The Velalas in Mohenjo Daro
By H. Heras
Summary
Focusing on the proto‑historic Indus city of Mohenjo‑daro, this article looks for evidence of the Vélala (Vellala) tribe, well known in later South India. Building on earlier studies that identified Parava, Koli and Tirayar tribes in the Indus inscriptions, the author interprets two signs—one resembling a trident and another like an accacia—to form the sound 'Vélala.' Because the script marks consonants without vowels, vowel quantity is inferred from context. Several seal inscriptions are translated to yield phrases such as 'the Vélala of the house,' 'the Vélala king' and other references. The presence of Vélala names suggests that this tribe was important in the Indus civilization and possibly originated in North India before migrating south. The paper discusses associations between the Vélalas, the Himalayas and certain divine epithets, and notes parallels with later Tamil literature where Vellalas are portrayed as cultivators and chieftains. Although the readings remain conjectural, the argument broadens the range of communities recognised in the Indus Valley and hints at early interactions between northern and southern cultures. The author concludes that seal imagery and orthography support the inclusion of Vélala names, shedding light on the social diversity of the Indus world.
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Conclusion
By decoding the combination of specific signs in Mohenjo‑daro seals, the article proposes that the Vélala tribe was known to the Indus Valley peoples and perhaps held considerable status. The inscriptions preserve references to Vélala chieftains and cities, suggesting a wider geographical distribution of this community than previously thought. While the proposed readings remain tentative due to the undeciphered nature of the script, the argument enriches our understanding of social diversity in the Indus civilization and hints at early interactions between northern and southern cultural groups.