Mudaliar

Mudliar, Mudaliars also Mudaliyar , Mudliyar',Mudali or Moodley is a caste title used by the people belonging to various Tamil castes and in the Tamil diaspora. Castes using Mudaliar title speak Tamil as their native language, though a few may speak Malayalam.

Etymology

The surname is derived from the honorary title Mudali meaning a person of first rank in the Tamil Chola feudal society which was bestowed upon top-ranking bureaucratic officials and army commanders in medieval South India. The surname is generally prevalent among Indian Tamils (Nattar) and the Tamil diaspora though it is also used in other parts of South India. literally meaning The first citizens or first ones after his son Athondai had won the battle against Kurumbars.

Thondaimandala Mudaliars are the natives of Tamil Nadu, from time immemorial. This community with rich heritage, traditions and civilization and known for their honesty, intelligence, valour, loyalty and administrative ability were occupying high positions like ministers, army chiefs, regional rulers etc. in various southern kingdoms.

Vellala Mudaliar

Vellala Mudaliars are a community from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are land-owning feudal castes and are a part of the Vellalar caste.

Origin of Vellalar

The name Vellalar is derived from two words namely Vellam meaning flood in Tamil and alar meaning ruler or controller. Thus Vellalar means "controller of floods". The word Velanmai means agriculture in Tamil. Sometimes they are also referred to as Karalar which means "lord of the clouds" in Tamil.

Sub-castes

The Vellala Mudaliar community comprises castes which use the Mudaliar title predominantly, such as

The following is a detailed list of Vellalar sub-castes using the Mudaliar title distributed throughout the state of Tamil Nadu:

They otherwise use the caste title Pillai if they do not use the Mudaliar title.

Distribution

Vellala Mudaliars are distributed throughout the state of Tamil Nadu. However, they form a significant proportion of population in the districts of Thondaimandalam. Vellala Mudaliars also form a sizeable population in the central and southern districts of Tamil Nadu.