Todupuzha Vellala caste is surname of many people in southern India. Todupuzha Vellala caste meaning is For the following note, I am indebted to Mr. N. Subramani Aiyar. Besides the Nanchinad Vellalas, there are, in Travancore, two sections of the Vellala caste, inhabiting the mountainous Todupuzha taluk. These are the Tenkanchi and Kumbakonam Vellalas. The former are known by the popular name of Anjuttilkar, or the five hundred, and the latter are designated Munnutilkar, or the three hundred, in reference to the number of families which originally settled in the taluk. Like the Nanchinad Vellalas, they take the title of Pillai, and, in special cases, the honorific prefix Kanakku.
The Tenkanchi Vellalas appear to have dwelt originally in the Tenkasi taluk of the Tinnevelly district, and to have emigrated, as the legend goes, on account of the demand of a Vaduka ruler for the hand of a member of their community in marriage. The Vadakkumkur Rajas were ruling over Todupuzha at the time of their migration, and afforded them a safe asylum. The Kumbakonam Vellalas believe that they emigrated to Travancore about the commencement of the Malabar era from Kumbakonam in the Tanjore district. Both divisions speak Malayalam, but there are clear indications in their speech that their mother-tongue was once Tamil, and they always use that language in their ceremonial writings. The Anjuttilkar women have [168]adopted the dress and ornaments of the Nayars. Both sections wear the tuft of hair in front, but the Munnutilkar women do not tie the hair on the left side like the Nayars and Anjuttilkars, but behind like the Pandi Vellalas. Nor do the Anjuttilkar women wear a white dress like the Tenkanchis, but a coloured cloth, sixteen cubits in length, in orthodox Tamil fashion. Again, while the Tenkanchi women largely resort to the todu and other Nayar ornaments, the Kumbakonam women are more conservative, and wear only the pampadam and melidu, though they sometimes wear jewels, such as the nagapata tali for the neck. Both sections are Saivites, in the sense that they abstain from flesh and fish.
Their principal occupation is agriculture. They worship the two mountain deities Bhadrakali and Durga. In the Kirikkot muri of the Karikkod property there is a temple dedicated to Siva or Unnamalanathar, with a large amount of property attached to it. This belongs to the Tenkanchi Vellalas, and a Malayalam Brahman performs the priestly functions. The Kumbakonam Vellalas have their own temples, such as the Ankalamma koil, Annamala matam, Virabhadran koil, etc, and worship, besides the principal gods of the Hindu pantheon, such minor deities as Virabhadran, Karuppan, Bhairavan, Mariamman, and Muttaramman. The priests of both sections are East Coast Brahmans, who live in the Todupuzha taluk. As their profession is regarded by other Brahmans as degrading, they, especially in the case of the Kumbakonam Vellalas, perform their duties stealthily. The headman of the Kumbakonam section lives in the Periyakulam taluk of the Madura district, and, by his order, an image of Siva is worshipped at their homes.[169]
Divorce is not permitted on any ground, and, in ancient days, widow remarriage was forbidden. There is a legend that a woman of this caste, who was a friend of the daughter of a certain Vadakkumkur Rajah, was so aggrieved at the news of her newly married husbands death that, at her intercession, the Rajah issued a proclamation permitting the remarriage of widows. If no husband has been found for a girl before she reaches puberty, certain propitiatory rites have to be performed, at which one of her female relations represents her. On the fourth day of the marriage ceremony, the bride and bridegroom, before they bathe, rub each others bodies with oil, and, going to a large caldron containing water, throw a gold and silver ring into it, and pick them out three times. Inheritance of both sections is from father to son (makkathayam). A sambandham alliance does not confer any rite of inheritance.
The names of both sections are such as are unknown among Nayars, e.g, Sivalingam, Arunachalam, Chidambaram, Arumukham. The Tenkanchis are considered to be higher in the social scale than the Kumbakonam section, as they observe only twelve days death pollution, whereas the latter are under pollution for sixteen days. The Tenkanchis may enter the temple, and, like Nayars, stand on the left side of the inner shrine, whereas the Kumbakonam Vellalas may proceed only as far as the balikkalpura, or out-house of the temple, and not enter the nalambalam. Again, butter-milk is freely received by Brahmans from the Tenkanchis, but not from members of the Kumbakonam section. While Pandi Vellalas will not receive food from the Tenkanchis, or give their daughters in marriage to them, the latter will not intermarry with the Nanchinad Vellalas.[170]
Todupuzha Vellala caste is one of the many castes subcastes of India.
India has thousands of castes and subcastes, they are in existence and practice since the Vedic times. They were created to solve the problem of division of labor. Todupuzha Vellala caste name could indicate the type of work people belonging to the Todupuzha Vellala caste do or did in earlier times. Many last names in India indicate the place the person originally belongs to. All castes sub castes are primarily divided into 4 categories:
1.Brahmins – The learned or priestly class
2.Khastriyas – The warrior class or those with governing functions
3.Vaishyas – The trader, agriculturalists or cattle rearers class
4.Shudra – The class that serves other three categories
Todupuzha Vellala caste belongs to one of the above 4 categories. Indian caste system is the best system to solve the problem of division of labor. In earlier times there was no rigidity in caste system. Indian caste system is still the best solution for the problem of division of labor, the only change that is needed as per changed times is that rather than having a vertical hierarchical system with Brahmins on top and Shudras at bottom, it would be good to have a horizontal socialist system with Brahmins, Khastriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras all at same level.
The caste system of India is in ruins at present. It is also cause of bloody quarrels in certain parts of the rural India. People of backward castes have reservations in government jobs, this facility is widely misused in India. Many of the backward caste people have become rich and still use the facility for their benefit. Many in India believe reservation in jobs should be given on the basis of poverty rather than caste because there are many poors in upper castes as well.
Many criticize the Indian caste system because of bad material condition of lower castes but if they observe in an unbiased way they would find that there are many in upper castes with bad material conditions. The problem lies in power not in castes, power can corrupt anyone be it from upper caste or lower caste.
All cultures, all countries, all religions have caste system in one form or the other. Christians have different churches depending on the region or language or skin color of people. Muslims have a priestly class that tries to control everything. Arab Muslims before the oil boom were so much divided among tribes that if you drank water from a well of a different tribe you could be shot dead. Tribal divisions still exists among Muslims. You can also see the caste system in a different form in your corporate companies. I had seen different food and drinking facilities for people at different levels.
Todupuzha Vellala caste is also known as Todupuzha Vellala Gotra.
Caste situation is quiet different in urban India, people in urban areas especially youngsters don?t bother about castes. Inter caste, inter religious, inter lingual marriages are quiet common in urban India. Inter caste, inter religious and inter lingual marriages in rural areas attract severe criticism and many times people are expelled from community for not marrying as per religious and caste rules.