Ariviyur Nagarathar
Encyclopedia
The Ariviyur Nagarathars (also known as Ariviyur Nagarathar Chettiars) (Tamil
:அருவியூர் நகரத்தார் செட்டியார்) is a Nagarathar
community under Chettiar
caste in Shaivism
(Tamil
: சைவ சமயம்) that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India
. They are a prominent mercantile Vaishya
, (Tamil
: வைசியர்) caste in Tamil Nadu, South India. They are a community with very rich cultural heritage, known for their philanthropy; building temples and schools, and maintaining them throughout India and Asia.
Ariviyur Nagarathars are referred in general as Nagarathars or Nagarathar Chettiyar until 706A.D. Later in 707A.D. Nagarathar were divided in to three major groups named as Nattukottai Nagarathar
(Tamil
: நாட்டுக்கோட்டைச் செட்டியார்), Ariviyur Nagarathar (Tamil
: அருவியூர் நகரத்தார் செட்டியார்), SundaraPattina Nagarathar (Tamil
: சுந்தரபட்டின செட்டியார்).
Ariviyur Nagarathars founded their non profit society named Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society (Tamil
அருவியூர் வடக்குவளவு நகரத்தார் கல்வி வளர்ச்சி கழகம்) (also known as Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar KalviValarchi Kalagham - AVNK) on 16th Jan 1982 by Mr. A. L. Murugan and National Best Teacher Mr.N.Thirunavukkuarasu at Piranmalai, Tamil Nadu
. This organisation is formed to mainly to cater to the educational needs of the Ariviyur Nagarathar community members by providing educational scholarships for the needy.
அருவியூர் வடக்குவளவு நகரத்தார் கல்வி வளர்ச்சி கழகம்) (also known as Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar KalviValarchi Kalagham - AVNK) is a non profit educational society/organisation of Ariviyur Nagarathar. This organisation is formed to mainly to cater to the educational needs of the Ariviyur Nagarathar community members by providing educational scholarships for the needy.
Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society have their 12 branches located in Chennai
, Coimbatore
, Madurai
, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Dindigul
, Ponnamaravathi
, Kottampatti, Sirugudi, Sokkampatti, Kirukkan Kottai, Pulithipatti.
Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society also publishes a Bi-Monthly magazine named Ariviyur Nagarathar Kural from Coimbatore
, Tamil Nadu
from the year 1997 which is a non profit magazine mainly circulated for the community development purposes.
: அருவியூர் நகரத்தார் குரல்) is a Tamil
community bimonthly magazine
of Ariviyur Nagarathar published by Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society, in publication since 1997 based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
, Pudukkottai district
of Tamil Nadu
by editor So.Vaithiyalingam.
It is generally a 50 page magazine published Bi-Monthly (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sep, Nov of every year). This magazine is a controlled magazine in terms of circulation. Circulated to the Ariviyur Nagarathar members upon an annual membership of Indian rupee
60.00. Currently this community magazine is published from Coimbatore
, Tamil Nadu
from Ariviyur Nagarathar Kalagham, Coimbatore
.
The very important purpose of this magazine is to regularly update the Ariviyur Nagarathar community whose ethnic culture and history dating back to 1310 B.C. mainly for non profit self less services of the Ariviyur Nagarathar community which includes educational, employment related updates, matrimonial updates/services etc.,.
community was further subdivided into Nattukottai Nagarathar
and Ariviyur Nagarathar.
So the origin and history of Ariviyur Nagarathar remained the same as that of until 706 A.D. A complete detailed revised book (343 pages) named Namadhu Samuthayam written by So. Vaithiyalingam in Oct 2010 explains clearly about the complete history of chettiyar's from 2897B.C. to 2010A.D with several references mentioned below.
Book References: The first book on print to come out about Nagarathar history is in 1894 called "Thanavaisya Nattukottai Nagarathar". With the help of scriptures from Poongondrai Velangudi at Thulavoor Mutt, the book was requested and examined by VR. L. Chinniah Chettiar of Devakottai. The permission granted by eminent persons such as M. AL. AR. Ramanathan Chettiar and AL. AR. RM. Arunachalam Chettiar the edition were printed by Sadavadanam Subramania Iyer of Tanjore at the Desabimani Press at Tanjore. The second edition came in 1904.
In 1911, Pandithamani Kathiresan Chettiar wrote a book called "Nattukottai Nagarathar Seerthirutham" (changes) and in 1919 Chockalinga Ayya of Karaikudi wrote a book called "Nattukottai Nagarathar Marabu Valakkam" (description of their ways). Both wrote separate books on Nagarathar history. In 1953, the compilation by A. Ramanathan Chettiar of Vayinagaram and the edition of that by Pandithamani was called "Nattukottai Varalaru" (history). In 1970 A. Shesadiri of Varagur wrote "Nattukottai Nagarathar Varalaru", which came out in the form of a book.
After this many researchers on Nagarathars have written many research essays on their past history. Certain notable essays are those written by Kamban Adipodi Sa. Ganesan, Dr. V. SP. Manickanar, Dr. SP. Annamalai and Dr. T. Chockalingam. Based on the above we can classify the old history of the Nagarathars as below: .
s lived in Sandhyapuri of the Sambu Islands in Naganadu. This borders the present state of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. They were of Chandrakula Gothiram. Later they embraced Saivism. There is actually a question over when the Nagarathars joined Saivism and when they would renounce Saivism? "When the sun and the moon were born on this earth the Nagarathars became Saivaites and when they are no more they would renounce Saivism." v According to Pandit Kathiresan Chettiar. At that time they were saivaites, praying to Maragatha Vinayagar, doing trade in precious stones and having the equal respect like the king. Naganadu is near Andhra. Later, an earthquake, according to DR. V. SP. Manickanar destroyed this Naganadu.
s could not bear the harassment of the Naga king and they came down to Thondaimandalam, namely Kanchipuram. At Kanchipuram the king welcomed them with a warm heart and royalty. He gave them land to build temples and mutts, They continued their devotion towards Maragatha Vinayagar and continued their trade with gems till the Kaliyuga year 2311 (790 BC) and lived happily.
s from there went to Cholanadu. They settled along the banks of River Cauvery at Kaveripoompattinam. Manuneedhicholan, the king of that time requested the Vaishya
s to live in three streets, East, West and South streets. He gave the Vaishya
s three honorable rights. One was the coronation of the king, the second was to have an independent lion flag of their own and the third was to have golden kalasams in the bungalows they lived in. When they got these rights the Nagarathars were called "Rathina Maguda Thanavaisyar". They continued their prayers towards Maragatha Vinayagar.
In the Kaliyuga year 3775 (674 AD) Poovanthicholan who was ruling at that time harassed and imprisoned all the womenfolk. Hence, the 8000 Vaishya
s leaving behind all their assets, 1502 boys and the Maragatha Vinayagar under the custody of their guru Atmananda Sastri to do pooja and look after, they all committed suicide. The guru Atmananda Sastri taught them the five-letter panchatara mantra for upadesam, till to this date they remember it with the help of the Patharakkudi Madam.
In the Kaliyuga year 3784 (683 AD) the old aged Poovanthicholan requested the Vaishya
s youngsters to do the coronation ceremony for his son Rajaboosanacholan. The youngsters said that they were incapable of doing the coronation since they were all bachelors and there were no eligible girls in the community to get married to. The king consulted with Esana sivachariar and pronounced that Vaishya
s can marry Vellala caste girls. The Vaishya
s youngsters said that they would marry the girls from the Vellala caste, but they would not marry their girls by birth to the Vellala caste. The king requested the Vellala community to accept this. The Vellala community accepted on the condition that their community guru would perform the dhikshai for their girls and the girls born to them. The East Street, which was divided into seven branches, had 502 Vaishya
s youngsters married to Solliya Vellala girls. For these girls their guru was Alagiya Gurukkal from Srivanjiyam...
s, predominantly originating in the Chettinad
region of Tamil Nadu
. They have been trading with Southeast Asia
since the heyday of the Chola empire, but in the 19th Century they migrated to countries throughout Southeast Asia. (See Tamil diaspora
)
Nagarathars were an important trading class of 19th and 20th century South East Asia and spread to Sri Lanka
, Burma, Malayasia, Singapore
, Java, Sumatra
, and Ho Chi Minh City
. Changing political and economic situations since that time have caused many of these communities to disappear as their members returned to India or sought other, more hospitable homes.
Chettiars were traditionally involved in occupations like moneylending and wholesale
trading
. Banks established by Chettiars include the now defunct Bank of Chettinad
, and the now ICICI merged Bank of Madurai founded by Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar (an Architect par excellence, Textile Don, highly principled Educationist and Philanthropher), Indian Overseas Bank
founded by Shri. M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettiar, and Indian Bank
founded by Raja Annamalai Chettiar. Nagarathars are known for their philanthropy
; building temples, and school
s and maintaining them throughout Asia
. A married Nagarathar lady is usually addressed as 'Achi' with respect.
, states that the main character in the book "Kovalan" is a Chettiar. There have been multiple movies based on the epic
of Silappathikaram and the most famous is the portrayal of Kannagi
by actress Kannamba in the 1942 movie Kannagi. P.U.Chinnappa played the lead as Kovalan
. The movie faithfully follows the epic of Silappathikaram and was a hit when it was released. The movie Poompuhar, penned by 'Kalaignar' M. Karunanidhi
is also based on Silapathikaram. There are multiple dance dramas as well by some of the great exponents of Bharatanatyam in Tamil as most of the verses of Silappathikaram can be set to music.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
:அருவியூர் நகரத்தார் செட்டியார்) is a Nagarathar
Nagarathar
The Nagarathars is a Chettiar community in Shaivism that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India. They are a prominent mercantile Vaishya, caste in Tamil Nadu, South India...
community under Chettiar
Chettiar
Chettiar , also spelled Chetty, is a title used by various castes in South India especially in Tamil Nadu. In Kannada, it appears as Setty, Shettar and Shettigar, who are Padmashalis in Andhra Pradesh....
caste in Shaivism
Shaivism
Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...
(Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: சைவ சமயம்) that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are a prominent mercantile Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
, (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: வைசியர்) caste in Tamil Nadu, South India. They are a community with very rich cultural heritage, known for their philanthropy; building temples and schools, and maintaining them throughout India and Asia.
Ariviyur Nagarathars are referred in general as Nagarathars or Nagarathar Chettiyar until 706A.D. Later in 707A.D. Nagarathar were divided in to three major groups named as Nattukottai Nagarathar
Nattukottai Nagarathar
The Nattukottai Nagarathars is a community under Chettiar caste in Shaivism that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India. They are a prominent mercantile caste in Tamil Nadu, South India...
(Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: நாட்டுக்கோட்டைச் செட்டியார்), Ariviyur Nagarathar (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: அருவியூர் நகரத்தார் செட்டியார்), SundaraPattina Nagarathar (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: சுந்தரபட்டின செட்டியார்).
Ariviyur Nagarathars founded their non profit society named Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
அருவியூர் வடக்குவளவு நகரத்தார் கல்வி வளர்ச்சி கழகம்) (also known as Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar KalviValarchi Kalagham - AVNK) on 16th Jan 1982 by Mr. A. L. Murugan and National Best Teacher Mr.N.Thirunavukkuarasu at Piranmalai, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. This organisation is formed to mainly to cater to the educational needs of the Ariviyur Nagarathar community members by providing educational scholarships for the needy.
Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society
Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society (TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
அருவியூர் வடக்குவளவு நகரத்தார் கல்வி வளர்ச்சி கழகம்) (also known as Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar KalviValarchi Kalagham - AVNK) is a non profit educational society/organisation of Ariviyur Nagarathar. This organisation is formed to mainly to cater to the educational needs of the Ariviyur Nagarathar community members by providing educational scholarships for the needy.
Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society have their 12 branches located in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
, Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Dindigul
Dindigul
Dindigul is a town and municipality in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. The name Dindigul comes from the Portmanteau of “Thindu” meaning pillow and “kal” meaning Rock and refers to the bare hill dominating the city’s both land and skyscape...
, Ponnamaravathi
Ponnamaravathi
Ponnamaravathi பொன்னமராவதி) is a Taluk in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-History:Ponnamaravathy, is named after King Ponnar and his brother Amarar , who were kings of Ponnamaravathy area. They came from Sevalur, which belongs to the Veera Maravar caste, to save the people...
, Kottampatti, Sirugudi, Sokkampatti, Kirukkan Kottai, Pulithipatti.
Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society also publishes a Bi-Monthly magazine named Ariviyur Nagarathar Kural from Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
from the year 1997 which is a non profit magazine mainly circulated for the community development purposes.
Ariviyur Nagarathar Kural
Ariviyur Nagarathar Kural (TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: அருவியூர் நகரத்தார் குரல்) is a Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
community bimonthly magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
of Ariviyur Nagarathar published by Ariviyur VadakkuValavu Nagarathar Education Development Society, in publication since 1997 based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
History and Details of the Kural
Ariviyur Nagarathar Kural started their first publication in the year 1997 in PonnamaravathiPonnamaravathi
Ponnamaravathi பொன்னமராவதி) is a Taluk in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-History:Ponnamaravathy, is named after King Ponnar and his brother Amarar , who were kings of Ponnamaravathy area. They came from Sevalur, which belongs to the Veera Maravar caste, to save the people...
, Pudukkottai district
Pudukkottai District
Pudukkottai District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Pudukkottai is the district headquarters...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
by editor So.Vaithiyalingam.
It is generally a 50 page magazine published Bi-Monthly (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sep, Nov of every year). This magazine is a controlled magazine in terms of circulation. Circulated to the Ariviyur Nagarathar members upon an annual membership of Indian rupee
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
60.00. Currently this community magazine is published from Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
from Ariviyur Nagarathar Kalagham, Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
.
The very important purpose of this magazine is to regularly update the Ariviyur Nagarathar community whose ethnic culture and history dating back to 1310 B.C. mainly for non profit self less services of the Ariviyur Nagarathar community which includes educational, employment related updates, matrimonial updates/services etc.,.
Origin & History of Ariviyur Nagarathar / Chettiars
In Brief: In 707 A.D. NagaratharNagarathar
The Nagarathars is a Chettiar community in Shaivism that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India. They are a prominent mercantile Vaishya, caste in Tamil Nadu, South India...
community was further subdivided into Nattukottai Nagarathar
Nattukottai Nagarathar
The Nattukottai Nagarathars is a community under Chettiar caste in Shaivism that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India. They are a prominent mercantile caste in Tamil Nadu, South India...
and Ariviyur Nagarathar.
So the origin and history of Ariviyur Nagarathar remained the same as that of until 706 A.D. A complete detailed revised book (343 pages) named Namadhu Samuthayam written by So. Vaithiyalingam in Oct 2010 explains clearly about the complete history of chettiyar's from 2897B.C. to 2010A.D with several references mentioned below.
Book References: The first book on print to come out about Nagarathar history is in 1894 called "Thanavaisya Nattukottai Nagarathar". With the help of scriptures from Poongondrai Velangudi at Thulavoor Mutt, the book was requested and examined by VR. L. Chinniah Chettiar of Devakottai. The permission granted by eminent persons such as M. AL. AR. Ramanathan Chettiar and AL. AR. RM. Arunachalam Chettiar the edition were printed by Sadavadanam Subramania Iyer of Tanjore at the Desabimani Press at Tanjore. The second edition came in 1904.
In 1911, Pandithamani Kathiresan Chettiar wrote a book called "Nattukottai Nagarathar Seerthirutham" (changes) and in 1919 Chockalinga Ayya of Karaikudi wrote a book called "Nattukottai Nagarathar Marabu Valakkam" (description of their ways). Both wrote separate books on Nagarathar history. In 1953, the compilation by A. Ramanathan Chettiar of Vayinagaram and the edition of that by Pandithamani was called "Nattukottai Varalaru" (history). In 1970 A. Shesadiri of Varagur wrote "Nattukottai Nagarathar Varalaru", which came out in the form of a book.
After this many researchers on Nagarathars have written many research essays on their past history. Certain notable essays are those written by Kamban Adipodi Sa. Ganesan, Dr. V. SP. Manickanar, Dr. SP. Annamalai and Dr. T. Chockalingam. Based on the above we can classify the old history of the Nagarathars as below: .
Early History (till 2898 BC.)
Initially the VaishyaVaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s lived in Sandhyapuri of the Sambu Islands in Naganadu. This borders the present state of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. They were of Chandrakula Gothiram. Later they embraced Saivism. There is actually a question over when the Nagarathars joined Saivism and when they would renounce Saivism? "When the sun and the moon were born on this earth the Nagarathars became Saivaites and when they are no more they would renounce Saivism." v According to Pandit Kathiresan Chettiar. At that time they were saivaites, praying to Maragatha Vinayagar, doing trade in precious stones and having the equal respect like the king. Naganadu is near Andhra. Later, an earthquake, according to DR. V. SP. Manickanar destroyed this Naganadu.
Leather Age (2897 BC to 790 BC)
During the Kaliyuga year 204 (2897 BC) the VaishyaVaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s could not bear the harassment of the Naga king and they came down to Thondaimandalam, namely Kanchipuram. At Kanchipuram the king welcomed them with a warm heart and royalty. He gave them land to build temples and mutts, They continued their devotion towards Maragatha Vinayagar and continued their trade with gems till the Kaliyuga year 2311 (790 BC) and lived happily.
Old years (789 BC to 706 AD)
During the Kaliyuga year 2312 (789 BC), Prathaparasa the king who ruled Kanchipuram imposed unjustified severe fines and punishments. Hence, the VaishyaVaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s from there went to Cholanadu. They settled along the banks of River Cauvery at Kaveripoompattinam. Manuneedhicholan, the king of that time requested the Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s to live in three streets, East, West and South streets. He gave the Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s three honorable rights. One was the coronation of the king, the second was to have an independent lion flag of their own and the third was to have golden kalasams in the bungalows they lived in. When they got these rights the Nagarathars were called "Rathina Maguda Thanavaisyar". They continued their prayers towards Maragatha Vinayagar.
In the Kaliyuga year 3775 (674 AD) Poovanthicholan who was ruling at that time harassed and imprisoned all the womenfolk. Hence, the 8000 Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s leaving behind all their assets, 1502 boys and the Maragatha Vinayagar under the custody of their guru Atmananda Sastri to do pooja and look after, they all committed suicide. The guru Atmananda Sastri taught them the five-letter panchatara mantra for upadesam, till to this date they remember it with the help of the Patharakkudi Madam.
In the Kaliyuga year 3784 (683 AD) the old aged Poovanthicholan requested the Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s youngsters to do the coronation ceremony for his son Rajaboosanacholan. The youngsters said that they were incapable of doing the coronation since they were all bachelors and there were no eligible girls in the community to get married to. The king consulted with Esana sivachariar and pronounced that Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s can marry Vellala caste girls. The Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s youngsters said that they would marry the girls from the Vellala caste, but they would not marry their girls by birth to the Vellala caste. The king requested the Vellala community to accept this. The Vellala community accepted on the condition that their community guru would perform the dhikshai for their girls and the girls born to them. The East Street, which was divided into seven branches, had 502 Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s youngsters married to Solliya Vellala girls. For these girls their guru was Alagiya Gurukkal from Srivanjiyam...
Business community
Nagarathar business people are HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s, predominantly originating in the Chettinad
Chettinad
Chettinad is a region of the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil Nadu state, India. Karaikudi is known as the capital of Chettinad , which includes Karaikudi and 74 other villages...
region of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. They have been trading with Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
since the heyday of the Chola empire, but in the 19th Century they migrated to countries throughout Southeast Asia. (See Tamil diaspora
Tamil diaspora
The Tamil diaspora is a demographic group of Tamil people of Indian or Sri Lankan origin who have settled in other parts of the world. Significant Tamil diaspora populations can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Middle East, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana,...
)
Nagarathars were an important trading class of 19th and 20th century South East Asia and spread to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Burma, Malayasia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Java, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, and Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
. Changing political and economic situations since that time have caused many of these communities to disappear as their members returned to India or sought other, more hospitable homes.
Chettiars were traditionally involved in occupations like moneylending and wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
trading
Trader (finance)
A trader is someone in finance who buys and sells financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, commodities and derivatives. A broker who simply fills buy or sell orders is not a trader, as they are merely executing instructions given to them. According to the Wall Street Journal in 2004, a managing...
. Banks established by Chettiars include the now defunct Bank of Chettinad
Bank of Chettinad
Bank of Chettinad is a defunct bank that originated in the Nattukottai Chettiar community.*1929: Two prominent Nattukottai Chettiar business family partnerships established the bank with its Head Office in Rangoon and registered it as a private company in India and incorporated under the Indian...
, and the now ICICI merged Bank of Madurai founded by Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar (an Architect par excellence, Textile Don, highly principled Educationist and Philanthropher), Indian Overseas Bank
Indian Overseas Bank
Indian Overseas Bank is a major bank based in Chennai , with 2018 domestic branches and six branches overseas. Indian Overseas Bank has an ISO certified inhouse Information Technology department, which has developed the software that 2018 branches use to provide online banking to customers; the...
founded by Shri. M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettiar, and Indian Bank
Indian Bank
Indian Bank is a major Indian Commercial Bank headquartered in Chennai , India. It has 22,000 employees, 1923 branches and is one of the big public sector banks of India. It has overseas branches in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and 229 correspondent banks in 69 countries...
founded by Raja Annamalai Chettiar. Nagarathars are known for their philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
; building temples, and school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s and maintaining them throughout Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. A married Nagarathar lady is usually addressed as 'Achi' with respect.
Popular culture
Silapathikaram, a book written by Ilango AdigalIlango Adigal
Ilango Adigal was a Tamil poet and a Jain monk, who was instrumental in the creation of Silappathikaram, one of the five great epics of Tamil Literature. Prince Ilango was the brother of Chera king Cheran Chenguttuvan , in South India. Ilango Adigal was born in the Chera dynasty that ruled parts...
, states that the main character in the book "Kovalan" is a Chettiar. There have been multiple movies based on the epic
Epic (genre)
An epic is traditionally a genre of poetry, known as epic poetry. However in modern terms, epic is often extended to other art forms, such as novels, plays, films, and video games where the story is centered on heroic characters, and the action takes place on a grand scale, just as in epic poetry...
of Silappathikaram and the most famous is the portrayal of Kannagi
Kannagi
Kannagi or , a legendary Tamil woman, is the central character of the South Indian epic Silapathikaram. Legend states that Kannagi took revenge on the King of Madurai, for a mistaken death penalty imposed on her husband Kovalan, by cursing the city with disaster.-The story:Kovalan, the son of a...
by actress Kannamba in the 1942 movie Kannagi. P.U.Chinnappa played the lead as Kovalan
Kovalan
Kovalan is a central character in the ancient Tamil epic Cilappatikaram.-Plot:Kovalan, the son of a wealthy merchant in Kaveripattinam, married Kannagi, the lovely daughter of another merchant. They lived together happily in the city of Kaveripattinam, until Kovalan met the courtesan Madhavi and...
. The movie faithfully follows the epic of Silappathikaram and was a hit when it was released. The movie Poompuhar, penned by 'Kalaignar' M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
is also based on Silapathikaram. There are multiple dance dramas as well by some of the great exponents of Bharatanatyam in Tamil as most of the verses of Silappathikaram can be set to music.
Resources
- Silapathikaram
- Tamil: சிலப்பதிகாரம்
- Namathu Samuthayam (343 pages) book written by Vaithiyalingam about chettiyar's from 2897B.C. to 2010A.D.
- World's first unique nagarathar community portal - Nagarathargateway.com
- This article was originally based on an article by PL.Chidambaram, first published at http://nagaratharikkiyasangam.org/
- 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.
- David West Rudner. (1994). "Caste and Capitalism in Colonial India: The Nattukottai Chettiars". University of California Press.
- Heiko Schrader. (1996). "Chettiar finance in Colonial Asia". Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie 121, 101-126.
- Nagarathar Kalaikalangiyam by Meyappa Chettiar
- The Chettiar Heritage Book
- Nishimura, Yuko Gender. (1998). Kinship and Property Rights: Nagarathar Womanhood in South India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-564273-2.
- Koviloor Math
- Nagarathar Sangam of North America
- The Official website of Nachandupatti Nagarathar
- The Official website of Sri Adaikkammai Appathal Padaippu Veedu Nachandupatti
- About Nagarathar - Penang,Malaysia
- NKC online by RM Meiyappan
- http://www.eegarai.net/t3051-topicHistory of SingampunariSingampunariSingampunari is a town in Sivagangai district, in Tamil Nadu, India. The town comes under the Thirupathur constituency.This is an industrial and temple town. In Singampunari, the main industry is production of coconut rope. It is the home for many groundnut oil mills and many more small scale...
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