The term Nagarathar literally means "town-dweller".[5] Their title, Chettiar, is a generic term used by several mercantile groups which is derived from the ancient Tamil term etti (bestowed on merchants by the Tamil monarchs).[6]
Nagarathars are also known as Nattukottai Chettiar.[7] The term Nattukottai literally means "country-fort" in reference to their fort-like mansions.[5]
History
Nattukottai Nagarathars were originally from Naganadu. This ancient land Naganadu is believed to be destroyed (either in an earthquake or floods) and this place was either North or North West of Kanchipuram.
Nagarathars migrated and lived in the following places:
When they were in Naganadu these Dhana Vaishyas had three different divisions:
1. Aaru (Six) Vazhiyar
2. Ezhu (Seven) Vazhiyar
3. Nangu (Four) Vazhiyar
All these three divisions were devoted to Emerald Ganesha (மரகத விநாயகர்). Only after they migrated to the Pandya Kingdom they were called as Ariyurar, Ilayatrangudiyar, and Sundrapattanathar.
Nagarathars of Ilayatrangudiyar were later called as Nattukottai Nagarathar. Ariyurar Nagarathars further split into 3 divisions: Vadakku Valavu, Therku Valavu and Elur Chetty (Nagercoil). Sundrapattanathar Nagarathars migrated to Kollam district in Kerala and their history is completely lost now since there was no record keeping.[8]
The Nagarathar or Nattukkottai Chettiar were originally salt traders and historically an itinerant community of merchants and claim Chettinad as their traditional home.[9] How they reached that place, which at the time comprised adjacent parts of the ancient states of Pudukkottai, Ramnad and Sivagangai, is uncertain, with various communal legends being recorded. There are various claims regarding how they arrived in that area.[10] Among those are a fairly recently recorded claim that they were driven there because of persecution by a Chola king[who?]. No more details are forthcoming about this story and as to why the Nagarathar left the Chola kingdom and moved away from Kaveripoompattinam to the Pandiya kingdom.
Another older one, recounted to Edgar Thurston, that they were encouraged to go there by a Pandyan king who wanted to take advantage of their trading skills. The legends converge in saying that they obtained the use of nine temples, with each representing one exogamous part of the community.[10]
The traditional base of the Nattukottai Nagarathars is the Chettinad region of the present-day state of Tamil Nadu. It comprises a triangular area around north-east Sivagangai, north-west Ramnad and south Pudukkottai.
They have a reputation for living in characteristic mansions in Chettinad. These were constructed between Late 18th and Early 20th centuries.[7]
They may have become maritime traders as far back as the 8th century CE. They were trading in salt and by the 17th century, European expansionism in South East Asia during the next century fostered conditions that enabled the community to expand its trading enterprises, including as moneylenders, thereafter.[2][10] By the late 18th century expanded them to inland and coastal trade in cotton and rice.[9]
In the 19th century, following the Permanent Settlement, some in the Nagarathar community wielded considerable influence in the affairs of the zamindar (landowners) elite. There had traditionally been a relationship between royalty and the community based on the premise that providing worthy service to royalty would result in the granting of high honours but this changed as the landowners increasingly needed to borrow money from the community in order to fight legal battles designed to retain their property and powers. Nagarathars provided that money as mortgaged loans but by the middle of the century they were becoming far less tolerant of any defaults and were insisting that failure to pay as arranged would result in the mortgaged properties being forfeited.[11] By the 19th century were their business activities developed into a sophisticated banking system, with their business expanding to parts of Southeast Asian countries such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and China.[citation needed]
Varna Classification
In the absence of a proper Chaturvarna (four-fold varna) system in South India, the Nattukottai Nagarathars (also known as Chettiars) have been classified as high-class Vaishyas (merchant caste) due to their extensive involvement in trade, finance, and banking activities.[12] Their economic prominence and wealth elevated their social status, and they were often considered above Brahmins in certain contexts.[13]
In addition to their economic prominence, the Nattukottai Nagarathars have been renowned for their philanthropic contributions to religious and social causes. They donated generously to the construction, renovation, and maintenance of numerous Shiva and Vishnu temples across Tamil Nadu and other regions, leaving a lasting legacy in the religious and cultural heritage of South India.[14][15] This charitable tradition further elevated their social standing and cemented their role as patrons of South Indian religious institutions.
Furthermore, some Nattukottai Chettiars ascended to kingship through their wealth and influence. Although kings are traditionally associated with the Kshatriya varna in the chaturvarna system, the Chettiars' rise to power was based on their economic achievements rather than hereditary lineage.[16]
^ abHaellquist (21 August 2013). Asian Trade Routes. Routledge. p. 150. ISBN9781136100741.
^Agesthialingom, Shanmugam; Karunakaran, K. (1980). Sociolinguistics and Dialectology: Seminar Papers. Annamalai Univ. p. 417.
^Ramaswami, N. S. (1988). Parrys 200: A Saga of Resilience. Affiliated East-West Press. p. 193. ISBN9788185095745.
^ abContributions to Indian Sociology. Vol. 36. Contributions to Indian Sociology: Occasional Studies: Mouton. 2002. p. 344.
^West Rudner, David (1987). "Religious Gifting and Inland Commerce in Seventeenth-Century South India". The Journal of Asian Studies. 46 (2). p. 376. doi:10.2307/2056019. JSTOR2056019. S2CID162764761.
^ abIndian & Foreign Review. Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. 1986. p. 48.
^Pattu Veshti Ramanathan, Chettiar (2015). Analytical History of Nagarathar(நகரத்தார்களின் பகுத்தாய்ந்த வரலாறு). Sivakasi: Surya Print Solutions.
^Chandrasekhar, Sripati (1980). The Nagarathars of South India: An Essay and a Bibliography on the Nagarathars in India and South-East Asia. New York: Macmillan. p. 22.
^Bayly, Susan (1989). "Saints, Goddesses and Kings: Muslims and Christians in South Indian Society, 1700–1900". Cambridge University Press. 1: 317–318. ISBN9780521267273. {{cite journal}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
^Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2007). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. p. 146. ISBN9780810864479. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help): "The Chettiars donated vast sums for the construction of temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, with their wealth leaving a religious legacy."
^Raman, K. R. (2010). The Temple Town Economy in South India. London: Routledge. p. 68. ISBN9780415544597.: "The Nagarathars funded several iconic temples, especially in Tamil Nadu, as a mark of their religious devotion and status."
^Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2007). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. p. 145. ISBN9780810864479. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
^Krishnaswami Nagarajan. Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar. Annamalai University, 1985. p. 7.
^India. Office of the Registrar General. Census of India, 1961, Volume 25, Part 6. Manager of Publications, 1969. p. 136.
^Jagran Josh. Current Affairs December 2015 eBook: by Jagran Josh. Jagran Josh. p. 301.
^Vijaya Ramaswamy, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. p. 98.
Resources
Rajeswary Brown. (1993). Chettiar capital and Southeast Asian credit networks in the inter-war period. In G. Austin and K. Sugihara, eds. Local Suppliers of Credit in the Third World, 1750-1960. New York: St. Martin's Press.
David Rudner. (1989). "Banker's Trust and the culture of banking among the Nattukottai Chettiars of colonial South India". Modern Asian Studies 23(3), 417–458.
