Pillai or Pillay, (IPA:[piɭːai̯]) meaning "Child of King" (Prince) or "Child",[1] is a surname found among the Malayalam and Tamil-speaking people of India and Sri Lanka.
According to epigraphic records, Pillai is an ancient title back to the Sangam Era that was used as a suffix and given to junior members of the royal family.[8] Originally a title meaning "royal child" or "Child of King" (prince), denoting nobility.[1] The title occurs both as a single name or as a suffix to the name, it came to be given to administrators of temples; often holding large estates on behalf of the latter.[9]
In Kerala, the usage of the Pillai surname began with the royal family of Kerala. "Pillai" traditionally signifies a child of a royal family or prince. Pillai is a surname reserved for junior members of the Kerala royal family who are descendants of Survyanshi and Chandravanshi Kshatriyas.
In the 12th century, with the formation of the Kulashekara Kingdom based in Kollam (later known as Venad), the culture of Pillai nomenclature underwent significant changes. The Kulashekara Kings started using Pilla as an honorific title for their chieftains and lords, rather than members of the royal family. Members of the royal family now have a uniformed surname - Varma, while children of the King who are not part of the royal family (due to the following of Marumakathayam laws where lineage moves via females of the house), their surname shall be Thampi and Thangachi.[9]
During the Venad era, Pillai was the title given to Nair Landlords and Provincial governors, and those who had taxation power over Quilon and Trivandrum regions. The most famous among them being the Ettuveetil Pillaimar. Gradually, it became one of the common surnames of the highest echelon of Nairs, who were mostly referred to as Madambi or barons. These Nairs had the right to use the Pillai surname for all their family members.[3]
However, with the formation of the Travancore Kingdom, the concept of Pilla underwent significant changes under the reign of Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja, who centralized the rule of Travancore. The Pillai surname was given to those who were part of the Royal service, which includes advisors, bureaucrats, administrators, military commanders, etc., most of whom were of Nair and Brahmin origin.[3][11]
The Pillai surname of Venad and Travancore is fully reserved for savarna subjects, most of whom are equivalent to Kshatriyas and Brahmins in the northern caste system. It's important to note that the caste system in Kerala differs from that in other parts of India.[12]
Pillais of Tamilnadu
"Pillai" is an ancient Tamil word meaning "child" or "younger ones." In the Chola court, a specific group of Vellalars had a dispute over rights to certain land, with one faction claiming based on seniority, referred to as Mudaliar, meaning "first one" and the other based on tenancy rights, referred to as Pillaiyar, meaning "younger one".[6], which also meaning "Child of Parvati" (Parvati Devi),[13]
The plural form of "Pillai" is "Pillaimar", which transforms into "Pillaiyār" when the plural suffix is replaced by an honorific suffix. This transformation has led to semantic confusion, as the term "Pillaiyār" is also a common reference to the god Ganesha in Tamil tradition. While this linguistic overlap exists, the two usages are contextually distinct: one referring to the plural or honorific form of "Pillai," and the other to the deity.[14]
Vellalar, a dominant landowning caste in Tamil society, possess a unique origin myth that emphasizes their elevated status and connection to divine purity. This myth finds its roots in a symbolic pun that intertwines their cultural identity with their socio-economic role. The Vellalar claim to be the "children" (Pillai) of the goddess Parvati, a revered deity in Hindu mythology. According to tradition, this divine lineage underscores the Vellalar’s purity, which is considered essential for the fertility of the land and the prosperity of the territories under their command.
The term Pillai, central to their origin narrative, carries dual connotations. On one hand, it reflects the notion of divine parentage, as the "children" of Parvati. On the other hand, Pillai is also a lordly title historically associated with landowning castes in southern Tamil Nadu, a region from which the majority of the Vellalar are believed to have originated.[15]
As recorded by Arunachalam (1964), a branch of the Vellalar, who were traditionally regarded as the ruling caste of Tamil Nadu, claimed to have received grain and agricultural knowledge from the Earth Goddess Parvati. This divine gift of sustenance and skill is cited as the foundation of their identity as both the cultivators of food and the rulers of the land. To emphasize their importance, the Vellalar assert that they are creators of life itself, given their central role in food production.[16]
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[17], Isai Vellalar and some other caste. These surnames have been considered markers of elevated social status and cultural identity in the respective communities.[a]
Notable Tamil Pillais
Notable people with this surname or its variants include:
"Champakraman Pillai" Indian freedom fighter.Venkatarama Ramalingam Pillai 1989 stamp of India
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.[18]
^a Kshatriya (Pillai Ilampel Pandarathil mentioned in Mark de Lannoy Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore, Page 6 at para2
^ abcdefShungoonny Menon, P. (1998). History of Travancore from the earliest times (2nd AES repr. [d.Ausg.] Madras, Higginbotham, 1878 ed.). New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. ISBN978-81-206-0169-7.
^a Brahmin (Pillai Idathara Potti) mentioned in Mark de Lannoy, Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore, Page 6 at para2
^A handbook of Kerala. 2 (1st ed.). Thiruvananthapuram: International School of Dravidian Linguistics. 2002. ISBN978-81-85692-31-9.
^See inscription at Kannankara temple, Trivandrum District. Quoted as Inscription 9/60 in P. Sundaram Pillai's Some Early Sovereigns of Travancore. Page 40-41 He makes the observation that they were in his opinion not men in the royal service.
^ abMark de Lannoy,Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore, Page 202
^More, Lena (2003). English East India Company and the local rulers in Kerala. ISBN8188432040.
This page lists people with the surnamePillai. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
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