Teli is a subcaste of Chettiars prominently seen in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Their major professions are oil and groceries.

They are also known as Ganiga in Karnataka & Gandla & Teli samaj because of similarities in profession of these two castes Vaniyambadi (near Vellore-Ambur) was originally a Vaniya Chettiar town. Now most of the Chettiars have moved to neighboring towns.

This community is predominantly associated with Oil extraction, business and later to general business. From ancient time in India, vegetable oils were obtained by crushing oilseeds in village, using an oil-press - or Ghana or chekku

In olden times oil was extracted by crushing and grinding oil seeds in a wooden drum or of stone drum called chekku, usually of 1 meter diameter on which a heavy cylindrical wooden log is placed for rotation. This log is attached through a shaft to which an ox was harnessed. The ox moves in circles and rotates the heavy log in the drum. In this process the oil seeds are crushed and ground and the oil oozes from the seeds and gets collected at the bottom of the wooden drum. This extracted oil comes out of the wooden drum through a wooden canal which is fixed to the hole at the bottom of the drum. Some were using one ox and some two oxen for harnessing the mill.

In Tamil Nadu, Sizable numbers of this caste can be found in the Coimbatore, Erode, Vellore, Madurai, Paramakudi, Krishnagiri, Cudalore, Periyakulam, Thirunelveli & Kanyakumari and Villupuram districts (basically erstwhile undivided Arcot,Chengalpattu Districts) though not in large enough numbers to command a vote bank.

Mahatma Gandhiji & kannagi is also Vaniya chettiar community..