VELL.A.LA , or Vellazhar, Vellaler or Vellan. Amongst the Tamil races who have adopted Brahmanism, the Vellala, alike in numbers and in social rank, take the chief place. They are very largely agricultural, and in the northern part of the Tamil country take the honorific appellation of Mudali or first man, which seems to be front the same root as; the word Mandal, the village headman of Bengal. In the southern districts they adopt that of Pillai. Their number in the Madras Presidency in 1881 was 1,770,669. The designation Vellala means charitable, and they claim to be Vaisya of the Blin-vansa or agricultural sec tion. They believe that they came from the north. They are shorter and darker than Brahmans, darker even than the Teling people; but they have, in general, well-formed countenances and graceful forms, though amongst them also occur the de cidedly African lip and nose and forehead of which Mr. Logan makes mention. Under the native
Tamil government this race alone was allowed to hold land in Tonda Mandalarn. The Vellaler are, to the present day, said to be of foreign origin. They are called the Ganga Kula, and are said to have come to the country on the invitation of Adondai of Tanjore, after overthrowing the Kurumbar, and to supply the deficient population of Tuluva-desain (modern Canara). A broken tribe of this name are said to wander about in the jungles of the Puducottah estate. They are scantily clothed, and subsist on the produce of the jungles. Srivigundam town in the Tinne velly district, in lat. 8° 38' 20" N., and long. 77° 57' 20" E., has a fort occupied by Natha Kothi Vellalers, a caste of Sudras who have peculiar customs. There is also a fine temple. The Vellala of Ceylon are chiefly in the low country.