Pillai (Tamil:[piɭːai]) is a Tamil surname traditionally associated with the Vellalar community, a dominant agrarian and land-owning group in Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka[1][2]. The term Pillai is believed to have originated as an honorific title meaning "child" or "son," connoting nobility and respect.[3] Over time, it became a hereditary surname commonly associated with upper-caste Tamils, especially those involved in land administration and temple management.
The Pillai surname of Tamil Nadu is distinct from the Pillai title associated with Kerala Pillai, The two are unrelated.[4]
Etymology and Origin
The term Pillai derives from the Tamil word pillai (பிள்ளை), which means "child" or "son," symbolizing status, respect, and lineage.[5] Historical records suggest that the title was first conferred by Tamil kings and later adopted as a surname by prominent families in the Tamil regions. It was particularly associated with the Vellalar community, a caste traditionally involved in agriculture, land ownership, and governance.
History
Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, Pillai was predominantly used by the Vellalar caste, who were landowners and administrators under various Tamil kingdoms, including the Cholas, Pandyas, and Vijayanagara Empire. The title was often granted to individuals for their loyalty and service to the state, especially in administrative and military capacities.[6]
The Vellalar Pillais played a significant role in temple administration, overseeing donations, rituals, and land management. The prominence of the Pillai title in Tamil Nadu peaked during the medieval period when many Pillais were recorded as holding influential positions in local governance and as temple trustees.[7]
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan Vellalars share partially common origins with the Vellalars of Tamil Nadu. The Vellalar traditionally inhabited the Sangam landscape of Marutham.[8] The earliest reference to the Vellalar, however, written in Tamil: வேளாளர், romanized: Vēḷāḷar, is attested to in the Akanaṉūṟu, which divided the society into four classes Arasar,Andanar, Vanigar, and Vellalar.[9][10] The Vellalar mentioned in Akanaṉūṟu was a generic term for all agriculturists.[10][11] In Tamil Nadu, however, the Vellalars gradually phased out their name with the generic one, thus, blurring its original meaning. There were two types of the Vellalars, the cultivators called Velkudi Ulavar and the wealthy landowners called Kaniyalar or Kodikkalar.[12] The Vellalar tribes are described as a landed gentry who irrigated the wet lands and the Karalar (use Vellalar as title) were the landed gentry in the dry lands. Karalar means "lord of clouds".[13]
Social and Cultural Significance
The Pillai surname is closely tied to Tamil culture and social hierarchy. It is traditionally associated with notions of prestige and respectability. The title's widespread use among Vellalars reflects their historical dominance in agrarian and administrative spheres.
While primarily associated with the Vellalar caste, The surname has also been adopted by some castes in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka as a means of social upliftment, including the Konar, Agamudaiyar[14] and some other caste. These surnames have been considered markers of elevated social status and cultural identity in the respective communities.[a]
Notable People
Ashan Pillai (born in Sri Lanka, 1969), British violist and academic
Gooty Kesava Pillai (1860–1933), Indian journalist and freedom-fighter. Delegate from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh at the first session of the Indian National Congress.
^To be a Vellala in Tamil agrarian society meant an ancient entitlement to superior social status. Caste, therefore, legitimised eco- nomic entitlement. It was not enough to have entitlements over resources; it was also necessary, in the Tamil agrarian social order, to have these entitlements legitimised through Vellala status, or at least a Vellala honorific.[15]
