Gounder is the name of the head in a system of decentralised panchayat administration used with various regional variations by distinct castes. The root word is Kavundu (கவுண்டு) which means the area overseen by a settlement unit's local leader, the Gavunda(கவுண்ட) which is again a derivent of the even more ancient "Gamunda" (கமுண்ட). This system gained political ascendancy during the Ganga[1] dynasty. The posts of the village headmen were usually assumed by the native warrior- landlord post Sangam Chera country Vellalar clans of the Kongu Nadu region and so fell to the ruling Gangakulam, (ref:Kongudesa rajakkal) (see Western Ganga administration) which was continued by local dynasties until the Hoysalas (see Economy of the Hoysala Empire and Hoysala administration) up to the present. The title Vellalar has disputed claims with some saying this to denote the agrarian base of the caste (Velalan) and others say it denotes the name Vallalan (the traditional word used by people in villages) which means ruler (ex: Hoysala ballalas, Raja Vallala Sena of Bengal). There is a need for further research on this subject as Kongu Vellalars consider other Velalars inferior in the caste structure and never have marital alliances with them (for example with Sozhiya Velalars in Karur). So the name Vellala seems to be distinct. The Kongu Vellalar Mangala Vazhthu (மங்கல வாழ்த்து), sung by the Tamil poet and saint Kambar, also strengthens the claim as he blest the marrying couples as ones belonging to Gangakulam. Various other references like the Velalapuranam confirm the claim. The 'kadayezhu vallalkal'or the last seven benevalent rulers hail from the community. References to the community have been found in the Purananooru of the Sangam age ( koduval kongar and karungaik kongar ,meaning kongars with battle sickles, kongars with their physical feature of massive arms respectively) and Silappadhikaram (kongilam kosar and kudagak kongar,meaning kongars of the kosar clan of the kosala region and kongars of the kudagu region respectively). The Kongu Vellalars are called Meezhi thuvasar because of their ploughshare flag. Individual koottams also have distinct flags in addition to this flag.

[edit] Demographics
The traditional homeland of the Gounders is the Kongunadu region of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It comprises the Salem,Dharmapuri,Namakkal,Erode,Coimbatore,Ooty,Karur districts of Tamil Nadu. The name Kongunadu is derived from Ganganadu. Gounders are also found in large numbers in the territories immediately adjacent to the north,south and east of Kongunadu and in small numbers in Kerala. This includes the Coorg region and the southern districts of Karnataka (including the city of Bangalore) and Tiruchirapalli and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu. Since the onset of British rule, there have been large scale migrations of Gounders to Chennai. More recently, with the IT boom there have also been migrations of Gonders in significant numbers to Europe and the USA.
Gounders form more than three-fourths of the total population of Coimbatore,Erode,Salem,Namakkal and Ooty districts of Tamil Nadu and around 50% of the population of Dharmapuri and Karur districts of Tamil Nadu. Tiruchirapalli,Theni,Dindigul and Vellore districts of Tamil Nadu, Kodagu,Mandya,Mysore and Bangalore districts of Karnataka and the Palakkad district of Kerala have 10-30% Gounder population.

History
Gounders claim to be Suriyavamsa Kshatriyas descdended from the Ganga Kings.

Theories of Origin
There are various theories on the origin of the Gangas.
The famous Velala puranam traces the origin through Marapalan the son of river Ganga.
The plates in Karnataka (esp Gummireddipura) trace them through sage Kanvayana or Jahnavya.