Vettuva Gounder
Encyclopedia
Gounders or Vettuva Gounders, are also known as Vettuva Goundan and Vettuvar, are members of an India
n caste
with a primarily agricultural family background. Their origins lie in the Kongu Nadu region of Tamil Nadu. The Vettuva Gounders are descendants of Siva Baktha Kannappa Nayanar. Historically, they lived as kings, pattakaarars, palayakkaarars, padaithalaivars, oor gounders and pannayars. The Vetttuva Gounders are often referred as ‘Aanda Vamsam’ (Tamil:ஆண்ட வம்சம்) which means ‘the ruled commmunity’. Some part of Tamil Nadu especially full of Kongu nadu Vettuva Gounders are also called as Puluva Gounders where their ancestral brothers divided into two parts. They are an endogamous social group
of indigenous tamil aborigines, a Tamil
speaking people in the Erode
area of the western Tamil Nadu
state.
. It is etymologically related to and . Vettuva Pulayar is the name of a significant caste in Kerala
.
Due to a heritage of culture and civilization, the Vettuva Gounders became a respected class. They are usually referred to as Ooru Gounders, meaning "head of the village". The internal divisions between the Vettuva Gounders and the Vellalar
s of Tamil Nadu show similarities. Both communities assimilated clans of hunters into settled agricultural societies.
, Erode
, Madurai
, Karur
, Trichy, Coimbatore
and Thirunelveli. The Bhavanishakar constituency in the Erode district has been represented by Vettuva Gounders for the past twenty-five years.
worship was introduced to Tamil society by the Vettuvars, who are noted as worshipping Muruga as a god as far back as the Tholkappiyam He was believed to transcend among those who were into veriyattam.
during the Sangam period, around 200 A.D. He is praised as one of the seven great philanthropists of ancient Tamil Nadu. His valor and marksmanship are sung by several poets, and his exploits are a popular part of folklore. The region, consisting of 18 nadus (villages) including the present Rasipuram and Senthamangalam, were under his rule. The Tamil literary works also talk about his valour and archery skills. It is believed that he once killed an elephant, tiger, deer, wild boar and monitor lizard with a single arrow. The Valvil Ori festival is organised here every year during the month of August by Government of Tamil Nadu
and Vettuva Gounders assemble and celebrate the function.
hills were ruled by Vettuva King Kadiya Nedu Vettuvan during the Sangam Period.
region was ruled by the Gounder king Allalan Ilaya Nayakan dynasty. It is evident from inscriptions and ancient copper plates that Vettuva Gounders constructed dams for irrigation purposes. Allalan Ilaya Nayakar ruled from Vadakarai Aththur, Paramathi Seemai (Velur, Namakkal) during the Madhurai Thirumalai nayakkar period. He belongs to ‘moola vettuva Gounder’ which is a sub sect of the Vettuva Gounders. Nayakkar was the title given to him by Madhurai Nayakkars in the token of love. The Nageswara temple is said to have been built by Arai Immudi Allala elayan (one of the king from Allalan dynasty) and its Vimanam by Vettuva Sengodan of Sirumolasi in 1685. Raja temple at Nanjai Edaiyaar was built in the memory of this king by Thirumalai Nayak
dynanty. Allaalan Immudi Thirumalai Ilaiyaan ruled during the period of the Madurai Thirumalai Nayakkars (AD 1622 - 1659). The Madurai Thirumalai Nayakkar gave respect to Allaalan Immudi Thirumalai Ilaiyaan by offering Sariyaasanam (giving royal chair equal to him, which was considered as a great respect in those periods) for taming a rage horse. The Thirumalai Nayakkar gave Nayak title and the authority to rule the ‘Araiyanaadu’ which comprises of 36 nadu’s (towns). This is evident from the Pattayam. Even though river Cauvery runs through kongunadu, none was able to use it for irrigation since the river bed was highly lower when compared to the agricultural lands. But in the East bank of river Cauvery, at jedarpalayam the king constructed a dam which helps the people in this region for irrigating their lands. The vaikaal (canal) is named as ‘raasavaikaal’ literally meaning The Raja’s Canal’.
The Irukkur Pattakarars ruled the region with Vadagarai aththur as their capital.
in the Annamar stories. King Thalaiyur Kaali was a Kaali bhakthan. He offered his prayers at Bhrama Kaali temple, Thalaiyur. The King was said for his bravery and war tactics. The weapons used by the King are being worshipped during Ayutha poojai. Masi thiruvizha festival is very famous in Bhrama Kaali temple. The Vettuva Gounders from various parts of Kongunadu assembles and gets blessings from Kaaliamman.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
with a primarily agricultural family background. Their origins lie in the Kongu Nadu region of Tamil Nadu. The Vettuva Gounders are descendants of Siva Baktha Kannappa Nayanar. Historically, they lived as kings, pattakaarars, palayakkaarars, padaithalaivars, oor gounders and pannayars. The Vetttuva Gounders are often referred as ‘Aanda Vamsam’ (Tamil:ஆண்ட வம்சம்) which means ‘the ruled commmunity’. Some part of Tamil Nadu especially full of Kongu nadu Vettuva Gounders are also called as Puluva Gounders where their ancestral brothers divided into two parts. They are an endogamous social group
Endogamous group
Endogamous group is a community in which the members generally marry within the group. The caste in India and the tribes in many of the cultural regions of the world form endogamous groups....
of indigenous tamil aborigines, a Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
speaking people in the Erode
Erode
Erode is a city, a municipal corporation and the headquarters of Erode district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.It is situated at the center of the South Indian Peninsula, about southwest from the state capital Chennai and on the banks of the rivers Cauvery and Bhavani, between 11° 19.5"...
area of the western Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
state.
Etymology
The name is derived from the Sangam Tamil word Vettuvar, Vettuvan, Eyinan, Malavar, Kaanavan or Vetan, i.e. "hunter" who are ancient Tamil Aborigins. The term Vettuvan refers to Sangam Tamil Kings Kadiya Nedu Vettuvan, Valvil Ori, Kandira Koperunalli, Ilam Kandirakko, Kodumudi, Ay Andiran, Ay Eyinan, Anni, Arukai etc., The Vettuvars are the mostly referred social group in the Tamil Sangam literatureSangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
. It is etymologically related to and . Vettuva Pulayar is the name of a significant caste in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.
Due to a heritage of culture and civilization, the Vettuva Gounders became a respected class. They are usually referred to as Ooru Gounders, meaning "head of the village". The internal divisions between the Vettuva Gounders and the Vellalar
Vellalar
Vellalars were, originally, an elite caste of Tamil agricultural landlords in Tamil Nadu, Kerala states in India and in neighbouring Sri Lanka; they were the nobility, aristocracy of the ancient Tamil order and had close relations with the different royal dynasties...
s of Tamil Nadu show similarities. Both communities assimilated clans of hunters into settled agricultural societies.
Origin
The Vettuva Gounders claim the lineage of Siva Bhakta Kannapa Nayanaar. Sangam literature, which is considered to be unreliable by modern scholars, placed them as ancient Tamil aborigines. Today most Vettuva Gounders live in the districts of Salem, Tamil Nadu, NamakkalNamakkal District
Namakkal District is an administrative district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The district was bifurcated from Salem District with Namakkal town as Head Quarters on 25-07-1996 and started to function independently from 01-01-1997...
, Erode
Erode District
Erode District is a western district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with Erode as its headquarters. Until the year 1996, Erode district was called as Periyar District....
, Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, Karur
Karur District
Karur District is located center along the Kaveri & Amaravati rivers in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. The main town in Karur District is the city of Karur, which is also the district headquarter. It had a population of 935,686 as of 2001. It is 33.27% urbanized as per Census 2001...
, Trichy, Coimbatore
Coimbatore District
Coimbatore District is one of the more affluent and industrially advanced districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is known as the Manchester of South India. It one of the most industrialized towns of Tamil Nadu. It has the highest GDP among the districts of Tamil Nadu, even ahead...
and Thirunelveli. The Bhavanishakar constituency in the Erode district has been represented by Vettuva Gounders for the past twenty-five years.
Origins of Muruga worship
MuruganMurugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
worship was introduced to Tamil society by the Vettuvars, who are noted as worshipping Muruga as a god as far back as the Tholkappiyam He was believed to transcend among those who were into veriyattam.
Gounder Kings
There have been numerous Vettuvar kings. During the Sangam period these included Valvil Ori, Kadiya Nedu Vettuvan, Kandira Koperunalli, Ilam Kandirakko, Kodumudi, Ay Andiran, Ay Eyinan, Anni, and Arukai. Others were Venjaman, Allalan Ilaya Nayakan, Kunni Vettuva Raja, Siruthalai Vettuva Raja, Villi Vettuva Mannan, Thalaiyur Kaali Mannan, Gopanna Mandradiar.Valvil Ori
Valvil Ori, the Vettuva Gounder ruler, who ruled the Kolli HillsKolli Hills
Kolli Hills or Kolli Malai is a small mountain range located in central Tamil Nadu in Namakkal district of India. The mountains are about 1000 to 1300 m in height and cover an area of approximately 280 km². The Kolli Hills has 72 hair pin bends to reach the top of the hills...
during the Sangam period, around 200 A.D. He is praised as one of the seven great philanthropists of ancient Tamil Nadu. His valor and marksmanship are sung by several poets, and his exploits are a popular part of folklore. The region, consisting of 18 nadus (villages) including the present Rasipuram and Senthamangalam, were under his rule. The Tamil literary works also talk about his valour and archery skills. It is believed that he once killed an elephant, tiger, deer, wild boar and monitor lizard with a single arrow. The Valvil Ori festival is organised here every year during the month of August by Government of Tamil Nadu
Government of Tamil Nadu
The Government of Tamil Nadu, headquartered at Chennai is the governing authority for the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at the Fort St. George...
and Vettuva Gounders assemble and celebrate the function.
Kadiya Nedu Vettuvan
The KodaikanalKodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
hills were ruled by Vettuva King Kadiya Nedu Vettuvan during the Sangam Period.
Allalan Ilaiya Nayakan
The ParamathiParamathi
Paramathi is a panchayat town in Namakkal district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Paramathi had a population of 10,957. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Paramathi has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:...
region was ruled by the Gounder king Allalan Ilaya Nayakan dynasty. It is evident from inscriptions and ancient copper plates that Vettuva Gounders constructed dams for irrigation purposes. Allalan Ilaya Nayakar ruled from Vadakarai Aththur, Paramathi Seemai (Velur, Namakkal) during the Madhurai Thirumalai nayakkar period. He belongs to ‘moola vettuva Gounder’ which is a sub sect of the Vettuva Gounders. Nayakkar was the title given to him by Madhurai Nayakkars in the token of love. The Nageswara temple is said to have been built by Arai Immudi Allala elayan (one of the king from Allalan dynasty) and its Vimanam by Vettuva Sengodan of Sirumolasi in 1685. Raja temple at Nanjai Edaiyaar was built in the memory of this king by Thirumalai Nayak
Thirumalai Nayak
Thirumalai Nayak ruled Madurai between 1623 to 1659 CE. He was the most notable of the thirteen Madurai Nayak rulers in the 17th century. His contributions are found in the many splendid buildings and temples of Madurai. His kingdom was under constant threat from the armies of Delhi Sultanate and...
dynanty. Allaalan Immudi Thirumalai Ilaiyaan ruled during the period of the Madurai Thirumalai Nayakkars (AD 1622 - 1659). The Madurai Thirumalai Nayakkar gave respect to Allaalan Immudi Thirumalai Ilaiyaan by offering Sariyaasanam (giving royal chair equal to him, which was considered as a great respect in those periods) for taming a rage horse. The Thirumalai Nayakkar gave Nayak title and the authority to rule the ‘Araiyanaadu’ which comprises of 36 nadu’s (towns). This is evident from the Pattayam. Even though river Cauvery runs through kongunadu, none was able to use it for irrigation since the river bed was highly lower when compared to the agricultural lands. But in the East bank of river Cauvery, at jedarpalayam the king constructed a dam which helps the people in this region for irrigating their lands. The vaikaal (canal) is named as ‘raasavaikaal’ literally meaning The Raja’s Canal’.
The Irukkur Pattakarars ruled the region with Vadagarai aththur as their capital.
Thalaiyur Kaali Mannan
The Gounder King Thalaiyur Kaali ruled from Thalaiya Nadu. Kaali Gounder was the Gounder king who was said to be faught with Ponnar ShankarPonnar Shankar
Ponnar and Shankar, who became rulers of Ponni Valanadu in medieval Tamil Nadu, South India, were twin sons of a Kongu Vellalar couple, Nellian Kodan and his wife Thamarai...
in the Annamar stories. King Thalaiyur Kaali was a Kaali bhakthan. He offered his prayers at Bhrama Kaali temple, Thalaiyur. The King was said for his bravery and war tactics. The weapons used by the King are being worshipped during Ayutha poojai. Masi thiruvizha festival is very famous in Bhrama Kaali temple. The Vettuva Gounders from various parts of Kongunadu assembles and gets blessings from Kaaliamman.
Notable people
- O. S. Duraisamy GounderO. S. Duraisamy GounderO.S Durisamy Gounder is a politician from Tamil Nadu. Gounder, commonly known as OSD is from a wealthy, landowning family. As a seasoned politician and well polished man, he held the Member of the Legislative Council positions in the State Assembly in Tamil Nadu, India in the Cabinet of M. G...
, Ex.MLC,Kottarathotam, Erode. - O. SubramanianO. SubramanianO. Subramanian is an Indian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Sivaganga constituency in 1977 and 1984 elections and as a Indian National Congress candidate in...
,Ex. MLA, Bhavanisagar. - V. K. ChinnasamyV. K. ChinnasamyV. K. Chinnasamy is an Indian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate from Bhavanisagar constituency in 1977, 1984 and 1991 elections and as an Anna Dravida Munnetra...
, Ex. MP Gobichettipalayam, MLA Bhavanisagar. - Saidai Sa. DuraisamySaidai Sa. DuraisamySaidai Samiyappan Duraisamy is an Indian Politician and incumbent Mayor of Corporation of Chennai. He is also the first candidate of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party to emerge victorious as the Mayor of Chennai....
, Saidapet Ex. MLA,and present Mayor of Chennai