Vanniar (Chieftain)

Vanniar or Vannia (Tamil: வன்னியர்) is a title of a feudal chief in medieval Sri Lanka who ruled as a tribute payer to any number of local kingdoms. It was also recorded as that of a name of a caste amongst Sri Lankan Tamils iin the Vanni District of northern Sri Lanka during the early 1900’s. It is no longer used as a name of a caste or as chiefs in Sri Lanka. There are number of origin theories for the feudal chiefs as well as the caste as coming from modern Tamil Nadu state or as an indigenous formation.

Feudal chiefs

After the demise of the classical Sinhalese kingdom period post twelfth century AD and the fall of Polonnaruwa the secondary capital city, many petty chiefs took power in the buffer lands between the northern based Jaffna Kingdom and other Kingdoms based on the Southwest of the Island namely Kotte Kingdom and the Kandyan Kingdom. These petty chefs paid tribute to the Jaffna Kingdom or the Kingdoms in the South based on the political power wielded by the kings. Sometimes they were independent of any central control. The ruling class was composed of multi ethnic and multi caste origins. Some according primary sources such as "Yalpana Vaipava Malai" were descended from Vanniar caste immigrants from modern Tamil Nadu where as others were clearly of Mukkuva origins. [McGilvray, "Mukkuvar Vannimai: Tamil Caste and Matriclan Ideology in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka", p.34-97] There were also number of Vannia chiefs of Sinhalese ancestry. Many kings and chiefs with titles such as Vannian or Vannia had ruled in northern areas of modern Sri Lanka termed as Vannimai during the Jaffna Kingdom days.Peebles, "History of Sri Lanka", p.31-32] (see Pandara Vannian)

As a caste

As a caste it is no longer registered amongst northern Sri Lankan Tamils but in the 1900's it was present singly in the North and North Central provinces. During the subsequent period it assimilated as part of the local Vellalar, Govigama and other similar positioned castes.

Origin theories

The Tamil primary sources derive the name from the similarly named and militarily important Vanniar caste of modern South India where as some Sri Lankan historians derive these titles independent of Indian based Vaniar caste amongst both Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese from the Sinhalese word for forest, namely "Vanna" and a "Vannia" or "Wannia" as a person from the forest and Vannimais were large tracks of forest lands.Karthigesu, "Sri Lankan Tamil Society and Politics", p.7-9] (see Wanniyala-Aetto)

Notes

References

*cite book |last = McGilvray |first = Dennis | title = Mukkuvar Vannimai: Tamil Caste and Matriclan Ideology in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, (Caste Ideology and Interaction) | publisher = Cambridge University Press | date = 1982
*cite book | last = Kartithigesu | first = Sivathamby | title = Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics | publisher = New Century Book House | date= 1995 | pages = 189 | isbn =812340395X
*cite book | last = Peebles | first = Patrick | title = The History of Sri Lanka| publisher = Greenwood Press | date= 2006 | location = USA | pages = 248 | isbn = 0-313-33205-3