NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Pillai

Pillai, Pillay, Pulle or Pilli is a popular title of Tamil- and Malayalam-speaking people of India and others living in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa and Fiji, mostly from Vellalar and Nair communities. Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... Malayalam (à´®à´²à´¯à´¾à´³à´‚ ) is the language spoken predominantly in the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... Vellalars are a dominant caste of agriculturalists of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. ... Nair (IPA: [naËjar], Malayalam: à´¨à´¾à´¯à´°àµâ€, and sometimes spelt Nayar) is the name of an upper Hindu Caste from the southern Indian state of Kerala. ...

Though it started as a Hindu title, today Pillai is also found amongst Muslims and Christians both as a surname and a given name. A Hindu ( , Devanagari: à¤¹à¤¿à¤¨à¥à¤¦à¥), as per modern definition, is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, and the religious, philosophical and cultural system that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…Ø§Ù†, Turkish: MÃ¼slÃ¼man, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Ecumenism Â· Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul Â· Church Fathers Constantine Â· Athanasius Â· Augustine Anselm Â· Aquinas Â· Palamas Â· Luther Calvin Â· Wesley Arius Â· Marcion of Sinope Pope Â· Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box: A Christian () is a person who... A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ... Look up Appendix:Most popular given names by country in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

South African Tamils use the spelling Pillay, whereas some Sri Lankan castes may also use Pulle or Pilli.

Tamil Nadu usage

In Tamil Nadu this title or surname is predominantly used by people of the Vellalar caste among the population of Tamil descent, and the Nair caste population of the Malayalam-speaking immigrant population, although other castes also use the title. In southern Tamil Nadu, in Thirunelveli and Kanyakumari, those who are very concerned about their vegetarian status called them Saiva Pillai. The Elur Chetty community in South Tamilnadu and Kerala also uses this surname. Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Vellalars are a dominant caste of agriculturalists of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. ... Nair (IPA: [naËjar], Malayalam: à´¨à´¾à´¯à´°àµâ€, and sometimes spelt Nayar) is the name of an upper Hindu Caste from the southern Indian state of Kerala. ... Tirunelveli is a city in Tamil Nadu state of southern India. ... For other uses, see Kanyakumari (disambiguation). ... Elur Chetty (also called Elur Chettu or Ezhur Chetty) is a Tamil speaking Hindu community in South India. ...

Kerala usage

In Kerala this title is only used by Nair and Vellalar communities. Some feudal lords and senior military officers among the Nairs of Kerala used it, notably the Ettuveetil Pillamar or eight Pillai families who were great feudal Lords of powerful kingdoms. However, Vellalars in Kerala were mostly farmers. , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: à´•àµ‡à´°à´³à´‚; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... The Ettuveetil Pillamar (Transalated as Pillai Lords of the Eight Houses) was a group of nobles from Eight Nair Houses, all related in some manner to Royal Family of Venad. ...

The term Pillai in Tamil (and hence in old Malayalam) meant "child" or "son", and conferring this title on an individual was indicative of his intimacy with the local kings. It was such a sought-after title that as recently as 1810 a Brahmin got himself invested with the same. A Brahmin (anglicised from the Sanskrit adjective belonging to Brahma) also known as Brahman belonging to ; Vipra, Dvija twice-born, is considered to be the Priest class (varna) in the ancient universal Varna System and a caste found all over the world, especially India and Nepal in Indian caste system...

The formal investiture of the title among the noble class is associated with a ceremony known as Thirumukom Pidikukka, which confers special privileges. Thirumukom meant " high self " which was an honorific title conferred by the kings of Kerala. Thirumukom was one step below thirupad which was the title used by the kings of kerala. Thirumukom (meaning high face(thiru+mukom) or high self) was a hereditary title conferred by Rajahs in the state of Kerala, in the kingdom of Travancore mostly. ... Thirumukom (meaning high face(thiru+mukom) or high self) was a hereditary title conferred by Rajahs in the state of Kerala, in the kingdom of Travancore mostly. ... Thirumukom (meaning high face(thiru+mukom) or high self) was a hereditary title conferred by Rajahs in the state of Kerala, in the kingdom of Travancore mostly. ...

In South Kerala, Vellalar and Nair communities use Chella pilla and Chellamma pilla titles to represent high social status.

Andhra Pradesh usage

The Gavara community uses Pilla as a title, whereas the Aaraama Dravidulu community uses Chellapilla. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Aaraama Dravidulu is a sub-sect of Telugu Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh in South India. ...

List of castes using the title

... Elur Chetty (also called Elur Chettu or Ezhur Chetty) is a Tamil speaking Hindu community in South India. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nair (IPA: [naËjar], Malayalam: à´¨à´¾à´¯à´°àµâ€, and sometimes spelt Nayar) is the name of an upper Hindu Caste from the southern Indian state of Kerala. ... Seer Karuneegar is a subcaste or part of Karuneegar Caste. ... The Thampis are the sons of the Maharajahs (Kings) born of Nair women. ... Vellalars are a dominant caste of agriculturalists of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. ... The Yadava Dynasty ruled a kingdom in what is now Maharashtra, India from the 12th century to the 14th century. ...

History of the title

"Pillai" was historically used throughout the medieval period as an honorific title bestowed on high functionaries serving in various royal courts in south India. Although traditionally bestowed on members of high status and aristocratic castes, the name became adopted as a surname by a broad layer of the Tamil peasantry during the 19th and 20th century. With the extension of tenancy rights, the growth of the market economy and with new opportunities for middle class employment, members of cultivator communities, starting with the Vellalar peasantry, began adopting the name as both a form of upward social mobility and as a means of differentiating themselves from the broader peasantry.^{[citation needed]} Those adopting it for this reason included communities considered historically oppressed (see Maravar and Adi Dravida). The phenomena was particularly notable amongst members of the Tamil diaspora in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, and Fiji, a diaspora created in part by the export of indentured agricultural labour at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.^{[citation needed]} est This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Dravidian refers both to Dravidian languages, a group of languages, and to the Dravidian race, those who use them. ... Indetured servitude is when a persons passage to America is payed for an American Colonist and then the foreigner must work for the american for a certain amount of time (usually 7 years) and then the person is free to do what they please. ...

Amongst some Tamil communities the name is also now used as a caste name or signifier, though without any real historical basis. The use of a similar surname in Kerala is of different historical origins. Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social restriction and social stratification, enforced by law or common practice, based on endogamy, occupation, economic status, race, ethnicity, etc. ...

Some prominent Pillais

V.O. Chidambaram Pillai popularly known as VOC gets the credit of launching the first indigenous Indian shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo with the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, thus earning for himself the name - Kappalottiya Tamilan à®•à®ªà¯à®ªà®²à¯‹à®Ÿà¯à®Ÿà®¿à®¯ à®¤à®®à®¿à®´à®©à¯. He was born on 5 September 1872 in Ottapidaram, Tirunelveli district of Tamil... Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai (1901-1950) was an Indian mathematician, well known for his work in number theory. ... K C Sreedharan Pillai (1920- 1985) was an Indian mathematician who was known for his works on multivariate analysis and probability distributions. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Devasahayam Pillai, depicted on the front cover of a booklet sold at Kathadimalai (the site of his execution). ... , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: à´•àµ‡à´°à´³à´‚; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... Rao Bahadur P.I.Chinnaswamy Pillai was the first Municipal Chairman of Palakkad, Kerala, India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Dhanraj Pillay (born July 16, 1968) is a former field hockey player and captain of the Indian hockey team. ... The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is one of Asias largest defense contractors and a leading aerospace manufacturer based in Bangalore, India. ... All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is a regional political party in India. ...

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