Vellalan unspecified in India

Introduction / History

The Vellalan or Vellalar of south India have a long and proud history. They served as the landed aristocracy and as military officers and court officials in the three great Tamil dynasties. They were patrons of literature and the arts. The Vellalans made up the majority of government leaders and administrators in south India during the British period. Lower castes began calling themselves Vellalans and acting like them in order to gain their high status.

Today the Vellalans continue to be agricultural landowners, military officers, businesspersons, Tamil scholars and temple patrons. They are considered by the Indian government to be a forward or more successful caste so they are not eligible for special places in education and public service. The primary language of the Vellalans is Tamil. They also speak other regional languages such as Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.

All Vellalans originally came from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Some migrated to other south Indian states such as Kerala and Karnataka. Some have moved to the island nation of Sri Lanka.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Vellalans live at the highest levels of south Indian society. They are leaders in business, education and agricultural affairs. They take pride in their ancient Tamil heritage and are leading scholars in Tamil historical studies.

The Vellalans are endogamous, that is they marry within their families and clans. Cousin marriages are common. Sons inherit property from their parents. Many prefer to use their own priests rather than Brahmins in important life ceremonies.

Many Vellalans are vegetarians. Others eat meat but refrain from beef.

Their dead are either cremated or buried.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The vast majority of Vellalans are Hindus. They worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Many follow a branch of Hinduism called Saiva Siddhantam. In this Hindu order adherents desire to be enlightened by Lord Shiva or Siva, one of the three main gods of Hinduism. Some Vellalans join monasteries and propagate the teachings of Shiva.

A tiny minority of Vellalans are Christians.

What Are Their Needs?

The Vellalans need to hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ in a way they can understand. They need to see themselves as sinners in need of the Savior. They need to see Christianity lived out in a real way before them. They need to realize that Shiva will not meet their spiritual needs but Lord Jesus will.

Prayer Points

Pray the Christian Vellalans would grow in the faith and reach out to their brothers and sisters with the gospel.
Pray that God would create a spiritual hunger in the Vellalans that can only be met by the God of the Bible.
Pray that many Vellalans would come humbly to our Savior and that growing churches would be planted in the Vellalan community.

Text Source:   Joshua Project