Isai Vellalar

Isai Velalar
ClassificationOther Backward Class[1]
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesTamil, Telugu
Country India
Populated statesTamil Nadu • Kerala • Andhra Pradesh • Karnataka
RegionNorthern Tamil Nadu, Southern Andhra Pradesh
EthnicitySouth Asian
Subdivisions •  • Nayanakkarar • Nattuvanar • Melakkarar [2]

Isai Velalar is a community found in India in Tamil Nadu. They are traditionally involved as performers of classical dance and music in Hindu temples and courts of the patrons.[3] The term "Isai Velalar" is a recent community identity, people of minstrel occupation from various castes such as, Melakkarar, Nayanakkarar and Nattuvanar come under this term.[4][5][6]

Isai Vellalars are a micro community. Out of all the divisions, Melakkarars are the predominant Isai Vellalars. Edgar Thurston noted that the community had two linguistic sects within the state; being Tamil and Telugu. Tamil-speaking Melakkarars traditionally performed both ‘Chinna Melam’(nautch music) and/or ‘Periya Melam’(nadaswaram), while Telugu-speaking Melakkarars of Tamilnadu performed only ‘Periya Melam.’ Telugu Melakkarars had surname like ‘Reddi’ and ‘Naidu’, while the Tamil sect used ‘Pillai’ title. The Tamil sect resemble other Vellalars in customs and practices while the latter to that of Telugu Brahmins.[7] There are also other sects like Nattuvanar, barber-musicians, etc. under Isai Vellalar label.[8] Some from this community were made devadasis until its abolition.

  1. ^ Kerala, Government. "The Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). kscbc.kerala.gov.in.
  2. ^ "Caste in Tamil Nadu - III". Economic and Political Weekly. 48 (8): 7–8. 5 June 2015.
  3. ^ University, Vijaya Ramaswamy, Jawaharlal Nehru (25 August 2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 114–115, 161–162. ISBN 9781538106860.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Bannerji, Himani; Mojab, Shahrzad; Whitehead, Judith (2001). Of Property and Propriety: The Role of Gender and Class in Imperialism and Nationalism. University of Toronto Press. p. 162. ISBN 9780802081926.
  5. ^ Soneji, Davesh (15 January 2012). Unfinished Gestures: Devadasis, Memory, and Modernity in South India. University of Chicago Press. pp. 143–144. ISBN 978-0-226-76809-0.
  6. ^ Pillai, Swarnavel Eswaran (27 January 2015). Madras Studios: Narrative, Genre, and Ideology in Tamil Cinema. SAGE Publications India. p. 231. ISBN 9789351502128.
  7. ^ "Castes and Tribes of Southern India/Mēlakkāran - Wikisource, the free online library". en.wikisource.org. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Isai Vellalar and their history". 24 April 2024.