and former police officer. He was appointed as the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party of Tamil Nadu by National president Jagat Prakash Natta on 8 July 2021.

Spiritual

• Arumuka Navalar - born as Kandar Arumugam Pillai, a Hindu reformer.
• Appar - also referred to as Tirunāvukkarasar or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Śaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Vellalar family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is generally placed sometime between 570 and 650 CE.
• Nammalvar - He was one of the twelve Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu, India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of the Alvars are compiled as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, where praises are sung of 108 temples that are classified as divine realms, called the Divya Desams.
• Vallalar (Born - Ramalingam) - A Hindu Saint who said God is none other than Light and espoused the veneration of the radiant flame emanating from a lit lamp.
• Sekkizhar - Sēkkilān Mādēvadigal Rāmadēva (12th century CE), known popularly by his family name as Sekkizhar, was a saint and a contemporary of Kulottunga Chola II. He compiled and wrote the Periya Puranam (Great Story or Narrative) in 4253 verses, recounting the life stories of the sixty-three Shaiva Nayanars, the devotees of Shiva. Sekkilhar himself was later canonised and his work, the Periyapuranam became the twelfth and final book of the sacred Saiva canon.

Literature

• Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai - was a Tamil poet. Asiya Jothi, Nanjil Nattu Marumakkal Vazhi Manmiyam, and the translation of the work of Omar Khayyam are his masterpieces. He is known for his poetry. In 1940 the Tamil Sangam at its 7th annual conference held at Madras (now Chennai) honoured Desigavinayagam Pillai with the title "Kavimani". On 21 October 2005, he was commemorated on an Indian postage stamp.
• Mahavidvaan Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai - He was a Tamil scholar and teacher of U. V. Swaminatha Iyer, a Tamil scholar and researcher who was instrumental in bringing many long-forgotten works of classical Tamil literature to light. Pillai's important contribution is in the form of temple history called Thala Varalaru for ninety temples in Tamil Nadu.
• Thirikooda Rasappa Kavirayar - The author of Thirukutrala Kuravanji.
• Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai - He was an Indian scholar, noted for the famous Tamil drama Manonmaniyam. as well as the state song of Tamil Nadu Tamil Thai Valthu.
• Venkatarama Ramalingam Pillai - sometimes called Namakkal Kavignar, was a Tamil poet from Tamil Nadu, India and independence fighter who wrote poems about independence. He wrote hundreds of poems. He also participated in the Salt Satyagraha against the British government in 1930 and went to jail for one year. He received the "Padmabhushan" award in 1971 from the Indian government.

Arts and Cinema

• Surya Sivakumar - Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor and film producer. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors.
• Karthik Sivakumar - Karthik Sivakumar (born 25 May 1977), known as Karthi, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He has won three Filmfare Awards South, an Edison Award, two SIIMA Award and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
• Sivakumar - Palaniswamy (born 27 October 1941), better known by his stage name Sivakumar, is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has portrayed a wide range of leading and supporting roles onscreen in Tamil cinema and television.
• Josheph Vijay - Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar (born 22 June 1974), known professionally as Vijay, is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning in just over 3 decades, Vijay has acted in over 65 films and is one of the most commercially successful actors in Tamil cinema with multiple films amongst the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time and is amongst the highest paid actors in India.
• SA Chandrasekhar - S. A. Chandrasekar (born 2 July 1943) is an Indian film director, producer, writer, and actor who primarily works within Kollywood. He made his directorial debut with Aval Oru Pachai Kuzhanthai (1978), He got his breakthrough with Sattam Oru Iruttarai (1981). He has directed over 70 movies in all south Indian languages, and is known for directing films focusing on social issues.
• Sathyaraj - Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who appears predominantly in Tamil films. He also appears in works in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi.
• Kalaivanar N.S Krishnan - Nagercoil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan, popularly known as Kalaivanar (lit. 'Lover of arts') and also as NSK, was an Indian actor, comedian, theatre artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry – in the 1940s and 1950s. He is considered as the "Charlie Chaplin of India."
• Arun Vijay - (born 19 November 1977), formerly known as Arun Kumar, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He also starred in a few films in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.
• Vijayakumar - Panchaksharam Rangasamy Pillai (born 29 August 1943), known professionally as Vijayakumar, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. His son is actor Arun Vijay.
• Sundar C - Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1968), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, writer, actor and producer who works in Tamil cinema. He has directed over 30 films and received the Kalaimamani award.
• Vadivelu - Kumaravadivel Natarajan known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and occasional playback singer, having acted mainly in Tamil movies. He has at least 200 credits to his filmography and several awards including three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Best Comedian.