Tamil Kshatriya
Tamil Kshatriyas are a group of Hindus belonging to the Kshatriya caste who spoke the Tamil language and ruled much of the present day Tamil Nadu and Kerala during the first millenum. Large parts of the present day Sri Lanka were also ruled by Tamil Kshatriyas.[1] Many of the royal clans now living in Kerala are also thought to have been descended from Tamil Kshatriyas.[2]
Ancient period
The Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas royal dynasties who ruled Southern India were originally Tamil speaking. The Cheras are thought to have been descended from Fire and therefore Agnivanshi, the Cholas from the sun (Suryavanshi) and the Pandyas from the moon (Chandravanshi).[3]
Present period
Modern scholars consider the high ranking Vellalar subcastes as the scions of the ancient Tamil aristocracy.[4][5][6]
Scholars consider the high ranking Vellalar castes Kongu Vellalar, Chozhia Vellalar, etc., are the scions of the ancient Tamil aristocracy[4][7][8].
Denotified Communities in the Mukkulathor corpus Kallars, Maravars and Agamudaiyar are descendents of the great (Kalabhra) invaders from Odra desam and Sallia desam of the north, who are called 'Oddiars' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odisha#Origin_of_the_name_of_the_State as per the Nanjai Idayar copper plate inscriptions[9].
The equally fierce Muthurajas of Tamil nadu also see Mudiraju, Vettuva Gounders, Ambalakkarars, Urali gounders and other Denotified Communities under their ancestor Muttani Raja descendent of Kannappa Nayanar of Kalahasti, frontier place between the Tamil lands and, according to the plates were invited by the Chera, Chola and Pandya kings to face the Oddiars. These people are still called vadugar or the people from the north. Sundarar mentions these people as 'Vadugar' people from the immediate north i.e Andhra Pradesh [10]. Some historians even count the Vanniyars with their prime deity Periyandavar (Peddaranaswamy), Pedda being Telugu for 'big', as part of the 'Vadugar' corpus.
The above two rival fierce peoples, the Oddiar - Salliars and the Vadugar (also called Vadugu, Pidugu and Mudugu) have made Tamil Nadu as their homeland ever since. The Vellala hegemony over the Tamil regions was broken at this time thereby ushering the end of the Golden age of Tamils, the Sangam period and the beginning of the Kalabhra interregnum.
References
- ^ Tamil culture in Ceylon: a general introduction By M. D. Raghavan [1]
- ^ History of medieval Kerala By V. K. R. Menon, Rathi Ramachandran, Girija Narayanan, Ammini Ramachandran [2]
- ^ Malabar, Volume 1
- ^ a b Ancient Indian History and Civilization By Sailendrda Nath Sen page 205 & 207: "... the Vellalars were the aristocratic classe and were held in high esteem..."[3]
- ^ The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago by V.Kanakasahai page 113: "The Chera, Chola and Pandyan kings and most of the petty chiefs of Tamilakam belonged to the tribe of Vellâlas." [4]
- ^ Tamil studies: essays on the history of the Tamil people, language, religion and literature By Muttusvami Srinivasa Aiyangar pages 63: "No traces of the Tamil kings are to be found at present in this country, and it is highly probable that they should have merged in the pure Vellala caste." [5][6]
- ^ The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago by V.Kanakasahai page 113: "The Chera, Chola and Pandyan kings and most of the petty chiefs of Tamilakam belonged to the tribe of Vellâlas." [7]
- ^ Tamil studies: essays on the history of the Tamil people, language, religion and literature By Muttusvami Srinivasa Aiyangar pages 63: "No traces of the Tamil kings are to be found at present in this country, and it is highly probable that they should have merged in the pure Vellala caste." [8][9]
- ^ http://www.archive.org/stream/p1salemrich01richuoft#page/148/mode/2up
- ^ http://www.thevaaram.org/thirumurai_1/songview.php?thiru=7&Song_idField=7049&padhi=100+&button=%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95